"Let me, uh... I have to change..."
Without waiting for a response, Ashleigh turned her back to her companion. She assumed he would do the same. Few people knew it, but they had done this many times during the last couple of months. So many times, in fact, that she thought nothing of changing into her pajamas with him in the room.
"Some party, huh?"
As she spoke, she pulled her bikini top off and her shirt on. A second later, she changed out of her bottoms and turned to flash him a bright smile.
"I'm decent," she told him as she made her way over to the bed. "Do you want to watch a movie or do you just want to go to bed?"
Truth be told, she would be happy doing either of those things. She just wanted to be in his arms... especially after the kiss they'd shared.
Ed nodded his head, watching her for a moment, even with her back turned, before he turned around and pulled off his t-shirt and swimming trunks. A moment later he’d pulled on a fresh pair of boxers and he grinned when she told him she was decent.
“Me, too,” he said as he made his way to the bed, too.
“We could watch a movie,” he said agreeable when she asked what he wanted to do. He wasn’t exactly sleepy at the moment. He was just happy to be spending a little time with her.
A few moments later, they had picked out a movie and stuck it in the DVD player. Ed smiled at her, threading a set of fingers through her hair and pressing a light kiss to her forehead as he pulled her close to him. He was glad she’d agreed to spend their nights together this weekend. Ed definitely liked sleeping with Ashleigh in his arms. It felt good to hold her.
Like Ed, Ashleigh wasn't sleepy. She would've happily gone to bed with him, if that was what he'd wanted to do, but she was grateful for the excuse to stay up a little while longer.
Once they were settled, she curled into his side. At first, she was careful about where she set her hands, but she relaxed when he pulled her close. Her arm draped over his stomach, and her fingertips began to move idly over his side. It should've been obvious that there was nothing she enjoyed more than cuddling with her best friend.
Her eyes closed when his lips pressed to her forehead, and she found herself wishing that he'd really kissed her. Luckily, though, she was able to hide how she felt by acting thoroughly engrossed in the film they were watching.
"Mmm.. this is nice," she breathed as she snuggled a little further under the blankets.
”This is nice,” Ed agreed easily. His hand rubbed idly at her back while her continued to play with her hair with the other. The movie provided some nice background noise, but he wasn’t remotely paying attention. His senses seemed to be suddenly heightened when it came to Ashleigh. Her scent, the way she felt pressed against him. Ed couldn’t seem to focus on anything else.
He couldn’t tell you how long he kept up his doting touches. It was really just an excuse to touch her. Despite how she’d reacted to him during the game, despite Matt’s words of “encouragement” on the subject, Ed was inexplicably nervous. What if it had only been the game? What if she didn’t want him to...
He tried to control himself. He really did. But there was a moment where their eyes met and she smiled at him and the next thing Ed knew he was brushing his lips gently over hers.
Her eyelids drooped as his hands worked over her back and through her hair. In moments like this, she'd always been hyper-aware of how good it felt to be in his arms, but the kiss they'd shared had intensified that.
As they laid there, she couldn't help but think about that kiss… about how good it had been… about how she wanted to do it again. His doting touches didn't help in the least. In fact, they encouraged her to wander even further into thought. She found herself wondering what it would be like if he touched her… if he really touched her.
Worried that he had somehow read her mind, she glanced up at him. He caught her looking, though, and that caused a blush to flood over her features. She quickly flashed him a smile, but before she could turn her attention back to the movie, his lips were brushing gently over hers.
Deep down, she knew that she shouldn't return the kiss. She had a boyfriend, after all. Luckily, that was easily the furthest thing from her mind.
A soft hum built in the back of her throat as her lips puckered under his, and her hold on him tightened. It had just begun, but this kiss was just as amazing as the last.
Ed was normally completely confident when it came to girls. With Ashleigh, it was a little different, though. There was a part of him that worried she would pull away from the embrace. She was dating someone else, after all. It made sense that she wouldn’t be with Aaron if she wanted Ed. At least, it made sense in Ed’s mind.
He couldn’t help grinning when she did return the kiss. Maybe he shouldn’t be kissing someone else’s girl, but this was Ashleigh. No matter who she was dating, on some level he had always seen her as his. Besides, if she was really Aaron’s girl, she wouldn’t be doing this, right? Right.
Ed brought a hand to her cheek as he deepened the kiss a little. Once she returned what had started as a very sweet, gentle kiss, he brushed his tongue against her lips, seeking to deepen it a little more. Ed could remember all too well how she’d tasted earlier as their tongues had danced together and he was more than ready to experience that again.
Ashleigh had wanted Ed for as long as she could remember. Aaron was, as horrible as it sounded, a distraction. She'd started dating him because she had been certain that she couldn't have the one person she really wanted. She liked Aaron, of course, but on some level her heart had always belong to Ed.
Her lips parted when his tongue brushed against them, and she eased her own tongue forward. His flavor hadn't changed since they'd kissed at the party, and a very soft groan of approval built within her chest when she tasted him.
"Mmmm..."
This was easily the last thing she should be doing, but there was nothing she wanted more. Kissing him had been... a dream come true. It wasn't smart, but she wanted to live in the fantasy for as long as possible.
Ed groaned softly at the way she tasted. It had been mere hours since they'd last done this, of course, but it felt like a small eternity had passed in between kisses.
He groaned his approval as their lips and tongues brushed together. If possible, she tasted even better now than she had a few hours ago. It was possible it just felt that way because they were completely alone this time, but Ed thought this kiss was even better than the last had been.
He pulled her against him as his lips moved over hers and one of his hands trailed lightly over her side. This was much nicer than their earlier kiss, even though at the time he wouldn't have thought that possible. Kissing her was amazing, but being able to hold her against him while he nipped and sucked at her lips was even better.
At his urging, Ashleigh shifted a little closer. Her arms wrapped tightly around his frame as the embrace deepened, and she hummed an approval.
It felt absolutely amazing to be in his arms… to have his body pressed against hers. She'd fantasized about it more times than she could count, but actually experiencing it… well, there weren't enough words in the English language to describe how incredibly good it felt.
A shiver ran down her spine as his hand stroked over her side, and she exhaled a soft moan. At the time, she hadn't thought it was possible, but this was better than the last kiss they'd shared.
Ed smiled at the way she reacted to him. He'd made out with a lot of girls, but he'd never felt quite the way he felt kissing Ashleigh. He felt both more alive and more at peace with her than he'd ever felt with anyone else. This was better than... anything. It was better than all those other girls combined. It was better than being on the field, better than throwing the game-winning touchdown pass.
Ed's hand continued to move over her side and his lips nipped and pulled a little more diligently at hers. A moment later, he was pulling his lips from hers to trail a series of tender kisses over her jaw and down her neck. Her skin tasted amazing and he hummed his approval as his lips pulled at her skin.
Ashleigh wouldn't go so far as to say that she'd made out with a lot of guys, but she'd definitely made out with more than her fair share. While she had enjoyed kissing those other guys, she could say without a shadow of a doubt that this was the best kiss she'd ever had. Of course, that probably had a lot to do with who she was kissing.
She whimpered softly when his lips pulled away from hers, but that whimper faded into a quiet moan when he began to trail headed kisses over her jaw and neck. If she'd been with another guy, that would've made her a little nervous. She trusted Ed, though, and she knew that he wouldn't pressure her to do something she wasn't ready for. Not to mention, it felt unbelievably good.
"Mmmm… guh…" she breathed.
Ed found it was just as easy to get wrapped up in kissing Ashleigh now as it had been earlier. Her lips, her body felt so perfect again his. All the reasons he’d had for not doing this with her before vanished. He wasn’t worried about screwing up their friendship. He wasn’t worried about anything. The only thing that mattered at the moment was keeping his lips pressed to her skin.
“You taste amazing,” he murmured as his hand continued to travel up her side.
Ed’s lips continued to nip and suck at her neck for a few moments, slowly making their way down to her collar. He nipped playfully at the hollow of her throat before trailing a series of heated kisses over her collarbone. Had he mentioned she tasted amazing? He could easily keep kissing her for the next several hours, at least.
"Mmm… Mmm… Guh… Mmm…"
Ashleigh whimpered softly when he began to nip and suck at her collarbones. That felt… guh...indescribable. She tangled her fingers in the hair at the nape of his neck and tilted her head to the side so that he would have a little more room to work. How did he… They'd only done this once before, but it was like he knew exactly where to kiss her.
"Feel so good," she murmured.
She pulled encouragingly at him as she spoke. If her words didn't make it obvious that she was enjoying herself, her actions should have.
Ed had quite a bit of experience at this and he was completely confident in his skill. Every girl was different, of course, but he definitely knew how to kiss and touch a girl and Ashleigh seemed to be reacting perfectly to the things he was doing.
Not that she was just another girl to him. Part of why this felt so good could be attributed to the fact that this was Ashleigh. This girl knew him better than anyone, even Matt. Something about that bond between them made this better than it had ever been with anyone else.
Ed continued to kiss over her collarbones. He dipped his head further and pressed a few heated kisses over her chest before kissing his way back up her neck and over her jaw. A moment later, he was capturing her mouth with his again.
“Guh.. so perfect,” he groaned into the kiss. His hand pushed unconsciously at the hem of her shirt and he began to lightly rub a calloused thumb over the bare skin on her side as the material shifted out of his way. Ed wasn’t really pushing for more than a kiss, but the skin he’d tasted had been so soft and he was anxious to touch as much of her as he could.
Judging from the rumors that were going around, he was beyond experienced. That wasn't a title she held, of course, but she hoped it wouldn't be too obvious. She didn't want to disappoint him, after all.
As pathetic as it sounded, Ashleigh wouldn't mind if Ed thought that she was just another girl. That wasn't what she wanted, but she was willing to settle for anything she could get. She'd always told herself that she just wanted him to treat her the way he treated the other cheerleaders, and she wasn't going to go back on her word.
Her back arched when his lips began to brush over her chest. It wasn't the first time she'd been touched like this, but it was the first time she'd ever enjoyed it. In the past, she'd always been too worried about where it was going to lead to give into the sensations that washed over her during moments like this. It was different with him, though.
"Mmmm, Ed…"
She eagerly returned the kiss he urged her into, and when his thumb stroked over her side, she gasped against his lips.
Ashleigh could never disappoint Ed, not in a million years. She’d been one of his closest friends for as long as he could remember. Maybe that meant he had her up on something of a pedestal, but it was nearly impossible for him to be remotely upset with her. In his eyes, she was perfect.
That friendship was exactly why he couldn’t treat her like he did the other girls, too. Oh, he wasn’t exactly mean to the others, but he knew full well he was only using them. As he’d told Matt countless times, he couldn’t do that to Ashleigh. He cared about her too much. He needed her too much to risk losing her for a few moments of pleasure.
None of that seemed to matter at the moment, though. Well, it did, but kissing her seemed to magically push away those fears. She felt too perfect for this to be wrong. All he could think about in the moment was how badly he wanted to keep kissing her for as long as he possibly could.
He loved the way she murmured his name as their mouths worked together. That simple phrase - if you could even call it that - caused the corners of his mouth to lift in a smile as he nipped and sucked gently at each of her lips.
“So perfect, Ash,” he murmured against her lips as his hand started to shift slowly higher.
It went without saying, but Ed could never lose Ashleigh. She'd been in love with him since she'd developed hormones, after all, and they'd been friends even longer than that. He didn't need to worry about destroying them or changing them because, as far as she was concerned, that wasn't possible. In fact, she believed that nothing was capable of tearing them apart.
Her heart rate doubled when his hand began to shift a little higher, and her skin covered in goosebumps. She was a little nervous about how quickly things were progressing, but she most definitely didn't want him to stop. Why would she? This was her chance… her chance to be more than the girl next door… her chance to be like the other girls…
She whimpered softly as her lips worked gently over each of his, and she pulled at his side as though she was trying to pull him closer. That was probably impossible at this point, but she didn't seem to notice or care.
"Mmmmm…"
Ed may not have put a label to his feelings for the girl in his arms, but she had never been just the girl next door to him. They’d grown up playing together during his summer and holiday visits with his aunt and uncle and her less frequent visits to her own relatives in Georgia. When his parents had dies, it was her he’d wanted to see. Ashleigh meant more to him than just about any other person in his life, with the possible exception of his little brother and Matt. Even with them factored in, he would be hard pressed to say who he needed more. Ashleigh had seen a side of him that even Matt and Trick hadn’t.
Maybe he should have known she wasn’t going anywhere, but a part of him was terrified of losing her. After everything they’d been through together, he couldn’t bear the thought of not having her in his life, of not being able to turn to her. She was the only person he trusted enough to be vulnerable with. Could he really be blamed for not wanting to do anything he thought might jeopardize that?
Despite the way his hand was moving up her side, Ed wasn’t trying to rush anything. He wanted to touch her. He wanted to feel her skin under his hands. He definitely wasn’t pushing for anything, though.
He hummed contentedly as he nipped and pulled over her lips. The kiss was gentle and passionate at the same time. His thumb continued to rub idly over her side as he held her more closely. This was.. perfect. Maybe Matt was right. Sort of. He definitely wasn’t going to jump on his best friend’s advice and “just fuck the girl already,” but right now, it felt like he and Ashleigh should have been doing this kissing thing all along.
Deep down, she knew that she wasn't just the girl next door. When she was upset, though, it was easy for her to convince herself that she was unimportant to him... especially when he was out with other girls.
Ashleigh wasn't capable of reading his mind. As such, she didn't know what his intentions were. She only knew that she could trust him... that he would never intentionally hurt her... that he'd never force her to do something she didn't want to do.
A shiver ran down her spine as his calloused thumb continued to stroke over her side, and she hummed into the kiss. Her legs tangled with his as they tried to move closer to one another. That was impossible, of course, but her hold on him tightened as though they'd somehow managed it.
She'd been fantasizing about this since she'd developed hormones. Now that it had finally become a reality, she was definitely on board with the thought that they should've been doing this all along.
"Mmm," she whimpered softly.
It definitely felt like Ed couldn't possibly hold her close enough. He loved the feel of her in his arms, but he still wanted her closer, somehow, even if that wasn't actually physically possible. He tugged at her anyway, urging her as close as possible, despite the fact that their bodies were already pressed flush together.
If it was at all possible, Ed deepened the embrace a little more. His hand continued to roam over her side as he nipped and pulled at her lips.
"Mmmm, you taste so good," he murmured between kisses. His other hand slipped from her hair to brush lightly over her cheek. Her skin was so soft. He couldn't seem to get enough of touching her.
"I could do this all night," he breathed against her lips.
Ashleigh wrapped her arms tightly around his frame. Her fingertips pulled over his shoulder blades as though she was trying to pull him closer. As stated, though, that was impossible.
"Guh, Ed," she breathed.
Her hands stroked down his bare back as she nipped and sucked at his lips and tongue. Once they were resting on the small of his back, she pulled at him once again. When her attempt at pulling him closer wasn't successful, she shifted onto her back and urged him to move over her.
"Mmmm," she agreed distractedly. "All night."
Ed shifted with the blonde, holding himself over her with one arm while the other continued to caress over her skin.
“You’re so beautiful,” he breathed. He caught her gaze with his for a brief moment before he pressed his lips to hers again. As completely gay as it would sound if he admitted it out loud to anyone, his heart skipped several beats when he looked at her.
He held himself up just enough that he wouldn’t crush her, though he kept their bodies pressed firmly together as his hand roamed over her side. His lips continued to nip and pull at hers and he let go of a soft groan as his tongue brushed against hers once more.
It went without saying, but this was definitely something he wanted to do for as long as he could.
A million emotions flooded over her when he pulled out of the embrace and told her that she was beautiful. Though it sounded completely pathetic, she had fantasized about him saying those words, and finally hearing them was a dream come true.
She responded eagerly to the kiss he pressed to her lips a heartbeat later, and her arms tightened around him once more. It was obvious that he was trying to support the bulk of his weight, but she found herself pulling at him with the hopes of drawing him closer.
Their tongues met once again, and she moaned softly into his mouth. His flavor was indescribable, but it seemed to get better with each passing minute.
At some point, they would need to sleep. That was easily the furthest thing from her mind, though. As far as she was concerned, they could spend the rest of the night just like this. |
