Page 13 of Ash
ChapterEleven
Lainey
“Ash?” I came awake slowly even though I didn’t have any recollection of falling asleep to begin with. I had only closed my eyes for a second, that was all. Just a second, so I could deal with the pain and the fear. But somehow in that time, and maybe because of all of those things I had lost the fight to stay conscious.
Blinking my eyes open I peered around, it was still cold, but I was no longer outside. A tent, I was in some kind of pop-up tent. I could see the shadows of trees through the material. Letting out a sigh of relief I let my eyes fall closed again but just for a second before his name left my lips again.
“Ash?” In the quiet, my whisper seemed unnaturally loud.
“I'm here Lainey.”
Something in his voice caused me to move my head sharply. He was there, I could see the bulk of his outline clearly. A hulking figure in the small confines. I couldn’t see his face but I could tell something was wrong just by the way he said my name.
“Is....”Shifting my weight caused a ripple of nausea to sweep through me. It wasn’t as bad as it had been but it was still there.
“You have to try and lay still Lainey.” He didn’t move. And it was so dark that I couldn't even see the whites of his eyes. “Let your....”
“Where are we?”
“Right where you were more or less, I didn’t dare move you any more than I did. You had lost a lot of blood and I had to... I....” he blinked and his eyes shone like they were lit from within. Unnaturally bright. “I've done what I can... you will heal.”
Frowning I reached for him. And for a second my arms wouldn't move from by side. “What...” I struggled again, getting more and more desperate. Why wouldn’t my arms move? They felt like they had been tied to my sides.
“Easy Lainey, easy.” Ash moved quickly, a shadowy figure amongst the other shadows. “It's just the sleeping bag.” easily he pulled the material down. The moment my good arm was free I grabbed at him. My fingers sliding around his wrist like I was afraid he would move away from me.
“Easy.” He repeated again softer this time. Easily he slipped his hand against mine so our fingers were entwined and the moment he did my erratic heart became calm.
It was strange, that calmness almost like I was in shock.
“How are you feeling.”With his free hand, he smoothed my hair back from my face. Staring down at me with a look that should be reserved for movie stars and models. There was no way he should be looking at me with that much adoration.
Leaning into the palm he had placed on my cheek, I took stock of my body. The pain was still there but it was easing rapidly. “Better,” I admitted. My words were met with a dazzling smile, the kind that lit up his tanned face. He looked so genuinely relieved that I couldn’t help but smile up at him.
He was so adorable if, of course, you could call someone who was a trained and government sanctioned killer adorable.
“Thank you for staying with me.” I shivered. The pain might have been ebbing away but that just made me feel even colder.
A flicker of doubt swept across his face before he smiled again. “I promised you I would never leave you.” The hand clutched in mine squeezed slightly and it sent shockwaves through me. “It's me and you now Lainey.” mumbled so quietly that I almost didn’t hear him. Gazing up at him I mulled over his words. They were innocent enough but I had a feeling they meant something else. Something I didn’t understand.
Ash was an enigma. A riddle I couldn’t hope to solve.
“Are you cold, you’re shivering so much that I can hear your teeth chattering?” Not waiting for me to answer, he pulled his hand from mine, turning away so he could rummage in a pack that seemed to be almost as big as I was. “I didn’t want to strip you out of your wet clothes but you should probably take them off If you are able.” In the dark, I could feel his eyes rove across my body and it was like I was naked. Not cocooned in a sleeping bag. Against my still wet jumper, my nipples pebbled up. Hard and insisting to be kissed. An ache started between my legs. I moaned softly. And Embarrassment flooded my cheeks with heat as the sound escaped my lips in a needy rush.
Ash’s eyes widened but he didn’t say anything. But it was like he knew. Like he could see my body's reaction to his words.
“I could....”Blushing I turned my face away. Why was it such a turn-on that he could have stripped me naked, he could have done anything to me when I was unconscious but he hadn't. Ash had been a total gentleman just like he always was and that was hot as hell.
“There's a spare T-shirt and socks.” He placed the folden dark green garment on my lap. “It’s not much but it’s better than trying to get warm in wet clothes. Dress as quickly as you can and then get back into the sleeping...” He trailed off. His dark eyebrow raised in a silent question. “What is it?”
“What if I can’t do it....” it wasn’t what I wanted to ask though. I already knew I was going to have trouble getting out of my jumper. I knew I needed help. What I wanted to know was if I was naked in front of him would he touch me?
I desperately wanted him to touch me. I had no idea where that need had come from but I couldn’t deny it. The images in my head were so clear that I almost moaned again.
“I’ll just be outside Lainey. If you need help shout and I will...”
I didn’t let him finish. “Or you could stay and help me.” Slowly I let my eyes find his. I wanted him and I knew he had wanted me for months. We were alone up here. It was almost cliched.
“Lainey?” His voice was strangled. “If I help you take your clothes off then I will forget myself. I’ll forget I’m a gentleman”
“Maybe I don’t want you to be a gentleman.” My words were drowned out by the howl of the wind as he slipped from the tent and into the snow. I didn’t know whether he had heard me or not but I was guessing he had.
I had offered to get naked with him and he had escaped into the cold rather than see me. The pain of his rejection stung. I stung more than I expected it to.
