Ashlyn hasn't spoken a word since the age of eight, and her heart's never felt more protected. But, when the confident and ever so charming Derek stumbles into her quiet little world, her emotions-and forbidden desires-have never been so loud.
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Ashlyn stepped around Derek, her attempts to mask her confusion reflected in the wavy smile she cast towards him before she stepped out of the water and jogged up the beach towards the bonfire. She could feel Derek at her back as he followed behind, his feet shifting in the sand the only sound he made.
Ashlyn navigated around the crowd of people seated around the fire, muted words of praise and congratulations for what she'd done reaching her ears.
She didn't like being the center of attention, almost as much as she didn't like being in the dark about what was going on. And something had to be going on, it was the only way to explain the smiles that Abel and Kass wore when they looked to her, and Derek at her back.
Before she could take her seat beside Kass, Kass gave a subtle shake of her head. Ashlyn's brow quirked, and she went to object when the soft cadence of a young girl's voice reached out to her.
"Sit with me, Ashwyn," Sage called out around the thumb that she nursed. Ashlyn glanced across the fire to a waving Poppy and smiling Sage. She looked to Lorraine, who sat beside them, who nodded and helped the twins to shift over and make some space.
"Go," Kass coaxed, her countenance one of encouragement as she handed Ashlyn her towel and the beach bag to Derek, who stood silently behind her. Heat emanated from him in swirls of thick tension.
With the towel carelessly draped over her arm, Ashlyn stepped around the fire and hesitated before the twins and Lorraine. The notion of sitting with this family felt intimate. Like she was a part of it.
She felt Derek lean around her and place the beach bag behind the driftwood, his fingers grazing her arm as he unhooked the towel she carried.
Delicately he wrapped the towel around her shoulders to ward off the cool breeze that had begun to meld with the dampness that seeped through her dress. He rubbed the tops of her arms, the towel gliding across her skin beneath his palms. The warmth that slowly filled her was comforting, tangling in an unnerving dance with the unease at the publicity of the gesture.
Ashlyn had to resist glancing around to observe their audience, her masqued discomfort sitting like a heavyweight on her throat. At least the gesture felt somewhat less intimate than what had occurred earlier. This knowledge provided a small comfort.
"I'll go grab us some food," he spoke, his lips brushing the fine hairs on her ear. Goosebumps rose across her flesh as she nodded weakly. If she could have spoken, barely a squeak would have registered. Even now, she could not deny her body's reaction to him.
When she felt the air around her shift with his departure, Ashlyn took a deep breath and tilted her head downwards so that her hair fell forward like a curtain to conceal her embarrassment.
After a short reprieve, Ashlyn lowered herself into the vacant space in front of a large piece of driftwood that the twins had made for her. As soon as she sat on the blanket that Lorraine had laid out, Sage shuffled closer, her free arm linking through Ashlyn's.
