______________________________________________________
John eyed his girlfriend with surprise as she told him what she'd witnessed earlier. It was definitely an interesting development, to say the least. He wondered why he himself had never noticed anything before.
"So... Carlito and Ashley?" he asked. His expression was amused and surprised alternately. "Wow."
"Don't get me wrong, John," Trish said as she crawled to him on the bed in her favorite T-shirt to wear to sleep. "I don't think they're doing anything since she's with Matt Hardy, but... Well, I could see a spark there."
"Wow... Just... wow," Cena said as he wrapped his arms around the blonde, drawing her into a straddling position onto his lap. "Well, Carly's a good guy... I think he'd be good for Ash, but she's with Matt, so..." He shrugged.
Trish bit her lip, her brown eyes casting down. She suddenly couldn't rid her mind of the memory of what she had seen some short months back and of which she had informed Amy. John tended to think of Hardy as a pretty decent guy when she knew the opposite to be the truth. She'd debated with herself about giving Ashley the same information, as she considered the Diva Search winner a friend as well... But how could she? She knew better than to get involved in other people's relationships.
"What?" John questioned, his blue eyes trained on her lovely yet thoughtful face. "Was it something I said?"
She shook her head.
"I *know* you, Stratus... Something's on your mind, and it has to do with something I just said. Spill it, girl."
"Okay," Trish relented with a sigh. "I was just thinking about something I saw awhile ago," she explained. "I called Amy about it. I thought she and Adam had a right to know."
"What?"
"There were some photos on the internet," the blonde woman continued, "of Matt Hardy and Adam's ex-wife. Very telling photos."
John made a face of surprise and disgust.
"Havin' sex?!"
"No," Trish said. "But they *were* making out. And the thing is, these pictures were said to be taken in September."
Cena's eyes widened in understanding as he finished his girlfriend's thought.
"And Matt started seein' Ashley in *August*."
*
Ashley laid in the huge bed, her blue eyes filled with fear. She had never spent any time in a hospital, not since she was a kid. All she could think of was how much she hated the antiseptic smell of it, and the stark white light everywhere...
... And who was she kidding? She had also been wondering if Matt would even show up. He *did* know about her injury, as she had called him herself the moment she'd been checked in.
The young woman looked up at the sound of a soft knock, surprise and joy replacing her fear and sorrow. Just in the doorway stood Carlito, a huge bouquet of roses of just about every color in his arms. She smiled and gestured to him to come in.
"Hey," he said softly. He handed her the flowers. "For you."
"Hey, thank you... You came," she said. She felt touched, as she'd only asked him to visit if she'd been here more than a day. He was so incredibly sweet, it about blew her away.
"I told you I would."
Her mood darkened as she thought about how she didn't believe Matt would show up. Her smile waned.
"I'm having surgery, Charlie," she told him, and she could feel the tears coming.
"Aww, I'm sorry," Carlito said, his face filled with sympathy. "But you must need it."
Ashley nodded.
"I do... The MRI showed I have what the doctor called a 'very unusual compound fracture.'" She reached up to swat away a tear as it trickled down her cheek. "And of course this happens just as my wrestling career is starting."
Carlito eyed the young woman quietly for a beat. His heart went out to her, and he wished he could just hold her and comfort her and... and a whole lot more. He wondered where her boyfriend was.
"Don't worry," he said soothingly, reaching down to touch her arm. "They'll patch you up just as good as new and it will be fine."
"Yeah? You think so?" Ashley gazed up into his face with anticipation. For some reason, she found herself wishing he would place his hand on her face as he'd done earlier, when she'd been on that stretcher in the arena.
He nodded.
"Trust me." He chased those words with a wink, unable to resist. He was thrilled when her beautiful lips suddenly curved into a smile. He liked making her smile.
And then, with his next words, that blossom quickly faded.
"So... Where's Matt?"
Ashley ducked her head, slightly embarrassed as she mumbled an answer.
"I don't know... He's not here."
Carlito felt a surge of anger inside upon the blonde's admission. So, her supposed 'wonderful' boyfriend hadn't even come by to see her? That and the idea that Hardy would probably not visit her at all made him sick to his stomach. What the hell was wrong with that guy? If Ashley were *his* girlfriend, he would travel to the ends of the earth to see her, to be with her. And yet, she *wasn't* his girlfriend, and here he was anyway, when he should have been taking a flight home instead. But he couldn't just leave without seeing her, and so he'd called the airline to book a later flight.
"I'm sorry," Carlito finally said.
Ashley raised her head again to meet his brown eyes. Without responding and without even thinking, she reached up with one hand for one of his larger ones and merely held it.
He didn't say anything, but it sure did feel good to be holding her hand.
*
Amy was still irritated by Matt's call several minutes later - but she was not going to bother thinking about it any longer once Adam stepped out of the master bathroom.
She bit her lip, the urge to remove all of her clothing and meet him in the shower hitting her. The thought of the tall, naked, wet blond man lifting her in his arms and pressing her up against the cool bathroom tiles to enter her practically made her mouth water.
As she was thinking about that, Adam suddenly emerged from the bathroom, a towel draped across his hips. His shoulder-length blond curls were still damp, even still dripping. Amy sat up on the bed, her gaze lingering longingly on him.
He smiled at her as he caught her gaze. She was so lovely, so beautiful. He thought about how very long he'd wanted her - for years he'd pined for her - but she'd been with that asshole Hardy... And now she was *all his*. Fate was certainly a funny thing, and the cliche saying 'Good things come to those who wait' could very well have become his own personal motto.
The redhead bit her lip as she eyed him seductively.
"Come here."
The tall blond man swallowed hard as he caught the look in her eye. The moment he stepped forward and was within arm's length of her, Amy reached for the towel around his hips. She opened it and allowed it to fall slowly at his feet.
The redhead smiled as her hazel eyes drank in the wonderful sigh of his nudity. He was already semi-hard, and she fully intended on making him fully so. She scooted closer, sitting on the edge of the bed, spreading her legs so that he was standing between them, her right hand snaking up to stroke him as her gaze went back to his face, his green eyes.
Adam sighed and let his eyes flutter closed as he felt her touching him. Just the softest, most featherlike caress from Amy could turn him into an erupting volcano. He glanced back down at her and what she was doing a moment later, just in time to see her moving forward at the waist. She took him deeply into her hot, wet, velvety mouth, her lips and tongue working their magic. He sighed again, somewhat louder this time, his hands traveling down to gently grip her head, and he stroked her long red hair.
She was so good with her mouth... He knew she knew exactly what she was doing to him, and he loved her for that and for so much more.
After several minutes, he made her stop. He turned his attention to her and her clothing as he knelt before her in front of the bed, his hands yanking at her garments in a haste to remove them. She helped him and removed her shirt, lifting it over her head and tossing it. He had her jeans unbuttoned and unzippered, and she leaned back and raised her hips off the bed to help him slide them off of her.
She grabbed his throbbing member as he hovered over her, her breathing faster now.
"I want this... I want *you* inside of me - now."
And who was he to deny what she wanted? Adam chuckled softly as he slid her panties down her legs, then positioned himself He fumbled with her bra as well, freeing her luscious breasts, which he attacked with his mouth.
Amy moaned as Adam licked her nipple in a circular motion. Meanwhile, she could feel him throbbing down between her legs, against her. She allowed herself to sink back on the bed, pulling him with her, on top of her and a moan left her as she felt him penetrate.
Swinging one leg over his body, the redhead moaned ever louder as he quickly slammed in and out of her. She threw her head back in ecstasy and felt the blond man's lips, tongue and teeth at her throat.
"I love you," she heard him murmur. And those words were just as powerful as the motions of his body to bring her to orgasm. She cried out as it took over her, arching her hips to meet all of his movements.
"Holy Christ..." Adam swore. "... Amy, Amy, I'm gonna come so hard!" With that, he let go and nearly growled at the feel of his climax. It was so powerful, he could have passed out.
When it was over, he laid beside her, both of them sweaty and still breathing hard. He lifted an arm for her, and she laid her head on his chest, her arm thrown across his body. She smiled as she listened to his heartbeat, something she loved to do.
He met her lips for a soft, tender yet passionate kiss.