He walks over towards her, and Sofie gets that familiar feeling of everything coming to a stop around her. All she sees is Ashton slowly advancing towards her, anything outside of that is just a blur.
“You did it.” She barely breathes, as Ashton lifts her chin up so that their eyes meet. She feels herself falling into his baby blues.
“We did it,” Ashton corrects her, and Sofie tries not to think how much she likes the sound of that we. But Ashton’s mouth on hers stops her from thinking at all. Instead, she just feels, she feels the pressure of his lips, she tastes him on her tongue, and she’s dizzy with desire.
“Hey, this is a bar not your bedroom, Ash!” Lindsey’s voice carries across the bar, and Ashton looks over at her smiling. Sofie feels herself blush and rests her head against his chest to hide her embarrassment.
“Come on over, the guys were asking after you.” Ashton takes Sofie’s hand and leads her towards the table.
“The guys?” Sofie asks under her breath figuring that he’s stretching the truth a little, and she takes his silence as confirmation that Gus had most certainly not mentioned her. “Look, I don’t want to rub Gus’s face in this,” she gestures vaguely between herself and Ashton. “If it’s something he doesn’t know how to deal with yet, then maybe I should just leave you three to it. It’s a pack thing. I don’t belong here.” She hates the ring of truth that those words have.
“You belong with me, which means that you belong right there at that table. Now stop making excuses.” Ashton gives her a little playful slap on the behind, nodding her in the direction of his friends.
“Well, with an invitation like that, how could I refuse?” Sofie teases him over her shoulder. “Room for one more?” She nods at Hector and Gus, as she reaches their table.
“Always.” Hector smiles and kisses her warmly on the cheek before offering her his seat and grabbing another for himself.
Gus doesn’t reply but at least he doesn’t get up and leave, which is probably progress. Sofie and Hector chat easily, and she understands more and more why Lindsey is so smitten with him. Ashton takes hold of her hand underneath the table, squeezing it every now and again to signal that he’s with her, reassuring her that everything is going to be alright.
“Well isn’t this cozy?” Luke’s voice pierces through the conversation, and it’s like a hush falls over the entire bar, not just our table.
Sofie stands up but Ashton is still holding her hand, and he clearly has no intention of letting her go, a fact not missed by her boss. “Hi Luke, I thought you were headed back to DC already.” Sofie tries to sound as bright as she can; but, she can’t help but feel like seeing him there is a signal that all is not as well as it should be.
“I’m taking the jet back tomorrow. I figured that Darwin could use a night out.” Luke nods towards the bar where Darwin is ordering a drink and looking like he wishes he were anywhere but here.
“Great, well, I guess I’ll see you back at the office.” Sofie wonders if she sounds as manic to him as she does in her own head.
The expression on Luke’s face darkens. Sofie wants to smack herself, she should’ve known that he wouldn’t appreciate being fobbed off, especially not in front of an audience.
“Let me buy you a drink.” It sounds more like a threat than an invitation.
“She’s good. We’ve got her covered here.” Ashton pipes up from the seat next to me, not even looking at Luke.
Sofie knows that Ashton weighing in would be like a red rag to a bull for Luke. She manages to disengage her hand. “You don’t need to speak for me. I can handle myself.” She says the words under her breath, but clearly Gus and Hector have heard her as they exchange a look that seems to signal that they expect trouble. “Thanks Luke, that’d be nice.” She ignores the growl that comes out of Ashton as she steps away from him. Luke is the last person that she wants to spend any time with, but until she can figure out a way to disappear from his radar, she needs to at least be civil.
Luke smiles broadly, but he’s looking behind her, at Ashton. She feels like a toy that two different little boys want to play with, being pulled in opposite directions. But, it was always the toy that ended up being broken. She pushes the thought out of her head.
Sofie knows that she’s playing a dangerous game, keeping Luke on side without actually giving him what he wants. She reassures herself that she just needs to keep playing it for a little longer, until she figures out her long term game plan. She would have to go back to DC, that’s where her job and her life—such as it is—are. It occurs to her that she and Ashton haven’t talked at all about the future. They’ve been living moment-to-moment and that has meant jumping from one drama to another. Now that they have a chance to catch their breath, she’s almost on her way home.
“Is having a drink with me really that bad?” Luke looks at her with puppy dog eyes as he leans against the bar. There’s no mistaking the alcohol on his breath, you could smell it a mile away. Luke has started the party early it seems.
“No, sorry, I was miles away.” Sofie waves vaguely off in the distance. She looks past Luke and smiles. “Hi Darwin. Glad you made it.” Darwin gives her a look that tells her he’s not so sure he feels the same way.
“What’ll it be, darlin’?” Lindsey appears in front of them, looking curiously between Sofie and Luke.
“Champagne!” Luke barely registers Lindsey, instead staring openly at Sofie.
“No champagne, but we got pretty much everything else you can think of.” Lindsey signals behind her at all the liquor bottles lined up on the shelves like toy soldiers. She keeps looking at Luke. When he finally looks back at her, Lindsey’s eyes widen and she steps back, as if she’s seen something that she’s afraid of. And from what Sofie’s seen so far, Lindsey isn’t someone that scares easily.
“Of course there’s no champagne, not in a place like this.” Luke casts his eyes around at the bar distastefully. “Just get me whatever comes in a clean glass.” His sarcasm actually makes Sofie’s teeth hurt.
Lindsey doesn’t say anything; she doesn’t need to—her expression says it all. Sofie looks at her apologetically before she heads over to the other side of the bar.
“So, Sofie,” Luke turns to her and puts his hand on her shoulder, pressing it gently, “have you thought any more about the conversation we had in the limo?”
Sofie takes a deep breath, hoping that he hasn’t noticed the way that her hands started to shake as soon as he touched her. “With everything that’s been going on, the survey and the whole wolf thing, I guess I’ve been a little preoccupied.” Sofie turns towards the bar so that he’s forced to drop his hand from her arm.
“Preoccupied? Does that redneck hick over there have something to do with you being so...distracted?” Luke takes a step closer to her, and she doesn’t have any more room behind her. He has her between him and the wall. She looks past Luke towards Darwin, but it’s as if he’s completely oblivious to what’s going on around him. Luke brings his hand up to her cheek, caressing her lightly and making her skin crawl in the process. “If I didn’t know better, my Sofie, I might think that you were avoiding me.” There’s no mistaking his tone; he’s angry and not a little drunk.
Lindsey appears, sliding a glass over to Luke and walking away. “What the hell is this?” He points at the drink that she’s just presented to him.
“Water, sorry it was the only clean glass we had. Figured you’d had enough anyway.” Lindsey throws the comment over her shoulder, as she winks at Darwin who suddenly seems to be waking up. “You alright there, Sofe?” She looks over at her friend.
“Sure, fine, thanks.” Sofie hopes that she sounds more reassuring than she feels.
“So, Sofie...why don’t you tell me why I might be feeling like you’re trying to steer clear of me?” Luke keeps his back to Darwin, blocking his view and takes a hold of her wrist, pulling her towards him, tightening his grip.
Sofie had thought that he would never dare to do anything in
front of so many people. She guesses that was something else that she’d misjudged. “Luke, you’re holding on a little tight there.” She nods towards the grip he has on her arm, but he doesn’t let go, if anything, he squeezes her a little tighter. “Luke, you’re hurting me. Let go of me!” She tries to twist away from him, but his hold on her isn’t getting any looser. If anything, he seems to be enjoying the fact that he’s harming her.
“I believe she asked you to let go of her.” Ashton’s voice is unmistakable, and Sofie doesn’t think that she’s ever been so happy to hear anyone’s voice ever.
“And you would be?” Luke keeps hold of Sofie as he turns to look at the big man behind him. Seeing the two men together, side-by-side, just highlights the differences between them and all the positives land on one side—Ashton’s.
“I’m the guy that’s going to kick your ass if you don’t let her go.” Ashton locks eyes with Luke, looking a little like he’s daring him to keep hold of her. There’s no doubt in Sofie’s mind that Ashton is just dying to do exactly what he’s threatened.
“I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised that my Sofie has admirers wherever she goes.” Luke looks at her indulgently. “She really is something, isn’t she?” He shakes his head, like he can’t quite believe how desirable she is. “But, don’t mistake yourself for anyone important, my hairy friend. Sofie and I have an arrangement, so why don’t you just run along back to your knuckle-dragging friends?”
That’s when Luke makes the mistake, and it’s one that’s going to cost him. He turns his back to Ashton, ignoring him and edges closer to Sofie, pushing himself up against her. She can feel how excited he is as he pushes his hardness up against her. She can feel her stomach roll at the thought of what he wants to do to her, what he seems not to feel any shame about doing in front of this bar full of people.
“First of all,” Ashton grabs Luke by the shoulders and virtually lifts him off the ground to turn him around, “my name is Ashton. Second of all, I gave you fair warning, and I’m pretty sure I was speaking English, so I’m guessing you know what’s coming next.”
Sofie wishes that she could see the expression on Luke’s face as he realizes what’s about to happen. That said, much as she would like nothing better than to see Luke get his ass kicked across this bar, she knows that it would probably well and truly mean the end of things for her. Not only that but it was wrong, just because Ashton thought that he was the chosen one to mete out justice doesn’t mean that beating someone up is the best way to teach them a lesson.
“Ashton, stop.” The words are out of her mouth too late.
Sofie sees Ashton pull back his arm and, in one smooth movement, he punches Luke in the face, hard. Luke barely even has time to put his hands in front of him to take up some of the impact. He falls on the ground, hard, blood spurting from his nose.
Sofie feels her mouth drop open, and she looks at Ashton with a flash of anger in her eyes. She grabs Luke’s arms helping him to get up from the grimy floor. “Are you alright?” It’s the first thing she can think to say, despite also being the stupidest thing that she could have come out with.
“Do I look like I’m alright, Sofie? That fucker broke my nose!” Luke points at Ashton accusatorily and looks around as if he expects someone to come to his aid. But the regulars at the bar just get on with their drinks, not wanting to get involved. Ashton crosses his arms, flexing his muscles. When it becomes abundantly clear that Luke isn’t likely to get any help from the good townsfolk of Beaumont, his face goes a worrying shade of purple, matching the bruise he’s going to have on his nose the next day. “You think I don’t know who you are, Mr. Lupo?” Luke stands unsteadily on his feet, staring at Ashton. Sofie sees the expression on Ash’s face turn to surprise. “You think I don’t protect my investments?” At this, Luke looks at Sofie, and she feels physically sick that he’s clubbed her in with his possessions. “I know a lot more about you and your little band of Neanderthals than you would believe. When I get into a fight, I like to know who I’m up against. Can you say the same?” Luke doesn’t wait for a response before pushing past Ashton and heading out of the door.
The atmosphere of the bar completely changes as he walks out, as if everyone has breathed a huge sigh of relief. Sofie finally catches sight of Darwin who’s smiling to himself.
“Boss, are you alright?” She looks over at him to make sure he wasn’t too shaken up by what just happened.
“Fine, fine. Finn will wish he hadn’t missed that!” Darwin lets out a laugh, a real, gleeful laugh. “Congratulations young man—for doing something that I wish I had the courage to.” He holds out his wizened hand to a bemused Ashton who shakes it slowly.
“That was definitely not the smartest thing you could have done.” Sofie glowers up at Ashton. “Luke doesn’t like to lose, especially not in front of a whole heap of people.”
Ashton holds his hands up in surrender. “Hey, I was just keeping my promise. I said that I would never let him hurt you. What else was I supposed to do?” He shrugs like that’s an irrefutable argument.
“I don’t know, maybe not break his nose!” Sofie throws her hands up in the air. “How did he know your name? How did he know anything about you?” Luke’s words are echoing in her head.
“That’s standard Shale protocol. His father used to do something similar, but not with the same result in mind. Whenever the corporation is looking into a new drilling location, they contract PIs—private investigators—to look into the town and the people.” Darwin explains this practice as if it were common knowledge, but this is all news to Sofie, yet another dirty little secret that’s coming out into the light. “They highlight people of interest, people that might prove...problematic.” Darwin looks at Ashton as he says the word.
Lindsey appears in front of them. “You two should get going. If I know that guy, and believe me I think I do, then he’s going to be waking up every cop in the state until he finds someone to come down here and arrest you.” Lindsey looks genuinely rattled, and it’s not just from the blood spilt on her floor.
Sofie takes hold of her hand over the bar. “Tell me.” She looks into the other woman’s eyes.
But Lindsey just shakes her head. “I don’t know what I saw. I’m not sure.” Her eyes are evasive, and she gives Ashton a little shove towards the door. “Get out of here, I’ll cover for you.”
Ashton nods quickly and takes hold of Sofie’s hand, leading her towards the exit.
“Hold on.” She digs her heels in, not letting him drag her away. “Darwin, are you going to be alright here?” She looks at her boss, the man that had been her mentor, one of the leaders in his field. But right now he looks like a sad, old man, and Sofie can’t help but think that it isn’t just the divorce that has aged him like this.
“I’ll be fine, Sofie. I think you should be more concerned with your young man now.” Darwin nods towards Ashton, and it’s clear that he’s talking about Luke.
“I’ll make sure he gets back to the motel safe,” Lindsey assures her, refilling Darwin’s drink.
Sofie smiles gratefully at her and lets Ashton virtually drag her out of the bar. He holds her close to him, settling her next to him. They fit together, like pieces of a puzzle.
“What do you think he meant about knowing more about you than you think?” Sofie looks up at Ashton, suddenly afraid for him, afraid for all of them.
“He was just trying to save some face after being beat down,” Ashton dismisses Luke’s assertion. “There’s no way that he has anything on us. If he did then he would have come out with it. He doesn’t strike me as the most restrained of men.”
“You’re right. I’m sure you’re right. I think I’m just feeling a little paranoid, like I’m being watched all the time.” Sofie smiles like she knows how crazy that sounds, and Ashton folds her in his arms and kisses her forehead, making her feel warm and safe and perfectly happy. “But I’m still pissed with you,” she points out, her words muffled against his chest.
***
Luke watches them—oblivious to the fact that they have an audience—and puts pressure on the bridge of his nose to stop the bleeding. It hurts like hell, but he doesn’t mind the pain, it helps to fuel the fire of his hate. Sofie and I are meant to be together, she knows it as well as I do, he thinks. This redneck isn’t going to take her away from me. Instead, I’m going to take away everything that’s important to him—every last thing. i’ll humiliate Ashton Lupo and destroy him.
As if on cue his cell rings. “We’ve found something.” The voice on the other end is one of Luke’s most trusted investigators; he hadn’t failed him yet, and it didn’t look like he was going to start now.
Downpour (Alpha Love - A Paranormal Werewolf Shifter Romance Book 1) Page 21
