Cinder To Ash (Tainted Hearts Book 3)

by Summer, AJ

  “Did a coyote eat you?” Mia shouts through the window. I laugh at her. There aren’t any coyotes out here. Just mosquitoes. I swat at my back as another one tries to puncture my skin. I get dressed quickly and open my door, throwing the blanket and bags into the back seat before climbing in.

  “You ready?” I ask, smiling at her rosy cheeks. It feels like a sauna in here.

  “Yup, I think you can turn that down now. I’m about to melt,” she says, touching her cheeks. I turn the heat down and chuckle some more. When was the last time I laughed this much? Before the accident…

  The drive home is quiet. Mia stares out the window with half open eyes. She’s yawned twice already. I’m beat myself, and I still have a two hour drive ahead of me. I pull into her street and notice the dark houses. What time is it? I look on the digital clock and blink just to make sure. How can it be one o’clock already? Pulling into the driveway, I rub my tired eyes. I need to stop for an energy drink, or a strong coffee, before getting on the road again. Maybe both. I’ll never make it to Edenvale like this.

  I hop out and walk around to Mia’s side quickly, hoping to get the blood flowing through my body to wake up these lazy limbs. I open Mia’s door and help her out.

  “Thank you,” she says around another yawn. I suppress my own yawn brought on by hers. You know how they say it’s contagious.

  “I’ll walk you to the door.” I place my hand on the small of her back.

  “You don’t have to do that. It’s late.” She smiles and steps away from me, but my hand is glued to her back so I follow. Her laugh brings a drowsy smile to my face as we walk to the door like two sleepy idiots. She unlocks the front door and turns to face me. “I had a great time tonight. Thank you.”

  “Me too,” I say, stuffing my grabby hands into my pockets - they are just dying to touch her. There’s a piece of hair sticking to her lip, tempting me to put it behind her ear. Not even her own body can resist the temptation of her soft mouth.

  We stand there in a somewhat confused state, neither knowing what the next acceptable move would be. The silence makes my eyes heavy, prompting a loud yawn to bellow through my lips. Shit, I need to get going or I’m going to sleep right here on her steps.

  Her hand cups my cheek, her eyes drilling into mine. “You’re exhausted.” I didn’t get much sleep last night. I was too anxious about our date. “Stay,” she says firmly. She backtracks, “I mean stay on the couch. Urgh,” she sighs loudly, the cute sound making me grin. “I mean stay. You … can … sleep … on … the … couch.” She says each word slowly.

  Now it’s my turn to sigh. I’m a tall guy and the couch is a tiny thing. But it’s better than the alternative of running my truck off the road. I nod and follow her inside.

  “I’ll get you a pillow and some blankets,” she calls, already halfway up the stairs.

  “Okay,” I mumble because she won’t even hear me upstairs. I sit down on my bed for the night and wince. It’s just as hard as I remembered. I toe my shoes off and strip off my shirt. I can’t sleep in my boxers because Aiden will have heart failure if Jenna has to come down in the morning to see me like that. I pat my jeans down for my phone and come up empty. It must be out in the truck. I haven’t checked my messages since seven. Not that I have anybody to report to, but still, I need to make sure my house hasn’t burnt down since I left.

  I slip out the front door quietly and unlock the door to my truck. As suspected, I find it by the gear lever. Dead. The battery must be flat. There’s always a spare charger by the television. Lewis can’t function without his phone close by. I lock the door and walk back to the house. When I enter the front door I find a very confused Mia still standing with a blanket and pillow in her arms. When she sees me her brow furrows further.

  “I thought you left.” Her voice is flat, but her eyes give so much away that I take a step back. She really doesn’t trust me.

  “Fetched my phone,” I say, holding up the black device.

  “Oh.” She drops the blanket and pillow on the couch, almost tripping on her feet when she spins around toward the stairs.

  “Mia, wait,” I call softly. She freezes in her tracks, but doesn’t turn around. That’s okay she doesn’t need to see me, only hear me. “I won’t leave without telling you.” It’s a sincere promise. One I’m determined to keep.

  “Okay.” Just the one word before she disappears up the stairs. I plug the phone in and set out to make the couch into a bed. I’ve just folded my long body onto the couch when my phone chirps with a series of texts. Grunting. I get back up. Lifting the phone I see two voicemails, and five texts. I listen to the voicemails first. Both are from Rose:

  “Hi Jase, it’s me. Just a reminder about that thing I have tomorrow. You said you’d give me a lift? Adam’s not here and you’re not replying to my texts. Let me know. Bye.”

  “Hey, me again. Are you still alive? Call me!”

  Shit, I forgot Rose has the interview in the Square tomorrow. Shit! What time did she say it was? I check the texts; they are all the same as her voicemail. Thing tomorrow. Adam not home. Call me.

  I send her a quick text back asking for the time. I can’t let her down now. She arranged this weeks ago.

  A second later her reply dings on my phone:

  ASSHOLE. You could’ve replied earlier. I was worried about you. See you at EIGHT, for the appointment at NINE. It’s past 1 am go to sleep!

  I chuckle at the phone. I set my alarm for six, before putting it back on charge. This time I just fall onto the couch. I have to get up in five hours anyway to be home by eight. I close my eyes and hope for sleep to come quickly.

  I’m vaguely aware of someone pushing my shoulder while my phone screams in my ear. I open my eyes to find Lewis grinning like a lunatic in my face. I push him away and sit up.

  “Rise and shine Sleeping Beauty. This thing has been going off for ten minutes.” He waves my phone in my face. Grabbing it; I stab at the button to shut the alarm off. Lewis is already dressed in his jeans and Ray’s overall shirt. Ready for a day at work. I miss those. I need to schedule another appointment with Dr September to get myself back on the roster. You know what they say about idle hands.

  “Coffee?” Lewis asks, before handing me the cup and walking back to the kitchen.

  “Thanks,” I mutter. Old habits die hard, and when I sniff before I take a small sip, I feel right at home. These buggers used to put all kinds of weird shit in my drinks.

  “Sure,” Lewis says, walking out with two more cups. I’m surprised he even heard me. I’m even more surprised when he starts taking the coffee upstairs. “For Mia,” he says, when he meets my heavy scowl. “You have huge boots to fill. That girl is a real damn princess. Coffee in bed. Warm towels. Foot rubs. Naked back massages in the bath…” His boisterous laugh follows right after my loud growl. “Relax. I’m just yanking your chain. About the other stuff though, but this really is her coffee. You wanna take it?” He holds the cup out to me. I didn’t realize how close they’d gotten while I was gone. I knew they were good friends, but maybe there’s more to it? The familiar green-eyed monster grabs me by the balls and squeezes. I jump up; in a couple of quick strides I relieve him of the coffee cup. He smirks at me and takes a sip of the other cup. “Good morning.” And then the asswipe walks away from me without another word. Annoying bastard.

  I knock on Mia’s door and wait. Nothing. After my second knock I twist the handle and let myself in. Our room is dark as night. The heavy curtains block out any light from coming through the windows. We’re both light sleepers so blackout curtains were a must have for both of us. After realizing that we both woke up by the slightest sound or stir, we knew we needed them so we could pretend it was night for a bit longer.

  I put the cup on the bedside table. The one with the photo of us on it. She kept everything exactly the way it was. Did she know I was coming back? I pull the comforter away from her face, but she immediately snatches it back.

  “Nooo,” she moans. I
bite my tongue to keep my laughter back. I pull on the blanket tucked firmly under her head. “Just a minute longer.” I pull some more. “Lew-” she pauses, as if she knows it’s me, the blanket flies from her head and her hair covered face is almost right in mine. She swipes her hair out of the way and blinks at me.

  “You knew it was me?”

  She nods, “Not at first, but then … I uh … just knew.”

  She looks down like she’s embarrassed and wants to hide her face. That’s another thing that needs to change. She seems so unsure with me now. It took a long time for Mia to believe how alluring I thought she was. She used to hide from me all the time. She had no confidence in herself. But as time went by, my girl even became a little daring. I’ll have to get her back to the little minx she was. I’m captivated by her body, love looking at it. Love touching it.

  “What are you thinking about?” Mia asks. I look up at her with raised brows. If only she knew.

  “I have to go. I have some stuff I have to do back home this morning. Can I take you out tonight? Dinner?”

  She smiles a shy smile that makes her look much younger than her twenty-five years. “Isn’t that a bit soon? I’m supposed to wait to see if you’ll call me.” She giggles. Yeah Mia can giggle. When she’s feeling really cute. I take out my phone and dial her. Her phone rings on her bedside table and she gives me a “really” look. She still answers though.

  “Hello?”

  “Hi,” I say back. Silence. “So I had an amazing time last night. Can I take you to dinner? Say about 6pm?” I ask, while trying to contain my smile.

  She taps her bottom lip with her finger, “Mmm, I’m not sure.” She giggles again when I tickle her belly. “Ok. Ok. You can pick me up here at 6pm.” I kill the call and drop my phone with a soundless thud onto her bed.

  “Ok,” I say, getting lost in the playful look in her eyes.

  “Ok,” she replies, pulling her phone away from her ear and hugging it to her chest.

  “I have to go,” I say softly. I don’t want to, but I’m already pushing it as is.

  “It’s fine. Go. I’ll see you tonight.”

  I place a quick kiss on her head, grab my phone and stride from her room.

  I’m on the last stretch of my run. My legs are burning and sweat is running down my back in rivets. My lungs heave with exertion, each heavy inhale fueling my body with the strength to push through the next stride. With pounding feet and loud beats, I complete the last bit of my run to fall flat on my back on the lawn outside my house. Rose leans over me with raised brows and a pout pursed mouth.

  “You look too happy for someone who just took a two hour run.” She kicks playfully at my shoulder, causing me to swat her foot away. She laughs but thankfully leaves me alone.

  I am happy, I want to say but I just keep inhaling and exhaling. There isn’t enough air in my lungs to talk yet. We got back from her interview just over two hours ago. The interview obviously gave her the perfect excuse to go shopping in the Square, keeping me there an extra hour longer. Cole and I kept ourselves busy with other, much cooler stuff. Like getting the little man an ice lolly to suck on while his mother searched for the perfect outfit.

  Dressed in dark jeans, a white shirt and my leather jacket, with my old Converse on my feet, I jog up the steps to Mia’s front door. The long run I had this afternoon and the even longer, slightly more than absolutely necessary shower I had, put an extra swagger in my step. The sexy images of Mia that filled my head in that small, steamy enclosure was enough to drive any man wild. I have to adjust myself just thinking about it. I’m one boner away from balls the color of a smurf’s ass! I don’t even get a chance to knock when the door swings open and Mia comes barreling through. She’s laughing at something that Lewis is shouting behind her. I stumble back when her body collides with mine.

  “Sorry. So sorry,” she says between bouts of laughter.

  “It’s okay. I’m fine.”

  I can’t help but feel jealous that Lewis can make her laugh like this. She completely bewitches me when she’s smiling. Her eyes sparkle like someone took the very sun and hung them behind those chocolate brown irises. I want to be the only one to ever make her that happy. Even though I suppose I should be thankful to the bastard for keeping her sane while I was gone.

  Holding my hand out to her, I ask: “Ready?”

  She beams up at me. “Yes. You look very handsome.” Her eyes travel from my feet to my chest, and up even slower, lingering just a bit longer on my lips before meeting my eyes. I like that she likes what she is seeing. Yes, I like that very much. A feeling of warm possession takes hold in my chest. That this beautiful girl could ever be with me blows my damn mind. I walk us to the truck, open her door and help her up with a firm hand on her ass. For better support of course.

  The drive to the coffee shop is filled with music from the stereo and Mia’s happy humming. She’s totally off tune, but I don’t mind. The sound is still music to my ears. Why a coffee shop you ask? Because it is the fanciest thing in Bailey. Some kind of Italian bistro thing. I heard about it from Rose. She thought it might be a good place to bring Mia.

  Mia smiles at me while I help her down and place a hand on the small of her back. My big hand almost spans her entire waist. The hostess greets us at the door and shows us to a table in the back. The chairs are covered in black leather with the rest dark wood. The whole place has a very rich feel to it. I don’t normally do these kinds of things. I’m more a beer next to the barbeque with a bunch of friends type of guy, but for Mia I’ll definitely try. I hold her chair for her, gently scooting it in when she settles on the seat.

  “The waitress will be with you shortly.” The hostess’s eyes linger on my face a blink longer than absolute necessary when she lays the menus onto the table. I give her a curt nod, moving my attention to Mia who is watching us with sour puss lips.

  “She seems nice,” she says, raising both brows.

  I snort. “She does. I mean for all of the fifteen seconds that we’ve known her.” She pulls a face and I grin at her. She can be such a jealous little thing.

  “She certainly seemed to enjoy the sight of you,” she bites out.

  “I only enjoy the sight of you,” I bite back.

  This seems to quiet her down for a second. Before she can say something else the waitress arrives for our drink order. This one at least has the decency not to stare. She’s more the shy type, stealing glances at me from beneath her lashes. “What can I bring you to drink?” she asks Mia. Which if you ask me just got her a ton a brownie points. Most of the girls tend to ignore her when we’re together. In the beginning it used to bother her but then she just started ignoring them back. I think she realized I didn’t see anyone but her. Ever.

  “Can we just get a couple of beers?” Mia asks when she sees my scowling face perusing the fancy wine list. Half of the shit doesn’t even sound drinkable.

  “Sure. I’ll bring that right over.” She scurries away with her pen and paper.

  “Will you stop that?” Mia asks. She’s trying to cover her amused face with her hand.

  “What?” I ask, totally confused.

  “Stop looking at the menu like its going to grow fangs and bite you!” she teases.

  I fold the menu shut, pushing it away from me a little rougher than necessary. A loud noise comes from the back of the shop, pulling both our heads in that direction. A guy with close cropped hair is arguing with another guy - a guy with a Mohawk who I’m pretty sure I’ve seen before. In fact, I’m damn sure it was the same guy who showed up with his friends to pick up that girl James was seeing. Two more guys step out from the backroom. A big guy whose face I can’t see and another guy wearing a baseball cap. The cap is pulled low over his eyes so not much of his face is visible. Movement to the side of me catches my attention. Mia strains forward in her seat.

  “Isn’t that those guys who smacked Aiden in the head? The night before your accident?” she asks, still leaning forward. I’m afraid she�
��s going to topple over. “What are they doing with Parker?” The argument is getting louder, sounds like they are fighting over money?

  “That’s them. I hope they’re not here to start trouble,” I say, already on my feet.

  A scuffle breaks out when the Mohawk guy pushes army guy.

  “Parker,” Mia calls, also standing up. I look between her and the guys. Is that the guy with the motorcycle?

  “Mia, sit down,” I say, moving around to grab her arm when it looks like she wants to run over to them.

  “Parker’s my friend, Jase. I’m not going to let these guys trash his place.” She’s panicking, pulling on my arm to get free.

  “I’ll handle it. Sit.” My tone leaves no room for argument and now there’s real fear in Mia’s eyes. I can’t leave her here, she’ll come after me I know it. She also doesn’t know that I’ve got my anger issues down pat. The two guys fall over a nearby coffee table. Waitresses scream.

  “Jonah, get off him!” The guy with the cap yells. Mia freezes, she goes stone cold. The sudden stop in tugging whips my head around just in time to see the blood drain from her face. A second later she rips her arm out of my hold, running towards the shouting men.

  “Mia!” I bellow. The whole shop goes quiet, even the guys fighting on the floor. The guy with the cap’s head whips around. Mia stumbles, trippin over thin air, but I catch her with an arm around her waist just before her knees hit the floor.

  “Are you okay? You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.” I check her for injuries but it looks like I caught her just in time. I run my hands over her ankles, her calves, her knees. All seem fine.

  “I think I just have,” she whispers.

  “What?”

  “A ghost Jase. I think I’ve just seen a ghost.” With a heavy exhale she faints. Just like that, into my arms. I lower her gently to the floor and ask the closest waitress for a glass of water.

  “It’s okay, Mew. I’ve got you.”