Angels and Guardians Pt. 03

She grinned. "Deal!" Then her face turned a bit more serious. "I haven't told anyone much about this. So thanks for letting me."

"No problem."

Ashley continued, and Joe started getting the picture of the mystery that was Ashley. Why at times she was so uninhibited, and others sex seemed to repulse her. The same was true with her friendships. It became clearer to Joe how she could be so free with her words, yet seem like a recluse at the drop of a hat. As her detailed timeline approached the present, she stopped before mentioning the tossing accident at practice.

After a bit, Ashley continued, "Joe, I'm really glad to have this walk with you. More, still, I'm glad to finally have some private time with you. Every time I want to talk to you, someone or something happens."

"Yeah, I'm sorry. That seems to happen around me a lot," Joe replied.

Ashley nodded. "It's okay, I don't blame you. At all. It's just frustrating that I've wanted to really talk to you, but I haven't been able to. I admire your personality, your athletic talent, your reaction time. My god, to be able to catch me from being that far away without being ready..."

Joe cut her off. "Yeah, about that. I wasn't quite that unready."

Ashley looked perplexed. "What do you mean?"

Joe took a deep breath. "Well, since you seem to be confessing some things to me, I should return the benefit. I was distracted from practice, and that's how I was able to catch you."

"Huh? I don't understand. You were distracted?"

"Well, I hope you don't hate me for being a little more direct. I was staring at you. Gawking, really."

Ashley blushed, but was amused. "Go on."

"I noticed you the second you walked into our school. When you joined the cheer team, I kept asking Jill about what you were like. So much I think I pissed her off sometimes."

Ashley interrupted, "Joe, I really don't want to come between you two."

"Enough of that!"

Ashley flinched at the harshness.

"I'm sorry. Just please ram it through your skull that it's not like that between us. I've already explained..."

"I know! I know! Look, it's hard to when I can see the opposite is true."

"Alright, I didn't come to fight. Just please let me finish, and I think you'll see differently?" Joe asked.

She crossed her arms, not able to help but feel defiant.

"Thank you. As I was saying, I was staring at you, sort of daydreaming. I think the coaches were getting pissed I wasn't focusing on practice. Anyway, when they tossed you and Jasmine, I don't know who it was, but her knee buckled, and I just sprinted as hard as I could. I willed myself to be able to catch you. As far as the accident, I normally take a different way home, but that day I wanted to see you just a bit longer, even if it was the back of your head."

Ashley was stunned and sat down on the small eroded embankment. Joe followed and sat next to her. "I always wondered how you could do that twice. React so quickly, that is."

"Well, now you know. God, I hope you don't think of me as a stalker!"

She continued to stare at the horizon ahead. "No, I don't. Joe, I see that wreck every time I close my eyes. It's detailed and in slow motion. All the way up to the point of my airbag popping in my face. The weird thing is, it should terrify me. But, the opposite is true. I find myself looking forward to the visions, because the result is that I know someone cares for me. But, I am so confused. Some days you are all lovey-dovey and others you're silent like you don't want me around. And, don't tell me it's cause you're prepping for a game. I understand those. Even tonight, the way you would hold me would send chills through my core. But then, you'd turn around and seem like you're fulfilling a duty."

Joe said, "I see the wreck too, but my reaction to the memories seems to be neutral. I just know that I don't want you to fall for me, just because I might have saved your life."

"Might?! MIGHT?! You did save my life. In many many ways you cannot imagine. Well, after spilling all my guts, maybe you can a little. Will you please, please just be yourself around me? I'm a smart girl. Don't you think I can decide for myself if I'm feeling gratitude instead of attraction?"

"I didn't say you were stupid," Joe answered softly.

"But, do you think that? You think I'm a silly stupid girl?" she waited for an answer. When there wasn't one, she jabbed, "DO YOU? WHAT ARE YOU THINKING, JOE?!"

This caught Joe off-guard. "No, I think you're the most beautiful, talented, smart young woman I know! I am thinking that I love you, but I'm not sure you want to hear that yet! There, I said exactly what I was thinking this instant, are you happy now?"

Ashley's heart did a somersault in her chest. Instead of answering, she leaned over, placed her hand on the back of his head and gave him the most loving kiss she could muster. He returned the kiss just as beautifully, and before long, the embrace escalated into a full-blown makeout session. Without thinking, Ashley positioned herself over Joe, straddling his waist. He let his hands wander up, down and around the satin back of her dress. After a while, his fingers were absently toying with the zipper pull. Ashley had been in similar situations with previous suitors, and her body instinctively readied itself for a coupling it anticipated. She felt her panties becoming moist and her increasing need made her hips automatically rock against Joe. Thinking he was having trouble with her zipper, she broke the kiss and reached behind to help. Joe slid his hands over hers and pulled them away. Ashley looked at him, puzzled.

"That's not what I was working at. I was just playing with it. I don't know, delicate little things like your zipper captivate me. It's so delicate, so feminine...I don't know why, I just like playing with stuff like that when it's on a beautiful girl."

Ashley cocked her head, concealing the bottomless pit forming in her stomach. "You don't want me?"

"Of course I want you. You should be able to feel that." God help her, she did indeed and it was driving her mad with lust. Joe continued, "I just don't want to rush things and have you regret..."

She stopped him, still grinding against him without thought. "I wouldn't have any regrets." She moved her hands back to the zipper and slid it down until she was able to shrug the dress down to present her breasts to Joe. "You have my heart already. 100%. Now, I want to give you my body as well."

Joe groaned a bit as he lost to the urge to kiss and suck on the firm nipples gifted to him. Ashley trembled at the touch of his tongue, cradling his head with her arms, while tossing her own head back in pleasure. Joe finally broke the attention he was giving her chest with a soft kiss to each pink center. "I'm sorry. I really want to, but I'd like to wait until we've been together a bit more before going too far."

Ashley groaned and was still grinding against his lap when she answered, "I don't think 'too far' is possible right now. I'll do anything you want. Anything, no matter how deviant you think it might be." At this, Joe uttered a grunt, and his member twitched hard. Ashley felt it and gave a small squeal. She reached down and freed him from his pants. She rubbed her crotch and its now sodden panties against his shaft and pulled his head back to her breasts. "Are you sure you don't want to?" When he didn't respond, and continued licking her valley between her lovlies, she pulled aside the underwear and mounted him.

Joe moved to her neck and sucked it briefly before whispering to the air, "Damn it, no! I didn't want to use you. I'm sorry I didn't stop you, you just feel so good."

She started moving in earnest, working muscles inside and out, desperate for the right friction. "Joe, you're not using me," she gushed. "I want this. I want you and I. I want the concept of you and I as a team. But right now, I want to make both of us cum for the first time with each other." With that, she placed her right hand fingers on her sensitive nub while holding Joe's head to her neck with her left hand. "You don't have to do anything but enjoy me." And, she started bouncing harder.

Joe felt her hand working for her climax against his lower stomach. Everything about her felt amazing. Her breasts, her soft hair, the neck he was breathing against, and especially what she was doing to him inside her. It wasn't very long before he warned her of his pending eruption. "Good, that's what I want. I'm on the pill, so go ahead and enjoy me," Ashley grunted between bounces. Joe couldn't hang on any longer. He sank into her will, and held her tight against him as he did what was asked and gave in to the emotions and sensations of the moment. His shaft pumped the first measure of his release, which Ashley felt and caused her to explode as well. Joe felt the gush of her orgasm, and it heightened his own climax. He crushed his mouth against her naked shoulder, giving soft cries of relief with each pulse of his cock. Ashley rode her own waves of pleasure, consciously using her sheath to milk Joe through his gratification. He felt this, along with waves of fresh lubricant and gave one more immensely satisfying push into Ashley. He unloaded everything he had left into this push, cried out forcefully, and then collapsed backward on the sand. Ashley followed him, leaning forward until she laid her head on his chest, still joined at their sexual centers.

She finally felt him stir out of his sex coma, and she used her inner muscles to coax Joe back fully to the land of the living. He woke, finding he was still firmly inside her. By now, she was actively moving against him. "Mmm, that was awesome! How long was I out?" he asked.

Ashley checked her delicate watch. "About 20 minutes. I'm glad you liked." She sighed as she raised and lowered her hips, giving him a full stroke. "Care to go again?"

Joe looked down to where Ashley laid her head on his chest and caught her eye. He locked her gaze and said, "that would be wonderful." She gave a couple of exquisite squeezes in response. He rolled his eyes at the sudden pleasure, then returned to looking into hers. "But, Ashley, I don't want this to be just about sex."

Ashley fretted at him. "I know. I know that you could always get that from Jill any time you want. Even if she were married, she'd still indulge you." She blushed slightly. "Jasmine would do the same. But, I love you, and I wanted to give this to you."

"I didn't want you to give me favors. And I don't want you to 'repay' me. The things you think I sacrificed for you come easy for me. They're gifts, and I enjoy giving them to you."

A breeze wisped through, and Ashley brushed back the hair that was displaced by it. "I know, sweetheart, and thank you again." A tear formed at the thought of all he'd done for her. "But, honestly, I wanted this for this. I wanted to give myself to you, and to get the same from you. And, apparently, I got it. How long was it since...?"

Joe's heart melted. "The last time I had any sex was when I said goodbye to Kim."

Ashley was now sliding her whole body up and down Joe. "Well, I'm sure you've taken care of yourself from time to time? Or maybe Jill or Jasmine has helped you out? Maybe not all the way, but..."

Joe interrupted, "please stop trying to throw those names in my face. Yes, either separately, or together, they would have. I hate that you feel you're in competition with them over me. No, they didn't, and I haven't. Too much has happened since I got home from the hospital."

Ashley never stopped moving, too engrossed in the pleasure to do so. But the comment did sting. "I'm sorry Joe. That's not how I meant it. I'll never mind if they do help you out. Even if they did so by going all the way. Just promise me that you'll let me know whenever they do." A sudden realization hit her. "I just said that, and I mean every word. But, I never wanted to be part of a harem, I guess." She saw the pained look on his face. "I'm sorry. I know that's not what it is. I'm just rambling out loud. One side of me says that I'm in heaven with the arrangement I just proposed. The other, more public side is telling me that people outside our group would stone me. You know what I mean?"

"Yeah, I do. If it's okay with you, we'll just take it one day at a time and see what happens," Joe replied. When Ashley nodded, he guided her onto her back, and thrust slowly back into her.

Ashley sighed, "my God, you feel so good inside me." They enjoyed each other for a little while, Joe being delightfully gentle with her. They made little moans and mews now and then, but in general it was quiet. She relished the lack of urgency and broke the mostly silent air between them. "You know pretty much all about me. Including the dark corners of my past. I'd like to know the same about you."

Joe looked surprised. "Now? You really want me to talk while we're...?" She nodded enthusiastically. He sighed from a particularly pleasurable movement. "Very well. I guess I'll start at a similar point as you did..." And so, he began relating his life to his new girlfriend. He told several camping stories from scouts, and how his mom pushed him so that he made Eagle Scout. There were tales about the early football days, challenges in the classroom, and last year's Junior Watergun Tag. Ashley listened intently, to both his words and her body. She was surprised when Joe admitted that "normal" friendships didn't seem to exist with him. He didn't have very many male friends outside of sports. They pondered together that his closeness with select females could have caused that.

Occasionally, Joe would pause his story telling and change pace, allowing them both to enjoy each other. Toward the end of his story, he supplemented what he had already told Ashley about noticing her. She noticed that as he talked about her, he grew in excitement and steadily quickened his pace. She was enthralled with that fact, but even more so, that him talking about Kim, Jill, and the other girls in his group did not seem to have the same effect. Even when he talked about their sexual times together. Now, he was getting winded from effort as he relayed his admiration for Ashley in her performances the last couple of weeks. After baring his deepest feelings about their earlier activity, Joe fell silent and concentrated on giving and getting pleasure until they both climaxed in each other's arms.

After a few moments of panting, Joe rolled off Ashley and laid by her side. Ashley stared at the stars above in wonder. This was the first time she'd ever made love. Not in the usual sense of having sex and calling it making love. Rather, they had just made love like a couple joined at the soul. No rush, no urgency, just being with and experiencing each other in every way possible. From that moment until the end of her life, she always considered this second time on the beach to be the time she lost her true virginity.

Ashley looked at her watch and was shocked that it said 2 A.M. They had just made love for two hours straight. Joe noticed and asked the time. When she told him, she laughed. He returned the good humor and started to get up. She sat up as well, but asked if they could just sleep on the beach.

"No, I don't want some deputy coming up on us with your dress around your waist. He might think I raped you. Besides, between the humidity and the body's natural temperature drop during sleep, we could still get hypothermia without a blanket. Even if the air is 75 degrees."

She managed a wry smile. "Leave it to you to kill romance with science."

Joe laughed. "Not science, scout survival training." He took her hand and helped her up. "Besides, we'll be more comfortable at home." With that, he rearranged her dress and zipped it back up. He looked back toward where the van was parked and could just make out the street light where it seemed to hover just above the horizon. Joe sighed, "the walk out is always so much more fun than the walk back."

They started back with a grudging pace. Each feeling as if they were physically leaving a special moment behind. To Ashley, it was so sacred, she partially wanted to place a marker there, declaring the most beautiful thing in her life happened at that spot.