by Box Set
Ah, hell, stop looking at her chest, asshole.
Bash pulled the t-shirt on over her head, and when he had it in place, lifted her again. He pushed the back of the t-shirt up and unsnapped the strapless bra, throwing it on top of the pile of soiled clothes.
Once he had her under the covers of his bed, he went downstairs to grab a bottle of water and a couple of aspirin, leaving them on his nightstand for her in the morning. He stared down at her for a few moments. Her mouth was open as she snored lightly. Her pushed back the hair from her face and trailed his fingers across her cheek. She was so beautiful, and he couldn’t help thinking of that girl again, the sixteen-year-old version of Ashlynn who had stared at him with chocolate brown eyes so filled with hero worship he’d had a hard time not being affected by it. He’d never had anyone look at him like that, and he had to admit, he’d gotten a little carried away. He hadn’t meant to hook up with Ashlynn in the back of his car.
He’d never meant to hurt her either. He’d always thought of her as a sweet kid who never caught a break. Everyone picked on her, and although she would always give back as good as she got, he’d found himself stepping in whenever he could. He’d never thought anything about it until they’d been lying on the hood of his car, looking up at the stars and just talking.
And then she’d sat up and leaned over him, her hair falling around him as her lips had touched his.
Shaking himself out of his memories, he picked up the towel her clothes were wrapped in, flipped off the light and left the room. He shouldn’t be thinking of that night. Hell, he hadn’t really in twelve years since he left.
So why was he being haunted by it now? And why could he remember nearly every detail?
After throwing the pile of clothes into his brand new washing machine, and adding his shirt to it, he started looking for bedding. With a heavy sigh, he grabbed a blanket out of the box that was labeled hall closet and flopped down on his new couch.
As he laid back and closed his eyes, he tried not to think of the gorgeous woman sleeping in his bed, or their shared past.
One thought did persist, though.
Being the good guy fucking sucked.
***
The next morning, Ashlynn woke up with a moan, her mouth disgustingly dry and rancid. She squinted one eye at the sunlight peeking in through the blinds and closed it again, snuggling into the warm comforter. She could ignore the nasty taste in her mouth for a few minutes if it meant not having to get up out of the soft, silken sheets.
Her eyes popped open. Blinds? Soft sheets? She had curtains and her rough cotton sheets felt nothing like this.
Ashlynn sat up and looking around the room. Where the hell was she?
She noticed the bottle of water and two white pills. Whoever had brought her back to their place had left her alone in their bed and given her something for her potential hang over. The last thing she remembered was yelling at Sebastian Valentine and then vomiting all over his shoes.
Shit.
Pushing the comforter off, she realized she was in an oversized t-shirt and her underwear. Someone had undressed her and taken care of her after she’d gotten sick.
She picked up the bottle of water and chugged, silently praying it wasn’t him. Anyone but Sebastian.
After she made a short trip to the bathroom, smoothing her hair and using some of the toothpaste on the counter on her finger to brush away the nasty taste from her mouth, she picked up her keys and her phone off the nightstand and left the room. She hadn’t seen her clothes anywhere, but hadn’t wanted to go through drawers to find pants either.
She slowly climbed down the stairs, and when she reached the bottom, saw a pair of bare feet hanging off the edge of the couch.
Tiptoeing around the couch, she looked down to find Sebastian’s familiar dark head lying on the arm, his beautiful profile perfectly kissed by the sun pouring through the front window.
Crap. Damn. Shoot.
What the hell was she supposed to do now? The guy had taken care of her when she was sloppy drunk and let her sleep in his bed. Had taken the damn couch, and looked really uncomfortable doing it.
The knowledge was too much, and she did the only thing she could in the situation. She snuck out the door and closed it quietly behind her before taking off at a sprint for home. Ashlynn rushed inside, ignoring Bernie as he pushed his big head right into her crotch, and raced past him up the stairs. She flopped down her bed, and checked her phone for messages. A dozen text messages from Karianne and Maggie, all asking if she was okay.
Bernie’s big tongue licked the bottom of her left foot and she squealed, “Bernie, damn it. Go lie down.”
She caught the sad way the dog hung his head as he stared at her with big eyes.
Guilt gnawed at her stomach. “I’m sorry. Mommy is just grumpy. Come on.”
Bernie leaped onto the bed and laid next to her, panting heavily, as if the small jump had been too taxing for him.
Dialing Maggie, she laid her cheek against her scratchy summer quilt with her face away from Bernie and ignored the way he snuffled her hair as she waited.
“I am only answering this early because I was worried about you.” Maggie sounded raspy, and grumbly, but Ashlynn didn’t care.
“Is there a reason why I woke up in Sebastian Valentine’s bed this morning?”
“What?” Maggie’s screech made her groan with pain.
“Too loud.”
“Omg, did you sleep with him? Did he take advantage of you? I will murder him, straight up kill his ass—”
“Will you shut up? God, my head is about to split open. No, he wasn’t in bed with me. He slept on the couch. He undressed me and put me in his bed with a bottle of water on the nightstand and left me alone.”
“Wait, are you telling me you are calling me to complain that Sebastian Valentine took you home last night and did not seduce your panties off?”
“Of course not! What happened to killing him if he took advantage of me?”
Maggie coughed and groaned into the phone. “That was before I knew he’d been a perfect gentleman. Now I’m starting to believe Troy about him.”
Ashlynn lifted her head up. “What do you mean?”
“That Bash had nothing to do with those pictures of you guys.”
“Wait a second, since when is he Bash?”
“You should take a plate of cookies over and thank him for taking care of you,” Maggie said, ignoring her query.
“Dude, no, and who the hell’s side are you on?”
“The only side I’m on right now is my bed’s, which needs me to get back to it. I’ll talk to you in a few hours.”
Before she could say more, Maggie ended the call.
Son of a bitch. If Sebastian hadn’t been involved with the pictures, then she’d spent twelve years hating his guts for nothing? Well, not exactly for nothing; he had taken off after their hook up and never called again.
Okay, but you two had hardly spoken before that night, except for the few times he’d stepped in and defended you. So, maybe he just thought it was something that happened and you weren’t supposed to talk again.
Well, that was true. When he’d first been assigned as her science project partner, she’d been a little struck by how handsome he was. And nice. He was nice to her when no one else was, besides her close friends.
Not to mention that night, she’d been the one to make a move on him after he’d gotten her away from those jerks. He’d just been talking, that smooth deep voice like the sweetest melody, and she’d lost control, telling herself she might not ever get a chance like that again.
At first, he hadn’t moved when she’d kissed him and she’d wanted to melt into a puddle and die. But as she’d pulled back, his hand had come up, cradling the back of her head, and he’d guided her back down to kiss him again. Only this time, he’d taken total control.
When they’d found themselves in the back seat of his car, she hadn’t thought of anything but him. The whole experie
nce had been messy, passionate, painful, and wonderful, all at the same time. He’d been so sweet and she’d been so glad she’d chosen him…
But then afterwards, the way he’d talked about leaving and the pictures the next day, her happy, romantic bubble had been brutally popped.
Except you’re a grown up now, not some silly teenaged girl with her head in the clouds. Time to really move on and let go.
Climbing up off the bed, she decided that first things first, she needed to take a shower.
Then maybe she’d try out Maggie’s cookie idea.
Chapter 5
That evening, Bash emptied the last box of appliances in the kitchen, feeling pretty productive for a guy who hadn’t woken up until almost noon. He’d had a stiff neck and back, but it was finding out that Ashlynn had snuck out the door without even a thank you note that had been really disgruntling.
After he’d taken care of her and given her his bed, she couldn’t even have found a Post-it or something?
Someone knocked on his front door and when he answered it, he found Cate Sherman standing on his front porch with a casserole dish, her blond hair artfully framing her beautiful face.
“Hey, Bash. I figured you probably hadn’t had a chance to shop yet, so I thought I’d bring you dinner for tonight. It’s an enchilada casserole, so I hope you like spicy stuff.”
Bash knew that Cate had ideas, which was pretty amusing since she’d never looked at him in high school. He hadn’t played sports and picture-perfect Cate wouldn’t have stooped to date a lowly mechanic’s son. She’d been too busy chasing after the Sweet brothers, the four strapping heirs to Promise farms. Of course, considering she was still single, he was guessing none of those conquests had panned out.
Still, he wasn’t one to say no to a free meal.
“Thanks, Cate.” He took the dish with a grin. “I appreciate the neighborly gesture.”
“Oh, well, sure.” Bash could tell she was waiting for an invitation and when one didn’t come, she gave him a very forced smile. “Well, I should get home. Lots of stuff to do.”
“Sure, me too. Thanks again.”
He shut the door, feeling a little bad. He wasn’t trying to be mean, but the last thing he wanted was to hook up with someone from Promise when his life was in L.A. and he wanted to come back to Promise just to relax. Screwing around with any of the local woman would just complicate matters and he hated complicated.
Another knock sounded and this time when he opened it, it was Ashlynn, holding a plate piled high with cookies. Her face was scrubbed free of makeup and her brown hair was pulled back in a long ponytail.
Speaking of complicated.
“Hey, so, I made these for you. They’re a thank you for taking care of me last night when I was such a mess.”
Despite his resolve to not get involved with anyone from Promise, Bash found himself holding the door open wide. “You wanna come in?”
He watched her swallow nervously as she stepped over the threshold. “I don’t want to disturb you, I’m sure you’re busy…”
Bash’s gaze followed hers to the covered casserole dish.
“I guess the welcoming committee already stopped by,” she said.
“You wanna stay and have some with me?” Why the hell had he asked her that? Since he’d shown up yesterday, she’d been nothing but hostile and now she was standing there with cookies and he was asking her to dinner?
“If Cate Sherman made it, I think I’ll pass.”
Bash arched a brown at her animosity. “What did Cate do to you?”
“Besides being a horrible human being every time we see each other?”
“Well, she made the casserole for me, so I doubt it’s poisoned,” he said.
“It could be roofied.”
Bash glanced at the casserole in horror and to his surprise, Ashlynn burst out laughing.
“Oh, my God, your face. Now you’re actually considering it, huh? You think all the women here are just going to try to get into your pants ‘cause you’re a hot shot celebrity?”
Bash grinned sheepishly. “Maybe not my pants, but my shirt’s another story. Speaking of which, I have your clothes. Do you have mine?”
Her cheeks flushed. “I tossed it in the wash, but forgot to transfer it on my lunch today.”
“It’s fine. Yours are on the end of the couch. I even got the puke stain out of your halter.”
“Kill me now,” she mumbled as she set his cookies on the kitchen table and went to retrieve her clothes.
“Doesn’t sound like something I should do.”
Ashlynn hugged her clothes to her chest as she turned around to face him. “Well, I won’t disturb your night any more.”
“Ashlynn…” He waited for her to look him in the eye before he continued. “Do you remember anything I said to you last night?”
“No, not really.”
“I told you that I wasn’t involved in what happened after we…after we had sex. Do you believe me?”
She looked away from him as she answered, “Yes.”
“Good. Then can we start over? Because I figure there are plenty of wedding preparations and events and I really don’t want to spend them avoiding you.”
“You don’t have to. I’m fine, we’re fine.”
“Then it shouldn’t be a problem for you to stay and have some casserole with me,” he said.
***
Trapped. That was exactly how Ashlynn felt as Sebastian brought two plates over to the round kitchen table, one with a small square of casserole and the other with a large heap. He set them down, the littler portion in front of her, and walked back into the kitchen, rummaging through the drawers. She couldn’t stop her gaze from straying down his back to his jean-covered ass.
Stop checking him out, you idiot.
She made sure she was looking anywhere but at him when he turned around and came back to the table.
“So, why did you decide to buy a house here?” she asked.
“I don’t know. I have roots here, and friends. Just seemed like the right choice.”
“Have you seen your dad yet?” The minute she asked it, she knew it was wrong. Sebastian stilled in mid-chew, and stared at something over her shoulder.
“No, not yet. Figured he’s probably not that eager to see me, so why rush it?”
Silence stretched across the table as they ate. Ashlynn kicked herself for bringing up such a sensitive subject.
“I’m sorry you guys don’t get along.” Stop talking about it.
“It’s not your fault. Was going on for a long time before things exploded.”
“And you haven’t even talked to him on the phone?” She just didn’t know when to quit, and she blamed the healer in her…when she could see someone was in pain, she wanted to get to the root of the problem and fix it.
“Not even on the phone. I thought about calling a few times, but after the things I said to him, I figured he’d just hang up on me.”
“I don’t know about that. Most parents are pretty forgiving when it comes to their children,” she said.
“Yeah, well, Samuel Valentine has never been the poster child for fatherly love.”
She took a large bite of casserole before she said something else, watching him polish off his giant pile of green sauce, chicken, and tortillas. It made her sick the way some people could eat, and never feel any ill effects.
Well, not until later in life, anyway.
“So, you’re a doctor now, huh? Your parents must be proud,” he said.
Was he mocking her? “They are. Especially since I took over the clinic in town. They like that I moved back after medical school.”
“Why did you? Didn’t you want to work in a larger practice? Maybe be a surgeon in the city or something?” he asked.
“Not everyone feels trapped by the place they grew up.”
Her words had definitely struck a nerve. He set his fork down on his empty plate and sat back, his muscular forearms crossing over his che
st. “You’re going to tell me that you actually like living here? After everything that happened to you?”
“There are shitty people everywhere. There are a lot less here than in other places. And I like working for myself, knowing all the people who come to my clinic.” She stood up with her plate. “Besides, I don’t have sex in the back of cars anymore.”
She went to go set her plate up on the counter but his voice stopped her.
“Where do you have sex now?”
Ashlynn nearly dropped her plate. “What?”
She turned around to face him and caught the small smirk on his lips. “You heard me.”
“And that’s none of your business,” she spluttered.
“I know. I just wanted to shake up the mood this conversation had going.”
“You couldn’t think of any way to change up the tone than to ask me about my sex life?”
He stood up, grabbing his plate, and came into the kitchen with her. The room seemed to shrink as he took her plate and leaned past her to set them both down.
She backed up until her butt hit the side of the sink, but he just kept coming. When he had her boxed in, he leaned over her and his lips teased up in the corners.
“What can I say? I find the subject fascinating.”
Chapter 6
Bash was playing a very dangerous game; one he’d already decided was a bad idea on every level. He’d just gotten to a civil place with Ashlynn, and here he was, putting the moves on her. If the last thing he wanted was to hook up with someone in Promise, then why was his mouth so close to Ashlynn’s that he could feel the warmth of her breath on his lips?
Suddenly, her hands came flying up between them and she was shoving against his chest. “God, I can’t believe I actually thought I was wrong about you.”
“What?” He stepped back and she brushed past him.
“I thought that maybe I had misjudged you, that you were a decent guy. But you’re clearly just a horny jerk looking to hook up with anyone.”