33 Sweet Honesty (1/2)

Ash and Hunter lay beside each other on the guestroom bed.

They kissed softly, quietly. Their kisses were gentle breaths and butterfly wings, soothing and delicate. The white bed was warm and safe, and as long as they lay together they could float away, kissing cool slow kisses.

Hunter traced his thumb along Ash's lips: her eyes were closed and she breathed softly. For a minute he wondered if she had fallen asleep, tired perhaps from jet lag. But then she opened her eyes and looked up at him.

He bent toward her and kissed a corner of her mouth.

”I've never been here before,” he said.

”You've never been in your own guesthouse before?” Ash said, raising an eyebrow at him.

Hunter laughed. ”No, I mean, I've never been in this position before.”

[Lying down?] Ash thought, sarcastically.

”You're the first girl I've brought home with me,” he said.

Ash was not impressed. She knew she was being flattered and she put her guard up immediately.

”Sweet. I'm not the first girl you've been with though,” she said.

”No, but you're the first one to meet my parents.”

”I'm sorry I can't do the same for you. Mine are dead.”

”You're really killing the mood here, Boots.”

”Sorry. I'm sorry.”

Ash buried her face in Hunter's chest. She was grateful to be a guest in his house, but she couldn't help herself. She didn't want to get too attached to him just because he had invited her to spend the holidays with him at his family's home. She was a charity case and her sarcasm was already making her benefactor feel uncomfortable.

”It's okay, baby,” Hunter said, kissing the top of her head.

Ash looked up at him.

”Baby?” She looked at him like he was a creep trying to hit on her. Why was she so unyielding?

”Can you just shut up and let me take care of you? Just be baby, okay?” Hunter said in an exasperated tone.

”Okay,” Ash laughed. He was clearly getting annoyed and she thought it was cute.

”Okay, baby,” Ash said. She gave him a quick peck on the lips.

[Baby,] she thought. She'd never been anyone's baby before. It had a nice ring to it.

RING RING RING

The phone in the guest bedroom was ringing. Hunter rolled over and picked up the receiver.