Ashleigh sighed and pulled it out of her pocket. Five missed calls and two voicemails. Her heart skipped a beat.
Shit. How had she forgotten Penny? It had been a crazy few days, but still, it was inexcusable. And Nancy was probably either pissed at her or worried sick.
She didn’t even bother listening to the voicemails and instead called Nancy right back. Had she really not checked her phone? She’d been preoccupied that morning.
She was mom of the year, she thought to herself angrily. Hooking up with her ex and trying to save her business before bothering to check in on her kid.
Nancy picked up on the first ring. “Ash? Good gracious, I’ve been trying to get ahold of you all morning. I thought you were coming by to pick Penny up today?”
Ashleigh flinched at her accusatory tone. Yeah, Nancy thought she was mom of the year too. “I’m so sorry, Nancy. I’ve been having some issues at the bakery and I had to close yesterday and today to deal with them—“
“What kind of issues?” On the surface, Nancy’s tone was a polite inquiry. But underneath Ashleigh heard the skepticism, and the suspicion that she was fabricating an excuse to cover her ass.
Ashleigh hesitated. She cast a glance over at Alex, uncertain of how much she should disclose. She wasn’t about to tell Nancy that she was caught up in some affair involving a vengeful drug lord and her drug-running ex-boyfriend, but she wondered if she should even mention the damages.
If she didn’t give away too many details, there couldn’t be that much of a problem, she reasoned. “There was a break-in here, and I’m working on getting things straightened up and repaired so I can get back open as soon as possible. I’m so sorry I didn’t call. How’s Penny?”
“Oh, hon,” Nancy murmured from the other end, the disbelief evaporating from her tone. Now there was nothing but sympathy. “I’m so sorry. Are you all right? Are the police helping you out?”
“I’m fine, and I’ve already made a report,” she lied. “It’s just a lot of paperwork, you know, and I have to figure out what I’m going to do in the meantime.”
“You must be overwhelmed. Well, Penny is doing fine here. She and Katie are getting along great, as usual. Listen, if you want Penny to stay with us for another day while you sort this mess out, she’s more than welcome. It’s the least we can do.”
The offer melted some of the apprehension that had formed in Ashleigh’s chest. Alex wasn’t going to let her out of his sight tonight, not after this morning. And she still wasn’t about to bring Penny anywhere near him.
“Are you sure, Nancy? I hate to impose—“
“I insist,” Nancy interrupted. “We love having Penny here. It’s no trouble at all.”
“God, Nancy, you’re a lifesaver. I’ll be by to pick her up tomorrow, I promise. Can you put her on the phone?”
“Sure.”
Ashleigh let her attention go back to Alex and his guys while Nancy went off in search of her daughter. They talked too quietly for her to overhear anything they were saying, but she could guess at the gist of it. Alex had as much as told her what their next step would be.
They were going to learn whatever they could from her attacker, and then they were likely going to tear her bakery apart looking for whatever it was Jasper thought was there. Alex had told her that they just wanted to find it to get the drug lord off their backs, but knowing his personal history with the man and seeing the determined gleam in his eyes, she knew he had other plans.
And she didn’t like the thought of him picking a fight with the man who’d tried to kill her. She knew it was impractical to believe that they could simply hand over whatever Jasper was looking for and part in peace, but she guessed that Alex was going to antagonize him in hopes of turning things into an all-out war. That way he could get a shot at his revenge. And if that happened, she knew things could only end badly.
She couldn’t lie to herself. She’d wanted so badly to believe that whatever they’d once shared was history, that she was stronger now, that she could walk away from him whenever she chose. But the thought of him dying for his damned pride filled her with dread—the kind that squeezed around her lungs and constricted her throat.
She still cared for him. She didn’t know in what way, or what that meant for their future—if they could even share a future. But she didn’t want to lose him, not again.
“Mommy?”
Penny’s voice interrupted her thoughts. “Penny,” she sighed. “Hey, baby girl. How are you doing?”
“I’m having fun. Katie and I are playing house. But I miss you, Mommy. Are we going home soon?”
“Soon. I’m just having a few problems at the bakery here.”
“Did you burn the cookies again?” Penny demanded, her small, high voice scolding.
Penny’s question pushed Ashleigh to an emotional edge. She felt as if she’d either burst into tears or laughter. Maybe it was Penny’s innocence, or the fact that this was the longest she’d gone without seeing Penny in her entire life. She loved her girl with all her heart, and she felt that keenly. But with that all-consuming love came the terrible fear that she’d unwittingly put both their lives in danger when she’d stumbled into this mess with Alex, and now the future she’d tried so hard to build for them could collapse before their eyes.
She managed to hold it together though. “No, sweetie, it’s a bit worse than that. Some people got into the bakery and made a mess, and now I’ve got to clean it up.”
“Why did they do that? That’s a mean thing to do.”
Ashleigh smiled sadly to herself. “Some people are just mean. We can’t worry about them though. We just have to keep our chins up and move on.”
“Why do we have to keep our chins up? How does that help?” Penny’s voice had grown more distant, like she’d moved her mouth from the receiver. “It’s just making my neck hurt.”
This time Ashleigh couldn’t stifle her laughter.
“What’s so funny?” Penny demanded indignantly.
“It’s a saying. Keeping your chin up just means we have to stay positive and not get too discouraged.”
“Oh.” There was a pause. “When are you coming to get me?”
“Tomorrow morning, pinky swear. I’ve just got to get thing straightened up here. And then we’ll go out for ice cream, okay?”
“Ice cream in the morning!” she exclaimed. “But you said that sweets early in the day is against the rules—"
“Well, this will be a special treat. Okay?”
“Okay.” Another pause. “I miss you, Mommy. I like coming over to Katie’s, but I wish I could go home tonight.”
“Me too, baby girl. But we’ll be home tomorrow. Okay?”
“Okay. Love you.”
“Love you too.”
Penny put Nancy back on the phone. Ashleigh thanked her again for her help.
“If she needs to stay longer, she can,” Nancy reassured her. “I can’t imagine how hard this is for you to deal with all on your own.”
Ashleigh’s eyes slipped back to Alex. It looked like they were wrapping up their discussion. At least her being alone wasn’t entirely true, she thought grimly.
“I’ll keep that in mind, Nancy. Thanks again. I’m bringing you a dozen of your favorite cupcakes when this is all said and done.”
Nancy chuckled on the other end. “I don’t think that’s doing my waistline any favors, but I’m not going to say no, especially not when I know how good those cupcakes are.”
They said their goodbyes, and Ashleigh shoved her phone back into her pocket.
Alex peeled away from his guys and approached her slowly, his mouth set in a hard line. “Who were you talking to?”
He asked the question like it was his right to know, like she’d been trying to get away with something by making a phone call behind his back. She wanted to retort that it was none of his goddamn business, and to remind him that her life was not his to run just because he’d brought this mess to her doorstep.
She drew
a deep breath. No. She didn’t want to pick a fight now, she reminded herself. She was reading into it. She was still badly shaken from everything. She wasn’t in a good place to be butting heads with him.
“A friend. Just checking in on my kid.”
His expression deepened into a frown. “Right. She okay? You got something figured out for her?”
“Yeah.”
Alex looked like he was going to say more on the matter for a second, but then his mouth smoothed out again. “We should head home, just in case Jasper sends over reinforcements or something. I don’t think he will, but I don’t want anything happening with you around.”
Home. She almost snorted at that. His place, he meant. She couldn’t go to her home.
“I’ve got to run clothes to my daughter. I’ll meet you back there.”
She tried to turn to leave, but Alex grabbed her by the shoulder and held her in an iron grip. “I need you close to me tonight. I’m not going through this again. If your ass isn’t back at that house, I swear to God, Ash, we’re going to ride out through this whole damn town until we find you. I’ll drag you back if I have to.”
His words were low and dangerous. She didn’t doubt his sincerity for even a second.
She stared him dead in the eye. “I’m just running clothes over. I’m not going to skip town and disappear for six years.”
He recoiled back from that, though his grip didn’t slacken. “I just don’t want anything to happen to you,” he muttered. Then he let her go. “You remember the address?”
She felt a little bad. She hadn’t meant the reproach to be quite so harsh. She just wanted to remind him that she’d stayed, that she wasn’t the one who was a flight risk.
“Yeah, I remember.”
“I’ll see you soon.”
Ashleigh watched for a moment from the corner as Alex helped his guys drag her assailant out back toward the delivery door. From what she understood they were going to load the guy into the trunk of a rented car and take him somewhere for their “friendly chat.”
Maybe it was a moral flaw in her, but she didn’t feel one bit of sympathy for the guy. As far as she was concerned, he was getting exactly what he deserved.
Chapter 12
Cobra
Cobra watched from the doorway as Ashleigh parked in the drive. He was relieved to see that she’d kept her word and come straight back to his place.
None of his guys had called him yet to tell him anything new. The guy who’d attacked Ashleigh may have been a low-level hack, but he was tougher than expected when it came to their interrogation. He suspected it was because of his fear of Jasper more than his mental willpower. Cobra had left, knowing that Zane and the others could more than handle themselves.
He was still trying to cool his head. He’d kept it together well enough, he thought. He hadn’t gone off on Ashleigh again. He’d seen she was close to falling apart and contained himself. But he still felt on edge.
The strong emotion he’d felt seeing her in danger that morning hadn’t stopped simmering in him. It was something between terror and rage—terror that he would lose her somehow, rage that she hadn’t listened to him, pain that she had to go through this, that she still didn’t trust him, that he didn’t know where the hell this was going after they took care of Jasper.
He was a mess. Agitated, keyed up. He just wanted her in the damn house, safe and sound.
She took her sweet time getting out of the car and grabbing the new bag she’d packed. Not that Jasper knew where he was staying and was about to do a drive-by or anything. Still, he knew he’d feel much better once she was inside and settled down with him for the rest of the night.
Ashleigh met him at the door. She looked sick to her stomach still. Her pale face was drawn, her shoulders sunken beneath some unseen weight. He knew she was still worrying about her damned business. He couldn’t blame her, but still, he wished he could say something to her that would make her see that everything was going to be all right. He wanted her to believe that he wasn’t going to knock her down and leave again.
Her words earlier had stung more than he’d thought possible. After he’d saved her twice, after he’d come running to her rescue, she still didn’t believe he would or could take care of her. But shit, he’d prove her wrong.
Cobra held the door open for her, and she trudged inside, her reluctance evident in every step. “Your kid doing all right?”
He followed Ashleigh into the back bedroom, where she put her bag down on the bed. She took a moment to respond.
“She’s fine,” she replied curtly.
“There’s room here—“
“I don’t want her around here. It’s dangerous enough for me. You said that yourself.”
Cobra breathed a frustrated sigh. “Right.” He waited for a moment, watching as she rummaged through her bag, looking for something. “How are you holding up?”
She took an even longer time to reply. He watched silently from the doorframe a she pulled out a folded piece of clothing, then proceeded to unbutton her shirt.
Cobra watched, transfixed, as she slowly revealed her bare shoulders, then the curves of her back, a she pulled off her button-down shirt. Even the sight of her bra straps was enough to get his blood pumping. Memories of how her soft body had felt under his hands the night before flooded into his mind. God, he wanted to finish what he’d started with her.
She kept her back to him, denying him the view of her breasts, as she unhooked her bra and pulled a loose t-shirt over her head.
Cobra couldn’t help himself. He moved in behind her, placing his hands gently on her hips and dipping down to press a kiss against her neck. He was sure she’d pull away, but he wanted at least a taste of her.
To his surprise, she didn’t move away. She didn’t even tense. He buried himself in the tender space at the juncture of her neck and shoulder, and she relaxed into it.
She turned around, breaking away from his lips, her eyes filled with indecision. He could see desire burning in her eyes again—the same desire he felt coursing through him. She wanted him, but something was holding her back.
He slipped his hands up her shirt and stroked slowly down her sensitive sides, watching as she shuddered pleasurably beneath his touch.
“Alex,” she murmured, “we can’t. I can’t do this.”
“Why not?” he demanded. “Why the hell not?”
“For the same reasons I told you last night. I have responsibilities—“
“Do you want this?”
Ashleigh stared him straight in the eye, fierce and unyielding. “It’s not about what I want. It’s about what’s best for me and my daughter—“
“That’s not what I asked,” Cobra growled. “I asked you if you want this.”
Ashleigh closed her eyes. “Yes,” she told him. “But I can’t be with you—“
“Fuck being with me,” Cobra cut her off. “Fuck what this means. I want you, Ash, however I can have you. I told you I never wanted to leave. I told you I would have come back the second I thought it was safe. There was no one else. No one. For six fucking years. I didn’t forget about you, and I sure as hell didn’t move on. And if you haven’t either, I’m not going to walk away. I’ll be whatever you need me to be right now. You don’t want me around your kid or your baby daddy? You don’t think I’m good for your girl? Fine, I’ll keep my distance. I’ll wait until I can prove you wrong. But if we both want this, Christ, Ash, what’s the point in saying no?”
“You just want some action—“
“Shit, with you it’s never just some action. Don’t you get that?”
She stared at him, trembling. He could see that she was still torn, caught between desire and doing what she felt was the right thing.
“When I say I want you, I don’t mean I want your body. You’re hot as fuck, baby, but that’s not it. I want you so bad because it’s you. That’s how it always was, and that’s how it is now.”
That seemed to be enough for her. S
he surprised him by throwing her arms around his neck and stretching up to meet his mouth, coaxing it open with her lips. Cobra responded by reaching down beneath her thigh and hitching her leg up around his body, crushing her against him. His other hand crawled up her bare back, sweeping over her silky skin, and he reveled in the feeling of having her body back in his hands.
His tongue tangled with hers for a few moments, meeting her coy darting with deep, possessive strokes. When she drew back, he let her leg down and backed her slowly toward the bed.
BAD INFLUENCE: A Dark Bad Boy Romance Page 36
