The Fling Apple, page 9
“Always?” he exclaimed, glaring at me as if he was a deer in headlights. “You mean you’ve been thinking about her all these years?”
“Maybe.”
“Holy shit! How are you just now telling me this? Has she been on your mind since you met her?”
“I’ve thought about her a time or two.”
“Must be a hellauva time or two if you’re still barking up her tree. Maybe you just have to bang her to get her out of your system?”
“Are we still using the word bang?”
“Yeah, bang is still an appropriate term to use in this conversation that I never thought I’d be having with you.”
“Trust me, hearing me say these words to you also has me up in arms, okay? I’m confused as fuck. I don’t want to like her. I wish I could just bang her and get her out of my system. She’s messing with my head, both of them! But here lies the problem, Sawyer. I know once I thrust balls deep inside of her, I’m going to want to live there, and I’m not sure I’m ready for that kind of commitment of a permanent home.”
He nodded. “You’re fucked.”
“No shit, Sherlock.” I pointed at him. “You know what? This conversation hasn’t helped me in the least. If anything, you’ve made me more fucking confused.”
“Well, pull up those panties, Ashton, and start acting like the best friend I know because you’re honestly full of shit right now. You know you can’t be in a serious relationship. You get bored with everything. You have the attention span of a five-year-old, particularly when it comes to women.”
“I paid attention to everything she said last night, Sawyer. I paid so much attention to what she told me that I’ve been contemplating it all day. Here’s the real fucking kicker—I want to know more about her. I want to know everything, especially what she looks like when I’m going down on her.”
“See, this is about sex. I bet once you diddle her, you’ll be over it and moving on to the next pussy waiting for you to make her come. Moral of the story, though—at least you tried.”
“That’s the shittiest advice you’ve ever given me. I feel personally offended by what you just said.” I shoulder-checked him and walked toward the door.
“Ashton.”
I snapped around. “No. We’re not best friends right now. I need a break from you because you don’t understand me or anything I’ve said.”
“You need to stay away from her. You’re losing your man card the more you talk about Sage.”
“I’m going out on a date with her on Friday night.”
“Good. Fuck her and be done with her already. I’m tired of hearing you whine like a lost puppy.”
I deeply sighed. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe I do need to just rail her and get it over with. That makes sense. She’s like the forbidden fruit I want to eat and make come down my chest.
“And finally, he sees reason.”
“You’re a good friend, man.”
“I do what I can.”
“So are you going to see Aspyn again?”
He smiled, spewing…
“She’s riding my face tomorrow.”
Chapter 12
—Sage—
I blinked, and it was Friday.
The date I had been thinking about all week was finally here, and I was trying my best to not freak the hell out about it. We texted on and off all week. The truth was I couldn’t be more excited to get dressed up to the nines and just be a normal woman my age for the night.
Not the mama of twins.
“Sage, honey, you look beautiful,” Mom declared as I walked into the living room, doing a little twirl in place.
I felt young.
Carefree.
Light as a feather.
I was wearing a light-blue spring dress that hugged my curves perfectly, subtly flowing out around my knees. My hair was curled and tied to the left side of my head, with a few strands framing my face. Aspyn helped me with my makeup, going heavy on the eyes with dark black eyeliner and thick mascara. Some blush and a soft shade of nude for my lips.
“Wow, Sage … you look… Jesus… I hope this guy is worth it, or he’s going to have to answer to me,” Brady spoke, eyeing me up and down.
My brother had always been protective over me. Ever since I could walk, he was right there by my side. He'd put Memphis in the hospital the night I told my family he didn’t want anything to do with our babies. That was the last time I saw him. I was eight weeks pregnant at the time.
Brady said he came over to hang out with Haiden and Haven, but I knew he was lying. Mom was cooking dinner, and he never passed up a home-cooked meal by our mother. She was the best chef, and I had learned a lot about cooking from her over the years. My kids always ate my food, and they were picky eaters.
Haiden was sitting on the couch playing his Xbox, glancing over at me from the television. “You look nice, Mom. Where are you going?”
“Oh… I’m going out with Aspyn.”
He looked over at her. “But she’s not dressed up.”
Knowing I was keeping this date from the twins, Brady replied, “She doesn’t need to get dressed up, bud. She looks good in whatever she wears.”
“Facts,” Haiden agreed, turning his attention back to his game again.
Aspyn bent her body into a flirty pose for my brother.
See … fucking weird, right?
I gazed into the foyer mirror, reapplying my lipstick before I kissed my kid’s goodbye. Aspyn left with me so the twins wouldn’t get suspicious. She was driving me to the address Ashton had text messaged earlier this week.
“You really do look amazing, Sage. You nervous?”
“Is it that obvious?”
She laughed. “Stop letting your thoughts get the best of you. Just let down your hair and have a good time.”
“That’s the problem. Me having a good time.”
“What’s wrong with you having a good time?”
“I’d be having a good time with Ashton, the eternal playboy.”
“So what? You act like that’s a bad thing.”
“It’s the worst thing.”
“Why?”
“I’m going to want to see him again, and I’m already falling for the guy whose last name I don’t know.”
“So you get to know him.”
“He’s not the type of man you get to know, Aspyn.”
“Sage, he asked you out on a date, so he obviously wants to get to know you too. Why do you find it so hard to believe this guy might actually like you and want to get to know you too?”
“What if he does?”
“Now you’re worried if he likes you?”
“It’s not just me he has to like…”
“Oh, you’re nervous about him liking the twins?”
“Of course I am.”
“How many times do I have to tell you that your twins are the best, and he’s going to fall for them as well?”
“I don’t know. He’s a man. Men don’t usually find kids a positive, especially when they aren’t his.”
“You’re jumping to conclusions before you’ve even given him the chance.”
“Maybe you’re right. I’m just nervous. I’ve never lied about being a mother.”
“You’re not lying now. You’re just not telling him.”
“I’m pretty sure that’s the definition of a lie, Aspyn.”
“It’s not. It’s withholding information. And you’re going to tell him if he’s worth knowing them, so calm down.”
“I can’t calm down. I already like him too much. More than I should. I can’t help it. Every time he’s texted me this week, I’ve gone back and reread it. I have every text memorized. Talk about clingy and psychotic.”
“That’s not either-or, Sage. You’re allowed to like a guy. There’s nothing wrong with that. You’re allowed to put yourself first. It’s only going to make you a better mother, and you know that.”
“That’s easier said than done.”
“I know. You spent months crying that you couldn’t breastfeed because you didn’t produce enough milk to fill both their bellies, but hey! Look at the bright side—now you have an amazing rack, and your titties aren’t touching the floor.”
“Only you would turn that into a positive.”
“I turn everything into a positive. You can manifest the life you want.”
“Okay.” I nodded. “I’m manifesting great sex tonight. Not just great sex, mind-blowing, passionate, animalistic sex tonight.”
“Are you having sex with Ashton or a lion?”
I chuckled. “Am I manifesting too much?”
“Not at all. He’s best friends with Sawyer, and that man fucks like a god. I have never come as much as I have this week from any man before. He’s like a fucking sex magician.”
“How many times did you see him this week?”
“Ummm … almost every night. Sometimes during the day.”
“The day?”
“Yeah, he’s a med student. His hours are all jacked up.
“He’s going to be a doctor?”
She smirked, wiggling her eyebrows. “A gynecologist.” She gazed up at me. “Maybe that’s why he knows my body like the back of his hand?”
“I don’t know what’s crazier—the fact that he’s going to be a gyno, or that you know he’s going to be one.”
“Oh, come on. I ask my bed buddies questions. I’m not made of stone. Plus, I like to know whose name I'm screaming out, and let me tell you, Dr. Sawyer sounds really fucking hot in the heat of the moment.”
I busted out laughing. “Aspyn! You didn’t tell me that!”
“You’ve been freaking out about Ashton all week.”
“True, but still! Every day?”
“You’re making it sound deeper than it really is.”
“He’s been deep in you all week. How much deeper can it get than that?”
“Sage, I leave after we’re done. It’s a straight-up sex session. Sometimes, during sex, we just randomly start asking each other stuff. I don’t know, it’s weird and hot all at once.”
“It sounds like you like him, Aspyn Rose.”
“I like his dick. It’s nice.”
“How charming.”
She winked at me.
“When are you seeing him again?”
“After I drop you off. He’s feeding me take-out and then eating me.”
“He’s feeding you take-out? Like a date?”
“It’s not a date. He’s just ordering take-out for us. We go for hours, and I need fuel. The man has stamina like his balls just dropped. He’s insatiable, and I’m taking advantage of his big dick and sexual appetite. If he wants to feed me to boot, then I will happily oblige.”
“What are you eating?”
“Thai.”
“He likes Thai?”
“Not sure. He asked what I wanted, and that’s what I said.”
“Wow. He asked what you wanted. Sounds like a date to me.”
“He also asks me to ride him harder, Sage. Trust me, it’s not that deep.”
“So you guys just do it, and then you leave?”
“Yeah, but sometimes we go again and again. I leave after that.”
“How does that play out? Do you say thank you, come again?” I playfully mocked.
She chuckled. “Something like that.”
“Do you like him?”
“I don’t like random men, Sage.”
“You like Brady.”
“Brady doesn’t count. I grew up with him.”
“I still think you’re lying, and something has happened between you two.”
“Brady can’t handle me. He’s too much of a gentleman.”
“What’s wrong with being a gentleman?”
“Gentlemen lead to heartache, and I don’t have time for that.”
I shook my head in astonishment. “You’re like a dude.”
She shrugged. “Believe it or not, that isn’t the first time I’ve been called that.”
Aspyn continued talking about all the things Sawyer could do with his tongue, and I couldn’t help but wonder if he’d taught Ashton how to use his mouth in the same way. When she started driving toward what looked like a drive-in theatre, my heart raced a mile a minute. The closer we got to my final destination, the clearer the flashbacks became of the last time I was in the woods alone with a guy, and we all know how that turned out.
What the fuck? Are the dating gods punishing me?
My first real date ever, and I was reminded of Memphis!
Why, God, why?!
“Oh. My. God,” Aspyn acknowledged. “You’re thinking what I am, right?”
“Yeah.” I shook my head at the tragedy that was my dating life. “Is this a bad sign?”
“No. It’s just a coincidence.”
“That Ashton chose the woods as our first date?”
“We’re technically at a drive-in that is located in the woods. It’s different.”
“Aspyn, there’s even a river.”
“I don’t know what you want me to say, but I don’t think it’s a bad sign.”
“Why not?”
Since Aspyn was the best friend a girl could ask for, she boasted, “Because you made the twins, and they’re the coolest little humans in the whole wide world.”
I smiled, nodding.
“Now go make Ashton the best lay you’ve ever had.” She stopped her car next to his Chevy. “Okay, you be a good girl and make sure to text me when you get home, so I don’t send a search party to his house.”
“Who are you kidding? I’ll see you in the morning when you’re walking into my kitchen, stealing my coffee, and asking me to dish all the dirty details.”
“Great. I’m glad we have that settled. Love you. Be safe, and whatever you do, don’t tell him how much you already like him. That’s a sure way to get him running out the door.”
“Right. I know. Love you too.” I blew her an air kiss and stepped out of the passenger seat.
Ashton was sitting in the bed of his truck, and as much as I desperately tried to not picture Memphis, I was shit out of luck.
Stop, Sage. You’re here with Ashton. Your dream guy.
It helped that Ashton looked handsome, cocky, radiating sex appeal, just sitting there waiting for me. He didn’t have to try—he was the epitome of sex on a stick.
“Did you dress up for me?” He grabbed my hand to help me up onto the bed of his truck.
“What? This old thing?”
He laughed, pretty much catapulting me in front of him as if I weighed nothing. “You look beautiful.”
Before I could thank him, he effortlessly gripped onto the back of my neck and brought my lips to meet his. Without any hesitation whatsoever, like we’d been kissing our entire lives. Ashton could kiss.
His lips were passionate.
Tender.
Panty-dropping.
I was under his spell, and there, under the moonlight I didn’t want to leave this little bubble we’d suddenly found ourselves in.
Pecking my lips one last time, he rested his forehead on mine. Looking deep into my eyes, he murmured out of nowhere, “I missed you.”
Those three little words caught us both by surprise.
My head couldn’t catch up to my feelings fast enough, and I blurted, “I missed you too.” Quickly, I swallowed the lump in my throat, pulling away from him. I needed a second to catch my breath and reel in my emotions that were getting the best of me.
When I turned back around, Ashton was still sitting where I’d left him. Completely consumed with me. It was one of those stares you’d see in a romantic movie and swoon over the rest of the night. There was no denying I was having a crazy effect on him too. I wanted to ask him what he felt. It was on the tip of my tongue, bursting to fly out.
I didn’t.
I held back.
Even though I didn’t want to.
Even though it felt wrong.
I simply changed the subject. “You don’t look too bad yourself.”
“What? This old thing?” he teased in a flirty tone.
I smiled, sitting on the edge of the truck. “You got a beer in there for me?” I nodded toward the cooler.
“Oh, you’re a beer-drinking girl?”
“I am. I am.”
“What kind of beer do you like?”
“My favorite is cider, but I’ll also drink a Corona Light if you have one.”
“You’re in luck.” He opened the cooler, grabbing an Angry Orchard. Opening it for me, he handed it over.
“Wow. Care to share how you knew I’d like cider?”
“That’s easy. You’re a chick. You like fruity shit.”
I nodded. “Fair.”
For the next thirty minutes, we just talked and hung out. It wasn’t weird or awkward. Again, it felt like we were old friends doing what we’d done for years. When the Uber showed up with food, I thought this guy couldn’t get any better until he showed me what he’d ordered. He had a whole spread of different kinds of food. Obviously, he didn’t know what I liked, ordering a bit of everything.
“What are you thinking about over there?”
“Nothing.”
He raised an eyebrow. “You know when you lie, your lip twitches a little.”
“Are you always this perceptive?” I taunted, bringing the attention back on him.
“It’s how I make a living.”
“Oh yeah? You use it a lot as a real estate agent?”
“I know what you’re doing. Just in case you don’t realize it, I’m aware that you’re trying to change the subject.” He flashed me one of his full-on dimple smiles I had become familiar with. “Fully aware.”
I rolled my eyes, giving him my undivided attention. “Okay, buddy, new rule. This.” I pointed from him to me. “If it’s going to work, this perfect thing you got going on, it’s got to be taken down a few notches.”
“Perfect thing?”
“Don’t act all coy, Ashton. You know what you’re doing.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, but thanks for the boost to my ego.”
“Yeah, Ashton, because you need a boost to that.”
