Ash nodded and stayed silent as he watched her sink her teeth into her burger. Her dainty teeth tore through it and her eyes lit up as she swallowed.
“Beautiful,” he whispered, watching her. Her dark skin was flushed with joy as she ate. He wanted to touch her and his hands began caressing her arms.
“Slow down,” he whispered to himself.
He couldn’t risk losing her again. He needed to take his time, not scare her away.
“Ash, are you ok?”
“Yeah. I umm was just thinking.”
“About what?”
“How I don’t want to scare you away,” he admitted softly.
She almost laughed at that. If she was faint of heart or a runner, she would have been gone so fast, but she was neither of those. She decided she wasn’t going anywhere. Was it when her heart almost flew out of her chest when she realized it was really him, or when the gunshots started and his first thought was to protect her?
Maybe it was when he changed into an alien or one of several other things. All she knew was, right now, she needed to get to know him better. Running? She’d think about that later.
“I’m right here with you, Ash.”
Ash nodded his head but he knew better. Everyone went away. Amber was out amongst the stars exploring the universe. It nearly ripped his heart out when she left Earth. He would have fought to keep her and Alexei right here where he could watch over them, but he knew it wasn’t smart. She’d be ok, he simply wanted her to stay because he would miss her.
“You were there, Brook. I touched you and then instead of taking you with me, I watched as you got into that limo and rode out of my life. I searched for you for years until reason said there was no way you could be alive any longer. Then I searched again. Now you’re here and I’m afraid to blink for fear that between closing and opening my eyes you’ll be gone or I will find out it was all a dream.”
“Ash, I don’t know what tomorrow will bring.” She gave him a smile. There was the fact that someone wanted her dead. “All I know is I’m not leaving you without telling you why.”
He nodded his head. “Finish eating.”
“Our mate. We will protect her.” His beast made this promise knowing they wouldn’t survive another year without her.
He picked over his food as he watched her finish eating. It hadn’t been a day, but he’d already lost his heart to the strong independent female across from him. She hadn’t cried when she realized they were being shot at. She simply overcame her shock quickly and did her best to do whatever he said.
There had been no whining like a prima donna in the car. She listened and helped him to figure out what was going on. She hadn’t crumpled the way paper money used to when she received that call. Her back was straight and she was standing tall believing they would take care of the threat together and they would. He needed to hold her body close to his and fall asleep around her.
She pushed her plate away and sighed with satisfaction. “That was delicious. It was the first one I’ve had since I’ve been awake.”
“Dante will be happy to hear you enjoyed the food. I want to introduce you to all the brothers, but not tonight it’s growing late.”
“Ok. Where do we need to pay?”
“Shh, no mention of money. An upset Dante is not good for anyone. You never pay, believe me Dante does not do this for money. I think it gives him pleasure.”
“He really is different isn’t he?” They stood to leave.
Dante was leaning against the hover car when they reached it. His legs were crossed and his arms folded across his chest. His thick muscles bulged.
“Thank you, I enjoyed dinner immensely,” Brook said as he watched him, he was lethal. She was glad he was on their side.
“It was my pleasure. He uncoiled like a lazy beast stretching one more time before he started the hunt.
Dante turned and walked away. He came to the door and stopped.
“Brook, if you could choose the future or the past which would it be?” He strode through the door never waiting for the answer.
Ash opened the door to the hover car as she entered.
After they took off, she spoke softly. “What did he mean by that?”
“Dante can be cryptic, but usually something happens along the path of what he said. A choice maybe, but that doesn’t make sense.”
“I’ve wondered that same thing over the last couple of months until today when I saw you again. I wondered if I would go back if given a chance. Now that you’re here, the only thing I miss is my parents. We were broken around each other but that didn’t stop me from loving them.”
Ash turned briefly to look at her. The car rolled to the side as if someone had shot them. He turned the wheel straightening the car.
“What was that?
“A discrete laser blast. We just entered the unprotected areas giving anyone who was watching and waiting a chance to take us out.”
The area reminded her vaguely of a traffic lane on the ground. There was a bright red line instead of white floating in the air. It showed the different lanes. There seemed to be an image of the road underneath the hover cars and if she looked through the image she could see more hover cars below them. The system looked complicated to her but it was obvious these people did it every day.
“I thought I had time to make up my mind.”
“Seems he decided otherwise. You weren’t planning on taking him up on his offer were you?”
“Of course not, but I liked the thought of being in limbo and protected for a while.”
It was the second time in one day someone had taken shots at her. She looked at her hands, they trembled. Rolling them into ball, she pressed them against her thighs to hide the weakness and bit her tongue. She wouldn’t let Ash know how scared she was. Not yet.
“You’ve just left limbo and your unknown assailant wants you dead.”
This time when the laser blast came, Ash was prepared for it. It slid off the car without touching them.
“How’d you do that?”
“I deployed the shields. Every car, whether hover or ground based, has them. All of my cars have them. Now all we have to do is shake whoever is following us and then I can employ the scrambler.”
“Scrambler?”
“It’s a system we use to keep from being followed. Hale did a great job updating and once our assailant loses visual on us, he will never see us again unless I allow him to.”
“Does it make us invisible?”
“Sort of. It reflects back at you. You register that something is in front of you but you are never able to actually focus on it. As soon as we are no longer in front of you, you forget that anything was ever there. It will keep us from being followed and continue to keep the house safe. I will show you how to use it when we are safe.”
Ash kept the car at a sedate pace as he moved into an area that had less traffic.
“Wouldn’t it be easier to lose him if we hid in more traffic?”
“First we have to identify him. That’s harder to do with more traffic surrounding us. Once we know who he is we can shake him.”
She nodded her head and watched as the traffic thinned. There were three cars that followed them. She watched as a blue and pink car turned off leaving two cars on their tail.
“Got him.”
“Which car is it?” She turned to look at the other two cars following them.
“Neither. Turn your head to the right and look for a reflection behind the black and yellow car.”
“I see it. Looks more like a distortion.”
“It’s a very sophisticated shield. If I were human, I wouldn’t have detected it.”
“How will we be able to hide from him if he has the same thing?”
“I said it was sophisticated not Created made or modified. Now that I can see him, all I need to do is shake him.”
Ash gunned his engine at the light enjoying the power under his hands. When the light changed, he peeled out like a race c
ar driver watching intently as the car behind him tried to keep up. He slowed down not wanting to lose him yet. When he was sure he was being followed, he sped up again taking the driver on a dizzying chase.
He looked over and saw Brook clinging to the side of the car. Her fingers were pale as they clung to the door. Pressing his foot on the accelerator the car sped up.
“Hang in there, Brook. We’re almost out of here.”
Taking a corner at a break neck speed, he reversed and backed up. The car flew past him shooting out of range. Ash flipped the scrambler on then dropped two levels down and merged into fast flowing traffic.
“We lost him. I’m sorry; I should have realized how that would have affected you.”
“I’m fine, it was different.”
“Do you think it was the Patron?”
Ash nodded as he stayed silent.
Brook sighed. Of course it was the Patron, the only enemy she seemed to have in this new time, but why? If he was upset over money, she would give it all to him in order to be left alone. But she knew it wouldn’t work. It was more than money, it was his desire for absolute control and she wouldn’t allow herself to be controlled or miserable. Those days were over.
The rest of the drive home was done in peace. Ash parked the car in the garage and led Brook into the house.
“What would you like to do now?”
Her face crumpled. They were standing in Ash’s security room; he was reviewing the footage of any activity on his property and making sure that all his alarms were set.
“I’m sorry. I just want to sleep; it’s been an intense day.”
“Sounds perfect.” He led her up the stairs and into the bedroom.
He rummaged through a drawer and pulled out a t-shirt.
“You can sleep in this.”
“Thanks.” She went into the bathroom and changed. Her eyes were fluttering closed as her heart thumped at the thought of sleeping with Ash.
She walked out in his T-shirt feeling a little shy.
“Beautiful,” he smiled and pulled the covers back for her. When she was in bed, he turned off the lights and went to the bathroom to change.
He walked out in a pair of baggy pants slung low on his hips. He turned the bathroom light off killing Brook’s view, and then he walked over to the bed to slide under the covers.
Turning, he pulled her into his arms. She cuddled against him allowing her body to rest in his arms.
“Ash?”
“Tomorrow Brook, tonight sleep and be safe.”
She nodded her head against him before finding a comfortable spot on his chest to close her eyes and sleep.
He listened to her breathing as he held her. He was never giving his mate up. Whoever was chasing her would rue the day.
He fell asleep with a smile on his lips.
Chapter Nine
Brook woke feeling warm and safe. Ash had his arm wrapped around her midsection while pressed against her back. She closed her eyes again and savored the feeling. She never spent a night in bed with a man. Truthfully, she never cuddled with one because there was never time. Sex for her was always on the sly. She was a princess; her virtue belonged to her husband. It became clear by the time she was twenty she’d never have a husband.
Who wanted damaged goods? That’s how she was looked at, the girl who was losing her sight as well as everything else. No one was going to marry her unless he did it to get what her parents protected with their lives. Their people. The ones they loved more than they loved the daughter they created together.
She stopped waiting for her prince charming and settled for Mr. Right Now and there weren’t many of them. Turned out she had a problem with being used for sex even if it was mutual. Not one of the few men in her life who bedded her would have ever been just content to hold her.
Ash was special and she didn’t want him to get hurt or worse. Maybe she should leave before they realized she was with him.
His hand moved stroking her belly.
“You’re awake?”
“So are you. How did you sleep?”
“Like a baby.”
His hand came up to play in her hair, running his finger over her scalp.
“That feels good.”
“I like the feel of your hair against my hand, but then again I just like you. Your skin is soft; I could grow old touching it.”
“Before I became a frozen popsicle but after I realized I wouldn’t live long, I wondered what growing old with someone felt like. Watching them mature and change, seeing their face wrinkle over the years. Would my love for my husband grow and mature during those years or would it wither and die?”
“What conclusion did you come to?”
“It depended on me and whether or not I chose correctly when I married. If I chose a man who loved and respected me and I loved and respected him, I believed my love for him would grow and mature along with us, but if I chose incorrectly the opposite would happen. Who were you with all these years?”
“No one, there could be no one after I met you. You would have to understand my beast for me to explain. One day I will introduce you to him and maybe you will understand. From the day I met you there could be no other. But there is no time to explain now. You should get up; you have to meet your friend soon.”
Brook raised her hand and touched his cheek loving the smooth skin. Leaning over she placed a kiss where her hand had been. She threw the cover off and went into the bathroom.
She padded down the steps after having taken a shower and dressed for the day.
“Its official,” she said raising her voice as she headed towards the kitchen, “being in the same clothes for several days sucks. Oh and I stole a shirt.”
Walking into the kitchen, she did a small spin so he could see her outfit. She was wearing a red and white striped button down shirt she took out of his closet. It was tied to the side and she rolled it up so it looked like a cute little puff showing off a little skin. She paired it with the pants she was wearing yesterday and called it a beautiful outfit.
“You look marvelous.”
“Ash, I believe you are a sweet talker and I like it.”
She sat at the island while he made breakfast. French toast and sausage. He looked so good shirtless as he scrambled the eggs and flipped the sausage. His red hair was long and he had it tied off behind his head. He put the food on plates and brought it over.
“I’m glad you and your friend decided to go virtual shopping, it is much safer than going to the actual galleria.”
“I’m not sure I like the idea of looking at clothes on the computer and then ordering them, but something is better than nothing.”
Ash covered his laugh with a cough and tried not to choke on his sausage.
“I think you will enjoy it more than you are anticipating. Eat up, I don’t want you to be late. Place the dishes in the sink and I’ll clean them after I get back.” He left the kitchen to get ready.
Brook finished eating and walked to the sink that had their dishes in it. How hard could it be to wash a dish? Children did it and she was old, well over three hundred years if she added her time in the Cryo onto her life. There was a double sink and she found a stopper, turned on the water and found what she thought was soap. She filled it with water and soap and let it run. The bubbles were mesmerizing she watched as they grew and grew and grew. Too much soap.
She beat at the bubbles that continued to grow even though the water was no longer running. They grew straight up at first hitting the ceiling then they began to come for her.
“Back bubbles,” she screamed as they pushed their way outward. She swung her hands at them trying to tame them. Then she tried to pop them. “Please stop, this isn’t my kitchen and Ash will kill me. Bubbles!”
“Brook, what’s…”
He stood there frozen and she wanted the floor to swallow her up.
“Ash, I am so sorry. I don’t know what happened! I thought I would help and wash the dishes but the bubbles wouldn�
��t stop.”
Why in the world was she more concerned about the dishes and what Ash would think than she was about the Patron? Could it be because Ash meant something to her when the Patron was this hazy spectator she never met? Finally, he slid to the floor. He was laughing so hard she could actually see tears coming from his eyes.
“It’s not funny.” She stomped her foot almost losing balance on the suds covered floor.
“It’s hilarious.” He jumped up and ran out the room he came back with a miniature book in his hands and began holding it up to the bubbles.
“Are you recording this?” her tone was incredulous.
“Yes, and you will laugh till you cry when you see it later.”
Wiping his eyes, he stored the miniature recording device and strolled over to the sink fighting the bubbles of destruction. He grabbed a yellow bottle, sprayed one squirt at the bubbles, and they began to disappear. Soon the kitchen was free from suds and all its bubbly friends.
Brook looked down at herself. She was a mess. Ash crossed to her and pulling her into his arms he kissed her. A deep passionate kiss. Her toes curled as her lips tingled and her tongue swiped against his begging for more. He nipped her lower lip and started a warm tickle between her legs that quickly gained speed.
“Thank you, Brook I haven’t laughed like that in a long time.”
“Are you upset?”
Her father would have been having a fit by now. She had hidden from her father’s wrath more than once. He loved her but when he got mad, he forgot everything else.
“Not at all. You go swipe another shirt from my closet, this one is wet and I will clean the dishes. Later I will show you how.” She gave him a warm smile before heading upstairs.
Every time she expected him to be predictable, he did something to make her heart want to be with him. She took the shirt off, toweled off and grabbed a new shirt. Living in his house made her comfortable like she was still in the twentieth century but she wasn’t. She was going to have to reconcile her way of thinking with how things were done here. She needed to act like a baby and ask questions she felt were stupid in order to grow into the adult she wanted to be. One who deserved Ash’s respect as well as his love.
Ash: Love Me Harder - Alien Paranormal Romance Page 6
