______________________________________________________
Pretty much the moment Ashley arrived home the following day, she gave Jeff a call. He promised to come right over.
The blonde was overly anxious, and she paced the floor in wait. Everything from the previous day was still built up inside of her, almost like a pressure cooker. It wasn't quite as bad as it had been, but it was still there.
She raced to the door the second the bell rang. Tobey barked and wagged his tail as she opened it, and Jeff stepped inside the house.
"Jeff, thank God!" She threw herself into the young man's arms.
He held tightly to her, stroking a hand down her short blonde, black and pink hair.
"Shh... Sweet Ash," he murmured. "I missed you." He moved his head enough to kiss her brow.
When they broke the embrace, the younger Hardy knelt down to greet the dog, a smile on his face as he said hello to him.
"You have no idea how happy I am to be home," she told him. She reached down, grasping his hand and leading him to the sofa. Tobey trailed after them.
He gently caressed her face. She was so beautiful and sweet, it took his breath away.
"I think I have some idea," he said. He would have smiled had he not recalled how upset she had been on the phone the previous night.
"I wish I could just forget what happened."
"Well, believe me," Jeff said, "my 'wonderful' brother is gonna hear back from me about what he put you through."
The diva sighed and slowly closed her eyes. On one hand, she felt terrible about being the cause of such strife between two brothers - even though it really wasn't her fault since she and Matt had been done awhile now - but on the other, it made her feel good, loved and protected that Jeff was a knight in shining armor type of guy. He was sweet and wanted to defend her, them. They'd done nothing wrong.
"I'm sorry," Ashley breathed. She bowed her head.
"Don't be silly, babe," he said, placing a gentle hand on hers. "You - we - did absolutely nothing wrong. If Matt can't handle that fact, then he's the one with the problem."
"I know, but-"
He silenced her with a forefinger to her lips. She raised her blue gaze, meeting his sensitive green eyes.
"Listen to me," he began, "everything's gonna be just fine. I know my brother, and he can be unreasonable and... well, an ass. But he'll come around in time."
This time, Ashley gave him a tiny smile, glad that she had such a wonderful boyfriend in him. She rubbed his hand with the pad of her thumb, unable to move her gaze from his.
Jeff closed the short distance between them and captured her lips, kissing her passionately. He sighed in her mouth as he felt her small hand trail up and into his hair, bringing him even closer to deepen it. Her hot tongue swirled around his in an almost dizzying fashion, driving him wild with passion.
Ashley managed to push all unpleasant thoughts from her mind as she savored these moments with Jeff. He was one of the most passionate men she'd ever known, yet a most gentle and very generous lover as well. He was the total package, all she ever could have asked for in a boyfriend.
Moments later, she raised her head from his, both of them breathing heavily as she gazed down into his emerald green eyes.
"The bedroom," she murmured huskily, "now."
He was more than happy to oblige as he stood up from the sofa, his hands pulling her up in a hurry. They kissed again ardently for a moment before breaking it again. Then, Jeff scooped the blonde up into his strong arms and carried her to her bedroom.
Ashley loved the feel of Jeff's hands all over her, her breath nearly lost as he undressed her in a slow, tantalizing fashion. She got him out of his garments in the same teasing way, finding it a huge turn-on but also incredibly romantic.
"I love you." His gaze drank in her form longingly, his voice full of adoration.
"I love you, too," the blonde managed. It was so emotional, she could have cried.
They sank onto the bed together as one, kissing more hungrily than ever as they made love.