Hanging by a Moment

Over the next month and a-half, Ash enjoyed his time off the road to spend with his friends and family. Logan and Legacy were growing bigger and stronger every day, and the former was now a year old. Her mother was beyond happy that she’d made it through her first year without anything too serious happening, which included her biological father using her as a human punching bag.

Now, as he’d found out after talking to her for quite a bit, Rebel’s own birthday was just on the horizon. It took him quite a while to finally get that and a couple other things about herself out of the young woman, but he didn’t care. He loved her, regardless, and wanted to make this birthday special for her since she hadn’t had that in years.

After taking the girls to Jinxx’s house on the morning of her twenty-fifth birthday, Ash quietly made breakfast for both of them. He chose to eat his as he cooked, mainly because he was planning on setting something up for her in the living room while she ate hers in bed. She’d never had something so simple as breakfast in bed, and he was determined to make sure she got it at least once in her life. That was what made him slave over the stove and nearly burn himself several times while cooking for her. He wanted both this day and everything he did for her to be as special as it could.

Upon walking into the bedroom with the laden tray in his hands, he saw Rebel sitting up as she rubbed her eyes much like Logan did upon waking up. The adorable scene made him smile and chuckle softly, which made her look up at him. Those chocolate eyes he loved so much widened in surprise when she saw him standing there with the tray, and he grinned. Clearly she wasn’t expecting such a thing from anyone, much less the wild Playboy who’d found it in himself to settle down and do right by his baby daughter.

“Good morning, mio acciaio rosa,” he said, grinning sheepishly since he’d forgotten how to greet her in Italian, aside from the sweet little nickname.

“Buon giorno, mio subdulo angelo,” Rebel answered, still shocked. “What on Earth is all this about?”

“Happy birthday, love,” the bassist chuckled, gently kissing her temple.

“Ashley,” she whined, blushing as he settled the tray over her lap.

“Don’t you Ashley me,” he told her. “You’ve never had breakfast in bed, and I’ll be damned if you don’t have it at least once in your life.”

“You still didn’t have to do this,” the young woman told him, picking up the fork laying beside the plate.

“But I wanted to,” Ash argued. “Now you stay here and enjoy your breakfast. I’ve got something else I’m gonna go take care of.”

“What about the girls?” she asked, always the attentive mother.

“Don’t worry about ’em,” he chuckled. “They’re safe at Jinxx’s so you can have a day to relax.”

Rebel still grumbled softly after their friend having to take care of their daughters, but he wasn’t having any of it. Even if it sent him to an early grave, he was determined that she sit back and relax a bit, considering how busy she usually was. Besides, she’d been helping him ever since the day they met, so he felt it was the least he could do for her.

Once assured that she was going to stay right where she was and enjoy her breakfast, he headed out to the living room. Thankfully, they were looking into buying a house soon, so it wouldn’t be much longer that they’d be trapped in this tiny apartment they’d long since outgrown. For the moment, though, he put those thoughts aside so he could set up the little cozy movie theater-like arrangement for later on that evening. Before that, though, he had another surprise for her up his sleeve.

By the time he’d finished setting up, he heard his still-sleepy girlfriend coming down the hall and chuckled softly. When he looked up, Ash saw her heading to the kitchen with the tray and chased her down, determined not to let her do any dishes unless she was merely loading them into the dishwasher. When he’d said he wanted her to have a day to herself to relax, he’d meant what he’d said, damn it.

“What are you doing?” Rebel asked, gasping as he took the dishes when she showed signs of wanting to wash them by hand.

“I told you…today is your day to kick back and relax,” he answered. “You’ve been go-go-go ever since we met back in March, doing more for Legacy and I than I can ever thank you for.”

“You sweetheart,” she giggled, relaxing against him as he hugged her from behind. “Devious you may be, but you’re a freaking giant teddy bear.”

“Hey, don’t be telling the guys that,” Ash laughed. “They’ll never let me live it down.”

“Right, like you haven’t given them enough to tease you about since you’ve had a kid and more or less settled down,” the young woman chuckled.

“What can I say? Legacy was a mistake I didn’t even know about till I found her on my doorstep.” The bassist spun her around to face him, his arms still wrapped around her. “She gave me a reason to live, to stop trying to drown my loneliness and find company in the bottom of a bottle. She changed me for the better.”

Rebel merely stared into the chocolate eyes that matched hers, her arms wrapped around his waist.

“Granted, you had a part in changing me, too,” he continued, squeezing her gently. “You pulled the love I’ve been hiding out kicking and screaming. You’ve made me give up whatever alcohol and bad habits Legacy didn’t.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” she said, her face turning a bit pink.

“I can’t possibly thank you enough, Rebel, mio acciaio rosa. But that doesn’t mean I can’t try.” Ash grinned, thinking of the surprise trip to the spa he had planned for them as part of her birthday celebration.

“All right, Ash…what else have you got up your sleeves?” she asked, knowing he had something planned.

“Just go put on some lazy clothes,” he told her, still grinning. “No need for anything too fancy…you’re not gonna be wearing them for long, anyway.”

That was apparently the wrong choice of words, because as soon as he closed his mouth, her eyes widened and she tried to pull away.

“Hey, hey, hey… What’s wrong, love?” he asked, immediately concerned.

“You know I’m not ready for…that…” Rebel snapped, glaring as she tried to pull away.

“I didn’t mean it like that, Rebel,” he insisted, and he really hadn’t. Part of his plans included a couple’s massage, which would include nudity, although they wouldn’t be able to see everything their partner possessed.

“Yeah, right.” She still managed to pull herself away. “I’m not stupid. You haven’t gotten laid in months, and you’re getting to the point that you can’t stand it.”

Being a bit irritable due to that exact problem, Ash snapped. “Ya know what? You’re right…you’re abso-fucking-lutely right. I haven’t gotten laid since the night before I found Legacy and came back from that particular leg of the Black Mass tour. I’ve been devoting myself to my daughter, and yours, not to mention you.”

The young woman gasped, covering her mouth as she took a step back.

“It’s been driving me crazy, especially late at night when you’re asleep and my body’s screaming for a woman’s touch!” He growled, pulling at his hair. “You have no idea how many times I’ve been tempted to go out and have a one-night stand, if only to get some relief. But there’s two things stopping me from doing that.”

Unable to speak above a whisper, she merely gave him a curious look.

“I don’t wanna lose you, and I don’t wanna be the one to shatter your heart beyond all repair.” The bassist dropped his weight onto one of the stools by the breakfast bar, looking up at her with obvious pain in his eyes. “I can’t bring myself to do practically the same thing to you that Kina did to me.”

Rebel finally realized just how much he’d been holding back, how much he respected both her and her decisions.

“But if you’re gonna throw my loyalty back in my face, I’ll call the spa and cancel the appointment I had set up for us,” he said, slowly rising to go grab his phone. He wasn’t going to keep it if she was going to be ungrateful and suspicious the whole time.

“Wh-What are you t-talking about, Ash?” she managed to stutter.

“I had a day at the spa planned to celebrate your birthday, which included a couple’s massage,” Ash told her. “I wasn’t gonna tell you because, like the breakfast in bed, I wanted it to be a surprise.”

Tears welled up in her eyes as she realized she’d just ruined his hard work. “A-Ash…I’m sorry…”

“Don’t apologize to me, Rebel. I’ll just remember not to try surprising you again in the future.”

“Ashley, quit being a drama queen.” That made her nearly explode with her own anger. “I can’t help being a bit wary, especially when a man and nudity are involved. Being raped has caused more scarring than I think most people realize.”

“True enough, but you should know by now that I’m not that kinda guy.” He was still irked that he’d had to give away the surprise before he was ready to. “Yeah, I was a Playboy that slept with damn near anything with a pulse, but that’s my past. You’re the one I wanna be with, and I know better than to take what isn’t offered. Hell, I was raised better than that.”

Rebel couldn’t deny that he hadn’t really made any advances on her, and even when he made small ones, if she rebuffed him, he left her alone and didn’t push the envelope.

“You’ve seen what a spitfire my grandmother is; she’d kill me if I did what Logan’s father did, whether it was to you or some other woman.” He sighed softly before looking up at her once again. “If I really wanted to, I could have any woman…but you’re the one I want.”

With tears in her eyes, the young woman flung herself into his arms. She didn’t like that she made him give up his surprise for her, and over something so stupid, to boot. “You don’t have to cancel the appointment, Ash. We haven’t really gotten enough time alone together lately, anyway.”

Pulling away enough to look down at her, he searched her eyes for sincerity, which he apparently found. It was then that he leaned back toward her, gently capturing her lips with his in a sweet, but chaste kiss. Granted, he still pulled her flush against him, always enjoying when they had little to no space between them, but he didn’t push her too far. Just like he always had since asking her out, he figured that if she really wanted him in a sexual manner, she’d come to him when she was damn good and ready.

After getting dressed, both of them headed out to his car so they could head to the spa where he’d booked the appointment. He gently held her hand in between gear changes the entire ride to their destination, wanting that physical contact between them. If he couldn’t have what he really wanted just yet, he’d settle for whatever he could get. That, to him, was better than losing the one he loved as much as he loved Legacy, more than life itself.

Upon getting to the spa, they split up long enough to strip down to their birthday suits and dress in a soft robe till they could get to the actual room where they’d get their massages. Upon entering the room, Ash had to fight off an instant erection at seeing his nude girlfriend stretched out on the massage table, only a towel spread over her back side. Everything else was left bare, the sides of her breasts exposed as she crossed her arms under her head. It was a beautiful sight that, if he’d been a younger man who didn’t have quite the control of himself that he did, would’ve left him highly embarrassed.

To avoid doing anything stupid, he shed his own robe, uncaring if she saw him in all his nude glory or not. Once the robe was hung on a nearby hook, he stretched out on the other massage table within arm’s reach of hers, spreading a towel over his rear before reaching out to grab her hand with a gentle smile.

* * *

Halfway through the massage, the therapists took a break so their hands didn’t cramp up and cause their massages to be less effective. During that time, they asked the couple to turn over so they could continue the massage on their fronts, a common request during full-body massages.

While Rebel was more than glad to turn over so she was stretched out on her back, a towel now spread over her chest and crotch, Ash flat-out refused. She sat up enough to give him a curious look, and he hid his face as he blushed furiously. The massage therapists giggled softly but reassured him, saying that it was a common reaction and that they could wait until he was ready. The young woman didn’t realize what’d happened, so she was obviously concerned about him.

The second she touched his arm, the bassist hissed and jerked the appendage away from her, giving her a pleading look as he did so. His sweetheart gasped as she realized what’d happened, gently removing her hand from his arm to avoid irritating him. He’d gotten so relaxed during the first half of the massage that he’d gotten an erection, and he hadn’t wanted to turn over just yet to avoid embarrassing himself.

Something he didn’t know was that, ever since their blow-up in the kitchen that morning, she’d been thinking long and hard about what he’d told her. She’d been thinking about opening up to him the way he so obviously wanted for a while now, but she didn’t want to take things too fast. She didn’t want to lose the best thing that’d ever happened to her besides her daughter because she dove straight into things. Now, though…well, aside from just being ready to take that next step, Rebel actually feared she’d lose him even quicker if she didn’t open up, especially if he was getting aroused just from a massage.

“Mmm…that was awesome,” she purred as they settled into his car after spending the entire day at the spa.

“Yeah, it really was,” Ash agreed, a goofy smile on his face.

“Your goofy child is showing, love,” the young woman laughed.

“I can’t help it…I haven’t been this relaxed in months,” he said, sounding a bit defensive.

“Hey, I never said there was anything wrong with it,” Rebel told him, reaching over to gently brush his hair behind his ear. “In fact, I think it’s kinda cute.”

“Heeeey,” the bassist whined, pouting slightly. “I’m not a little boy anymore.”

“No, you’re not…you’re a very handsome man who just has his cute, childish moments,” she said.

“All right, fine…I can live with that…” He gave her a bit of an impish grin. “But only because you’re the same way.”

Laughing, Rebel leaned over the console and gave him a quick kiss before making him get ready to head home. Since she’d made her decision back on the massage table earlier that day and the girls were going to be spending the night with Uncle Jinxx, she didn’t want to give away what was on her mind. She didn’t want him to know what she planned on surprising him with now, knowing it’d be precious to both of them.

By the time they got back to their apartment, she was a bit antsy and trying desperately to hide it. That garnered her a couple of curious looks from the bassist, but she assured him that she was fine. If anything was even remotely wrong, it was just being a bit jittery about being apart from Logan for the first time since her father’s incarceration.

Ash merely nodded his head and left it at that, knowing that that was likely the biggest reason his sweetheart would be even remotely jittery. They hadn’t been separated since then, and after everything the bastard had put her through, he didn’t blame her in the least. She wouldn’t be a good mother if she didn’t worry about her young daughter, even though the likelihood of the asshole getting out of prison anytime soon was slim to none. Besides, he imagined he’d feel the same way if the roles were reversed and it were him worrying ab-out Legacy like that.

Upon finally getting home, Rebel wasn’t able to hide what was on her mind anymore. The second he closed the door and leaned down to kiss her, she couldn’t resist pressing herself against him as she moaned softly. Since this wasn’t uncommon for her, she knew she was going to have to make what she wanted clearer to him, and she did just that. The second she shoved him back against the door, the bassist parted his lips in a soft gasp, and she took advantage by parting her own to let her tongue explore.

She moaned softly as her tongue dipped into his mouth, gently massaging and exploring the cavernous depths as she took in his unique flavor. He tasted like chocolate and Jack Daniels, something he didn’t indulge in either of much these days. It was an addictive flavor, one she wasn’t aware of sharing with him, despite not really indulging in either her favorite candy or whiskey much. That made her press herself even closer to him, forcing him back against the front door even more as she wrapped her arms around his waist, her hands skimming up and down his back. His response, a soft whimper as he returned the ferocious kiss, made her run her hands down lower so she was gently cupping and squeezing his ass with both hands.

Gasping loudly, the bassist’s hips thrust forward against her as he wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly as he gently ended the kiss. Ash couldn’t help but stare at her with wide eyes, surprise glittering in their depths as he panted, her hands still gently groping at his ass. He wasn’t used to Rebel being this forward, knowing that such things would only tease him if she weren’t willing to go all the way. He could only hope she wasn’t planning on teasing him now, not after months of celibacy, and certainly not after what he’d admitted to her that morning. He didn’t think he could deal with a second bout of arousal today, this one caused intentionally, if she wasn’t going to help him relieve it.

“R-Rebel,” he stuttered, chest heaving as he rested his forehead against hers.

“What, mio subdulo angelo?” the young woman asked, sounding fairly innocent.

“Wh-What was th-that all about?” Ash countered, still stuttering a bit.

“Am I not allowed to make out with my boyfriend or something?” she asked, obviously refusing to answer his question.

“You’ve never started a make-out, nor let it get quite that intense,” he said.

“So? Just because I’ve never done it before doesn’t mean I’m not capable of it,” Rebel told him.

The bassist gave her an unconvinced, somewhat skeptical look.

“Jeez…” she groaned, resting her head against his shoulder. “And you thought I was bad about being ungrateful this morning…”

“Huh?” he asked, honestly confused since he wasn’t expecting her to open up quite like that just yet.

Rolling her eyes, the young woman moved one hand around from his ass to settle right over his zipper, although she didn’t squeeze him.

Ash sucked in a breath in a sharp gasp, his eyes widening as her hand gently settled over his hypersensitive crotch. “Please tell me I’m not dreaming and your hand is actually on my zipper…”

“Oh, you’re not dreaming unless I am, too,” Rebel laughed, giving him a gentle squeeze.

“Ohhh,” he moaned, tilting his head back against the door as he twitched in his jeans.

“That sensitive, huh?” she chuckled, squeezing him again.

“Ugh…gods, yes,” the bassist groaned, whimpering when she turned his crotch loose. “Rebel…please, don’t tease me.”

“Who said I was teasing?” Rebel asked, chuckling a bit deviously as she stared him straight in the eye.

Surprised, he gasped again as she pressed herself against him. “You’re sure? I doubt I can take being aroused twice in one day with no relief after being celibate for so long.”

“Oh, I’m sure,” the young woman answered, chuckling as she grabbed him again. “Besides, you’re not the only one who’s aroused.”

With that, Ash flipped their positions around so he was pinning her to the wall next to them, just a few inches from the door of the storage closet of their front all. He growled softly as he captured her lips with his again, using his own body to press her even closer to the wall as his hands began roaming up and down her body.

His sweetheart moaned into the kiss, their tongues fighting a war for dominance that he ultimately won, as he caressed up and down her sides and back. The last time his hands stroked down to rest on her hips momentarily, he hooked his thumbs under the hem of her shirt and gently, slowly pulled it back up as his hands roamed back toward her shoulders. Rebel whimpered at the gentle touches, gladly raising her arms so he could pull the garment over her head.

Seconds later, his hands were gently cupping her breasts through her bra, squeezing even more gently than she’d done when she’d squeezed him through his jeans. Ash knew that they were sensitive and tender, considering that she was still nursing both Legacy and Logan. She’d told him that the hormones caused her breasts to stay constantly tender, which meant being too rough with them could be painful and make her want to hurt him.

Rebel moan a little louder, her lips parting from his as her head tilted back against the wall. She arched her back as if trying to press her breasts into his hands even more, her arms wrapping around his neck. At that point, he couldn’t resist running his hands down her back to gently squeeze her ass as she’d done to him just a few minutes ago. That made both of them whimper and moan as she ground against him, the stimulation making him grind against her in return. Unable to help himself anymore, he slid his hands down further, gently caressing her thighs as he encouraged her to jump up.

“Wha—” she asked, a bit confused.

“Just jump up, mio acciaio rosa,” the bassist said. “You’re not gonna get hurt, I swear.”

A bit wary since she’d never done such things before, Rebel did as he said and jumped up, instinctively wrapping her legs around his waist.

“There ya go, sweetheart,” he murmured, groaning as her thighs squeezed him.

“Mmmm,” the young woman hummed, gasping and moaning as he leaned down to kiss and nuzzle her throat.

“Just hold on,” Ash told her.

Nodding, she did as he told her to, whimpering as he carried her shirtless form down the hall toward their bedroom. The second he got in the room and got the door kicked shut, he turned toward their bed and gently laid her down. She could tell as he crawled on so that he hovered over her, his lips never leaving her flesh, that he’d really wanted to throw her down and keep things rough and heavy.

Remembering how she’d once been raped, the bassist knew that being gentle and sweet was likely was she needed more than anything, if they were going to continue. That was why he made sure to be as gentle as he could, even as he moved so one knee rested between her thighs.

She was being given every chance to get away, to tell him she’d changed her mind and didn’t really want to go any further. However, Rebel’d been fighting her own arousal for months, too scared to go any further with him till they got to know one another better than a single meeting in the middle of a grocery store would allow. Now, though…well, even if she hadn’t been fighting off her arousal, she wouldn’t have been able to, for sure. She was too in love with him, wanted him too much, especially after he’d told her just how much being unable to have her was, in a sense, killing him that morning.

It seemed like hours, but was really only minutes later when she realized that she and Ash were both completely stripped. The bassist now lay atop her, his hands caressing every inch of her they could reach just as hers were doing to him. He’d reattached his lips to hers, moaning softly as he ground against her bare cleft, both his knees now between hers. The young woman whimpered and moaned as she bucked up against him, wanting far more than just gentle grinding.

“You’re sure you want this?” he asked, panting as he propped himself above her.

“Yes, I’m sure,” Rebel said, clearly whining slightly. “I want this…I want you.”

“Oh, gods…” Ash groaned as he reached over to his nightstand. “I don’t just want you; I need you, mio acciaio rosa.”

“I need you just as much, mio subdulo angelo,” she moaned, gasping when he latched onto her nipple.

“Mmm,” he moaned, suckling as gently as he could, enjoying the sweet flavor of her milk as he rolled a condom down his shaft. One of the few things he didn’t know about her was whether she was on birth control or not, and he didn’t want to take any chances with that or potential disease transmission.

“Please, Ashley,” the young woman moaned, grinding against as much of him as she could while he suckled her gently.

“Okay, okay,” Ash chuckled, moving himself into position. “Lemme know if I hurt you, okay?”

“You know I will, love,” she promised, nodding.

As gently as he possibly could, especially since he didn’t realize he hadn’t stretched her out beforehand, the bassist lined himself up and began to nudge her. Rebel fell completely limp beneath him, all of her muscles relaxing to make his entrance to her body that much easier, and therefore not as painful for her. He smiled reassuringly as he thrust a little deeper, trying not to go too deep, too fast.

The young woman gasped and moaned as he sank deeper into her moist warmth, her hips bucking up against his and pushing him in deeper. Ash couldn’t help the moan that bubbled up from the back of his throat, having to stop and give both of them a minute to adjust once he bottomed out. It’d been so long for him that he wasn’t sure how long he’d last before he exploded, but judging by the way her muscles were flexing around his shaft, he doubted she’d last very long this first time together, either.

Only a few moments afterward, she looked up at him and nodded, her arms wrapping around his neck. Knowing what she was trying to tell him, the bassist wrapped his arms around her in return, gently kissing her once again as he started a slow, gentle rhythm. He caught her soft moans in his mouth as he moved, her muscles flexing around him more.

Rebel gasped a short time later when he changed the angle of his thrusts, her muscles clamping down on him tightly as she let out a loud cry of pleasure. He couldn’t help a gasp and a pleasured cry of his own as she clamped down on him, knowing that he’d hit her G-spot when he changed his angle. It was the one spot he’d been searching for all along, and he kept using that angle to continue hitting it as much as he could. His sweetheart mewled louder the more he hit it, but those soft sounds turned into out-and-out cries of pleasure as he reached down to thumb her clit.

“A-Ashley!” she cried, her limbs tightening their grip around his back and waist.

“What is it, love?” he managed to ask between panting breaths.

“I-I… Oh, g-gods…” the young woman cried, throwing her head back again.

“You’re…what?” Ash asked, moaning when she clamped down on him once again.

“I-I… I’m gonna…come!” she managed to force out.

“Then come…come for me,” he demanded, putting a little more pressure on her clit since he knew it was extremely sensitive.

With a shriek he had no doubt would piss off the neighbors, Rebel let loose and came around him, her limbs tightening almost as much as those inner muscles.

The bassist let out a cry of his own as her orgasm triggered his, torn between thrusting gently to help them ride out the pleasure, and just thrusting in deep and holding still. In the end, he ended up thrusting as gently as he could until both of them fell limp, his sweetheart just seconds before he did. He was worried about crushing her, but she didn’t seem to mind when his weight pinned her to the bed. In fact, she seemed to encourage it, even if it made her breathing a little more labored for a bit.

Not long after they both collapsed, Ash forced himself to gently withdraw, knowing that time was of the essence. Although she obviously wanted him to stay until he softened enough to slip out on his own, his little steel rose seemed to understand exactly why he’d done that as he removed and disposed of the condom.

Deciding that it’d make both of them feel better, he stretched out beside her again, gently pulling her into his arms so she could rest her head on his chest. Rebel gladly snuggled up to him, her arm thrown over his belly while her leg was tossed just as carelessly over his thighs, the position she normally slept in. The bassist didn’t have it in him to refuse to cuddle her, only moving enough to grab their covers and pull them over their nude bodies. No matter how long they did or didn’t sleep, if they woke up again at some point and she was willing, he’d gladly show her another round between their sheets.

It wasn’t long afterward that she fell asleep in his arms, the now calm rhythm of his heart a soothing lullaby to her. Ash tightened his grip on his young sweetheart slightly as he shifted, his ass a bit numb from how he was laying, but he made sure not to disturb her. The last thing he wanted was to wake her when she was sleeping so peacefully, especially when he ended up joining her soon after.

Notes