by Chloe Morgan
I paused. “What did happen to her?”
“You don’t know?” he asked.
I looked over at him and shook my head.
“Not my story to tell. But, if you Navy guys know how to use the internet, just Google her. It’ll come up,” Milo said.
I put it on my mental list of things to get done as I settled back into my chair. I’d enjoy fishing with my friend. I’d skin and fry up some fish for Mom. Then, I’d get in bed and settle this mystery.
I’d figure out what the hell happened to Ashton.
Chapter 12
Ashton
“Hello there, sweet girl. Oh, you get prettier every day. I bet you’re just going to be the smartest little girl in your class, too. Hmm? Yes you are.”
I cooed down at my niece while my sister fixed up a bottle. I had come over originally to talk and sort through some things, but the second Renee opened the door, I knew she’d had a rough night with her little one. I bounced my niece in my arms and swung her around. I wrapped her up in a blanket and sat down on the couch with her. I took the bottle from my sister and commanded her to rest, then fed my niece and burped her before changing her diaper.
“Long night?” I finally asked.
“The longest,” Renee groaned.
“When’s she due for a nap?” I asked.
“Anytime she’ll sleep.”
“Then, allow me to put her in her swing so Momma and Auntie can rest and talk.”
I slipped a very happy niece of mine into her swing and set it on the lowest setting. I knew the light rocking would have her out in minutes, which would give time for me and Renee to talk. She was already eyeing me, knowing I had something to talk about. And when the little one was finally asleep, Renee perked up.
“Okay. Dish. You saw him again, didn’t you?” she asked.
I sighed. “I really can’t get anything past you, can I?”
“You’ve never been good at hiding things. We all know this.”
“Doesn’t mean you can’t at least act like I’m good at it,” I said, grinning.
“So, where did he take you this time?”
I groaned. “He took me to the Seattle Carnival, Renee.”
“Ah, the old ‘remember our first date’ trick.”
“So, I’m right to still be skeptical of him and why he’s suddenly back in town and pulling out all the stops.”
“Oh, definitely. He’s trying to wiggle his way back in, and I don’t like it,” she said.
“I don’t know how I feel about it, either. I mean, he leaves out of the blue and then comes back nine years later and doesn’t expect me to be upset with him?” I asked.
“Have you considered taking this time to tell him how he made you feel all those years ago?”
“I have. But every time an opportunity arises, I just…”
“Get worried about what his response will be?”
I snickered. “I was going to say ‘can’t,’ but sure. That works, too.”
“Look, you have every right to be skeptical of him. But this is Rhett we’re talking about. And I can’t help but wonder if one of the reasons why you ran off to New York City was to get away from the memory of him.”
“What?”
“I mean, if we’re being truthful, I’m just laying out my thoughts. The two of you were close in high school. You did everything together. He was your first… everything. Remember all those girls’ nights we spent talking about it?” she asked.
I smiled. “How could I forget them?”
“You loved him. As much as a fifteen-year old could love a boy, you did. And what he did to you was wrong. Beyond wrong. No matter the reason he has for doing it. That leaves an imprint. And after these last couple of years—”
“Can we not go into that? Please?” I asked.
Renee leaned back into her chair. “All I’m saying is, if him dropping back into town is conjuring residual feelings—both good and bad—that you haven’t worked out yet? Then you owe it to yourself to work them out.”
My sister was right. In some ways, I felt as if the feelings I’d had for him when I was younger were flooding back. But I hadn’t considered the fact that they were residual. Unresolved emotions because of Rhett’s disappearance.
“Though, there’s a hopeful part of me that can’t help but look at it from the other side,” Renee said.
I rolled my eyes. “What?”
“I’ve been telling you for years that it’s time for you to put the past behind you. To settle down and find a nice guy to spend your days with. I see the way you look at me and Jeremy. I know you want what we have, and you deserve it. So, there’s a part of me that does wonder if maybe Rhett’s back in your life for a reason,” she said.
I snickered. “You think Rhett’s back because you think it’s my time to get married?”
“I think everything happens for a reason. Just like Rhett left, he’s back. And I know there are reasons for it. Unspoken or not, things like this don’t just happen. There’s a driving force behind it all that we can’t always see.”
“I’m not marrying Rhett. That’s not why he’s back,” I said.
“Well, while I hope your lifelong happiness is somewhere in the near future, what I want you to know is that it’s all I want for you. To be happy, and to not worry over your job so much. You have too much stress and not enough avenues to release it.”
“And you think a man will help me with that?” I asked.
Renee grinned. “Jeremy helps me with mine.”
“Ew. No. I regret all my life decisions.”
She giggled. “Relax. All I’m saying is, take the opportunities presented to you in order to better your circumstances. Whether it’s with Rhett, or after Rhett’s gone again.”
I didn’t know what I was going to do, but I knew one thing.
The idea of Rhett leaving again made me sick to my stomach.
Chapter 13
Rhett
I ran through my favorite steak place still in the area and picked up some dinner. Then, I headed over to Ashton’s house. I wasn’t sure how she’d react to my showing up unannounced, but I figured Saturday night was as good of a night as any for a pop-in steak dinner. I parked my car and grabbed the food. I picked up the two drinks that came along with it, one of them containing the infamous blackberry iced tea I knew she loved so much. I walked up to Ashton’s front door and knocked on it, readying myself for the cutest little fight ever.
But when she opened the door, all she did was roll her eyes.
“And here I went to all this trouble to cook dinner for us,” I said, grinning.
“The name of the restaurant’s on the bag, Rhett,” she said.
“And it’s a good restaurant.”
“I’m not free for dinner.”
“Come on. I even got you a blackberry iced tea,” I said.
She paused, and I held the drink in her face before slowly shaking it.
“I know you love these things,” I said.
She ripped the drink from my hand. “You’re not staying long. Just dinner.”
Mission. Accomplished.
I followed her into the kitchen and set everything down onto the table. She pulled out plates and silverware while I set out the food: two medium-rare filet mignons wrapped in bacon and served with steak fries and macaroni and cheese. I sat down in front of her and watched as she chugged back the tea, a grin playing on my lips.
“Thanks for dinner,” Ashton said.
“It’s not a problem. Dig in,” I said.
“So, what’s it like being on a boat all the time?”
“That what you think I do? Just sail around in a button-down shirt all day?” I asked.
“Sure. We’ll go with that.”
I chuckled. “Eh, a boat’s a boat. I work on the docks more than on the actual boats whenever I’m deployed.
“Do you deploy much?”
“Whenever I can,” I said.
“Why?” she asked.
I shrugged. “I like the traveling. Seeing new places.”
“So, you don’t see a lot of combat?”
I sighed and took a bite of my steak.
“I’ve seen my share of it,” I said.
“But not on land, since you deal in boats,” Ashton said.
“I’ve seen our ships sink plenty of ships filled with innocent men.”
Her eyes fell onto my face as I scraped my knife across the plate.
“What?” she asked.
“It’s not a flattering job, the military. But I’m good at what I do. Yes, I’ve given orders to sink ships. To take lives. And some days, I feel like a legalized killer, only because I’m fighting for the right side. Or so we’re told.”
I took another bite of my food as Ashton sat there, silently waiting for me to continue. And even though I didn’t want to talk much more about it, I felt comfortable speaking with her.
If I wanted to talk about it at length or something.
“Anyway, I enjoy the travel. It’s nice seeing new places,” I said.
“Do you ever feel guilty for those you’ve killed?” she asked.
I slowly raised my eyes to hers, and I knew where she was speaking from. I’d looked her up on the internet, just like Milo said. I knew that look in her eye, too.
Guilt for something she wasn’t fully responsible for.
“Every damn day, Ashton. But it doesn’t mean it’s solely my fault. We all bear the brunt of the guilt in those circumstances. I’ve put bullets in men I truly believed deserve to die. Men that harbored children as slaves and women as nothing more than sex pillows. I’ve chased men down who had plans to kill hundreds—even thousands—of people,” I said.
“Did you ever kill anyone who was ever innocent?” Ashton asked weakly.
My heart ached for her.
“It’s called ‘friendly fire.’ And yes, it’s happened a couple of times. Bullets were never paired with guns, but I always wonder,” I said.
In a flash, Ashton was out of her chair and coming around to me. She wrapped her arms around my neck as I pushed away from the table. I wrapped her up, pulled her down onto my lap. I felt her bury her face into my neck as I held her closely to me. She sniffled into my neck, her chest jumping with broken breaths. I smoothed my hand up and down her back, hoping to calm her a bit.
“I’m so sorry for what you’ve seen,” she whispered.
I kissed her shoulder. “I’m sorry for what happened to you, too.”
She pulled back and looked into my eyes. I reached up and caught some of her tears as they dripped down her cheek. She narrowed her eyes and furrowed that brow of hers. She studied me carefully before terror crossed her face.
“You know,” she said.
“I do,” I said.
“You—you know.”
She tried to scramble away from me, but I held on tightly to her. She needed this comfort just as much as I did, and I wasn’t letting her go anywhere. I stood up, fighting her as she pushed me away.
“Ashton, stop,” I said.
“No. No, no, no, you can’t know. I—it—”
I cupped the back of her head and fisted her hair, bringing her gaze slowly back to mine.
“That boy had a preexisting condition you could have never known about. I read the articles. Watched the news segments. That medicine you gave him was the right call. The entire hospital backed you on it. There was no way you could have known what would happen to that boy when you gave him the medicine he was required to take to make him better,” I said.
“I should have dug deeper into the heart murmur,” she whispered.
“You followed protocol, and you did the best with the information you had.”
“But it wasn’t good enough, Rhett. I gave him that medicine, and ten minutes later he—he—”
I pressed my lips against hers, silencing her words. Silencing that train of thought I battled day in and day out. She backed away from me before she collapsed into my arms. I felt her lips press back into mine. I wrapped my arms around her, hoisting her off her feet and onto the kitchen counter.
Then, I whispered against her mouth.
“There is nothing you could have done. And in the back of your mind, you know that.”
Chapter 14
Ashton
It scared me that he knew. It scared me as to how many people in this town knew what happened back in New York. But his words were comforting. I felt it in his muscles how he meant every word of them. He pushed slowly between my legs, standing there as our lips hovered over one another’s. Tears dripped down my face as the smell of our food surrounded us.
“I wish I could have saved him, Rhett,” I choked out.
His lips came back down to mine, and I melted into him. Our tongues did battle as I moaned, whimpered, and sucked on his lower lip and pulled growls from his throat. He ripped my shirt over my head, then peeled my bra off and kissed down my neck. His tongue fell to my chest as he lapped at my nipples, sucking and tugging on them as my body fell back.
He swung me around, dangling my legs off the side of the kitchen counter. My back fell against the cold tile top as he pulled a chair up. My pants came off, followed by my socks and panties. I lay there, bare for him, as he pressed my legs open.
“I want dessert first,” he murmured.
His tongue fell between my pussy folds, and I skyrocketed. I propped my heels onto the edge of the counter and rolled against his face. He slid one finger in, then two. He filled me up as juices dripped quickly down my ass crack. I felt his pinky playing at my puckered asshole, tracing that virginal hole and taunting me with a fullness that tugged at my gut.
“Do it,” I whispered.
And he didn’t have to be told twice.
He inched his pinky up to the first knuckle, then the second. My back arched and unearthly moans left my throat. His tongue dug into my clit. I bucked wildly against him, coating his cheeks in my juices. I panted. I groaned. I swiveled my hips and rode his tongue off into the distance. My legs shook with fury as I chanted his name, losing all control of my inhibitions.
“Rhett. Rhett. Yes. Fuck. Harder. Rhett. Shit. Fill me up. Yes. Just like that. Oh, fuck. Rhett. Rhett! Please! I’m coming!”
My hips rose off the counter as his tongue lapped me up. I heard him swallowing. Drinking. Filling his stomach with me as my holes clamped down onto his fingers. Stars burst in my vision. Colors sizzled and died, melted and swayed. The room tilted as fire filled my bone marrow and electricity shot to the tips of my fingers and toes.
His pleasure rendered me speechless as I dropped back down onto the counter.
Rhett sucked at my pussy lips. His tongue fell all the way to my asshole as he cleaned me up. He didn’t let one drop go to waste. And when he slowly slid his fingers out of my body, I shivered and jumped, moaning involuntarily at the movement. He placed kisses on the insides of my thighs as my legs dangled over the edge.
Then, he sat back into his chair and took my foot in his strong, scarred hands.
He massaged the arches of my feet as my body came down from its high. I wanted to tell him to stop. To close his eyes so I could get dressed. To take his food and get out because I knew this was his plan all along. But, it felt so good to have someone here who got it. Someone who understood my hurt and my guilt and my own personal blame. Having him there gave me a sense of peace.
And he gave a damn good foot massage.
“Let me know when you want to move. I’ll help you. Okay?” Rhett asked.
Even through that cocky, confident sass, he was kind. Generous. Giving. And as he dropped my foot and switched to the other one, I relegated myself to a night.
Just one night with him at my side again so my body would stop yearning for him.
Like old times.
Chapter 15
Rhett
“Good morning, Reed. How’s your leave going?” Brent asked.
“It’s going good, sir. Though, I am wondering why you’re calling
,” I said.
“Just wondering if you’ve given any more thought to the offer I filled you in on before you left.”
“I have, sir. But if you’re looking for an answer, I still don’t have one.”
“Your country needs you, Reed. This country needs the best training our best. And that’s you.”
“I appreciate it, sir. I’m just still weighing things,” I said.
“We need more soldiers like you. Strong. Intelligent. Adept at casing their surroundings. You have a lot of skill and knowledge to pass down,” he said.
“Flattery won’t get you many places with me,” I said, chuckling.
“Eh, worth a shot, Reed. Always is. I’m working my magic over here, but it looks like four weeks is all I can give you to think this through.”
“Thank you, sir, for all you’ve done for me. I promise I’ll have a decision by the time my leave is over.”
“Expect more calls from me, just to check in on you,” he said.
I grinned. “More checking in. Got it.”
“You’re a good soldier, Reed. But more than that, you’re a good man. Our SEALs could use a little more of that in their lives.”
“You calling the SEALs assholes?”
“If you say anything about it, I’ll deny it and have your job,” he said.
I threw my head back, laughing. “I read you loud and clear.”
“Take care of yourself, Reed. We’ll speak soon.”
“You too, sir. And thanks for the phone call.”
I hung up the phone and slipped it into my pocket. Mom was at the hospital working, and I was bored at the house. But I knew there was no reason to be, seeing as Ashton was still on vacation technically. I grabbed the keys to my car and headed on over to her place. My mind swirled with so many things, especially since I’d spent the night before last with her.
