Ashton Hill Naked Sundays

"No, you don't understand," the young girl said as Estelle reached the stage. "The other teachers don't know the words, you have to do it!"

"Where is Mr. Renshaw?" she asked, dreading that he was truly ill and cursing the other teachers for not backing him up and being prepared, just in case something like this happened.

"In the bathroom, you have to do it, no one else knows the song!" the girl beseeched her as she looked at Darren, who had arrived with the special powder used to deal with vomit and began sprinkling it around the area.

"Oh God," she whispered, and looked at the kids waiting on the stage. "Okay, but you all have to sing with me. I'll just stand up in the back. I don't know the song as well as Mr. Renshaw."

"Here, he had the words printed out," Margaret Cook handed her a sheet of paper and smiled gratefully as Estelle felt her own stomach begin to pitch.

She began to sing... "They never said you'd make far... uh... uh..." she heard a few of the students join in, and the boys on the drums looked at her nervously. From the back of the stage, with the bigger students shielding her from the audience, she relaxed a little and smiled confidently at the boys who would have to do their solo as soon as the other children parted to reveal them. Her voice shook a little at stages, but she carried on, not wanting to let the kids down. The students finally all joined in, drowning her out in the chorus as they sang "I believe I can, I believe I will, I believe I know my dreams are real," she felt the flutters as she took a breath for the next verse, as Anton appeared beside the stage looking pale and drawn.

Anton stood with the boys doing the drum solo, calming their nerves as Estelle carried on singing. This was so unfair, she thought, as the boys began their big solo. Then she launched into the last verse and let the students take over the repeated chorus at the end. She rushed from the stage when it was over and went to her class, taking comfort in the fact that they thought she was awesome, regardless of how badly she sang.

The final speech and thanks to the dignitaries, along with the parents for visiting their school, seemed to take forever. With the invitation to both the parents and dignitaries to stay and view their child's classroom and the work they had been engaged in this term, Estelle was eager to get back to her room and make sure everything was perfect. She glanced over her shoulder one last time as she led her students from the hall. Jason was standing talking to Grayson and Quinn Reid, the parents of Noah, who was in her class. She wondered briefly if the child Jason was here to see was in her class as well, and she berated herself again for not getting a name last night. She didn't think she had ever met a father called Simon, and didn't recognise the mother.

Estelle was in her class trying to control the organised chaos of parents and excited six-year-olds when the two men she had been anticipating eagerly and dreading arrived in her classroom, accompanying Quinn and Grayson. Jason held back, seeming to be reserved and give her some space while looking curiously around her classroom. Eric had no such reserve. He walked directly to her and embraced her.

"You can sing!" Eric laughed as if this was a huge revelation to him. "You were awesome! How come we never knew you could play or sing?"

"I can't," she laughed. "What you just heard was the extent of my repertoire, suitable for five-year-olds and not for public consumption."

"You were great," Jason said, moving closer and kissing her cheek. "I'm glad I got to see it."

"Hi," she breathed, having held her breath as he had leaned in to kiss her cheek.

"Hi," he smiled, noting her reaction and feeling inordinately pleased, wishing he didn't have to keep his distance from her here, and tried to find something to do with his hands rather than reach for her and pull her into his arms.

"I forgot to ask who Simon's children were?" she asked once he had stepped back and shoved his hands into his jeans pockets.

"Mack and Tallulah Horton," he smiled.

"Ah! Shouldn't you be in their classrooms? They invited you today, after all," Estelle tilted her head.

"And miss the opportunity see you in your element?" Eric chuckled. "I think not. It's bad enough that he's been pouting since we saw you at the gig. I can't imagine how he'd act after having you blow him off here as well."

"Pouting?" Estelle raised an eyebrow at Jason.

"Pouting may be overstating it. Moping might be a better term," Jason shrugged, not denying the accusation. "You know how I feel and what I want; you can't be surprised by that."

"Miss Eastman," Noah interrupted. "Dad said I can go home early with them if you say it's okay. Can I go?"

"Of course, let me come talk to Daddy with you," Estelle smiled at the little boy indulgently, coming back to where she was and why she was there. Jason had a seriously devasting effect on her brain. He could never visit her at school again if this were how she reacted. She smiled at Eric and Jason and went to see Grayson. Other parents began taking their children, and she was constantly busy as she farewelled students and wished them a happy holiday.

"Miss Eastman," Jason's deep voice ran through her, making her turn to look at him. "We're taking off," he smiled and leaned in to kiss her cheek again and moved closer to her ear, "Before I combust," he murmured and drew back with a heated look in his eyes. "I'll pick you up at six."

"We are going to Kelly's after work to congratulate the High School on their award, I might be late," she whispered, moving away from the students slightly as she moved to embrace him.

"I will come and find you if you are," he said seriously. "You are driving me crazy, you know that? Six, or I come find you." His voice was deep and husky and left her in no doubt that he meant what he said and what would happen when he did find her, regardless of where she was. She looked up at him, letting the thought of that flow through her and feeling an excited quiver run up her spine.

"We could leave straight after school," she said in a moment of weakness. She wouldn't have to face Tarlee or Darren then. She wasn't sure she wanted to answer their questions after they saw Jason here today. She didn't want to lie to them, but she wasn't ready to share how she felt either. The truth was she didn't know how she felt, and she wasn't sure she could justify letting him back into her life, yet.

"Time?" he raised an eyebrow at her.

"Four," that would give her enough time to get home and gather everything she needed.

"I'll be there," he murmured and smiled widely. Then he turned and left the room, following Eric, who had left minutes earlier, giving him space to say goodbye to her.

*****

Chapter 8

"What did your friends say when you bailed on drinks after work?" Jason asked once they were far enough out of town for Estelle not to feel guilty and want to turn around. He'd conceded and let her drive, leaving his bike behind because he had a car in the city if he needed it. He hoped that he wouldn't need it for days yet. Letting her have her car with her had been the only way she would agree to stay at his place this weekend. She needed to know she could leave at any time if she wanted to.

"Tarlee is going to be in the city for the holidays too, so I promised to have lunch with her on Tuesday and let her know what happened," she said. "It was easier than trying to deal with all of the questions she would have after seeing you today, because I know I don't have the answers yet. I don't have answers for you, let alone her."

"And the guy who you were with at the gig?" Jason asked. He had refrained from asking anything about Darren beyond the fact that she wasn't in a relationship with him and wasn't on a date.

"I doubt he will even notice I didn't show up," she laughed. "They are my friends, and I like them, but I'm not that close to anyone, really, except Tarlee, who has been like an annoying little sister since she arrived."

"She hasn't been there long?" he asked.

"No, she only came this year. She's a new graduate doing her country service," she explained.

Jason took that in, wondering if she had any close friends in that town. She was always popular amongst the crowd they had hung out with. He'd been jealous from time to time of the attention his bandmates gave her back then. Even with their friends, though, she had been popular and always smiling and easy to talk to. He considered if she had favoured any of the other girls in such a way that he would have thought she was closer to them than the others, and he couldn't remember any. Was she always like that, friendly without having close friendships? There was her brother, Ethan, but that was different, they were siblings.

"Do you ever get lonely being out here away from your family?" he asked.

"Ethan is only a phone call away," she shrugged. "My mother is more of a chore, and the distance works for me," she laughed.

"I can't imagine not having the guys around constantly," he said. "I mean, a few days or a week's break now and then, but we live in each other's pockets most of the time."

"Yeah, I remember," she smiled. "You have your own place now, right?" she asked, suddenly worried that Jason was expecting her to stay in a share house with him.

"I do," he chuckled. "Don't look so worried. It's not a swamp like our old place was."

"You're not worried about me driving?" she asked.

"Should I be?" he countered. "Am I taking my life in my hands being the passenger?"

"No!" she admonished.

"Then why ask? I'm happy keeping my eyes on you rather than the road," he chuckled. "Plus, you're answering my questions for a change, I like that."

"What's your place like?" she asked.

"Nothing special, just a little house in the suburbs," he shrugged.

"Small, like my cottage?" she asked.

"It doesn't have the same homey feel, but then I've been a confirmed bachelor since I bought it," he said with a smile. "You can feel free to make suggestions."

"Who's looking after it while you're gone?" she asked.

"My dad. He's been pretty good about it. He's the one who wanted me to buy rather than keep renting, so he goes over and grabs the mail, puts the bins out and mows the lawn when it gets long. I think he likes that I let him," Jason said. "I said I'd get a maintenance company while I was on tour, but he insisted."

"I didn't think you got along with your parents," she said thoughtfully. It was one of the things they had in common back then.

"A girl walked out on me and taught me a lesson about not taking the people I cared about for granted," he said seriously and smiled softly at her.

"Oh," she said uncomfortably. She bit the underside of her lip, wondering how to respond to that. "My mother would like me to let her into my life more, I just can't though. It's different for me, I guess."

"Why do you say that?" he asked. Estelle had never talked about her family at all when he had known her years ago. He was surprised to discover Ethan Eastman was her brother, and he knew nothing of her parents.

"My mother's on her third marriage. Need I say more?" she asked.

"That doesn't mean much if you love her," he frowned.

"I do, but we're not friends. She's not someone I would turn to for help or advice. She's... high maintenance. I can never live up to her standards," Estelle finished lamely. "I have Ethan to lean on. He knows what she's like."

"Does he see your Mum as often as you do?" Jason asked, feeling inexplicably jealous that Ethan was the man in her life that she leaned on, despite the fact that he was her brother.

"Why would he do that? She's not his mother," Estelle asked. "His Dad married my Mum when I was around ten."

"I didn't realise. So, you're not actually related, except by marriage," Jason tried to work out the dynamic of her family, becoming more confused by each revelation.

"He's been a better brother to me than she has been a mother!" she said defensively.

"I wasn't criticising, just trying to understand. Your family sounds complicated. Mine is pretty normal. Mum, Dad, a younger brother, plus assorted aunts, uncles and cousins," he admitted.

"I just have Mum and Ethan," she sighed and lapsed into silence.

Jason changed the subject back to her job and the concert he'd witnessed today. He loved how animated she became when she spoke about the children she taught. His phone rang as they got close to the city.

"Hey," he said with a smile. "Yeah, we're still about thirty minutes away." He turned his head to smile at Estelle. "Thanks for that... no, we just want some quiet time before we go out tonight. I'll give you a call tomorrow if we can. I'll need to talk to her first.... Yep... thanks..." He ended the call. "Mum went over and opened the place up to air it a little before we get there, because we're early and Dad's still at work. She invited us to dinner when we have time," he explained.

"That was nice of her," Estelle said, glancing at him. "So, they know you're bringing a girl home for the weekend?"

"They do," he said, not wanting to expand on that, thinking there was at least half a dozen traps he could fall into there, but she wasn't about to let him off the hook easily.

"Do they do that for you often when you have a date?" she asked.

"No, it's a first," he admitted. It wasn't that he hadn't had a girl at his home; it was more that his parents didn't know about his casual affairs that had filled the void while he searched for the woman beside him. He didn't want to discuss the people either of them had seen while they had been apart.

"I hardly believe you've been a monk in the last few years," she chuckled.

"There hasn't been anyone I've been serious about," he shrugged. "I've wanted to find you again, and I am not so much of an arsehole that I would string someone along with unrealistic expectations." He sighed, not wanting to have this conversation at all, and not wanting to hear about the guys she had slept with.

"So, you never brought them home, or you never introduced them to your parents?" she asked to clarify.

"Do we have to do this? We have only been back together for two weeks. Does it matter what happened in between?" He asked.

"Nope, I wasn't a nun either," she said casually as she glanced at him. The pained expression on his face made her feel guilty, even though she had no reason to feel that way. They were broken up for years, she wasn't looking for him. She had no intention of ever seeing him again. "All you have to say is that you don't want to talk about it."

"I don't want to talk about it," he repeated, and looked out of the window, trying to banish the thoughts of her in anybody else's arms or bed.

"Okay," she said as if it was no big deal, wondering if he had something to hide. "Did you want to drive, since we are so close to your place, or are you happy to navigate?" she asked.

"I can navigate," he said easily, glad for the change of conversation. "Thanks," he said softly.

"For what?" she asked.

"For this," he said simply, and reached over to place his hand on her thigh, the only physical contact they'd had since getting into the car. It had taken a lot to restrain himself when he had arrived at her place and left his bike in her garage, and even more not to touch her as she drove, but the end goal was in sight. He hadn't wanted to delay their trip in case something came up to make her question if going with him to the city was a wise choice. She was with him, however, and they were heading to his house, and the only people who knew he was back in the city knew he didn't want to be disturbed.

*****

The house did appear small, but only in comparison to its much larger neighbours in the affluent suburb. Estelle looked at it in wonder as she walked down the garden path to the screened front patio. It was modern, with clean lines and a smooth stucco finish in a pale grey. When she entered, she took in the cool polished concrete floors and neutral colour palette of black, white and grey. It seemed sterile rather than cosy, Even the small accent colours seemed washed out and failed to take away the coldness of the place.

"It's great," she said honestly. It was a well-designed and sleek modern place. "It could use a little bit of colour, but for a single guy it's great." She talked as she followed him through to the bedroom where he deposited their bags and finally took her into his arms and kissed her deeply. His hands pulled at her clothes, leaving her in doubt as to what he had in mind now that she was here.

"I thought you had a date planned," she breathed when he broke the kiss.

"We left your place earlier than expected, so we have a little time to work up an appetite before we leave," he murmured softly, working her shirt up and over her head.

"You're not hungry?" she asked.

"Oh, I'm hungry, but not for food right now," he grinned, trailing his fingers down her throat, across her shoulders and down to her bra-clad breasts.

"Aren't you worried that if you start this we won't make it out at all? I mean, that's what tends to happen lately. Last weekend you barely made it through the door before jumping me, and then didn't stop until I kicked you out if the house," she laughed but didn't move away from him or stop him from undressing her further.

"Speaking of jumping, you restrained yourself quite well today," his smirk was barely held in check.

"You were on your best behaviour as well," she gave him credit for only kissing her cheek and keeping at least a foot between their bodies at all times.

"It was tough," he admitted. "when all I want to do is touch you and hold you close and fuck you, especially after not seeing you all week. I think I deserve a reward for being such a good guy," he murmured.

"Do you now?" she laughed lightly and felt the clasp of her bra give way under his fingers. She ran her fingertips around his waistband and deftly flicked open the button, pulling the fabric apart to lower the zipper. She pushed her hand into the waistband of his underwear and found his cock hot and hard for her.

"Oh... yeah!" he groaned at the feel of her touch, and flexed, making his cock jump in her hand. He moved his jeans and underwear over his hips to begin to slide down his legs as she held him, almost tenderly, and leaned up to kiss him. It seemed odd once he stood there in only his shirt while she stood in just her skirt. His hands went to unzip her skirt, and, as it floated around her legs to the floor, she followed it down, lifting his shirt slightly to kiss at his belly as she settled to her knees before him.

Estelle heard him groan as she licked out at the tip of his cock, the salty taste of the hot skin tantalising her tongue as the shaft lay heavily across the palm of her hand. She curled her fingers around him and pumped from root to tip as she lapped and rolled her tongue around the head of his cock, teasing him just to hear the low groans that rumbled from his chest.

Jason wasn't sure how much of this teasing he could take, and reached down to stroke her hair. Just the sight of the one woman he truly wanted in his bed and his life on her knees before him with his cock head between her lips was almost enough to put him over the edge. He moved slightly, letting her know he wanted more, needed more, and her hand tightened, fisting him as she began to move deeper on him, filling her mouth and letting him slide across her tongue over and over.

"Fuck, you're going to make me cum too soon! Too fast!" Jason moaned loudly, but she didn't slow her movements, if anything the seal of her lips grew lighter and the suction on him stronger. He groaned loudly, the hands stroking her hair curled into it and pulled slightly, trying to slow her movements. But she wouldn't be deterred, and he gave in, enjoying the moment, knowing he could recover easily after days of celibacy and heated phone calls with her each night.