"What kind of trouble are you thinking?"
"It may have something to do with her old job."
"I think you're right. Stephanie said something about it, too," Pierce adds.
"I'd appreciate you guys not mentioning our connection today. Give me a chance to give her a head's up that I told you."
"You let us know when you talk to her. We'll wait," Dad assures me.
"Darby's going to be crushed she didn't set you up."
"Yeah, that play didn't go unnoticed. But I'm thankful she brought Ashlyn back into my life."
"Whoa, don't look now, but you're sounding like a man who's dropped his commitment issues."
"No issues, just waiting for her."
"Holy shit, did I hear that correctly?" Pierce tugs on his ear.
"Shut up. Now that you and Dad are finally up to date on my personal business, do you think you can wrap up this family day and give me some space?"
"Since you asked so nicely, I'll start the roundup." He whistles, and Runner responds by trotting our way.
"Can we watch the game now?" Cole requests dramatically. "Grandma promised we could watch the second half."
"We'll watch it at home. Let's go get Darby and your sister."
He leads the way into the house, and realization washes over Mom even before Cole announces it's time to go home. She frowns, opening her mouth to protest, but Dad waves his hand in the air to get her moving.
Ashlyn stands, too, and I go to her, kissing her quickly before tucking her to my side.
Mom doesn't hide her excitement.
Maya giggles loudly while leaning into Darby.
Cole coughs.
And Ashlyn tenses, blushing so red her cheeks are almost purple.
"Calm down, Princess."
She elbows me, trying to get away, but I tighten my hold.
"You did not call me Princess in front of your family."
"Before we leave, I meant to mention a change in the lineup with crews." Dad takes out his phone and scrolls through.
Pierce and I exchange a glance, knowing Dad could easily email or text any changes.
"Electrician will be ready for Ashlyn's house in a week. Need to get prepared."
"Quite a jump in scheduling. What prompted this?" My instincts go on alert.
"Birthdays, vacations, upcoming holidays… We had to make modifications. Can you be ready?"
The answer is complete bullshit. Outside of emergencies, our project calendars don't shift. We build our plans to allow for delays, but bumping up the electricians by three weeks never happens. I tip my chin to Dad, knowing he orchestrated this for a reason. "We'll be ready."
"That's great news, right?" Ashlyn momentarily forgets her annoyance with me.
"It means, this week, my crew is on overtime to get ready for the electricians to rewire your house. It also means you'll get your chance to work."
Her eyes light up with the news, and she bounces a few times. "Exciting."
Pierce clears his throat, raising an eyebrow at me expectantly.
"We'll discuss the rest later."
"What's the rest?" Ashlyn stops moving, twisting between us.
"We'll discuss it later." Much later when we don't have an audience and I can silence her argument my way.
"I'd like to hear it now."
"You can't live in the house while the electricians re-wire."
"Oh," she deflates, blowing out a breath. "It's inconvenient but understandable. I'll reserve a room."
"We'll see," I reply noncommittally, knowing she's not moving into a hotel.
Cole, who has been patiently waiting to leave, perks up, his face splitting into an ear-to-ear grin. "We playing the 'we'll see' game again?"
It takes a minute for me to understand his meaning, and when I do, my eyes fly to Darby first. She tries to remain straight-faced but loses the battle into Pierce's chest and giggles softly.
"What's the 'we'll see' game?" Ashlyn inquires. “Your uncle has used that statement several times.”
"It's when Darby doesn't do what Dad wants, and we all have our parts in convincing her," Cole answers proudly. "It means we need to talk you into something."
"Okay, time to go," Pierce ruffles Cole's hair, steering him toward the door.
"Who's riding with me?" Darby breaks in.
"We'd all be riding together if your ass would have waited for me this morning," Pierce grumbles unhappily.
She ignores him, gathering her bag and Runner, and quickly hugging me, which means I'm forced to let Ashlyn go. After a few minutes of goodbyes, I sigh when the last person is finally out the door.
"Stay right there." She throws out her arm when I move toward her.
"Why?"
"I've learned today the Kendrick men have a trait. Apparently, you get your bossiness naturally. And considering you try to silence my arguments by kissing me, we'll have this conversation with distance between us."
"What conversation?"
"The part where you tell me how I play into the 'we'll see' game."
"Cole has a big mouth."
"Maybe so, but I'm not keen on being kept in the dark."
It's not what she says that strikes me; it's the way she says it. Her sleepy words from last night roll through my head, and I know this is about something in her past. Everything about her body language tells me she's assuming the worst and her guard is slipping into place.
Fuck me if that's happening. She's not going to like what I say, but she's about to see exactly how bossy I can be.
Here goes nothing…
Chapter 8
Ashlyn
Move-in with him?
The shock hits me with an invisible force, rocking me on my heels. With a thousand possibilities of what he would say, this was not one of them. Maybe I misunderstood. He can't be serious. I sway again, feeling lightheaded. It's a blur, but in less than a second he's holding me up.
"Jesus, baby, take a breath."
I suck in deeply and shake my head to clear the dizziness.
"Fuck, Ashlyn, you're pale as a ghost."
"Move in with you?" comes out as more of a croak.
"Yeah, and since you're already in the throes of a freak out, it's probably a good time to tell you the rest. With the new plans and all the upgrades, it's smart to have the plumbing done. You won't have electricity or water."
"For how long?"
"Can't say for sure. We'll know more when they begin, assuming I can line up the crews to work together."
"You've been doing this a while. Can you guess?"
He stalls, his face unreadable, but the ticking in his jaw sets my heart racing.
"Miller, what aren't you telling me?"
"There's nothing to tell."
"Then give me a ballpark estimate how long I'll be out of my house."
His arms squeeze around my waist. "I think it's time we move you out of your house until it's done."
His death grip keeps me from hitting my knees. "Move? Maybe you should release me for this conversation."
"Hell no. If I wasn't sure you'd fight me like a wildcat, we'd have this conversation in a much more persuasive position."
"Miller! You can't possibly be thinking about sex right now!"
One lip curls to the side at the same time his gaze grows heated. "I didn't say anything about sex, but I like your train of thought."
"My claws are about to come out."
He chuckles, unfazed at my threat. "Hear me out before you lose your mind. Dad just dropped this news about the electrician, but that doesn't mean the other crews can't work, too. My guys are accustomed to working around each other. We get the demolition part done this week, and then I can have multiple things going at once. With no electricity, the teams will need daylight hours starting early. With all this happening at once, you can't live in those conditions. This change in scheduling is actually a good step for progress."
I narrow my eyes, soaking in his explanation, and even though I want to arg
ue that I can stay through major construction, I knew this was coming. Through my research, every blog and discussion board said the same thing. I'd hoped it would be later in the process.
My head falls back and I blow out an exasperated breath. "Okay, all this makes sense. I have money in my budget for accommodations. Maybe Darby can ask her parents to rent out the shed for a while."
"You're not fucking renting out the shed." The tone in his voice sends a chill racing across my arms.
"Miller, I can't move in here. The idea is crazy."
"It's perfectly sane to me."
"I'm beginning to question your sanity. Let me ask you something." I try to wiggle away unsuccessfully and give up, resting my hands on his forearms. "Are you offering me your guest room, like a roommate, and the use of your home for an indefinite amount of time?"
"You're not moving into the damn guest room," he replies gruffly. "You'll be in my bed with me."
"Don't you think that's a bit…" I pause, searching for the right words to drive my point across, "rash? Premature? Doomed?"
At the words, the storm clears from his eyes, and his lips curl up again.
"What could you possibly find amusing right now?"
"Darby is rubbing off on you."
"What?"
"Doomed. Darby shared that same feeling once."
"She's a brilliant woman."
"Baby, as you know, her resistance didn't get far."
I groan again, shaking him lightly. "Two days ago, you were a known bachelor. You said yourself that no woman has been in your bed in over ten years."
"Wrong. Three weeks ago, I was a confirmed bachelor. Things changed the minute I saw you, and as you know, things changed again last night."
"Let's try a more sensible approach. Living together differs greatly from waking up together. You've seen the little room I'm cramped in. It's bursting with my stuff. Are you ready to share your bedroom, bathroom, kitchen," I sweep an arm out to the open room, "all of this with someone?"
"Hell no. I'm not ready to share it with any someone, but I'm ready to share it with you."
A thrill travels through my body with a little tremor, and I hate that I can't control my reaction. He grins wider, bending in to kiss me quickly.
"Like I said—crazy! How would we even explain it?"
"Who needs an explanation?"
"Everyone! Your parents, Pierce and Darby, the kids, your employees?"
"My family met you this morning. I think that's explanation enough for them. My employees don't get an opinion."
"What about my parents?"
"We'll get to that." He kisses a path across my jawline and bites lightly on my earlobe. "And they are welcome to visit you here anytime."
Logic fades when his tongue draws little circles around the sensitive area under my ear. "Miller, you're not listening."
"I've heard everything you've said. I'm choosing to ignore most of it because it's pointless."
"It's not pointless. This is new, and I can't move in here a week after our first date."
He stops, his warm breath coating my skin as he exhales loudly. I let out a yelp when I'm hefted off the ground. He backs us to his sofa and falls, my legs forced to straddle his lap.
"I think you missed what happened here this morning." He frames my face. "Let me explain it again. We have a history, Ashlyn. It may not be ideal to tell people, but it doesn't change the fact it happened. I'm not ashamed and I don't regret it. The only thing I regret is being so fucking captivated by you that I missed the signs something wasn't right. When I woke up to that empty bed, for the first time in my life, I felt a sense of loss."
My gut twists, and a painful cramp wedges into my side. A stinging burns the back of my eyes with the memory of that morning. "You will never be able to forget that," I say over the lump in my throat.
"No, but I've accepted it. One of these days, you'll share with me why. I could have been pissed about it, but swear to God, the instant you came running out of your house that Sunday afternoon and I heard your voice, my fucking heart stopped. I couldn't believe it, and my gut settled for the first time in six goddamned months. The feeling didn't last long when I saw the sadness in your eyes and I knew something had happened.
"It went against everything I believe in not to demand you tell me what was bothering you. That first time I brought you here, I saw a fragile woman that needed some time. As much as I hated it, I tried to give it to you. I wasn't backing off; I was biding my time. Friday morning, I woke up, jacking my dick to the image of you, and knew I was done waiting. Last night may have been our first official date, but there hasn't been another woman since you left me in that hotel in Chicago. I am dead-fucking-serious, if you didn't run out on me, you'd have spent the last six months falling asleep and waking up in my bed, feeling comfortable in my house, and knowing I want you here. We'd have found a way to make the distance work. This morning, you told me you moved here because of me. It's my turn to make you understand that was the best decision."
Oh my God! My lungs seize, and I fight to catch my breath. It's not only what he said; it's the honesty and sincerity gazing back at me. I was so messed up when I walked out on him, but he plagued my mind and thoughts. We've already established I made the biggest decision of my life so far because of a brief conversation. But now, my heart races, knowing this isn't just a possibility. It's real.
As in REAL.
I don't have to worry about him being a man I could fall for, because I already have. It's too much—too soon. In my mind, he held a special place of perfection, taking me away and giving me a safe place, if even for only a weekend. My heart skips a beat, knowing that he carried some of me with him as well.
He would have come after me… I could have had this all along…
"There's been no one else for me either, since you."
Tears pool in my eyes, and as if he can read my thoughts, he pivots his hips, sliding me closer, and swiping the tears. "Baby—"
"I missed you," I admit on a broken breath. "You gave me strength and didn't know it. That's why I ran."
"Princess," he scans my face, his expression growing concerned, "I promise not to push, but I have to know. Did someone hurt you?"
It takes all I can to not collapse into him and weep. "Not physically. But everything in my life was a smokescreen. I was a pawn in a game of power and privilege. There was a reason people called me the Prada Princess. I earned every one of the names. My ego and arrogance were valued traits in my world. For many years, I lived my life under a dark and nasty cloud of character that took me away from the woman I once was. Now, I'm fighting like hell to find my way back."
"I'll enjoy being by your side as you find that woman again."
"I'm scared to death," I admit with a shaky breath.
"What are you scared of, Ashlyn? Tell me so I can make it better."
"You have been pursuing the woman you met in a bar. That weekend was the first time in my life that I acted on a whim. We had chemistry that kept us occupied. What if you don't like the woman I truly am?"
"I'm a thirty-eight-year-old man who's been having sex for over twenty years. You say we had chemistry? Baby, what we had was fucking explosive. Every single time I slid inside you, it rocked me to my goddamn bones. Never had that in my life. Did you miss the part about me waking up Friday jacking my dick to the memory?"
My stomach spasms, knowing I gave him that, but I can't lose focus. "You're proving my point! What if you've been living with a fantasy?"
"I could ask you the same question."
"Seriously, Miller, you've got everything going for you. What do I have to offer? I lived a lie so long that I'm not sure who I am anymore. What I know about myself isn't flattering. I'm uptight, have a tendency to be a bitch, can't express gratitude, exhibit extreme OCD tendencies," I tick these off one by one with my fingers, "not to mention, unemployed with no idea of the next steps in my career."
"And homeless." His voice is light with humor as h
e takes one hand away from my cheek and curls it around my ticking fingers. "Don't forget, you're soon to be homeless."
"You think this is funny?"
"If you're rattling off your charming qualities freely, homelessness needed to be mentioned."
All the emotions dry up, and I wrestle to yank my hand free. In a flash, I'm pinned to the sofa under him, all humor gone. "Baby, you want to sit in my arms and cry all day, I'll wipe your tears. You want to unload your problems by giving up what's happened to you, I'll listen until your voice is hoarse. What I won't do is listen to you degrading yourself. I don't know what kind of support system you had at your back, but you have me now and I'm not putting up with it."
"Guess we can add irritating to my list," I murmur and purse my lips when his eyes grow stormy.
"I have no fucking clue what's happened to give you so much self-doubt, but we'll work it out of you. You're fucking beautiful, but you've got to know that. All that other shit you mentioned doesn't scare me off. I think we've established that I can handle your form of bitch."
"She's not very appealing."
"Depends on who you ask. Lucky for me, I find it sexy. Baby, that morning you cut your eyes, slinging attitude and threatening to fire me—my cock was hard as steel."
"I was right! You aren't sane!"
"All I could think about was taking you back to that bathroom and fucking you until you couldn't walk. Even right now, remembering it, I'm ready to go." He flexes his hips, rubbing his very obvious and large erection against me. "You think I've been living with a fantasy, and you're right. The fantasy of what could have been, and now that I have you back, we're gonna live out that fantasy together."
Something inside my chest bursts wide open, and swarms of flutters flood my system. It may not be an elaborate and poetic declaration of love, but to me, it's all the same. "Okay." I wiggle my arm free, run my fingers through his hair, and cup the back of his head, bringing his mouth to mine. "But don't say I didn't warn you that I'm a handful."
I sweep my lips across his, slipping my tongue inside, grazing his. That's about all the time I get before he's rolled us onto our sides and taking over. His mouth moves urgently, his tongue swirling around mine. I slant my head to give him all the access he wants. He groans his approval, deepening the kiss and skimming his hand down my side to cup my ass. I tighten my thigh on his hip and grind against the hard outline in his pants, sending electric shockwaves pulsing through my nerves. It's my turn to moan at the sensations and knowing what's coming.
Miller's Time (Southern Charmers Series Book 2) Page 10
