Affairs & Atonements (18 page)

“Is that why you followed me to the restaurant?”

He grinned. “What else could I do? I was green as a goblin.”

She bit her lip, unconsciously drawing swirls with her finger on his torso. “That doesn’t explain why you love me.”

“Do you really need a reason?” He rasped against her cheek.

“I’m not sure I can live without one since you gave a pretty compelling reason for your attraction to Naomi.”

“My heart beats fast every time I’m close to you. And when you’re not with me, I can’t do much else but think about you. That’s how it had been all these years and that’s how it is now. Christy, you challenge me to make me a better person. I don’t want to just have fun all my life. I want it to be meaningful. I want to have a purpose. A reason, a drive to live, to breathe. And you are the only one who has ever given me that.” He kissed her neck. “You’re everything I want in a woman. You’re beautiful, you’re intelligent; you’re kind. And you’re the mother of my child. You’re my wife, Christy.”

She cupped her face and looked cheekily into his eyes. “Well, you do have a way with words. You just won me over again.”

“Yeah?” He smiled, his erection growing hard and jabbing into the slits of her core.

“Is that how you’ve been winning your women?”

“No one has ever captured my heart.” He teased back. He played with the lobes of her ear. “What about Chad? Are you going to tell him about us?”

“We’ve been dating and haven’t taken it too far into the relationship. I don’t think he would be quite heartbroken when I do tell him.”

“And when is that?”

She grinned. “Oh, so now who’s the impatient one to get the word out?”

He pinned her hands above her head. “Has there been anyone other than Chad?”

She writhed under him. “Tons.”

He stiffened, his eyes piercing into hers. “Don’t tease me, Christy.”

She loosened her body, her eyes softening as she looked adoringly into his. “Two, excluding Chad, but they lasted three months at most. I couldn’t help comparing them to you. And for some reason or the other, they always fell short.”

“Really?” He sneered with obvious satisfaction. “Not even the handyman?”

“Come to think of it, I
am
fucking my handyman.” She grinned.

His hands moved down to her sex, caressing her, parting the lips of her labia and moving inside deep into her.

She moaned, arching her back as she grew wet, her juices dripping onto his fingers.

He took her nipple into his mouth, caressing it and tingling it with his tongue. “I didn’t bring my tool box, Mrs Pryor,” he mumbled. “I’m sorry, but this is the only tool I’ll have to do you with for now.” He rubbed the tip of his erection against her clitoris and she clasped onto his hair as she writhed uncontrollably under him.

He finally rolled onto his back, taking her with him. “I want to watch you ride me, Mrs Pryor.”

She happily straddled him, guiding his cock into her. She felt his thick, hard length slip easily into her wetness as she took him deep into her.

They clasped their hands together as the cab turned into the driveway of the lodge.

“Can I move in with you?” He necked her in the backseat.

“What will we tell Margaret and JR?”

“The truth. That we’re together.”

“You have only a couple more days before you leave. Do you think it would be wise to drop something like that now? Perhaps, we should wait until you visit us next.”

“Please, let me move in with you.” He kissed her neck down to her bosom. “You won’t regret it, I promise.”

She chuckled from the tingles he was giving her. She slapped him lightly on the arm when she noticed the driver give them a short glance in his rear view mirror. “Ashton, stop it.”

“I can’t bear to take my stuff back up to the lodge again. Come on, Christy, you’re killing me.”

“Fine.” She laughed. “But let us tell them first and also depending on how they take it. Agreed?”

He slumped dishearteningly back into his seat. “Okay.”

She giggled. “Oh come on, I’m meeting you half-way.”

He grinned. “I like half-ways.”

The cab pulled to a stop and they cheerfully alighted. Ashton paid the driver and then took her hand again as if he was afraid to let her go. They wheeled their bags behind them as they strolled over to the house, chuckling and whispering intimately into each other’s ears.

“So who’s going to break the news?” she teased.

“You.”

“Oh, hell no.” She shook her head profusely. “Not me. Since you are so eager to jump into my bed, then it is you who should tell them.”

“You’re right.” He nodded seriously. “Maybe I should tell them how much you’re in love with me and can’t live without me. And that it was critical I move in with you for the sake of your well-being and good health.”

“Right.” She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, that sounds like the truth when it’s not me but you who’s wheeling his luggage into my room.” She raced ahead of him. “Last one to the house gets to tell them!”

“Hey!” he yelled after her. He grinned and picked up speed, trying to catch her.

She pulled open the door, beating him by a second.

“Mom!” JR cried out cheerfully. He ran up to hug her. “Did you get something for me?”

She kissed his forehead. “What? No, ‘missed you’ or ‘love you’?” She faked a scowl.

“I missed you,” he said quickly. “Did you get something?”

“Dad did.” She tossed her head at Ashton as he walked up to join them.

“How about a kiss for me, buddy?” He ruffled the boy’s hair.

“Missed you, Dad,” JR said as he hugged him. “So what’d you get?”

Ashton threw his hands up in the air. “Is that it?”

“Impatience runs in the family.” Christy sneered at him. “I always knew he didn’t get it from my side of the family.”

Ashton arched his brow, on the verge of debating her.

“Ashton?” A soft voice broke into their playful teases.

He paled, looking up in the direction of the door leading to the kitchen. “Naomi?”

“Hi, baby.” The woman smiled as she strolled up to throw her arms around his neck. “Surprise,” she whispered and kissed him passionately on his lips.

*****

Ashton led Naomi into Christy’s study and then closed the door behind them.

“What’s wrong, babe? Aren’t you happy to see me?” she asked curiously, putting her arms around him again.

“Of course, honey,” he said, trying to sound as sincere as he could.
Just shocked and fucking confused, all at the same time.
“I didn’t expect you here, that’s all. When did you come?”

“A couple of hours ago,” she whispered, kissing him on his neck. “I missed you.”

He smiled. “I thought you would be busy these three weeks and wouldn’t have any time to miss me.”

“Well, I did. I worked hard just so that I could return to you as soon as possible.” Her hands ran down to his crotch. “I remember you promising me that you would be waiting for me back home with a ribbon round your sweet, thick cock.”

He clutched her hand before she could unzip his pants. “Not now, Naomi. JR might walk in at any time.”

She sighed and stepped away. “I’m glad you found Christy. Did you get her to sign the papers?”

“She did,” he said, taking the opportunity quickly and sitting heavily into a chair.

“Must have been a shock to find out you had a child. I was when you first told me. That was why I rushed through my shoots. I was so worried about you.”

“I’m fine, Naomi. I just needed some time to get used to the fact that I am a father now.”

She sat on the edge of the table, looking at him. “I didn’t mean to intrude. I thought if I came here, I might get to know JR too since he would be a part of our lives.”

“I know.” He ran his hands tiredly through his hair. “I wish you had told me that you were coming, though. We’ve only begun adjusting to each other. He’s my son, Naomi. I can’t risk screwing this up.”

She nodded. “So what was your trip to New York with Christy all about?”

He raised his brow questioningly. His heartbeat raced slightly. He didn’t want to lie. He just didn’t want to tell her the whole truth yet. “There was a seminar for hoteliers I thought Christy could benefit from. She is struggling with the lodge and any advice would help her remarkably.”

“Did you have to go? She’s a grown woman. I’m sure she could have managed it on her own. And besides, that would mean time away from your son.”

A nerve tensed in his temples. She didn’t like that he had gone with Christy. Which sane woman would welcome the thought of her partner alone in a hotel with his supposedly former wife? But he couldn’t let her throw a temper here. Not in front of JR.

“If Christy succeeds, that would only benefit JR,” he said. “I am doing this for my son.”

“I suppose.” She shrugged and walked over to the window. “The lodge is so old. It’s such a mess. Why doesn’t she simply sell it up? I’m sure Christy could find a job somewhere instead of working an effort to keep it.”

He rubbed the pain growing in his temples. “It’s her business, Naomi. If she wants to run it, then by all means she should.”

She spun around sharply. “Yes, but she’s got you involved. You’re fixing her website, repairing the infrastructure, running her errands and now you’ve just come from New York with her.  Yes, Margaret and JR told me all about how you’d been spending the time here. How is that right, Ashton? How am I supposed to be okay with all that?”

He walked up to her and tried to put his arms around her but she shook them off.

“This is why I didn’t want you to come here,” he said. “You should have waited for me to introduce you to JR.”

“What was I to do when I heard you were spending three weeks with your ex-wife? Wait, hold on? She is still your wife, right? You’re not divorced yet.”

“Naomi…”

“Do you still love her?”

He threw his head back tiredly. Should he just tell her? It was a direct question after all. A yes or a no was all it needed. He could break it off with her right this minute or tangle her further with a lie. He glanced up at her. Her eyes were welling with tears, her face strained with worry. His heart softened and he tried putting his arms around her again. She didn’t resist this time, leaning appreciatively into him.

“It’s hard on me too,” he whispered. “I’ve just discovered I have a child.
He’s
discovered he has a father who wants to be with him. And I’m doing all I can to make my transition into his life as smoothly as possible. I could hole up my frustrations and be bitter with the mother of my son for keeping him hidden from me or I could be smarter about it and embrace this opportunity life has given me. What would you rather me do?”

She sniveled into his shirt. “I’m sorry. Of course I don’t want you stressed and angry. I would hate to see you dragging yourself and your son through a legal battle for custody. But I can’t help feeling the way I do. I know I’m being stupid and childish-”

“Sshhh… you’re not stupid or childish.” He sighed. “You have every right to react the way you did.”

“I’m scared I’m gonna lose you, Ashton.” She sobbed quietly. “I thought you were finding your wife so you could divorce her to marry me.  I understood that. I had no problems with that. And then suddenly, you have a ten year old kid, and now you’re spending three weeks with her, fixing up her place, taking a trip to New York. You’re behaving as if you belong here. As if this is where you want to be. Do you want to even go back to Philly?”

He didn’t know how to respond to that. “Honey, I’m a man on a salary. If I don’t turn up at my job in a couple of days, Mark Lawrence is going to fire me. Tardiness is the one thing that man can’t stand.”

Thankfully, the answer sufficed her. She quieted, hugging him tightly. “I’m sorry for behaving like a possessive bitch. It’s only because I love you.”

“I know.” He smoothed her hair to calm her down. He held her there for a long time, not knowing how he would face the storm brewing outside the study. For some inexplicable reason, he felt he had weathered only the beginnings of an impending tempest.

*****

“When did she arrive?” Christy asked as she peeled another carrot.

“Probably an hour before you did,” said Margaret, stirring the contents in a large stew pot. “She was enquiring about Ashton at reception. Jane didn’t know what to tell her so she called me up.” She sighed, shaking her head. “I brought her over to the kitchen because I was afraid of how she might react when she would learn that her fiancé flew to New York with his ex-wife. I guess I would flip out myself. Considering the circumstances, she did relatively well. Very admirably composed. I suppose it’s got something to do with her occupation. She travels a lot and mingles with so many different people; she must see things differently than we commoners.”

Christy paled. She never would have been okay with her husband taking a trip with a former partner. And reflecting on how they had spent it, she would have had good reason to be suspicious.

“Christy, honey? Are you okay?” Margaret asked concernedly, suddenly noticing her change in color.

Christy palmed her forehead and nodded her head. “Yes. It must be the stress of the trip.”

The guilt of her intimacy with Adam sped through her.
He’s in a relationship… he has a partner. It’s not just any woman. She’s her fiancée. He’s bound to marry her when they return to Philadelphia. He has his own life back there. What are the chances he’d come back to me and JR? He’d be nothing with me. Nothing. What was I thinking? What was I thinking?...

Margaret watched her closely. “Are you sure? Did something… happen on the trip?”

Christy lifted her eyes, her tears welling in them. She didn’t need to speak her emotions out aloud.

“Oh, Christy.” The older woman wrapped a comforting arm around her. “Of all the dumb things you’ve done, you went and fell back in love with him again.”

“What am I supposed to do, Margaret?” She sobbed softly but uncontrollably into Margaret’s motherly bosom.  “What do I do now?”

“Sshhh.” Margaret soothed, caressing her head gently. “Sshhh, child.”

They sat together silently, Margaret’s hand still resting on Christy’s.  The stew continued to boil on the stove, its aroma permeating the cozy kitchen.

“What are you going to do?” Margaret asked.

“I don’t know. I really have no idea what I’m supposed to do.” She pulled in a deep, shaky breath. “I’m such an idiot, Margaret. How could I put myself in this position again?”

The elderly woman cupped her face. “Honey, everyone makes mistakes. We’re only flesh and blood after all.” She gave her a small pat on her head. “Talk it over with Ashton. That is all I can advise you for now. This is no longer just about you and him anymore. There’s JR to consider, and Naomi. She is his fiancée after all.”

“Am I evil? I must be on the inside to have done something like this to another woman.”

“No, of course not. Love makes us to do crazy things. It upsets all those important hormones that make us think straight. You’re an intelligent, beautiful woman who fell in love and made some mistakes. And I’m always going to be proud of you for being the daughter Evan and I never had.” She laid a small kiss on her forehead. “Now, pull yourself together and sort it out like the woman I know you are.”

She stepped away from Christy to turn her attention to her pot of bubbling hot stew.  But a shuffle of footsteps caught her attention again as Naomi and Ashton walked into the kitchen.

Margaret cleared her throat. “There you both are. You are going to stay for dinner, aren’t you?”

“Thanks, Margaret.” Naomi smiled, tilting her head up lovingly at Ashton. “It’s been two weeks since I’ve seen my fiancé. I want to spend as much time with him for now. We’re going to head into town for a nice romantic night out.”

Ashton shifted uncomfortably, his eyes attentively focused on Christy.