A giant shiver rippled through Ashton's delicate frame. I dug into the oars with all my strength, but these damn metal canoes only move so fast through the water. The rain made the oars slippery and my hands quickly became blocks of ice, but I ignored the physical discomfort and drove us forward. I had one goal: Get to the shore so we could get out of the icy rain as soon as possible.
By the time the canoe hit the sandy embankment, the rain was falling in sheets around us, making it hard to see. Our clothes were plastered to our skin, freezing us to the bone. I grabbed Ashton's freezing hand to haul her ashore. We were both shaking uncontrollably from the cold.
Still holding her hand, we raced toward my Range Rover, not taking into consideration the muddy ground that was slick as oil under our feet. One moment I was standing upright with my destination only steps away, and the next I was flat on my back as the rain continued to pelt my face. Ashton, who had been clutching my hand, stood above me shaking with cold and laughter.
"You think this is funny?" I asked, tugging her hand and setting her flat on her ass next to me.
Her eyes were filled with mirth despite the fact that we were both freezing our asses off and covered in mud. "Is this phase three of the date, to make mud pies?" she asked. Before I could answer, she plastered a handful of mud across my face.
"Oh, it's on now, baby," I said, grabbing her ankles as she attempted to scramble away. "Welcome to the spa, madam, your mud bath is ready."
"Gah, no," she laughed and squirmed as I made quick work of covering her. We wrestled around on the wet ground, looking like two pigs covered in slop by the time we were done.
Despite the driving rain and the fact I was freezing my nuts off, I couldn’t help joining in her laughter. We were both soaking wet and covered from head to toe in mud. She looked enticing as hell despite the circumstances. Perhaps it was the fact that she could laugh through it all, but at that moment, I wanted to haul her in my arms and never let go. I was finally forced to act like a sane adult though when her laughter and shivers made it impossible for her to stand up. Without giving her a chance to protest, I swept her up in my arms and hoisted her over my shoulder as I cautiously carried her to the Range Rover. She was still giggling as I deposited her shaking body in the passenger seat before hurrying around to the driver's side. My feet threatened to come out from under me again as I was rounding the back of the vehicle, but I was able to keep myself upright by holding on. I was swearing by the time I climbed behind the steering wheel, which made Ashton laugh harder.
"Chuckle it up. It's not like you were any more graceful," I mock growled. My fingers were doing their best not to cooperate as I fumbled to slide the key into the ignition. Finally, after several attempts, I was able to crank the vehicle over and turn the heat to the highest setting. The air blasted out at us and rose quickly in temperature. We both felt instant relief. I let the vehicle warm up for a few more minutes before finally turning around and driving away from the clearing.
"You better hope we don't get pulled over," Ashton giggled through her knocking teeth as I pulled onto the main road.
I laughed, relieved that she was feeling good enough to joke. "Why?"
"Because they may think we're into some kinky-mud-wrestling thing."
"Mud wrestling? Is that the kind of thing you like?" I teased.
"Oh yeah. No weekend was complete at UCF until I was in some kind of mud pit," she said dryly.
"You, skimpy outfit, mud, that’s something I'd like to see," I said, winking at her.
"Spoken like a true male," she said as I pulled into her driveway. "I think I'll just stay in the car with the heat," she added, not thrilled about going outside again.
"We'll be inside before you know it," I reassured her. "Where are your keys?"
"In my purse," she answered, leaning down to pick it up. Digging around for a few seconds, she finally found them and handed them over.
I reached over after turning off the vehicle and popped the glove compartment to pull out the box I had placed in there earlier.
The wide-eyed look on Ashton's face was hilarious when she saw the box of condoms in my hand. Smiling, I opened my door and almost changed my mind when a freezing gust of wind swept in the vehicle. "Holy shit, it's colder than a witch's tit out here," I complained, grimacing as the rain drove down on me. I continued to curse as I rounded the vehicle only to find Ashton already headed toward her front door.
"I would have carried you," I said as she bounced from one foot to the other.
"It's okay," she said, shivering.
I unlocked the front door as quick as I could and propelled her inside. Unfortunately, it wasn't much warmer in the cottage than it was outside. "Where's the thermostat?" I asked as she stood in the center of the room shaking from head to toe.
"My room."
I bumped up the heat until I heard it kick on, and then dropped the small box on her nightstand before proceeding to the bathroom. I got a hot shower started before going back out to collect Ashton.
She was right where I had left her, still shaking like a leaf on a windy day. "Come on," I said, pulling her toward the bathroom. A wall of steam greeted us when I opened the door. The warmth draped our cold bodies like a blanket. Ashton's eyes were heavy with exhaustion from the night's events. She was leaning heavily against the closed bathroom door and looked ready to drop.
"Take off your clothes," I said as I pulled at my own clothes with numb fingers.
"I'm really not in the mood," she joked. Her lips were a pale blue and her frame was shaking out of control.
"Very funny," I said, reaching out to help her when I saw the cold had rendered her fingers useless. I stripped off her muddy sweater and the long-sleeved t-shirt she had on underneath and then deftly unfastened the button of her jeans.
"I can do it," she said, standing in her bra and jeans in front of me with teeth knocking together.