Perfect for You(30)

“Hey, gorgeous.” Ash smiles up at me. “Going to let me in or do I have to yell to you all night?”

“Door’s open. Come on up.” He smiles, realizing I’m inviting him to my bedroom, not the living room or den where we usually hang out. I think he sets a record with how quickly he’s in my room with his arms wrapped around me.

“I missed you.” His voice is breathy in my ear.

“I missed you, too.” I kiss his cheek first before finding his lips. His kiss is hungry, and I wonder if it’s because of our earlier conversation or if something happened at the party. My curiosity gets the better of me and I pull away, leaning my head back so I can look him in the eyes. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah. I just missed you.”

“That didn’t seem like the typical ‘I missed you’ kiss. What’s really going on?” I take his hand and pull him over to the bed, sitting cross-legged and waiting for him to tell me the real reason he’s acting like this.

“Promise you won’t get mad?”

Uh oh. “Go ahead.” I prepare myself for the worst. Liz threw herself at him. That has to be it.

“Well, everything was fine at first. I was hanging with Jackson like usual. But then Liz came over.”

My breath catches in my throat, and I squeeze my hands into fists. “What did she do?”

He sighs. “I wasn’t expecting it, and I pushed her away. You need to know that.”

“Did she kiss you?” My voice is high-pitched and screechy.

“No.” Ash puts his hands up, waving them frantically in front of me. “She came up behind me and wrapped her arms around me.”

My hands clench the bedspread. I’m going to kill her.

“I immediately took her arms off me and told her I’m with you. She apologized, and I left. I told Jackson I needed to meet you. He seemed upset by the whole thing. I think maybe he has a thing for Liz. I don’t know. It was all a little confusing.”

I knew something like this was going to happen. I knew Liz liked Ash. I warned him. But I can’t say all that. What Noah and I are doing is so much worse than Liz touching Ash like that. God, why can’t I be strong like Ash and just push Noah away? I can’t allow myself to think about Noah while I’m with Ash, but the alternative is thinking about Liz and that makes me want to scream. If I blow up at Ash, it will ruin everything. I have to try to be calm, no matter how much my insides are threatening to explode.

He reaches for my hands, gently taking them in his. “Are you mad at me?”

“No, I’m not mad at you. I’m mad at her.” I squeeze his hands. “I knew she’d do something like this.”

“I don’t think she’ll try it again.”

I’m not so convinced. I know her type. “Let’s not talk about it, okay? I want to enjoy the night with you.”

For a moment he seems stunned that I’m dropping the issue so quickly, but then he looks around the room. “Your parents won’t be home until eleven?”

“Yup. That’s what they told me.”

“You’re sure?”

I eye him, knowing exactly what he’s thinking. My pulse quickens. Am I ready for this? I felt ready earlier, but then Noah came over. Then again, maybe being with Ash would finally get Noah out of my head. That’s what I need to do. I need to get over Noah and remember what a great guy I already have. I reach forward, grabbing Ash’s shirt. Playfully tugging him toward me, I lie back on the bed. He has that “holy crap” look on his face. I know the feeling. I press my lips to his, hoping my nerves will fade away with the familiarity of the kiss.

After a few moments, Ash pulls back and stares into my eyes. “Are you sure?” Ash isn’t the kind of guy who would take advantage of me. He loves me. I can’t imagine being with anyone else right now.

“Positive.” I smile, letting him know I’m really okay with this. I want this.

His lips find my neck, and I moan in pleasure.

***

I wake up the next morning with a huge smile on my face. I hug my sheets to me, the same sheets Ash was tangled up in last night. I can still smell him. As soon as he left, I showered and got into bed. I couldn’t face my parents, afraid they’d somehow know just by looking at me. That’s one conversation I want to avoid…forever.

According to my alarm clock, I have half an hour to get ready and get to the game. I’m not going to be late. Ash is counting on me to be there to support him. I toss the sheets off me and swing my legs over the edge of the bed. I feel different.

My cell rings, and I grab it from the nightstand. Ash. “Good morning, sexy,” I say, my voice deep from sleep.

“Now that I can get used to.”

“Good.” My heart flutters, exactly like it did when we first started dating.

“How are you?” He wants to make sure I’m still okay with what happened last night.

“Better than ever.” My goofy grin widens.

Ash sighs with relief. “Good. Me too. I don’t think anything can bring me down right now. I’ve got a Meg high going on.”

“You on your way to the game? I kind of thought you’d be there by now.”

“I am here. I’m talking to you in the bathroom stall.”