Unconventional

As they lived together, Scott and Ashley developed a good friendship over the next month. Diana was seldom there, and Ashley couldn’t understand why it didn’t bother Scott.

She was confused by their relationship and even more so about her feelings toward him and his toward her.

They flirted and talked constantly. Scott told her about his time in the military, and Ashley talked about what she had seen on her travels.

They ate meals together, watched TV together, and went to the hot tub frequently while listening to music.

One night, Ashley couldn’t sleep, thinking about a spot she was at that day for taking pictures.

She still couldn’t believe she had seen that bear trying to get into a trash can and gotten some great shots. She was in the kitchen, getting a drink of water by the faint glow of the light above the stove.

“Can’t sleep?” Scott asked, walking into the kitchen.

“No, can’t turn my brain off. Just thinking about a lot of things.”

Ashley took in his large form and still couldn’t believe how sexy he was. She had almost drowned in the hot tub when he came out in nothing but some board shorts, sitting very low on his waist, revealing a perfect torso.

He didn’t have a six-pack per se, but he was toned and very fit. It looked REALLY good on him, and Ashley thought of it frequently. She remembered taking a sharp breath when she saw the tattoos covering his chest, arms, and back.

Scott nodded, reaching over her. He got a glass himself. After filling it, he drank the water slowly, never taking his eyes off of her. He wouldn’t forget the first time he had seen her in the hot tub.

He had no idea that a one-piece swimsuit could be so intoxicating, but he was glad she had gotten out first and not noticed the large hard-on that he was sporting.

And those were becoming more and more frequent as their time together elongated.

After drinking the water, Scott set his glass in the sink. He saw the strap on Ashley’s pajama tank top fall down her shoulder.

He slowly moved his hand to the strap and gently fixed it, making goosebumps erupt where his skin touched hers and her nipples harden.

“Goodnight, Ashley,” he purred and walked back to his room, letting her watch him walk away.

“Oh fuck!” she whispered and all but ran back to the guest room, realizing how wet she felt between her legs.

***

Scott had invited the guys from the shop over for their monthly card game and grill-out. Ashley was out taking pictures, and Diana was out doing whatever she did.

Scott had everything ready and was pulling the food out of the fridge that his friends had brought, and Moe manned the grill.

The men in his shop were more like brothers, and he would do anything for them. After his time was up at the corps, Moe had come to visit Scott, and he liked it so much that he stayed.

Scott had already opened his shop. With Moe being an A+ mechanic, he was a natural choice. Eric was a wounded vet who Scott had met at the VA hospital. He fit in with Scott and Moe and quickly became a vital part of the shop.

Eric’s brother, Jimmy, had gotten into trouble with the law after high school for tagging and painting graffiti all over their town.

Their mother had sent him to Eric, and the men put him on the right path and honed his art skills to paint their bikes, creating some truly spectacular paint designs.

The three new guys—Kevin, Jose, and Adam—were young and still learning how to build and customize bikes. But Moe and Scott thought they had a lot of potential and were a good addition to the shop two years ago.

The seven of them were sitting around the living room, eating the burgers and brats and talking and laughing. That was when they heard the door open and close.

They all kind of stopped and waited, hoping that Diana wouldn’t cause drama. The last time she was here during their monthly get-together, it hadn’t ended well.

Scott set down his plate and stood up, ready to confront Diana and defend his friends. He took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly when he saw Ashley poke her head into the room.

“Hi, I hope I’m not interrupting. My shots weren’t panning out, and I came in back early,” she declared shyly.

“It’s totally fine, Ashley. Would you like a plate? We have plenty of food,” Scott smiled, walking over to her.

Moe and Eric looked at each other as they watched their best friend.

“Guys, this is Ashley Caldwell. Ash, these are the guys from my shop and my very good friends.”

The guys waved at the young woman, still in shock at seeing him stand with her. Scott had his hand on her lower back as he pointed to and introduced each of them.

Each of them said hi back and welcomed her to Colorado. Scott had her get some food from the kitchen and pulled a chair up for himself while he offered her his place.

“So, you’re Diana’s daughter…,” Moe asked.

Ashley nodded as she swallowed. “Yep.”

“Ok, I gotta know. How did you end up with red hair? Is your dad a ginger?” Eric asked.

“No, he has brown hair like Diana. Red hair is a recessive gene, so somewhere along the line, someone in my family on both sides had it, and here I am.” Ashley chuckled.

“And here you are,” Moe said with a grin, watching Scott watch everything she said and did.

The men asked about her photography and what she was doing. She talked in good detail about it.

“Hey, Ashley, can you do websites?” Eric asked.

“I have done them before. Why?” she asked.

“We need a new one for the shop. I’ve started the mock-ups, but really need the photos. Can you do that? We can pay you!” Eric offered.

“I would love to help you, but you won’t be paying me! It will be my gift to Scott for letting me stay here and work on my book. Let me get my notebook, and we can talk!” Ashley jumped.

“After you eat, Ash. We can wait.” Scott insisted.

They patiently waited for her to finish eating while joking and laughing with her. Ashley felt at ease with them. She looked around, feeling good in this company.

She loved hearing their stories, and they had a natural camaraderie, even with the age range.

Moe was a little older than Scott, she later found out. Moe was forty-four and had never married, but he liked playing the field and sampling the wares, as he put it.

Scott was forty-two, Erik was thirty-five, Jimmy was thirty, and the other three were in their late twenties.

Ashley was envious of their relationship; she had always wanted something like that with people she could rely on, other than her dad or grandparents.

Once she was done eating, she grabbed her notebook, and they all noticed how beaten up the cover was.

“Ya think maybe it’s time for a new one, Red?” Jimmy snickered.

“Hey! It’s got some good wear. This has a lot of miles on it!” Ashley defended herself.

The other guys laughed as she made notes, and they made plans for the following week.

“So, do you want to play cards with us, Ashley?” Kevin asked as Scott took out the felt topper for the dining room table and the others settled into their chairs.

“No, I don’t play cards. But do you mind if I take some sample shots of you all so that I know what kind of camera presence I’m dealing with?”

They all agreed, so she picked up her camera and started shooting. They were all so natural, and she loved that they ignored her and went about their business of taking each other’s money.

They were so involved in their evening that they didn’t even notice when she left to go to her room and let them be.

Ashley uploaded the pictures and was on her laptop, viewing them after her shower. She clicked through them and stopped dead in her tracks when she came across one she had taken of Scott.

It was a side view of him laughing at something, and his whole face had lit up; he looked incredible.

Ashley touched the computer screen lightly to trace his features, wishing that she could do that in person; touch that bearded jaw, run a finger down his chest, and get to know what those large thick arms would feel like.

She yanked her hand back from the screen as if it had been burned for having the thoughts she was harboring about Scott. She cursed herself again and realized something: she was completely and totally, a 100%, screwed