Remember Me (26 page)

After climbing
in the tub first, I helped her in, sitting her across from me. She let go of her breasts and her hands played in the water at the sides of her body.

It was difficult, almost torturous sitting so close to her with nothing on and trying to keep my composure. I pulled her close to me, kissing her before spinning her around and letting her back fall against my chest. From there we relaxed.

She stroked my legs with her hands, while I tried my hardest not to reach up and massage her supple breasts. “I could stay in here forever and be happy.”

“Me too,” she added.

I closed my eyes and finally, after so long waiting, felt complete again.

Chapter 32

Ashley

There are certain things in life that one would say you could never forget once you’ve done them before.

Speaking.

Walking.

Eating.

Riding a bike.

Making love.

I wish that were the case for all of those things, but it wasn’t at all. I’d been through so many strenuous sessions to learn how to do all of those things except for the last one. The doctor didn’t hand me a pamphlet on how-tos when I walked out the door. They didn’t warn me that over time I’d remember how wonderful something like that felt, but not know how to act or respond when it did happen.

Shayne was so gentle in the tub.
He dampened a sponge and added a squirt of soap on it before sliding it down each of my arms. I felt it coaxing over each of my nipples and wondered if my body was going to flail out of the water like a fish. Words could not describe what it felt like to be touched there, lying naked against the man, who’d not only done so much for me, but loved me through the worst time of both of our lives. This wasn’t just an intimate moment between two lovers. It was as if he was exploring my body for the first time. When that sponge hit my nipples I jumped. Tiny sounds escaped my lips and I could feel this burning sensation between my legs like it was begging to be touched. While Shayne took his time, probably scared of what he could and couldn’t do to me, I let my floating body spin around to face him. He’d aged as a result of stress and the stubbles on his chin had tiny flecks of silver. I ran my fingers over it as my eyes focused on what was just above. Those lips flashed in my mind, going back to the first time we’d made love and even before it. I closed my eyes and pictured them tracing over my ready pussy.

More tiny moans escaped my breath.
I opened my eyes and watched him watching himself wash me. The sponge lowered, nearing my navel and passing overtop of it. My body lifted reacting to the eagerness of what was about to happen. I felt it dragging roughly over my skin, sending shivers over my arms and fingertips.

His heavy breathing was letting me know that I wasn’t the only one feeling overwhelmed. “Shayne,” I closed my eyes and whispered. “Please don’t stop.”

Except he did, for only a second to lift me out of the water and sit me on the tub’s edge. He spread my legs and moved closer kissing the inside of one of my thighs. The crisp air hardened my nipples and I felt cold, but yet hot all at the same time. I watched my sexy man reach over and grab his razor off the sink, water dripping on the hard ceramic tile as he did it. I knew what his intentions were, but it didn’t make me less nervous.

Feeling a little
self-conscious, I covered my sex with my hands and saw him smile. “Baby, I want you smooth again. Please, trust me. I’ve done this to you before.” His eyes seemed heavy as if being naked with me in the tub had made him drunk. I could relate, feeling almost woozy out of excitement.

So I watched him lathering me up, using his bare hands over my tender place. Watching him doing it was making me burn with desire and ultimately forget all about being out of the warm water. His stiff erection  floated atop the water and I licked my lips looking down at it. Shayne stayed focused on his task. With light, gentle strokes he shaved my pussy, one inch at a time. My breathing increased so much that he backed away to check on me. “Is this too much?”

I managed to shake my head, but was unable to get any words to come out.

He went back to what he was doing, slowly moving that razor over my sensitive skin. I think he knew I was turned on, and that if he allowed his hand to go inside he’d be thrilled with my reaction to what he was doing. Instead he continued with the job at hand, taking such precision to the way he was doing it.

I watched his mouth reacting when he backed away and looked at what he’d done. While rinsing me off, his tongue drug over his lips, like he was starving for me. I could feel my legs trembling, knowing what was about to happen. Even looking down at my now naked muff turned me on more. “There she is,” he spoke to my pussy before closing in on it.

I wanted to watch his mouth making contact, but it was too much to handle. I closed my eyes and felt his lips on my soft skin.
My hands dug into his hair as I felt his tongue licking me there. All of those feelings that I’d thought I’d forgotten were coming back to me, as my body eagerly cried out for whatever he wanted to give me.

I needed this man to hold me and make love to me as if no time has passed. I wanted to feel his body against my skin, and the heat that we created between us.

His tongue separated my lips and I could feel the warmth of it as it glided over my clit. I looked down to see him waiting for me to open my eyes and acknowledge what he was doing. The room began to spin as his lapping became vigorous. I leaned my head back against the tiled wall and cried out as my body shuddered against his mouth.

Shayne continued licking me, tasting my musky orgasm as he
moaned against my skin. He took my legs and pulled me back down in the tub, overtop of his body. I wasn’t prepared for his next kiss and the way I tasted myself on his tongue. He dove his face down over my neck and placed small kisses at the nape. I gasped feeling so much connection to him after not being intimate for so long.

His hard cock pressed on my sex, somehow sitting in the perfect position to enter me. Out of nowhere my body began to rock back and forth over it. Shayne’s eyes widened when he realized I was doing it from memory. He smiled and kissed me again, this time allowing our tongue
s to re-familiarize again and again. I didn’t know if I was supposed to be doing what we were doing, but I wasn’t about to tell him to stop.

Th
rough all of therapy I’d learned relaxation techniques, but none had been as productive as what was happening to me. I wasn’t stressing my body, I was doing the opposite.

Shayne stopped, only for a moment to access what was about to happen. “
We can wait.” He was almost panting and I knew that even though he’d stop if I asked him, it wasn’t what he wanted.

I answered him with another kiss, wrapping my arms around his neck and letting my ass tease his erection again. He adjusted us and applied a small amount of pressure. It was tight, and even though we were in water, it felt uncomfortable. Shayne was kind, waiting a couple seconds and then trying again.

By the time he was all the way inside of me my body started to relax again. The pain turned to pleasure and I felt myself being swept away in a new kind of euphoria.

Time stood still after that.

It was hard to climb out of the tub when my body was still experiencing butterflies. Shayne climbed out first, wrapping a towel around his waist and then lifting me up and covering me. He carried me into our room and laid me on the bed. The towel opened and he climbed on top of me finally resting his body off to the side. His hands ran over my skin, while his lips kissed and sucked on one of my nipples. I wanted to do more for him, but knew I wasn’t able to yet. I don’t think he even cared, and if he did, he wasn’t complaining. Shayne’s focus was touching me and I wasn’t about to ask him to stop. We had a lot of making up to do, and I was at his mercy, for as long as he wanted me to be.

Chapter 33

Shayne

The sun was shining brightly through the bedroom window, forcing me to open my eyes. The baby monitor was quiet, so I knew I could sleep for a little while longer. That’s when it hit me. I wasn’t alone in my bed.

L
ying next to me was the bravest woman I’d ever known. I rolled over, still unwilling to believe that she was really there. Sure enough, when I’d turned I saw her there, sleeping soundly. When her hair was styled her scars were not noticeable, but since she’d been sleeping on her hair, I could see some of them in her scalp. I suppose I should have been used to them by now. Most certainly they reminded me of all that we’d both been through. I lifted my hand and let my index finger trace over where no hair grew. She turned, wide-eyed to face me. Just seeing those baby-blues made me smile. “Good morning, beautiful.”

“Hi,” she replied.

“I still can’t believe you’re here.”

She nestled her body closer to mine and I took comfort in the warmth it offered. “Me either. I was starting to think that I’d have to live in that hospital for the rest of my life.”

“Well, we’re real glad you came home to us.” A little pout sounded in the baby monitor and we both smiled. “I’ll be right back.”

After putting on a pair of boxers, I walked into the hallway and peeked into Eli’s room. He was still fast asleep, so I knew who the early bird had to be. Beka was standing up with tears on her cheeks. She had that little pouty face that reminded me of her mother. “Hey, sunshine.
You want to go see mama?”

“Mama.” Beka had been saying words, but she’d just started repeating certain sounds. I didn’t know if she’d do it again, but I knew one person that would be overjoyed if she’d get to hear it.

I walked into the master bedroom and sat our ten month old down on the bed then joined her on the opposite side. “Guess what Beka just said?”

She was focused on her daughter when she answered, “What?”.

“She said mama.”

Beka said it again, loud and clear. I watched Ash start to
sob, finally getting to experience something, after missing so much.  It had been hard for me, experiencing firsts when I knew she’d never get them back. Beka probably had said the word before. She been saying things like baba, dada, and yaya for a while. Maybe she just liked the sound of it and didn’t really understand that it meant mother, but Ash didn’t see it that way. For her, she took it as her daughter remembering who she was.

Sure, we’d visited her in the hospital, but having her home was different. Our family was complete, finally.

While lying on my side watching the two of them interacting, I thought about what was next for us. In less than a year we had twins and a house. After all we’d been through, we were finally able to be a normal family, which was something that I never knew I wanted. Now I was certain that there was nothing that I could ever want more.

While Ash was still recovering
, I needed to assure her that I would be by her side for as long as she’d let me. I loved the old Ashley, but the new version of her owned me. She needed to know that, and I knew a way to make it all fall into place.

My cell phone starting ringing, and since it was a Saturday morning I was a little annoyed. I checked the clocked before noticing it was Ford on the line.

“This better be good, cuz.”

“You need to turn on the news, man. Right now. Turn it on channel sixteen.”

I shot out of bed, looking around for the remote that was sitting on the dresser. After walking over with the phone against my ear, I tuned into the channel and couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

A picture of Ashley’s dad was in the top corner of the news screen. The reporter was already in mid explanation.

“… a year long investigation involving some of Maryland’s high ranking officials.
Councilman Tilly, along with several other government officials, including the Snow Hill Chief of Police, Wayne Hollerman, and Victor Halethorpe, the County Treasurer are charged in a two-year corruption and money-laundering investigation stretching from Ocean City to Baltimore
.
We will have more information after the press conference is held today at noon. In other news the highway was completely shut down earlier when a …” I turned the volume down and looked toward Ash, while listening to my cousin on the other end of line.

“You believe that shit? Did Ash know?”

“I need to call you back.” I hung up the phone without saying anything, after seeing the scared look in my girlfriend’s eyes. I didn’t know what to say to her. “Ash.”

“I need to call my mother.”

I handed her the phone and watched her dialing with tears running out of her eyes. We both had issues with her father, but deep down I knew she still loved him. This was going to be hard for her, whether we had a relationship with him or not.

I watched as Ash desperately continued to try to reach her mother. It pained me to see her so worried, and a part of me felt scared that something like this could impact her health. Finally, after I’d seen more than I could handle, I grabbed the phone out of her hand. “Baby, let’s take a break. I’m sure that your mom will stop by or call when she can. She could be getting interrogated for all we know. Let’s just try to stay calm until we know the whole story. Remember what the doctor said?”