by J. H. Croix
Tonight, because she wasn’t formally performing, she handed over the guitar she’d borrowed. We lost the table where we’d been sitting, but we found another toward the back. Ash’s cheeks were flushed, and her eyes glimmering with vitality. She thrived on playing.
“Can I have a sip of your beer?” she asked.
I chuckled. “Left mine at the table when I came to walk you over. I’ll stick with water now since I’m driving.”
A waitress stopped by at that moment. “Beer for you?” I asked, looking at Ash for confirmation.
“Actually, I’ll take some water and a whiskey on the rocks.”
After we ordered, the waitress hurried off, promising us our drinks quickly.
“Whiskey?” I queried with a lift of my brow.
Ash leaned back in her chair and smoothed a palm over her hair. “I like whiskey. I was gonna steal a sip of your beer ’cause I thought you had it. The water will kill my thirst, and then I can enjoy some whiskey.” She canted her head to the side, regarding me quietly before adding, “You don’t have to come to my rescue and escort me every time I get off stage.”
I shrugged. “I’d do it for any woman.”
“Is this some sort of I’m-your-friend’s-little-sister thing?”
I shook my head. Because it wasn’t, but then it was. “You know damn well if Jackson happened to be around, and Evie was walking through a crowd, and guys were grabbing her ass that he’d be over there in a hot second.”
Ash laughed softly. “Good point.”
The evening passed easily. Knowing Ash as long as I had, there was no shortage of topics to discuss. With each of us having taken our own detours away from Stolen Hearts Valley, we had plenty to catch up on.
For the most part, I managed to keep distracted after establishing a few silent ground rules for myself.
Don’t let my eyes drop below Ash’s. Don’t linger on the way her bottom lip was so plump and tempting. And for fuck’s sake, don’t stare into her eyes for too long.
Whenever that happened, it felt as if a charge began to fill the air between us. I didn’t know if Ash was wrestling as powerfully as I was with this startling, unexpected raw and fierce desire, but I knew something was there. I saw it in her eyes whenever we looked at each other for too long.
“What do you mean you didn’t know what happened?” she asked. She was in the middle of explaining what happened when she called off her wedding roughly two years ago.
I shrugged. “Ash, all I knew was you canceled your wedding. I was in Montana about to get on a plane before the sun came up. As it was, I was only landing an hour before the ceremony. Jackson texted me and told me I could cancel my flight unless I wanted to visit anyway. I did want to visit anyway, but the timing wasn’t great. The money in Montana was good since I was getting a ton of overtime that summer.”
Ash finished off her second glass of whiskey. She was tipsy, more so than I’d ever seen her on this trip. She let out a deep sigh, her cheeks going pink as she rolled her eyes. “Oh, God. Well, I guess you might as well hear it from me.”
Just then, our waitress passed by again, picking up Ash’s empty glass and my empty glass of water.
“Another round?”
“I’ll stick with water,” I replied.
“He’s driving, so that’s exactly why I’ll take another,” Ash said with a lopsided smile.
After our waitress disappeared, I looked at Ash. “Okay, lay it on me. Now you’ve got me curious.”
Admittedly, I was far more curious about why Ash called off her wedding now than I’d ever been before. Because before I hadn’t been so attracted to her that she left me on fire most nights.
Ash traced her fingertip along the grain of the wood on the table before lifting her eyes to mine again. “It’s stupid and embarrassing.”
“You don’t have to tell me,” I added quickly. Because she didn’t. I didn’t know why I really cared in the first place.
Ash’s teeth dented her bottom lip as she regarded me. I could practically see the gears grinding in her thoughts. I sincerely doubted she knew the effect biting her lip had on me. Because all I could think about was what her lips might feel like underneath mine.
Fucking focus, I said to myself.
It felt as if Ash had grabbed the steering wheel in my mind, and it was driving my thoughts in all kinds of crazy directions.
For years, I’d been driven to stay on the move and leave the pain of one horrible, tragic moment that I couldn’t ever repair in the dust. I’d long ago accepted that my internal restlessness and penance added up to never being serious with any woman. It involved too much, a vulnerability I didn’t even want to touch. I preferred to keep it hidden behind sarcasm.
I wasn’t even sure why I’d finally decided to return to Stolen Hearts Valley. If it weren’t for encountering Ash, there was a high likelihood I might’ve already changed my mind.
Ash lifted a shoulder in a small shrug, her cheeks cresting with a hint of pink when she finally released her bottom lip. “I might as well tell you. You’ll find out soon enough once we get back home.”
Cocking my head to the side, I mirrored her shrug. “Maybe it’s not as bad as you think.”
Her brows hitched up, and her mouth twisted in a bitter smile. “On the morning of the wedding, Brian’s other girlfriend,” she began with air quotes around other girlfriend, “sent me texts. Plenty of them. Dick pics, them together, and so on. Apparently, she’d just found out he was engaged, and he’d been seeing her for months. She said they were in a committed relationship.”
“What the fuck?” I experienced a flash of anger on Ash’s behalf. “Brian is a fucking idiot. I’m sorry he cheated on you, but wouldn’t you rather know before the wedding?”
“Oh, sure. It would’ve sucked to find out after the wedding. But that wasn’t the worst part. Along with the dick pics I got to see, she sent screenshots of comments he made about me in a text to most of our friends.” Ash leaned her head back in the booth and let out a groan. “It was awful. She even helpfully included a text I’d sent to Brian. Fortunately, it didn’t include my face, but it did include my boobs. I’m guessing she got her hands on his phone.”
“Wow. She was really going for the bitch award.”
Ash shrugged. “Maybe. At least she told me before the wedding. So yeah, it really sucked. I’m relieved I found out in the long run, but it was awful, and it was totally embarrassing.”
“Sounds like Brian found himself exactly who he deserved,” I commented, my anger rumbling under the surface. “Should I kick his ass when we get back home?” I was dead serious.
Ash’s eyes widened before she let out a startled laugh. “No need. It’s been two years. I don’t even think he lives in Stolen Hearts Valley anymore. Jackson offered to do the same—”
I cut in. “Of course he did. Brian deserved it.”
Ash rolled her eyes. “Maybe so, but I didn’t want any more drama than we’d already had. Trust me, it sucks to have everybody see your boobs, and canceling a wedding is a big deal. The logistics are a nightmare, and I still had a ton of stuff to pay off. Long story short, I swore off ever taking romance seriously,” Ash added with a determined lilt to her tone.
“For good?”
Why the hell are you asking that? I cast a mental glare at that snide questioning voice in my head.
I did not want to contemplate why I was wondering if I had a shot with Ash.
Ash held my gaze and nodded. “For good. It’s not worth it.”
“What about the last guy you were seeing? Kyle, right?”
Ash snorted and rolled her eyes. “Kyle. That was just stupid. We weren’t serious, and I guess I got sick of him playing the field all the time. He wasn’t cheating because we were never exclusive, but it just got old.”
I didn’t know why, but the questions just kept marching out of my mouth. “Well, if you weren’t serious—”
My stupid mouth got a clue when Ash sent me a hard glare.
“No, we weren’t serious, but I got tired of being the friend with benefits while he fucked around with plenty of other people.”
“Got it.”
As though the waitress knew I’d almost gotten myself in trouble, she moved to our table after serving drinks at a table behind us and very conveniently interrupted our conversation. “Can I get you two anything else?”
Ash shook her head. “I’m all set. You?”
“I’m good.”
“I’ll get your check. Where are y’all staying?”
“The place right down the street,” I replied.
“Nice place. They’re usually full.”
The moment she said that, I recalled we were stuck in a room with one bed. Fuck.
Chapter Eight
Mack
An hour later, I stared at the single queen-size bed in the hotel room and silently cursed. I’d tried to convince myself I could handle this.
“I’ll go check at the desk again, maybe someone cancelled a reservation,” I muttered.
We were in a touristy area, so I knew my luck probably wasn’t going to hold, but I’d be damned if I wasn’t going to try. Ash was silent as we rode the elevator back down to the reception area. Her long legs kept up with me as I strode quickly over to the desk.
The man checking people in was busy, but two families later, he glanced up. “Is everything okay with your room?” he asked with a quick look back and forth between us.
“It’s fine, but we reserved a double room. When we checked in earlier, the guy here said to check back in case anyone cancelled.”
The man’s expression stayed smooth and bland. “Okay, let me see what we have.”
He went through the motions of checking his computer screen, but I was pretty sure he knew the answer before he finally gave in. His eyes met mine with a polite smile. “I’m so sorry, sir, but the hotel is still full, and we haven’t had any cancellations.”
“Are you sure?” Ash chimed in at my shoulder.
“Definitely. I’m very sorry. I would offer to see if I can find another hotel nearby, but—”
I cut him off. “I know, you’re the only place nearby. We’ll make do.”
I didn’t wait for anything further from him and stalked back to the elevators with Ash hurrying to catch up to me.
“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” she said once we were in the elevator.
I punched the number for our floor before looking at her. “Sure.”
She leaned against the wall across from me. Maybe six feet separated us. It was no matter. We were alone in a small space. Fiery sparks began to fill the space, bouncing off each other with the air around us nearly snapping and crackling with electricity.
This chemistry that wouldn’t fucking quit between Ash and me was irritating the hell out of me. I thought it was a fluke at first since I hadn’t seen her in years. This stupid trip felt like it was taking forever because she had shows scheduled. I was seriously considering buying her a plane ticket and sending her home.
Before I realized my thoughts had turned themselves in the words, I was speaking. “Whaddya say I just buy you a plane ticket?”
Ash had been looking at the floor. Her head snapped up, her eyes locking to mine. “What?”
“I’ll buy you a plane ticket.”
“Where?”
“Home.”
Her mouth dropped open, and then she gave her head a quick shake before snapping it shut. “I have more gigs booked. I might not be famous, but it’s all I have for money right now. I’m not gonna flake just because you’re in a hurry to get home. How about you take a plane, and I’ll take your truck? Or better yet, I’ll hitchhike the rest of the way like I planned. I don’t need your help.” Her eyes were flashing, and her cheeks were pink as she lifted her chin and glared at me.
“Why are you so pissed?”
“Because…you just—” Her words broke off as she let out a growl of frustration. “I didn’t ask you to give me a ride. But here we are. I know you told Jackson all about it, so I can’t just do my own thing without hearing about it from him. I realize that you’re going out of your way.” She paused, lowering her tone after she took a deep, shuddering breath. “I appreciate everything you’ve done, Mack, but let’s just forget it. I’ll find my own way tomorrow.”
“Look, it’s no big deal,” I heard myself saying, suddenly feeling like an ass. “It’s just—” I cut that sentence off. Real quick.
I didn’t know how the hell to explain to her what the problem was. I wanted her like nobody’s business, but she was Jackson’s little sister, and she’d just told me romance was off the table for her. Although I knew chemistry when I felt it, and I knew it wasn’t a one-way street between us, it still didn’t feel right to act on it.
Ash and I were a bad idea… a really bad idea.
“What? What’s the problem? You’re the one who said—” Just as Ash began speaking, the elevator came to a smooth stop, and the doors slid open to reveal a smiling family waiting on the other side.
I smiled tightly, and Ash followed me out of the elevator quietly. Once we heard those voices disappear into the elevator, she began again. “You’re the one who said you didn’t have a schedule and weren’t in a hurry. You’re the one who insisted on calling Jackson. Obviously, I can do whatever the hell I want, but I’d rather not get a lecture from my brother if I can avoid it.”
We reached our room again, and I pulled out the card to swipe it over the door sensor. It was this newfangled thing, some kind of circle pad instead of a slide, and it wouldn’t work.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” I muttered to myself after the third time I’d tried it.
Ash elbowed me in the side and snatched the key card out of my hand. That little brush of contact—nothing more than her fingers against mine—was enough to send a hot sizzle of electricity spinning like fire through my arm.
“All you do is this.” She held it over the pad, and the light magically turned green.
Rolling my eyes, I followed her into the room. Her bag fell to the floor, and she turned to look at me.
“Can you just not be an asshole? We’ll make sure we get separate beds after this. Obviously, I can catch a hint. I know you’d rather be alone and not stuck with me,” she said.
Oh, that fucking did it. I barely heard the thump of my bag on the floor as I closed the distance between us in one single stride. I spun her, pressing her against the wall beside us. “That’s not the problem,” I growled, right before claiming her mouth with mine.
Chapter Nine
Ash
Mack slanted his mouth over mine on the heels of a low growl. I gasped at the feel of him pressing against me, his strength surrounding me. The moment my lips opened under his, he muttered something into our kiss right before his tongue swept into my mouth.
I was wound so tight from pushing against the want and need spinning inside that it was glorious. The pure relief of finally giving in and pouring myself into this kiss was unlike anything I’d ever experienced.
Mack’s big palm slid up to cradle my cheek as his other hand tangled roughly in my hair. The contrast of rough and gentle stirred the flames higher and higher. Our tongues twined roughly. This kiss was almost angry.
I’d never felt quite like this before—literally burning up with need. The startling acceptance of just how deeply my need for Mack ran was almost freeing in a strange way. I hadn’t expected to want him, and I sure as hell hadn’t expected to want him this fiercely, so I was wrestling with it inside myself.
It flew in the face of my careless promise to never want another man. Certainly not Mack who I’d known as a little boy who got on my nerves. Certainly not one of my brother’s oldest friends.
Mack growled again before he tore his mouth away from mine as roughly as the kiss began. We stared at each other, the sound of our breath coming in ragged heaves in the small entryway of the hotel room.
His dark blue eyes held mine. I could feel every beat of my heart
echo down to my bones and the rush of blood in my ears.
I couldn’t think past this very second with Mack—tall and strong, pressed against me, his arousal a hot brand at the apex of my thighs. I wasn’t used to men towering over me. I was a tall girl, but with Mack, I felt small in the face of his immense size and strength. I felt invigorated, my body buzzing with awareness.
“That’s the problem,” Mack said, his voice low as he stared at me, the air charged around us as if lightning was about to strike and set the dry grass aflame.
“Why is that a problem?”
My question startled me, but I genuinely wanted to know the answer. Mack was a few years older than me, and I hadn’t seen him in several years. But still, I knew his reputation. If I hadn’t known him before Krista died, I might’ve thought he was an asshole. He wasn’t quite known as a player. He was a guy who spun from one short-term relationship to the next, always making it crystal clear that he wanted nothing more than that. He could be cranky and irritable, but I knew behind that was something else, the boy who’d been so hurt when his sister died.
While I’d been wrestling with my own rampaging desire, or rather lust, for Mack, I couldn’t deny a tiny part of me experienced a thrill at the thought he might want me. Mack was known as unattainable—the quiet, sexy, daring man who barely noticed anyone.
Mack stepped back abruptly, never once breaking his gaze from mine. And oh, what a look it was. The blue of his eyes had darkened to navy. It was almost as if I could see the flames flickering in them.
“Are you serious?” he finally muttered in response to my question.
Mack’s words and the twist of his lips when he spoke jolted me. It was as if someone had kicked me right back to a very familiar place inside. I knew what it was like not to be wanted. Oh, I knew that feeling so very well. Maybe there was some raw chemistry between us, but it was clear Mack wanted nothing to do with me. I pushed away from the wall, pressing the heel of my cowboy boot against it.
