Page 2 of Hooking a Firefly
After a few moments, he pulled his truck up at the private beach near his family’s home.No one would be there.Everyone was in town for the wedding.“Want to walk on the beach?”he asked.
She shrugged.“Sure.”Her tone noncommittal as she spoke.
He pushed his door open and stepped out of the truck.Harrison rounded the truck intending to open her door for her, but she was already stepping out when he reached her.Well, hell… She had an independent streak.He could work with that if he had to.Harrison liked to take care of people, protect them.Ashlyn might not like that side of him, but hopefully she would look past it.Harrison hoped to have something more with her.He had been interested in her over the past year.The more he saw her when she was around JD and Scarlett… He knew their age difference and kept his distance, but she would be seventeen soon, and three years wasn’t that large of a gap.It was closer to two and a half, actually.He had only turned nineteen a few months ago.
Harrison held out his arm to her.“My lady,” he said in a formal tone.
She giggled.It did funny things to his heart.He had never heard her laugh before.Ashlyn placed her hand on arm and then smiled.“To the beach then?”she asked.
He swallowed the lump in his throat.“Yes,” he finally managed to say.
When they reached the beach, she stopped to take her shoes off.“I don’t want to get sand in them.I’ll leave them here for now.”
He nodded.“Good idea.”Harrison stopped to slip his shoes and socks off and left them beside hers.After that was done, they walked down to the beach.She went right to the shore and started to wade into it.Harrison took the time to roll up his pants so he could join her.
“This was a good idea,” she said.“I never think to go to the beach.”
“Do you ever think of doing anything pleasurable?”
“Pleasure is relative,” she said.“What one finds appealing another might not.”She met his gaze.“If you compare one person to another, you will find incongruent answers.So, what I find pleasure in you might not.”
“That doesn’t really answer my question.”He grinned.“Instead of debating the merits of pleasure, why don’t we explore a few things we both can agree are indeed pleasurable.”
Harrison stepped toward her.She didn’t move back, and he took that as a sign to move forward.They were both standing in the ocean with waves crashing over their legs.His pants were getting soaked, but he didn’t care.He slid his hand around her waist and pulled her against him, then leaned his head down until his forehead pressed against hers.“Do you like this?”he asked in a husky tone.
“It’s tolerable,” she said in a neutral tone.
He chuckled.“That’s a start, I suppose.”Harrison slid his hand over her silky red hair.“Let’s try a few more things.”
She nodded.“All right.I’m open to a little experimentation.”
Harrison adored her curiosity, but he had to take things slowly with her.Going too far might push her away, and he wanted to take the time to learn everything about her if she would allow it.He lowered his head until his lips brushed against hers.Heat shot through him in sharp spikes, and it was the simplest of kisses.She stepped closer to him and wrapped her arms around his neck.He deepened the kiss and tasted her slowly, deeply, until the kiss took on a life of its own.She moaned, he pulled her closer, and the world disappeared for several heartbeats.
Until it all went to hell.She pushed him and he fell back into the water, then she stormed away from him.He scrambled to his feet and went after her.She was slipping on her shoes when he caught up to her.
“Ash…”
She shook her head vehemently.“I can’t do this.It won’t work…” Fear spilled from her green eyes so heavy that it sucker punched him in the stomach so hard it stole his breath.
How could he have not seen it?She was innocent, and he had taken advantage of her.“I’m sorry.I shouldn’t have pushed…”
“No,” she interrupted him.“We don’t have a future.You don’t understand.There can never be anything between us.Can you take me home?”
“Not ever?”He lifted a brow.“How could…” Harrison almost asked her how she could possibly know that.Then he remembered.She’d had a vision, and it hadn’t been a good one.He couldn’t fight that.Even if not all her visions came true, enough did that she had made up her mind.That meant there was no place in her life for him, and there went everything he hoped to have.It hurt so damn bad, but he would respect her wishes.He had no other choice.
