All In (11 page)

…

Work goes by in a flash, and I wonder
if Ashley spent as much of her day thinking about me as I did about
her. It’s almost midnight when I finish the last of the dishes in
preparation for tomorrow night’s silent auction.

“Adios, Lane, see ya mañana,” Mario
says as we walk out the staff entrance and into the almost empty
parking lot.

Thankfully I’m working the garage
tomorrow and not the auction; it’s always a madhouse on special
event nights in the kitchen.

“See ya, man,” I say before I feel a
pair of tiny hands wrap around my head and cover my
eyes.

“Guess who?”

I can smell Ashley’s cotton candy body
spritz wafting off her warm skin, and her voice is like musical
notes to my ears, but I’ll play along.

“Hmmm,” I say, covering her hands with
mine then gliding them down past her wrists and across her thin
forearms, causing her skin to explode in goosebumps. “I think I’m
gonna need another clue.” I slowly turn around, so she’s still
covering my eyes and run my hands down the length of her torso to
her waist, pulling her into me until we’re flush with one another.
“Nope, still not sure,” I tease. “Maybe I need just one more little
clue.” I lean down and kiss the side of her neck, letting my lips
linger and causing her to drop her hands from my eyes.

“Hi,” she whispers, smiling up at me
when I finally pull myself away from kissing her soft skin. Which
is no easy feat.

“This is a surprise. I didn’t think
I’d get to see you until tomorrow.”

“I couldn’t stay away. I hope you
don’t mind?”

“Of course I don’t mind.” I glance at
my watch. “How long do I have you for?”

“As long as you want.” She smiles and
bats her lashes.

Man this girl has my number. How about
forever?

“Really, no curfew?” I ask
skeptically, considering I’ve had her home by midnight all week
long.

“My parents were exhausted after
sailing all day, so Andrew and I grabbed a late dinner here and
then I told him I’d get a ride home with you.” Ashley bites her
lip. “So, technically my parents didn’t say when I needed to be
home…” she trails off.

Ahhh, a loop hole. No
arguments here. “Well, I won’t keep you out
too
long. I wouldn’t want you
getting in trouble because of me,” I say with a wink.

“Oh, I think I might already be in
trouble when it comes to you,” she says, giving me a flirty smile
that makes me hotter under the collar than the humid night
air.

“Come on, you,” I say, taking her by
the hand and leading her down the stone path to the pool. The cool
water will be a welcome relief against the late night
heat.

“Lane, are we even allowed to be in
here right now?” she asks, looking over her shoulder at the main
club house and then back to me.

“There’s practically no one left in
side except the janitorial crew. We’re fine. And you’re a member,
so you have every right to be here if you want.”

“Yeah, during the day.” She looks
nervous. “And we don’t even have bathing suits.”

I untuck my shirt then peel it off
over my head and let it drop to the ground. “No, you’re right. We
should go,” I say, starting to unbutton my pants as Ashley’s eyes
go wide.

She glances around the darkness then
slowly shakes her head. “What in the world has gotten into me?” she
says under her breath, but I think it’s a rhetorical question so I
don’t answer except to smile.

She slips off the wide straps of her
form fitting dress, then wiggles it down until it pools at her
feet. She crosses her arms self-consciously around her waist and
pulls at the bottom of the cute little purple boy shorts she’s
wearing, matching bra included.

She looks so innocent and sexy at the
same time I have to tear my eyes away so I don’t make her
uncomfortable, although she’s wearing more than most girls do at
the beach. But she’s not like most girls.

“Come on,” I say, taking her hand and
running with her to the edge of the pool then jumping in cannonball
style. We both break through the surface of the water
laughing.

“Wow, this feels so nice,” she says,
treading water.

I wrap my arms around her waist and
move us from the deep end to the middle where I can stand. Ashley
surprises me by wrapping her legs around my torso and it feels
completely natural to have her so close.

“Yeah it does,” I say, taking her in.
The way the moonlight makes her green eyes look even brighter and
how the water glistens off her suntanned skin, flawless, except for
a small oval scar on the side of her arm.

I brush my thumb across it.” What
happened?”

“Oh, that.” She looks at the scar. “I
dropped my flat iron, burned myself pretty bad.”

I lean down and kiss the pink skin.
“But your hair’s already straight,” I say.

She looks slightly uncomfortable as
she runs her palm over her drenched hair. “It’s not actually
straight. It’s naturally curly.”

“Why do you always wear it straight?’
I ask. “I bet it’s pretty all curly.”

She shrugs and I sense she feels self
conscious. Girls.

“Okay, so you have naturally curly
hair, what else?” I say, spinning us around in a circle making the
water ripple out.

“What do you mean?”

“Tell me something else I don’t know
about you.” Like…if you’re as crazy about me as I am about you. I
shrug casually. “It doesn’t have to be your deepest darkest secret
or anything, just something I don’t know yet.”

I see her wheels turning, and when she
makes eye contact with me again, I’m surprised to find her looking
slightly shy. “Um…well…I wish I was a dancer,” she says
quietly.

I wrap my arms tighter around her
waist. “But, you said you’ve been doing ballet for years.” I smile
because I’ve imagined her in those little skirts and leotards. A
few times.

“No, I mean…I wish I could dance,
professionally.” She looks at the water, clearly unsure of
herself.

“Why can’t you?” I ask. She’s been
dancing for over ten years; she has to be good, probably
great.

She lets out a tight laugh. “Right,
like I could ever tell my parents that I’d rather go to a dance
conservatory than Yale. And that I want to dance contemporary and
not ballet. They would never allow it. Anyway, it’s just a silly
dream since I’ve actually never danced in that style, in front of
anyone before.”

“Dance for me.”

“What? No…no…I can’t.” She shakes her
head as her whole body stiffens. “Anyway, it’s my turn, tell me
something I don’t know about you,” she says, trying to change the
subject.

“Dance for me,” I ask again, this time
in a whisper, brushing my thumb across her cheek.

She shuts her eyes and leans into my
touch. “Lane, I can’t.”

“What are you worried
about?”

“It won’t be perfect,” she admits,
opening her eyes and looking truly vulnerable for the first
time.

Watching her, so unsure of
herself, I wish she could see herself through my eyes. To me,
she
is
perfect.
“Baby, if it’s something you love to do,” I lean in and give her a
small kiss, “I want to see it, regardless if it’s perfect or
not.”

“I can’t,” Ashley says, unwrapping her
legs from around my waist and swimming to the edge of the
pool.

I swim to her side and rest my arms
along the pebbly lip of the pool, my chin propped up on my hands.
“I bet you can, and I bet you’re amazing. Will you? For me?” In her
eyes, I see the war she’s fighting with herself. “Okay, how about
we make it a real wager?” I offer.

“Haven’t you had enough betting?” she
asks and she’s probably right, but I want to know everything there
is to know about her and I feel like watching her dance might just
be the door to her soul.

“Different stakes, different rewards.”
I shrug smiling, and I can see her armor break when she finally
smiles back.

She lets out a deep sigh. “What’s the
wager?”

“I’ll show you mine, if you show me
yours.”

“Lane!” Ashley says, splashing water
at me, and even in the dark I can see her blushing.

I laugh, shaking the water droplets
from my face. “That’s not what I meant…exactly. You show me
something that scares you, and I’ll show you something that scares
me,” I proposition, wrapping my arms around Ashley’s
body.

“So? You in?”

Ashley

Am I in?

My eyes lock with Lane’s as I search
my heart for the answer. I want to say yes, I want to show him
every part of me. Maybe for the first time in my entire life.
Perfect or not.

I nod my head slowly, still unsure,
but willing to take the chance. Or ‘roll the dice’ as Andrew would
say.

“Yes?” Lane asks, and I can see the
excitement in his eyes.

“Yes, I’ll dance. For you.” The moment
I say the words out loud all of my doubts and fears slam back into
me. What if I’m not good enough?

As if Lane can sense I want to
backtrack, he cups my face in his hands and kisses me so soundly
all my worries fall away. I don’t want to hide myself from him. I
want to be silly and unrestrained with him. Hopeful and romantic,
scared and vulnerable. Me. I just want to be me with
him.

“Wait, where am I supposed
to dance? And I have no music. And Lane…I’m in my underwear,” I
whisper like it’s a secret. Maybe I
should
rethink this.

Lane lets out a deep laugh, then lifts
himself from the pool. He reaches back and plucks me out of the
water with ease and pulls me into his chest.

“Baby, you can dance wherever you feel
comfortable,” he says, kissing my forehead. He let’s go of me and
picks up his pants from the ground and starts to dig in the
pockets. He fishes out his phone and begins to scroll through his
playlists. “See, music.” He waves the phone at me. “And I’ve seen
those dance shows on TV, and you’re wearing way more than some of
the contestants I’ve seen wear before,” Lane points out as I glance
down at my matching bra and panties. “But baby, if you don’t want
to, you don’t have to.” Lane tips my chin up so our eyes meet, and
I can tell how sincere he is. There’s no pressure. “You know, I
could probably come up with something else we could do if you
really don’t want to dance.” Lane winks, making me laugh. I bet he
could. So could I.

I shake my head no. “I want to…dance
for you.”

I can feel my heart race as I walk to
the edge of the stone patio, lined with lounge chairs, to a grassy
area just beyond it. Lane presses play and the soft tinkling of
piano chords drifts in the air. I close my eyes, take a deep breath
and let my body move.

I envision myself as nothing but a
tiny bird, gliding in the wind, diving into the mist coming off the
early morning ocean waves, then flying throughout the day, twisting
and turning, and swooping and sailing until finally sweeping across
the night sky at soaring heights. Free.

I hesitate opening my eyes when the
music stops as my chest rises and falls. I’m no longer free like a
bird, but grounded with apprehension. My eyes flutter open, for
just a moment, then close again when Lane takes me in his arms, and
kisses me with so much passion my skin feels like August. I’m left
panting when he eventually murmurs against my lips. “You are
breathtaking.”

“Ashley? Ashley Whitmore, is that
you?” A shrill voice calls my name. I tense. I’d know that voice
anywhere. Hailey’s mom, Kiki Newhall, the biggest gossip at the
club.

Lane keeps his arms tight around my
body covering me, but Mrs. Newhall looks positively
scandalized.

“Hello, Mrs. Newhall.
Kiki,” I say, trying to remain calm. It’s not all
that
late, and from this
distance I’m sure it looks like I’m wearing bikini, nothing
salacious here. Although, if she just saw me and Lane
kissing…well…that was hot.

“What are you kids doing out here so
late?” she asks, lifting up on her toes, I imagine to get a better
look at Lane.

“Just went for a night swim, it was
hot today. Don’t you agree?” I ask lightly, like I’ve done nothing
wrong.

“Well, yes, I guess you’re
right, it
was
quite stifling. However, I spent most of
my
day inside preparing for the
auction.” The auction, of course. Kiki, as she insists all the kids
call her, I think to make her feel young, heads up the silent
auction every year; I just hope the auction isn’t the only thing
that stays silent. But the odds are not in my favor.

“Yes, Mother is looking forward to
it,” I offer politely. “Well, it was nice to see you.
Goodnight.”

She clears her throat. “Nice to see
you too, Ashley. Please let your mother know I look forward to
seeing her tomorrow.” Great.

Lane keeps me folded in his arms until
we no longer hear her high heels clicking against the pavement. He
scoops up our clothes and takes my hand. I’m in a fit of giggles by
the time we reach his car.