Strong Reflection: Book 2 of the Dark Series Trilogy (11 page)

“Ugh, you guys need a room.”  Ashley laughed.

Catlyn gave Jack a final kiss.  “We are on vacation until our return from our honeymoon.  Jack’s been so busy between his duty as chief and his—“

“Our” Jack interrupted, correcting her.

Catlyn rolled her eyes, “All right, 
our,
 security firm.  Anyway, between all his responsibilities and mine at the college we’ve barely had time alone.”

“So maybe we should stay somewhere else to give you two lovebirds some alone time.”  Kyle suggested.

“Oh, no, I haven’t seen Ashley since going to see her after she woke up.  I want to hang with her for a while before I am married.  I miss seeing her every day.”  Catlyn said.

Ashley smiled.  “Miss you too, Cat.”

“So tell us about this swim Mackenzie took.”  Jack looked between Kyle and Ashley.

“We both took the swim.  Kyle is a hero.  He saved 3 people from drowning after their car went into the river.”  Ashley had a dreamy expression on her face as she lovingly caressed Kyle’s cheek.

“What?!”  

Kyle returned her gaze.  “It was Ashley who saved them.  I didn’t even know there was trouble until Ashley was already on the move.”

Ashley shook her head.  “That was only because I was facing the road.”  

Catlyn frowned at Kyle, “And which way were you facing, Kyle?”

Kyle and Ashley continued to hold each other’s gazes.  Although they spoke with the other couple at the table they had eyes for only each other.  “I was looking at the most beautiful woman in the world.”  He took the hand caressing his cheek in his hand, giving it a kiss before placing their entwined fingers on his thigh.

Jack shook his head at the couple, completely thrown by the one-eighty of their relationship status.  “Managed all that while driving did ya?”

Kyle spared his hosts a glance.  “We were actually pulled over at the time.”

Catlyn too was stunned by the couple’s interaction.  She was use to Kyle reprimanding Ashley or giving them both curt orders.  She had never seen Kyle be so lovey-dovey, not even with Bunny.  “Uh, why were you pulled over?”

This time Ashley gave them a few seconds glance.  “We were talking.   And, in the middle of our conversation I saw movement in my peripheral.  A man stumbled from beyond the guardrail, he seemed disoriented, a driver had already pulled over, I assume to help, but the man became hysterical and was pointing back the way he had come.  He stumbled into traffic, another driver slammed on his breaks to avoid hitting him and the cars behind the suddenly stopped driver slammed into him and the other driver that was already pulled over.  It ended up being a 6 car pileup.  The man who stumbled into traffic ended up being a passenger of the car that was in the river but was thrown before the car went under.  He and his family had had an accident that neither of us other travelers saw.  So I have no idea what caused their accident.”

“Wow, Mackenzie, I just can’t get over your reflexes and deductive reasoning, most wouldn’t even have guessed what that man’s problem was let alone figure it out so quickly and act on it.”  Catlyn complimented.

Ashley smiled.  “No more different than yours Cat or any other law enforcer.”

Jack laughed.  “Yea, right, that’s not what I’ve heard or seen.  I remember how quickly you reacted when we first met.  And that was from a dead sleep you were able to have me on the floor on my back in seconds.”

“Well, I was a little slow that night.”  Ashley winked.

They all laughed.  Kyle’s laugh was a little hollow.  He was thinking about Catlyn’s words.  Ashley had reacted extremely fast for someone who had been upset, crying and arguing with her new boyfriend.  It was like she was constantly on alert for trouble.  No one could keep that kind of readiness up for too long without crashing and burning.  Even soldiers needed a break from that kind of vigilance.  Kyle needed to find out what caused Ashley’s hyper-awareness.  They had played 20 questions in the car and Kyle had said ladies first.  So Ashley had done all the questioning and him the answering.  That was going to change.

Jack gave him a pointed look.  “So, Kyle, I can’t help but notice you and Mackenzie are having a hard time keeping your hands off each other.”  Jack’s look turned protective.  “Kyle, how’s Bunny?”

Kyle looked at Jack and noticed Catlyn also had the same protective look and felt glad for someone else who cared for Ashley.  He happily answered Jack’s question.  “Bunny and I are no longer together.  Last night I asked Ashley to give us a try.  We’re officially a couple.”

Again the girls jumped up and did their jump and screaming dance while the men looked on indulgently with happy smiles.

The two couples cleaned up and went to the living room where they had a game of cards.  Each couple won a game.   Kyle and Ashley won the tie breaker.

Kyle watched Ashley hide a yawn.  But he also saw how happy both she and Catlyn were talking.  He knew that Ashley would not be the one to call a halt to their good time.  So he did.

Yawning loudly and stretching.  “Well, chief, I am tired from that long drive, mind if I call it a night.”

Jack shook his head, “Of course not.”
 Standing, Jack started to lead them out of the living room.  He went to foyer to grab their bags.  He handed one to Kyle, “Now for the question of the night, how many bedrooms?”

“Jack!”  Catlyn slapped his arm.  Turning to the couple following them up the wide staircase she said, “Sorry, of course, we have plenty of room for you both to have your own room.”

Kyle stopped on the steps at the same time as Ashley and they looked at each other.
 Her eyes were questioning.  Kyle answered, “It’s up to you, Ashley.  My answer is a no brainer.”

She smiled and looked up at Jack and Catlyn who had stopped and turned to watch them.  “We will only need one room, please.”

Kyle took Ashley’s hand and kissed it as they all continued up the stairs.  “I am putting you guys in the second master bedroom.  It has its own bathroom and linen closet.  Towels, extra blankets, anything you might need should be in there.  Catlyn keeps it pretty well stocked.”  Jack led them to a bedroom several doors down from his and Catlyn’s.

“If you need anything else just let us know.”  Catlyn added.

Kyle took the other bag from Jack.  Catlyn opened the door and waved them inside.  Ashley whistled.  “Wow, pretty nice room.  Thanks guys.”

Kyle chorused her thanks.  “Jack and Catlyn thank you for having us.”

“It’s our pleasure.  Tomorrow Catlyn wants to do the beach during the day and a club at night, says she wants to get in her last bit of fun before she gets huge.”

Kyle nodded.  “That sounds like a plan.”

“Great, goodnight you two,” Jack waved and Catlyn smiled.  Kyle and Ashley said goodnight in unison.  Jack and Catlyn left to go to their bedroom down the hall.

Kyle placed Ashley’s bag on the huge sleigh bed.  “You can use the bathroom first, Ashley.”

Ashley turned from her inspection of the window.  “This place is big and beautiful.  Makes me wonder what a Chief of Detectives earns.”

Kyle walked up to her taking her hand.  “It wouldn’t matter what he earned.  Jack’s money comes from other means.  He has a sizeable trust from his mother.  He was well off before he graduated from high school.  The records indicate other than the purchase of this house he only recently started to spend money that he is still making from just letting it sit.  My guess would be that he is spending it on Catlyn.”

“How do you know all this?”

Kyle shrugged.
 “I had all the key players’ backgrounds and financials checked during the Newburgh Slasher investigation.”

“What?  Why?”  Ashley was confused.  Why would he check the investigators?

Kyle put his hands at her waist, drawing her near.  “I would like to say I did it because I was just making sure the law officials were stable and could handle a case like the Slasher’s, but the truth is I wanted to know the people who would be surrounding you while you were here.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck, gently kissing his lips, “Why Director Strong what a sweet misuse of government resources.”

He took over the kiss deepening it.  He tapered off his kiss, trailing his lips from her mouth to her neck.  “Babydoll, are you sure about the one room, one bed?”

Tilting her head to the side so he had better access, Ashley moaned her pleasure, “Mmm, very sure, Kyle.  I want to really know what it feels like to sleep next to you, hold you, not just dream about it.”

“Good.  I want you in my bed always.”  He gave her one last kiss to her neck before releasing her.  “Go, use the bathroom first before I forget my manners and just throw you to the bed and have my way with you.”

Ashley went to her bag, grabbing one of the new bra and panty sets he bought her.  “Not really a deterrent, Kyle.”  She winked at him before going into the en suite bathroom.

Ashley showered, brushed her teeth.  Putting lotion on her body she thought about what she wanted to happen in bed with Kyle.   She was nervous but ready.  But, was it too soon?  She didn’t know and decided to play it by ear.  She dried her hair and put it in a French braid securing the end with one of the hair ties Kyle bought her.  Taking a look in the full length mirror on the linen closet door, Ashley inspected her form critically for the first time in years.  

She knew most considered her an exotic beauty.  She didn’t see what they saw.  Ashley saw an average sized woman with a decent shape.  She stood 5’ 7”.  Her breasts were a very average 36C.  Her skin a clear brown, the only trait that could be considered exotic, in Ashley’s opinion, was the slight slant to her eyes.  A trait inherited by her Chinese great grandfather.  She had shapely, long legs.  The gymnastics started in her very early years and continued into adulthood did a good job in shaping and toning her body.  She turned to view her back.  It was straight, long and had the dimples at the end of her spine.  The silk and lace boy-short panties displayed her buttocks to perfection, highlighting their sexy curve.  The bottom of the crescent curve was bared.  The panties designed purposefully for that feature. The lace encircled her tiny waist.  She turned back to the front.  The bra did its job as well, encasing and plumping up her breasts, giving the appearance as though they were about to spill out of the lacy cups.

As with most things in her life, Ashley stopped caring about looks when she was 11, right after she had lost her family.
 Before that she had been the typical girly-girl.  She had just started to be interested in her looks and what boys thought of her looks.  She had had a crush on a boy named Chad and wanted him to think she was pretty.  She had started to wear lip gloss and do fancier things with her hair. Although her mom had not allowed make-up Ashley had snuck some mascara from her mother’s vanity and had started to wear it.  That was how far she had gotten in her grooming habits before her family was slaughtered in front of her.

After that horrible night, Ashley just made sure she was clean and her clothes functional.  It wasn’t until she had heard Kyle describe her appearance to Bunny that Ashley had gotten any urge to look more feminine.  After that day she had started to take more care with her appearance. She started taking extra time with her hair, not just pulling it back into a functional bun, but taking the time to blow-dry and flat iron it into straight glossy tresses, styling it in flattering waves around her face.  She changed from wearing her usual buttoned shirt, blazer and slacks to the occasional silk blouse and spaghetti strapped dresses.  Her wardrobe now looked more like for a woman of 31 rather than as though she shopped in the men’s department.  

Kyle’s words had hurt mainly because she cared what Kyle thought of her.  His opinion mattered to her greatly.  Now, staring in the mirror Ashley hoped she had enough to hold Kyle’s attention. Nervously she left the bathroom.

Kyle had stripped down to his boxers and turned back the sheets and comforter.  He’d unpacked their bags.  He turned and paused, staring at her in the doorway.  “Wow!  Ashley, you’re beautiful.”