by Delisa Lynn
I open the bathroom door and see the steam rolling. When I pull back the shower curtain, my eyes go directly to Ashton’s soapy hand. He’s washing below his waist. I gulp, trying to remove the lump that has formed in my throat. A moan escapes my mouth in the process. It isn’t a little mmm, mmm moan. It’s a fucking ‘Oh my God’ moan.
“Wanna join me?” he teases, his hand covering the part of his body my tongue longs to touch.
“Why Ellis? Why me?” I finally blurt as I turn my back.
“Why you what?” he asks, confused.
“I’m not a charity case. You don’t have to buy me things and pay my bills. I’m just in a bind because of the divorce,” I say as I feel the tears hit my cheeks. “I don’t need your nor anyone else’s pity.”
“Look at me,” he says, but I keep my head turned. “Ansley,” he warns.
“What? What do you want from me? I’m not right for you and AJ. I’m a broke teacher with a bad past that haunts me daily. You? You are sort of famous. You can do much better.”
He steps out of the shower. I look down and I’m in complete shock. I notice the silver ring attached to his dick. I know he catches me. He grabs a towel and quickly wraps it around his waist.
“Baby, we’re friends. My mom always taught me to help a friend when I could. I can help you, and all that bullshit that you aren’t good enough for my son and me is crazy, woman. I don’t know what your ex-husband did to you or anyone before him, but the months that I’ve come to know you, I’ve seen how amazing you are.” He wipes his thumbs over the tears on my cheeks. “Any man that doesn’t see it is a goddamn fool, Ansley.”
“Ashton…” I breathe right before his lips touch my cheek. “I can’t,” I whisper.
“Not now, but you will realize your worth.” He walks out of the bathroom. I close the door and slide down it and cry. I cry harder than I have in months. I feel like crud. My nose is clogged, my throat is burning.
“This is so fucked up,” I mumble.
“Open the door. If you want me to leave, I will. The TV and the other stuff stays. Consider it a gift for teacher’s day.”
I have to laugh. What child buys their teacher gifts like that?
“Get dressed, Ellis,” I say as I stand up and dry my face. “I need to shower. I’ll be out soon. I’m ready to eat some soup. Would you mind heating it up for me?”
“Okay, I can do that. I’m going to change your sheets also. They’re soaked. Your fever must’ve broke.” He groans and mumbles, “Fuck.” Then he laughs.
“Fuck what? Is everything okay?” I ask as I open the door. He’s standing there with my vibrator in his hand. Fuck…
He throws it back in the drawer. Pretending he never found it, he says, “Jesus, where are the sheets? I thought they would be in here.”
“That’s not mine,” I say, rushing to the closet to grab the sheets.
He avoids my lie and continues to take the sheets off the bed. I hand him the new ones. He laughs as he tosses them on the bed. I stare at him. He already put on a pair of sweats. They’re hanging down low, so low I can see where that perfect V ends.
“Okay, bed’s ready. I’ll bring everything in here. Take a shower and get in bed. You’ve had enough excitement. You’re overdoing it. Shower, then bed, woman.” He places a kiss on my forehead.
“Okay,” I whisper. I don’t even use that vibrator. It was a gift. I don’t like it. I’m just glad he didn’t open my night stand. That’s where I keep my super rabbit.
***
Ashton refused to leave until I was better. We’ve spent the last four days together. Now that I’m better, he left. Today, I’m finally leaving the house. I need to get out. I need to think. We’ve talked about so much the last few days. He told me about his sister and that he and Lila dated in high school. I kind of thought they did, but didn’t want to ask. I told him a little about my parents. I can’t tell him everything. He’d definitely want to pay for therapy if I did. Hell, I never even told Morris everything.
While applying a little makeup, I hear the doorbell. I have no clue who it could be. I yell for whoever it is to give me a second. When I look out the window, I see no one. I open the door and look down. There’s a large box on the ground. I look around once again and see no one. I bring the box in and open it. Inside are a large amount of pink flowers. No note, just the flowers.
It has to be Ellis. Who else it would be? I grab my phone to text him.
Me: Pink Flowers? You shouldn’t have, but thank you.
Ashton: Not sure I know what you’re talking about.
Me: I just received a large amount of pink flowers.
Ashton: Who are they from?
Me: Well I thought you.
Ashton: Not me, babe. You know anyone else here?
Me: Nope, just you all.
Ashton: That’s weird.
Me: Okay, I’m going to lunch with Megan.
Ashton: Be careful and have fun. If you aren’t feeling well, I can bring you dinner.
Me: I’ll be fine, you worry too much.
Ashton: Yeah, yeah. Call me when you get home.
Searching through the box, I still don’t see a card. This is odd. I peek at the clock and realize that I need to leave now so I won’t miss Meg for lunch. I grab my purse, make sure Sal has food and lock the door. Once outside, I look around for more clues about the box. Nothing.
“Hey Megan, I’m on my way,” I say over the phone as I start my car. “I just got the strangest box with nothing but pink flowers.”
“From who?”
“No clue. There wasn’t a note or anything else, but I hate pink.”
“That’s odd. Be careful. You know where the restaurant is?”
“Yes, I hope like hell it’s happy hour. I need a drink.” I laugh.
“Who needs happy hour to drink? Not me.” She laughs. “See ya soon.”
I punch the address of the restaurant into my GPS and back out of the driveway. I look around, still searching for the person who left the box. No one is in sight.
I meet Meg in the parking lot and we decide to sit at the bar. I was never much of a drinker, but I swear, since Morris left, that’s all I want to do.
“Want to do appetizers? You need to eat if you’re going to drink your weight in ounces.”
“Yeah, let’s do spinach dip and chips. Oh, and cheese fries.” I smile.
“Yes, my girl is feeling better. I missed you. So, what’s the deal with you and Ashton?”
“I’m feeling much better.” I groan because I don’t want to answer that question. “We’re friends,” I say, sipping my margarita.
“Yeah, Kade’s my friend too.” She winks.
“We aren’t that type of friends. Although I would like to be. He’s made it clear that he isn’t touching me unless we are together.”
“Damn, he must really like you. He normally…Ahh, never mind.”
“I know he’s been around.” I laugh. “Hell, who wouldn’t want to fuck him.” I take a bite of the fries the waitress sits in front of us.
A thin blonde woman approaches us. “Oh, hey, Lacy. How are you?” Megan asks. “This is my friend, Ansley.”
I smile and Lacey nods. “Nice to meet you,” I say. She looks so familiar.
“Lacy is a paralegal at my firm. Ansley is a teacher at St. Mary’s.”
“Nice to finally meet you. Megan speaks highly of you.” She smiles. “How are those Ellis boys?” she asks. Meg’s smile fades.
“Good, they are all good. Well, it was good seeing you,” Meg says to her before turning around. Okay, that was weird.
We continue to eat and drink for an hour. It’s getting late. I look at my phone and see a missed call from Ashton. Just as I was getting ready to tell Meg we should go, I hear a snarky voice taunting us. Felicia
“Well, I hope that Ashton finally realized that you weren’t worth his time.” She laughs and her words go straight through my body. I want to rip her fake hair out of her head.
&nbs
p; “What do you want, Felicia?” Meg asks. “Oh, and for the record, Ashton is very into my girl Ansley.”
“Ansley, why don’t you crawl back under the trailer you rolled out of? Ashton will never stay with someone like you. What are you, like twelve?”
I drink my wine straight down. I feel the burn. I stand up on my tip toes so my face is in amazon lady’s face. “Fuck off. Just so you know, Ashton is into me. He’s been in my bed all week. Sorry to disappoint you. Now, why don’t you find someone that actually wants to fuck you and not just your mouth?” Her mouth gapes open. She’s at a loss for words. “I’d close my mouth if I were you. No one has their dicks out ready for you.”
Ansley: 1 #boom
“God, I love you.” Meg smiles. I look over and see that Felicia is gone, but Lacy is watching us. That’s weird.
“All right, girlie. I say we get trashed. These bitches done pissed me off.”
“Sounds like a plan,” she says, clinking her glass with mine.
***
Ashton
The last four days with Ansley were great even though she wasn’t feeling well. I always have fun with her. There are some things she isn’t telling me. I don’t understand why she left her family. I would like to investigate her past more, but I can’t. It’s wrong. She’ll tell me when she’s ready. It’s just strange for a young girl to up and leave her parents at the age of eighteen. She hasn’t spoken to them since.
The things she does to me without even knowing it…Since meeting her, all my one night stands have stopped. I can’t lie, I tried a few weeks ago with Savvy, a girl I went to school with. We slept together on and off in high school. I met her at her place yesterday. She just went through a messy divorce. We had drinks and talked about our kids. We made out, but nothing else. My mind kept going back to my blue eyed shorty.
Ansley haunts my thoughts, my mind and my soul. I want so much to be with her, to kiss her and hold her. I want her to be mine. I’m telling her tonight. I have to. This friend shit is over. I can’t do just friends. No way in hell am I doing just benefits either. Once I claim her, she’ll be mine.
Deciding that I’m taking her to my place, I call and make arrangements for dinner to be delivered from Azura’s. It’s a Mexican restaurant that a friend owns. I finish my work and close the shop. I notice it’s a little after seven and I haven’t heard from Ansley for a few hours. I call, but she doesn’t answer.
AJ is with Lila, so I figure I’ll go see him. He called me this morning. I didn’t tell him I was with Miss Dolce. I just let him know I was helping a friend. Looking at my phone, I see that Ansley still hasn’t called back. I don’t want to look like a stalker, but I am worried about her. When I pull into my driveway, I send her a text.
Me: Hey, you okay?
I stare at my phone for a few minutes, waiting for a reply, but nothing. Liam is out front. I go over to talk to him and see what AJ is up to.
“AJ being good?” I ask, even though I know he is. I’ve taught him well.
“You know we never have issues with him. Did Kade call you?”
“No, why?”
“Ansley’s drunk. I guess she and Megan went out. Kade went to follow them back to Ansley’s.”
I grab the back of my neck and grumble. “Fuck, she shouldn’t be drinking.” I pull my phone out. Still no text or call. “I’m going to check on her. Where’s AJ?”
“Go on, he’ll be okay. I won’t even say you were here.”
I pat him on his back and thank him. I sprint to my truck and head toward Ansley’s. I call Kade and his phone goes straight to voice mail. This is odd. I pull Megan’s number up and of course she doesn’t answer. What the fuck?
It’s starting to piss me off, only because I am worried about her. I just don’t understand why none of them are answering. I turn onto Ansley’s street and see that Kade’s SUV is parked in front of Ansley’s house. I pull up behind it. I throw my truck in park and, without even turning it off, I jump out and walk to Kade’s car.
I see a very passed out Ansley in the back. Just as I open the car door, I see Kade walking off the small porch.
“Hey, why can’t any of you answer your phones?” I say, louder than I meant to.
“Shit, I was going to call once I got her in. I’m waiting for Megan. She was following me. She apparently didn’t drink as much as Ansley did.”
“I’m taking her home with me. Watch her while I grab her dog and some things for her.” I lay her in the front seat of my truck. Damn it. I wanted to talk. I guess that’s not happening tonight. I go straight to her room and grab a bag from the closet. Something falls to the ground when I unzip the bag. I look down to see that it is a picture of a baby wrapped in a pink blanket. I lay it back up on the shelf and grab her some clothes. I feel like a pervert going through her underwear drawer.
After picking Sal up and grabbing his food, I lock the door and see that Megan is now here, talking to Kade. She doesn’t look drunk at all.
“Hey, Meg. How much did she have to drink?” I ask, tossing the stuff in the back seat.
“Ashton, we saw Felicia and she ran her mouth. Ansley was pissed and drank more than she should have. I’m sorry. I was going to call you but she asked me not to.”
I run my hand over my face, trying to contain my anger. “What do you mean, she asked you not to? Don’t you think that y’all running into Felicia was a good reason to call?” I ask, a little louder than I should.
“Man, don’t take this out on her,” Kade says as he places his hand on my shoulder. “We have to get Megan’s car. Here’s Ansley’s keys. Now, take her home with you.”
“Shit, sorry Meg.” I pull her into me with a hug.
“It’s okay, she was upset. But she knew you’d come and make a scene,” she whispers.
“Damn straight. I can’t stand Felicia. I think she followed me here last week. Did Ansley tell you about the flowers she got? I know she hates pink. Why would I get her all pink flowers?”
“You think it was Felicia?” Kade asks.
“Not sure. It’s just weird. Ansley doesn’t know anyone but us.”
Meg kisses my cheek. “Take care of her and have her call me tomorrow.”
“Okay, drive safe.” I watch as they leave. I lift Ansley up and buckle her seatbelt. She mumbles something before leaning on the door.
***
Ansley doesn’t wake up when I carry her in. Sal is going crazy looking for Donatello. He’s with AJ, at my cousin’s. I carry her to my room. I slide her shoes off and leave her clothes on. Sal is standing in the doorway, staring at me.
“Go lay down. I promise she is okay,” I say, changing into a pair of sweats.
I lie next to Ansley and pull her close to me.
“Ashton?” she mumbles. She places her head into my chest.
“Sleep, sweet cheeks. We’ll talk later.”
“Thank you. Sal?” She asks.
“In the hall. Sleep,” I order. I keep my arms wrapped around her and we fall asleep.
Chapter Twelve
Ansley
When I open my eyes, I realize I’m wrapped in Ashton’s arms. I love lying next to him. Having him in my bed all week when I was sick made me feel safe. He didn’t try anything. He just held me tight.
I lift his arms up and make a beeline toward the bathroom. Grabbing my head as I sit down on the toilet, I realize that I drank way too much yesterday. We ran into the devil’s spawn. She pushed my buttons so hard.
Thinking about the stuff she said to me makes me sick. She’s right, though. I’m not right for Ashton. He and his son deserve better. I have a past, a past that I never even told Morris about. There’s no way Ashton would be okay with the things I had to do. I’m telling him today that whatever this friendship is, it’s over. I can’t take falling for him more than I already have and let him break my heart when he learns everything.
Washing my hands, I look in the mirror and see the mascara around my eyes. I smell like alcohol. This isn’t me.
When I met Morris, we dated and got married. I thought I had everything figured out. I hadn’t even thought about my past. I never imagined I’d be here, where I am today—broke, lonely and full of secrets that will make the beautiful man lying in that bed run far away from me and take my heart with him.
“Hey, did you have fun,” Ashton says from the door. He isn’t wearing a shirt, and his sweats are hanging from his waist. My eyes dart directly to the bulge below the gray string on his pants. God, he is so fucking sexy.
“Good morning,” I reply. “You know, you can’t keep rescuing me. I better go. Thank you for everything.” I close my eyes as I brush past him. I can feel his eyes on me.
“Ansley,” he says with a warning in his voice. Damn it.
“Ashton,” I retort. Before I have a chance to say anything, his arms are around my waist. He pulls me close to his chest. Tears form in my eyes. I can’t look at him. I can’t do it. “What are you doing?”
“Look at me,” he orders. “You aren’t running from me, doll.”
“I really should go. I need to feed Sal and take my medicine.”
“Sal has food and your meds are right over there. I packed you a bag last night. You have clothes over there as well.”
“There is a lot about me that you don’t know, things I can’t go into, but you would definitely change your mind about me. I think we need to end this friendship today.”
He turns me toward him and lifts my chin with his hand, his body still pressed firmly to mine. “Open your eyes,” he says. It comes out more as a question than an order.
When I open my eyes, I feel the wetness from my tears. I try to blink them back. Fighting back the rest of my emotion, I look at him. He looks sad. His green eyes are bloodshot. He has a look of not only hurt, but concern.