was a part of me that thought you might know that.”
“No, I didn’t.” Ash put his arm around her and held her close. She could feel his tenseness, which matched her own right now.
“But at the wedding,” he said, “I thought we might reconnect, especially when I realized you weren’t with Josh. But then you didn’t call.”
Felicia closed her eyes. “I realize now it was stupid, and I should have followed my feelings, but…” She looked at him. “I still have the piece of paper you gave me. It’s in the jewelry box you made for me in school.”
The shocked look on his face made her laugh.
“You still have that?”
“It’s my most prized possession.” She tucked her hair behind her ear. “You know they always ask what you’d save first if you were in a fire? That’s it, for me. If that was lost, I’d cry for days—months, actually.”
She squeezed his thigh. “I still remember when you gave it to me.”
“Me too,” he replied, a seductive gleam in his eyes. “We’d just made love under the moonlight.”
“It was our second time,” she said. “I remember telling my dad, after the incident, that he couldn’t charge you with anything because we waited until I was seventeen, the age of consent. I screamed at him that I’d looked it up to make sure we wouldn’t get in trouble, that I was an adult in the eyes of the state of New Mexico. I think that pissed him off more than anything.”
They were silent for a few long moments. Finally, Ash said, “Getting back to the box—”
“Yes, let’s do,” Felicia butted in. “You told me that night you were going to make me all sorts of jewelry to put inside it. Right now the only thing in there is your class ring, which I still have, and that piece of paper with your phone number on it.”
“Well—” He stopped speaking and kissed her, his lips claiming hers as they always had, making her want him in every way imaginable. When he broke the kiss, he said, “I’ll have to keep my promise, won’t I?”
“I’m going to hold you to it.” She rubbed her nose against his. It was something she’d done quite a bit when they were younger.
Ash stroked his thumbs across her cheeks. “I remember the first time you did that to me.”
All bad memories raced from her mind, and Felicia giggled. “How could you forget it? I did it in front of half the school.”
Ash chuckled. He lay back down on the bed. She stretched out next to him and put her head on his shoulder.
“We were at…” She sat up. “We were at Benny’s house.”
“Yup. For his sixteenth birthday party. He had the cool parents, remember? They didn’t stick around to see what was happening. They provided food and drink, but no alcohol, and told us to have fun.”
“Spin the bottle,” she said. “I remember it well. I’d had a crush on you since I was fifteen, from the first time I saw you in art class. During the game, the bottle pointed toward you, and I’d never been kissed before. I wanted to kiss you so much, but I was so scared, so I rubbed my nose against yours.”
“And I did this.” He cupped his hand at the back of her neck and pulled her down. The kiss was demanding, and she felt herself melt. She opened her mouth and welcomed him inside. He tasted so…well, so Ash-like—the slight taste of tobacco and the mint he ate after he smoked one of his hand-rolled cigarettes.
“I don’t think it was quite so passionate,” she said after his lips left hers.
“You wound me,” Ash said, falling against the pillows in a pretend faint. A seductive glint filled his eyes. “I stuck my tongue in your mouth, though. That much I remember, because I saw fireworks when it was inside you.”
“I felt them too.” She straddled him and whispered against his lips, “But I have to say, your…technique…has improved over the years.”
“Happy to be of service,” he replied. She loved the deep, sexy tone of his voice. He kissed her again, holding her face
“No, I didn’t.” Ash put his arm around her and held her close. She could feel his tenseness, which matched her own right now.
“But at the wedding,” he said, “I thought we might reconnect, especially when I realized you weren’t with Josh. But then you didn’t call.”
Felicia closed her eyes. “I realize now it was stupid, and I should have followed my feelings, but…” She looked at him. “I still have the piece of paper you gave me. It’s in the jewelry box you made for me in school.”
The shocked look on his face made her laugh.
“You still have that?”
“It’s my most prized possession.” She tucked her hair behind her ear. “You know they always ask what you’d save first if you were in a fire? That’s it, for me. If that was lost, I’d cry for days—months, actually.”
She squeezed his thigh. “I still remember when you gave it to me.”
“Me too,” he replied, a seductive gleam in his eyes. “We’d just made love under the moonlight.”
“It was our second time,” she said. “I remember telling my dad, after the incident, that he couldn’t charge you with anything because we waited until I was seventeen, the age of consent. I screamed at him that I’d looked it up to make sure we wouldn’t get in trouble, that I was an adult in the eyes of the state of New Mexico. I think that pissed him off more than anything.”
They were silent for a few long moments. Finally, Ash said, “Getting back to the box—”
“Yes, let’s do,” Felicia butted in. “You told me that night you were going to make me all sorts of jewelry to put inside it. Right now the only thing in there is your class ring, which I still have, and that piece of paper with your phone number on it.”
“Well—” He stopped speaking and kissed her, his lips claiming hers as they always had, making her want him in every way imaginable. When he broke the kiss, he said, “I’ll have to keep my promise, won’t I?”
“I’m going to hold you to it.” She rubbed her nose against his. It was something she’d done quite a bit when they were younger.
Ash stroked his thumbs across her cheeks. “I remember the first time you did that to me.”
All bad memories raced from her mind, and Felicia giggled. “How could you forget it? I did it in front of half the school.”
Ash chuckled. He lay back down on the bed. She stretched out next to him and put her head on his shoulder.
“We were at…” She sat up. “We were at Benny’s house.”
“Yup. For his sixteenth birthday party. He had the cool parents, remember? They didn’t stick around to see what was happening. They provided food and drink, but no alcohol, and told us to have fun.”
“Spin the bottle,” she said. “I remember it well. I’d had a crush on you since I was fifteen, from the first time I saw you in art class. During the game, the bottle pointed toward you, and I’d never been kissed before. I wanted to kiss you so much, but I was so scared, so I rubbed my nose against yours.”
“And I did this.” He cupped his hand at the back of her neck and pulled her down. The kiss was demanding, and she felt herself melt. She opened her mouth and welcomed him inside. He tasted so…well, so Ash-like—the slight taste of tobacco and the mint he ate after he smoked one of his hand-rolled cigarettes.
“I don’t think it was quite so passionate,” she said after his lips left hers.
“You wound me,” Ash said, falling against the pillows in a pretend faint. A seductive glint filled his eyes. “I stuck my tongue in your mouth, though. That much I remember, because I saw fireworks when it was inside you.”
“I felt them too.” She straddled him and whispered against his lips, “But I have to say, your…technique…has improved over the years.”
“Happy to be of service,” he replied. She loved the deep, sexy tone of his voice. He kissed her again, holding her face
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