Chapter Twenty-Two
Shit hits the fan
Sitting up in bed, Ash rests his head on my stomach with his arms tightly wrapped around me. He squeezes me in his sleep while I run my fingers through his hair. I listen to his deep breathing. My only form of comfort right now is knowing he’s sleeping soundly without nightmares of the abuse he suffered as a child.
My heart is heavy.
I’m feeling helpless and withdrawn. I never feel like this. The last time I felt like this was when Mia died. Tina’s daughter was a huge part of my life. I was her aunt, and it affected me as much as it did Tina. I loved that little girl with all my heart.
Cursing myself, I lean my head back on the headboard with a soft thump.
I wanted to know what happened to him. I was the one who pushed. He told me it was f*cked up, and I pushed and pushed til he had no choice but to tell me. And now I wish I didn’t know.
So now I sit here, tears streaming down my face in devastation for what this beautiful man endured as a child. I will never forget what I was told tonight. It was as if he zoned out. Like he wasn’t even in the room with me. It seemed like he spoke for hours, when in reality all it took was about a half hour for me to get the general idea of how his life was before he met Nik.
Next time I see Nik, I’ll be lucky if I don’t burst into tears. I knew I liked Nik before, but now…now I am grateful for him.
Burnt. Cut. Bruised. Choked. Hit.
He was just a f*cking baby.
All I want to do is find his parents and punish them. He told me his father died quite a few years back and to take pity on his mother, he said, “Mom never hurt me, but she never helped me, so I guess she did hurt me regardless, but she was weak. Weak physically and weak in character. Whatever dad said, she went along with. Didn’t have it in her to fight. She’s not like me.”
If Ash is anything, he’s a fighter alright.
He had a broken arm for three days before they took him to the hospital. It was infected so bad that the doctors thought he might lose it. Trying to downplay it, he told me he didn’t remember much of it. But I don’t care. Given the chance, I’d hurt them as badly as they hurt him.
When I asked him if he had any brothers or sisters he said, “Nik, Max and Trick are my brothers. Only ones that matter.”
So many questions came to mind. I asked him why they call him Ghost, and he said that during his time working for the Russians, they discovered he had a knack of getting in and out of places undetected. And Ghost was born. I think it digs deeper than that. I think it hits him somewhere right in the center of his chest.
There’s more to it. I know there’s a reason he gets pissed when I call him that.
I lift his head from my stomach and scoot down the bed. I take a moment to look at him. Really look at him. He looks so peaceful while he sleeps. Imagining the years of torture he endured followed by years of night terrors…it makes my heart ache. I watch him a moment longer then wipe away my tears. Leaning closer to him, I kiss his lips whisper-soft and say quietly, “You’re not invisible to me, Ghost.”
I snuggle closer to him and wonder if he feels that warmth. The same warmth that I feel when I’m with him.
Taking his hand in mine, I link our fingers and close my eyes.
“Sweet dreams, Ash. Love you.”
***
Something taps my nose. I flap my hand about to get rid of it.
Again with the nose. I growl and put my head under the pillow. It smells like lemon and berries under here.
Nice.
“Asherrrr.” Nat. She says this in a sing-song voice, and I know I have to look up at her.
When I lift my face, I rub the sleep out of my eyes and freeze.
There she is, standing at the door wearing only my shirt and panties. Sexy as sin and cute as hell all rolled into one.
Then I’m doused in water.
In defense mode, I snatch her pillow and hold it up while I roll off the bed army-style. I hear her pump the damn water pistol and she yells out, “Fair’s fair,” then she throws something on the bed.
Her footsteps running away from the bedroom fill my ears. When I think it’s safe, I lift my head and look on the bed. I smirk.
Picking up my own huge water pistol, I pump it as far as it’ll let me. I check the water level. It’s full. My lips pull down, raise my brows and tilt my head. The little minx didn’t stiff me.
Respect.
Oh, now she’s gone and done it.
Stealth mode takes over and I crawl around the bed til I get to the bedroom door, dragging my legs behind me. I stick my head out from the bottom of the door, and I see a tiny mouse head slipper sticking out from behind the kitchen counter. I smirk.
It’s on.
I crouch and creep towards the kitchen, being careful not to make a sound. Can’t nobody be quieter than the Ghost. When I reach the opposite side of the counter, I mentally count to three, then jump out with a war cry, guns blazing and spraying the shit out of her.
Only, there’s no one there. Just a damn slipper.
My back is suddenly saturated.
I turn and my front becomes drenched too. Cutting my losses, I toss the gun and take two steps toward Nat. She looks beautiful. Flushed cheeks, bright-eyed and laughing her ass off at me. When I think of her, I’m going to see her exactly as I see her now. She really is my pretty girl.
Narrowing my eyes with a cruel smile, she stills a moment. When she realizes what I’m doing, she squeaks, drops her gun, turns on her heel and runs. I yell out, “Run, Forrest, Run!”
C’mon! Even I know Forrest Gump.
There are only three possible places in this apartment she can run to, and she just ran out of the kitchen, leaving her bedroom and the bathroom as her only options. I walk to her bedroom and throw open the door. It looks empty but…
Something falls in the closet and I chuckle to myself.
The closet? She can’t get anywhere from in there! Too cute.
I approach the closet door smiling like a damn fool, take the knob and throw it open. I scrunch my face as water splashes me in the eyes. The little shit has two small pistols in her hands. She’s laughing so hard she’s crying. I snatch the pistols, throw them behind me and pick her up and over my shoulder. She doesn’t bother fighting. I don’t think she could if she wanted to. Her body is weak from laughter.
This is what I like about this girl. She doesn’t treat me like I’m damaged. I know last night must have been hard to hear, but she took it well. Masked her emotions like a pro. The only thing giving her away was her clenching jaw and the way she fisted the covers.
This girl. She’s my girl.
She’s not perfect. Neither am I. But she’s perfect for me, and I’ll do anything I can to keep her.
Walking across the room with her, I throw her onto the bed. She looks up at me with those pink cheeks and smiling eyes…and I’m home. No place I’d rather be than here with my girl just goofin’ around.
Maybe Sheriff was right. Maybe this is love.
If it isn’t, it’s pretty damn close.
I push her legs apart and lay on her, my head on her chest. I listen to her heart race and smile, knowing I have that effect on her. My chest expands and I feel like claiming her. So I do.
I wrap my arms around her small waist and say gruffly in caveman speak, “You woman. My woman.”
She laughs and I listen through her chest, the vibrations tickling my cheek. Stroking my hair, she replies softly, “Yeah. I’m yours, babe.”
The thought of her with someone else makes me irrationally angry. My gut twists and I spit out, “And I do not share. Not with any f*cker.”
Gripping the longer hair at the top of my head tight, she pulls my head up to look into my eyes and replies in complete seriousness, “Me too. So tell Tasha you’re not seeing her anymore.”
Even though my scalp aches like a bitch, I smile, “Already did, girl.”
Smiling back, she says softly, “Good. Would’ve been a shame for me to kick her ass. She seemed nice.”
She loosens her grip of my hair and I lay my head back in the valley between her breasts. It’s so warm and comfortable there. I close my eyes and mumble, “It’s different with you. What is it about you, girl?”
She stills a moment before she resumes stroking my hair. She says quietly, “I don’t know, Ash. But I love you. A lot.”
I want to return the sentiment. I really do. But I’m not there yet. Not quite. I feel strongly for her. Stronger than I’ve ever felt for anyone in my life and knowing she’s mine makes me feel like I can do anything. Overcome anything. She took away the one hold my father had on me. Now I don’t even think about him anymore. I feel lighter and happier than ever and it’s all because of her.
Warmth spreads throughout my body. I turn my face and kiss the inside of her breast. I don’t answer her, just squeeze her tight. She wraps her legs around me and we stay that way for a long while, completely comfortable in our silence.
F*ck me.
I think I’m falling in love with my girl.
***
“Yo, pretty girl, it’s time to go. Get your ass into gear.”
What?
I shuffle out of my bedroom, careful not to touch my still wet toenails, still dressed in my jammies. My brow furrows in confusion and I ask, “What are you talking about, Ash? I don’t have to leave for…” Checking my watch, I tell him, “…another two hours.”
He looks so good in his uniform. Those muscular arms strain his tight black tee and I want to lean against something and sigh. He wears a pair of black jeans that look as if they were made for him, encasing his strong legs. His belt buckle gleams and his black dress shoes look just polished. Shaking his head, he tells me, “Nuh uh. Called Meems, told her you were comin’ in with me tonight.”
My eyes widen, my mouth gapes and I snap, “You think you could’ve told me, asshat?”
His face drops as he mutters, “The f*ck I do now?”
Shaking my head, I exhale loudly in frustration and explain in an almost shout, “It’s a process, Ash! It takes time to get ready to go clubbing. I haven’t touched my hair or makeup yet. I don’t even know what I’m going to wear tonight!”
His face lifts again and he smiles, “The dress you wore last week was hot. Wear that.”
I scoff in disbelief and tell him, “There are rules for dressing, babe! Number one is do not wear the same thing twice in a row.”
His face becomes serious. He stares into oblivion and he nods slowly as if he finally understands my predicament. He stalks past me and goes into my room. I hear him shuffling around and not a minute later he comes back out with tight, long sleeved red and black checkered dress and a pair of plain black pumps.
It could be worse.
It’s actually…not bad.
He looks at me cautiously through wide eyes like he’s expecting me to lose it. I roll my eyes. “Not bad, pinhead.”
He smiles. I’ve never seen Ghost smile like this. It’s an Asher smile. It’s beautiful. It makes me want to f*ck up the person who took this smile away from him. I tell him quietly, “You did good, baby.”
It takes me all of fifteen minutes to get ready. Seriously, a freakin’ record for me. I wear the dress and shoes Ash picked for me, and when I walked out of the bathroom, he looked me up and down wearing a stupid smile as if he is proud of his handiwork.
Halfway to the club, he says to me, “Not wearin’ your lips tonight?”
I smirk. I was hoping he’d notice. “I will be. I’ll fix it in the mirror before we head in.”
He has no idea I’m not wearing lipstick because I have plans to do things with my lips before we enter the club.
As soon as he parks his panty-wetting muscle car into The White Rabbit’s parking lot, I wait patiently til he takes out the keys and turns to me. I climb across the seat and into his lap. I place my arms around his neck and smile softly at him. His face softens as he searches me through a tender gaze. We look into each other’s eyes for a short while and my heart races. I lean forward slowly and kiss his lips, so soft it’s barely a whisper. He growls low in his throat and captures my bottom lip, gently nipping it. Opening my mouth, I push my tongue against his and moan at the contact.
I love this man. With all my heart. He’s it for me. I’ll never find another like him.
I press into him, deepening our kiss. His arms wrap around me, constricting me, making me feel safe and warm. I reach up and cup his cheek. He pulls back a little and says, “Say it.”
Confused, I pull back further and look into his hooded eyes. He repeats, “Say it, baby.”
It dawns on me and with a small smile, I tell him sincerely, “I love you, Asher Collins.”
Looking pained, he closes his eyes and rests his forehead on mine. He whispers, “Don’t deserve you. Not even a bit. But as long as you want me, you got me.”
My eyes close and I whisper, “Don’t leave me. Ever.”
“Never. You’re my girl,” he replies seriously.
My heart swells with joy and I breathe a sigh of relief.
Tonight is going to be a good night.
***
As soon as we enter the club, it’s time to commence mission No one suspects a thing.
Basically, Ash and I have to start acting like our old selves. It’s not something I like doing, but I really do want this relationship to be just mine and his for a little longer. At least til he can tell me he loves me. He almost said it this morning but something is holding him back. I felt the waves of frustration radiating off of him. It hurt a little, but I know he’s trying. I’m doing my best to not take it personally. I know what he went through at home. As far as I’m concerned, I’m lucky he’s claiming me as his girl. That’s a big step for lil old Ghost.
Just before we enter the club, he kisses me long and hard. I’d just put on my lipstick but I don’t care. His lips are drugging. His kisses are mind-consuming. I’m a lucky, lucky girl.
Now it’s showtime.
He follows me through the door and squeezes my ass. I turn to him and see he wears his cheeky new happy smile. I’ve only had the honor of seeing it a few times before. I can’t help but chuckle at him. The real Asher is actually quite a goofy guy. Who knew what was hiding under all the broodiness?
It’s early. The club doesn’t open for another half hour. He leads me upstairs to the VIP area. He looks over at me and says, “Got shit to do,” then throws a wink my way and walks toward the security room.
I trot over to the bar to greet Stefan, the handsome barman. I say, “Howdy, Sheriff.”
He looks up at me and smiles while clutching his chest. He teases, “Be still my beating heart.”
Chuckling, I tease, “You know, I could really use a drink. I know you’re busy and all, but I want the most complicated thing you can muster. Make it a double. And I want a show, like Tom Cruise in Cocktail.”
He barks a laugh, winks at me and says quietly, “I ain’t ever too busy for you, beautiful.”
We chat and laugh and just as he starts to make my fancy drink, Tina appears by my side, hugging me and bouncing up and down. She looks at Stefan and says, “Yay! I love when Sheriff puts on a show!”
We whoop and cheer as Stefan flips and catches bottles. He mixes two drinks and hands one to Tina. We both look at it like it’s poison being that Tina’s pregnant. Trying my hardest not to be inconspicuous, I grab her drink and shoot it. Tina cheers me on and as soon as Sheriff turns around, she mouths dramatically, “Thank you, honey!” and runs a hand down her face.
I chuckle at her over-the-top dramatics.
Two hours later, we’re all seated at the booth. Asher is doing a shift of security work so he won’t be free for a few hours, but I’m having so much fun with my friends that I’m happy knowing he’s in the same vicinity as me. Max and I flirt, as per usual. He says some dirty, dirty things that makes even me blush. I spend most of the night laughing my head off at the ridiculous conversations happening and watching Nik and Tina through envious eyes.
I want that.
That carefree relationship. The love. The comfort of knowing you’re committed to your soul mate. I want it all.
Max pulls me into his side and I snuggle him. I love Max. He’s my best guy friend. I feel the booth bench depress and I turn to see a very unhappy Asher glare at me. I flush in guilt, straighten and say in perfect old Nat, “What the hell are you lookin’ at, assface?”
Ash glares at Max, leans closer to me and whispers into my ear, “Shit’s gonna hit the fan, baby. Brace yourself.”
For a second, I think he means he’s going to lose his shit and I’m worried. My worry abates when he nods over to the VIP entrance and my mouth gapes before I burst out laughing.
Oh, shitty shit shit. It’s gonna hit the fan for sure.
When they spot me laughing, everyone turns to look towards the VIP entrance. Mimi, Tina and Lola whoop in excitement. Nik, Max and Trick all wear what the f*ck faces. And it’s hilarious.
Nik and Max’s sisters, Leticia, Maria and Isabel stand there all dolled up and waving excitedly.
Here’s the thing.
Isa…she’s only nineteen.
F*cking hilarious!
Rock on!