Why did it feel like they were talking about more than just Mitch here? Was he trying to give her an out?—or maybe she was just being paranoid. “And what about Mitch?”
“He meant it.”
“And what about you, Balen? Do you always mean what you say and do?”
He tensed, and those breathtaking violet eyes locked on her. “What are you really asking me, Ashley?”
The fact that he hadn’t swept her up in his arms and carried her back to bed to finish what they’d started should have been answer enough for her. But apparently, she needed the full rejection meal deal. “Kissing me… Do you regret it, Balen?”
When he hesitated to answer, anger surged up inside her.
“I don’t regret spending time with you, Ashley. Every minute we’re together is a gift.”
Smooth… “That’s not what I asked you, Balen. Do you regret kissing me?”
He expelled a breath and dragged his hand through his tawny blond hair. “I mean everything I say and do, but that doesn’t mean everything I say or do is right.”
Well, there you have it. She hadn’t expected him to admit it, but then again, he couldn’t lie. Obviously, he didn’t feel what she felt for him, because she would never regret kissing him.
She was such a fool. How could she possibly have convinced herself, for even a minute, that his love for her went beyond an obligation? Who was she kidding? Look at him. He was stunning—perfect in every way. How could perfection ever desire a mess like her? She wanted him to love her the same way Liam loved Olivia, and the knowledge that he didn’t, left her with an aching pain in her chest.
Ashley bit her bottom lip, fighting to contain the well of tears threatening to flood her eyes. She did not want him to see her like this. She’d already embarrassed herself enough with him—no more. “I think you need to leave.”
When he only nodded as if this was what he’d fully expected her to say, another wave of anger surged up inside her. He wouldn’t even fight for her, dammit! Not an “I’m sorry.” “I don’t want to go.” “Let’s talk about this.” “I love you.” Nothing… He just gave her a last, fleeting look of regret and disappeared.
Ashley couldn’t hold back her sob any longer. She’d always been a crier, whether she was angry, sad, frustrated, or tired—and she hated it. It made her feel weak and pathetic, which pretty much summed her up right now. She wasn’t sure how long she sat there having her “pity party for one,” but however long it was, it’d been just long enough for her to get good and pissed off. The door down the hall slammed shut and the heavy steps passing her room sounded a lot like Mitch’s. Suddenly, the idea of being alone right now didn’t sound as appealing as it did an hour ago. Leaping up, she ran to the door and called after him. “Hey, Mitch, wait up.”
He stopped and turned to look at her. “Oh, hey, Ash. You need something?”
“Yeah, a drink. You still offering?”
His brow arched curiously. “Where’s Balen?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Ain’t he gonna get pissed? You comin’ drinkin’ with me?”
“Probably.”
His grin grew to “shit-eating” status. “Then I say, ‘Hell yeah.’ You want to go like that, or do you want to change first?”
She glanced down at her navy blue pajama pants with purple pinstripes. “I’m changing. Just wait a second.” Ducking back in the room, she grabbed a pair of skinny jeans and a coral top with a low, scooped neckline. Ashley pulled her fingers through her wild hair, trying to tame the curls, and stuck a small clip in it to keep the mop out of her face.
When she turned around to leave, Mitch was standing in the doorway, leaning a shoulder against the frame, watching her fix her hair. Had he been standing there the whole time? The mischievous grin he wore hinted at the possibility. If she wasn’t feeling so dejected by Balen, it would have pissed her off.
Instead, their argument kept playing through her head like a broken record. “Why are you alone, Ashley? I never asked you to wait for me! I never made you any promises!”
No, he certainly hadn’t made her any promises... And frankly, she was sick and tired of being alone. She never blamed Olivia for trying to move on. For her, Olivia had been a beacon of hope. If she could make it, if she could find happiness and love again, then Ashley knew there was a chance for her, too.
“What are you smiling about?” she grouched, grabbing her ID and cash out of her purse and stuffing it in her back pocket.
“Nothing,” he replied innocently.
“Yeah, right.”
“Hey, Ash—” Mitch caught her arm as she walked by. “Try to relax a little and enjoy yourself for a few hours, huh? All this shit’s still going to be here in the morning.”
He had a point. She just needed to forget it all for a while. They were all on edge, and perhaps a few—five or six—Mint Mojitos would be just the thing for a new attitude adjustment.
Chapter Thirty-One
The bar was located a few blocks south of their hotel. The old brick building wasn’t much to look at from the outside. Concealed in the shadows of an awning, the unmarked metal door appeared to be the only entrance and possibly exit in the entire place.
“You sure this is it?” Ashley held back a step, sizing up the bar and determining she was wholly unimpressed.
“This is the right address.” Mitch pulled a slip of paper from his pocket and double-checked the ink scribble. “Come on, what are you worried about? Let’s grab a drink and shoot a game of pool. If you don’t like it, we can always leave.”
Against her better judgment, she followed him inside. As he swung open the door, they were greeted with the thrumming bump and grind of a bass and the smoky scent of sulfur mixed with cheap perfume.
“I don’t like it.” She grabbed Mitch’s sleeve, tugging him to stop.
“Ash, relax, will ya?” Mitch took her wrist and pulled her along behind him. “It’s just a drink and quick game, and then we’ll go.”
Keeping her eyes downcast, she tried not to look around as he led her to the bar. She didn’t want to attract the kind of attention this place had to offer. He ordered their drinks, two at a time. So much for a quick drink and a game.
“So we don’t have to come back up right away,” he explained, reading the frown of displeasure she made no attempt to hide. With a drink in each hand, he side-stepped his way through the crowd, clearing a path to the gaming area. “See, Ash, it’s packed here. The place has gotta be halfway decent to attract such a crowd.”
Ashley wasn’t so convinced. As they entered the game room, she stopped when her eyes lit on her source of hesitancy. Shit… Really? “What are they doing here, Mitch?”
“What?” he asked innocently, glancing at her over his shoulder.
So that’s why he insisted on coming here. He’d planned to meet them, all along.
“You bailed on me, remember? Come on, Ash, lighten up a little. We’ve spent the last three days with these guys, and they haven’t done anything to you. Just have a few drinks with me, we’ll shoot a few games, and I’ll take you back. Promise.” He crossed his heart with his beer. Somehow, that failed to convince her. “I’ll even be your partner.”
Ashley wasn’t interested in staying and socializing. The guy, Haden, made her particularly uneasy. But on the other hand, she had two perfectly good mojitos it’d be a shame to waste, and she didn’t want to spend the night alone in her room feeling sorry for herself. “Fine,” she sighed with uneasy resignation. “Two drinks, one game.”
“Whatever you say, Ash.”
Rhen and Cale were racking up a table when she and Mitch took a seat. She was already downing her first glass, in a hurry to finish it and go. Rhen came over and asked them if they wanted to play, and Mitch accepted before she could get her drink out of her mouth to refuse. So against her will, she became player number four in a game of doubles. Maybe she should get another drink?
As Cale broke, Ashley found herse
lf watching Haden. He was at a table across from theirs, dropping a hundred dollar wager on the game he was about to play with some burly, tattooed, gauge-wearing guy who looked like he’d rather kill you than play with you. Cale and Rhen’s “friend” didn’t look the least bit uneasy about the guy.
By the time it was her turn to shoot, her first drink was empty, her second was half gone, and the game was just getting started. If she was going to make it through this and play nice with these guys, she’d need another one. Her anxiety was ebbing a touch, and the ache in her chest began to dull slightly.
Surprisingly, Cale and Rhen were behaving themselves and minding their manners. If she didn’t know better, she never would have believed she was shooting a game of pool with a couple of demons. Perhaps that was why Mitch had such a hard time taking them seriously. They appeared deceptively harmless.
In fact, had she not had that terrifying experience with Cale, she would have been tempted to become lulled into complacency, too. Hell, another couple of drinks and she might actually start enjoying herself.
She shot the purple solid into the left corner pocket but scratched, losing her second shot. “Will you watch my drink?” she asked Mitch, handing her stick to him. “I’m going to go grab another.”
His brow raised in surprise as he gave her an approving grin. “Sure. Will you get me another beer while you’re up there?”
“Yeah.”
Ashley was almost to the bar when, out of nowhere, someone grabbed her arm and jerked her to an abrupt halt. She scowled at the biting grip, then up at… Balen? He loomed over her, the unnatural glow of his amethyst eyes and the hard set of his jaw were good indicators as to his current level of pissed off. Seeing him right now, face to face, reignited the pain of his rejection, tightening the ache in her chest she’d just coaxed to ease with her new BFF—Moj.
“What are you doing, Ashley?” His voice was low and controlled.
“Something I’ll probably regret,” she replied flippantly. “Of course, you know all about regrets, don’t you?”
“That’s not fair, Ashley, and that’s not what I said!”
“Not fair? Not fair! I’ll tell you what’s not fair, Balen. I’ve spent the last three years of my life pining away for someone who never really loved me! That’s not fair!”
“I never said I didn’t love you! I just won’t have sex with you. Why do you humans always make those two synonymous?”
“Because they are!” she hissed, trying to jerk her arm free, but he wouldn’t let her go.
“Not in my world,” he growled.
“Well, they are in mine! And don’t you dare take that holier-than-thou attitude with me. I was there when you kissed me. And FYI, I’ve never been kissed like that—ever. I know you wanted me. I felt the evidence of it against my leg, so don’t pretend you’re above those petty ‘human’ emotions.” This time when she jerked her arm, it came free. She spun around and made a beeline for the bar. “I’ll have another Mint Mojito and a Beck’s Dark, please.”
“Ashley—”
He was right behind her, breathing down her neck, and damn, if that didn’t make the ache come back full-force. “Look, Balen,” she spun around, leveling him with a glare, because it was either that or burst into tears. “It’s bad enough that I have to live with the fact that you regret kissing me, and I get it, we all have regrets. Except, unlike yourself, I never thought of you as one of mine!”
“Listen,” he growled under his breath. “I get that you’re mad, but this is not the way to get back at me, Ashley. You need to get out of here. I cannot protect you from yourself.”
What in the hell was that supposed to mean? She glanced back at Mitch and the others, who were watching her and Balen like they were the next best thing since Jerry Springer. She thought she may have seen a hint of amusement sparking in Haden’s pale green eyes as he stood there chalking up his cue. Mitch was standing beside the pool table, holding both of their sticks with a concerned scowl on his face. He looked as if he couldn’t quite decide whether to come to her aid or not. Thankfully, he stayed put, because right now, this was one warrior he did not want to tangle with.
Ashley wasn’t an idiot. Well, maybe she was, because she knew full well she had no business being out here with Mitch and these guys. But at least she was being a conscientious idiot because, deep down, she did know better. She was just too emotionally spent and intoxicated to give a fuck right now. The pathetic and not-so-sober side of her wanted to make him jealous, make him realize what he was turning away. And right now, the best way she could think of to do that was to get shit-faced and shoot some pool with the guys.
She wasn’t afraid of them. Even mad as hell, she knew Balen would protect her. After all, that was his job, right? Ashley spun back around and was briefly taken aback by the amethyst glare that darted from the guys back to her.
“You know, why don’t you take the night off, Balen? Mitch will make sure I get back safely.” Insert knife and twist— Hurts like hell, doesn’t it?
***
Haden chalked his stick as he watched the chica and her guardian argue near the bar. For a runty little thing, she sure had some moxie. The female barely cleared his chest and had to crank her head back to meet his livid glare. Although curvy, it was doubtful she’d hit a hundred and ten pounds soaking wet. But watching her face off toe-to-toe with this warrior, he couldn’t help but grow a little respect for the female. If nothing else, she certainly was entertaining as hell, and easy on the eyes.
Although they tried to keep their voices low, he easily heard them bantering back and forth. Apparently, she had a thing for her guardian, which wasn’t as surprising as the discovery that those feelings might be reciprocated. Interesting…
Mitch looked a little concerned about his friend, and Cale and Rhen didn’t even try to hide their amusement. Balen looked furious, not that he blamed the guy. If his ward was cavorting around with demons, he’d have picked that female up and hauled her little ass right out of here. Fuck her free will.
“I wish I could hear what they were saying,” Mitch complained.
Cale leaned over and said, “Balen’s angry that Ashley’s here with us. He wants her to leave, but she’s refusing.”
“You can hear them?” he asked, looking surprised.
Cale shrugged. “I can read lips.”
Mitch seemed to be satisfied enough with the lie. “You think he’ll make her leave?”
“He can’t,” Cale explained. “He can’t violate her free will. He’s telling her that he can’t protect her like this, that she’s putting herself in danger.”
“Oh, please,” Mitch rolled his eyes dramatically. “She’s perfectly fine. He’s just pissed that he can’t control her.”
“Yeah, I’m sure that’s it,” Haden drawled. Were all mortals this stupid, or just this one? Oh well, manipulating Mitch was going to be easier than he thought. He’d warned Cale and Rhen to play nice with the humans. He knew from experience that, by nature, they tended to be a trusting lot, craving love and attention. A little nice went a long way with these creatures—show them a little kindness and you’d lull ‘em into complacency pretty damn quick. Then it was all the more sweet when you plunged the knife into their back.
Haden wondered what it’d take to get Balen’s female to turn “Team Demon.” From what little he’d seen of her, she didn’t look as gullible as her friend. Then again, Mitch had that cocky, male arrogance working against him. It made men do stupid things, like spending the night hanging out with demons and such.
The female tried to jerk her arm from the angel’s grasp and failed.
“I’m going over there,” Mitch said, setting the sticks against the table and his beer on the ledge.
As he started to walk over, Haden caught the blowhard by the arm and said, “Not if you want to live, you won’t. Trust me, you don’t want any of that shit storm.” Mitch hesitated a moment, and when the female broke her warrior’s grip on her second attempt at freed
om, he seemed to cool his jets a little.
Haden bit back a chuckle when Ashley told her guardian to “Take the night off.” Balen growled something he couldn’t quite catch before storming out the door. For a moment, he wondered if the skirt was gonna cry, but then she turned to face the bar.
Now that the drama was over, Cale muttered something about going to get another drink and sidled through the crowd up to the bar. Rhen and Mitch turned their attention back to the game they were shooting, but Haden continued to watch with mild curiosity as the demon parked his ass right next to the female. If she saw him standing there, she gave no indication of it.
“You all right?” Cale asked her when she refused to look at him.
Huh, the bastard actually sounded like he gave a shit. Hell, even he was almost convinced. Looks like Cale took his “be nice” speech to heart.
“I’m fine.”
Ha! The Ice Queen herself couldn’t have blown more cold up Cale’s ass. Haden chuckled, taking a sip of his beer. Shit, this was almost as entertaining as watching the human give that warrior a run for his money.
“What are you drinking?”
Ashley turned to look at him, disdain oozing from every pore in her body. He was sure she was going to tell him to piss off, but instead said, “Mint Mojitos.”
The bartender came back over with his hands full of drinks, and Cale said, “I’ll take another one of those,” nodding toward her glass. The guy behind the counter turned back around to go make another one.
“You don’t have to buy my drinks,” she said coolly when Cale tossed some cash on the bar.
“I know. It’s just…I think we got off on the wrong foot, you and I, and I’d like to clean the slate.”
She opened her mouth, but nothing came out, at least nothing Haden could hear. She paused, her scowl tightened, and she snapped incredulously, “The wrong foot? Cale, you attacked me!”
He did…? Why in the hell would he attack a human—this human? Typically, demons tried to keep a low profile. It was bad for business if they outted themselves to humans. When did he attack her? Certainly not recently, or he wouldn’t be alive right now.
Shades of Darkness (Redemption Series) Page 29
