A Veiled Journey (ON HOLD)

Dead in the Water*

(song: Dead in the Water - Ellie Goulding)

It was the best kiss I've had in a long time, probably even better than the ones Ashley and I shared last night. It was a sweet, heartfelt kiss. It was hard to imagine that the man being so gentle with me now, as though I would break into a million pieces if he held me any harder, could have been so rough just a few hours before. It was hard to believe that the animal that marked up my body could leave small, delicate kisses on those same marks, murmuring that he was sorry for them, sorry for marking me in this way.

I didn't want this moment to end. I fit perfectly into the curves of his body and he into mine, like two puzzle pieces finding their way into one another. The way his arms wrapped around my body was so comforting that I could have easily fallen asleep like this. He was just tall enough that he could rest his chin on the top of my head, leaving tiny kisses on there; though they were only slight brushes of his lips, I knew they were meant for me and only me.

Much to my dismay, Ash pulled away, but kept an arm around me. "Thank you." He bit his lip before smiling at me. "I promise I won't do that again." He peeked over the edge of the hoodie I wore. "Well, I won't do that as bad." Ashley chuckled.

I looked up at him from under my bangs. "So, does that mean we're...?" I stopped short. I had never really had a boyfriend for more than a few months.

"Dating?" He brushed my hair out of my eyes so he could see me clearly. "Well...do you want to be?" Ashley looked at me expectantly.

"Yes," I smiled at him and wrapped my arms around his neck. "Yes I do." This time it was me that pulled him in for a kiss.

He pulled away slightly, only to say: "As you wish."

The band had taken a few much needed days off from the making their next record. This gave me and Ashley more time to spend with each other, not really going out doing anything, just sitting around the house getting to know each other better. This evening, our favorite pastime was playing More-Than-20 Questions.

"Favorite food?" Ashley had asked as he flipped himself on the couch so he sat upside down.

"Hmmm...definitely my nana's mac n cheese." I smiled at the memory of her cooking. "Well, anything that my grandmother makes is amazing."

"Anything granny makes huh?" Ash made a silly face at me.

"Ohhhhh yeah. You'll have to meet her sometime...she can be a bit judgmental at first, but she means well." I followed his previous action and flipped myself over as well. "So what about you? What's your favorite thing to munch on?"

"Candy. Lots of candy." He was staring at a bag of candy that was left sitting next to the TV. His mouth was practically watering at the sight. "Well actually..."

"What?"

"I think my favorite thing to munch on would be...you!" Ashley grabbed me and started playfully nibbling on my shoulder, making growling noises as he tickled me. He already knew where I was most ticklish, so he managed to make me squeal easily. I loved it when he got like this-it made me feel like I was back in high school spending time with one of my best friends.

The playful biting ended when Ash's lips found their way to my neck, tracing a line to my soft spot just above my collar bone. A triumphant huff came from his nose when he heard my breath hitch in my throat. He continued this for another few minutes, each hard bite earning a moan. I was reluctant to let him get away with this so easily, but at the same time, it was so difficult to tell both him and my conscious no.

"Ash," I groaned as he pulled us both upright, sitting me on his lap. His lips blazed a hot trail of kisses down to the neckline of my shirt before ridding me of it. The sudden burst of cool air hit my skin, giving me goose bumps all over. I let my hands wander inside his shirt, since he had left it unbuttoned for my viewing pleasure. My fingers trailed along his broad shoulders and down his back, feeling the slightly raised stars that decorated his skin; as I traced them, a satisfied purr started to emanate from his throat. He wrapped my legs around his waist, keeping a firm grip on my ass as he carried me to his, well, our bed.

He laid me down like I was a fragile little flower, pushing a pillow beneath my head. Ashley climbed on top of me carefully, not wanting to put more of his weight on me than I could handle. He studied my face that was partially hidden by my hair, since I didn't want him to see how red he could make me blush with just one look. Ash's hand trailed down my side slowly, tickling me unintentionally. "Ashhh," I let out as a hushed giggle.

Now he smirked at me. "What princess?"

"That tickles!" I bit my lip to keep from laughing louder, not wanting to taint a sweet moment with my annoying cackling.

Ashley leaned down and kissed down my side in apology before pushing my borrowed sweatpants down. My breath caught in my throat again as he kissed and nibbled my hips, finding yet another one of my weaknesses. He looked up at me, asking for permission to leave his mark. Something in my eyes must've told him it was okay, since his bites became rougher. When the skin became too sensitive, the next bite he gave me earned a quiet hiss from between my teeth. Ash stopped abruptly, kissing the spot softly, murmuring a "sorry, love" under his breath. He came back up to kiss my lips while smoothly removing both his pants and mine, leaving us in nothing but our underwear.

I opened one of my eyes so that there was just a sliver of the room to be seen. The clock across from the bed said that it was getting late, but we could probably squeeze a bit of fun in before our long day tomorrow; Ashley mentioned that he had a surprise planned for me, that it was something that both of us would enjoy. Hopefully he wasn't just bringing me to a club-I don't plan on getting drunk any time soon.

Ash's hands moved so that he could tug the sheets over our bodies, keeping our exposed skin protected from the cool night air coming from the open window. He nuzzled his face into my neck before continuing his quest down my body. His fingers, so calloused and strong from playing the bass all those long hours in the studio, traced the faded pink mark he had left days before. His touch on the inside of my thigh made me want him more-and he knew it.

Such a goddamn tease, this man was.

I was about to lose it if he kept this up. "Please Ashy," I whimpered, his teasing becoming increasingly more frustrating.

Ashley leaned up and kissed my forehead gingerly as it started raining in buckets outside our window, giving us the perfect soundtrack. "As you wish, princess."

The thunder storm over us was slowly starting to pass, the rumbles and crashes hushed whispers in the night. The rain was quieting as well, the pitter patter on the roof seemed as though it were being heard through a long tunnel. Ashley's midnight hair stuck to his shoulders where he had laid on it. His head was now cradled against my chest, his breath becoming even with the sound of falling rain.