7. Ashton
“My wife is to go nowhere without an armed guard, same for the girls.”
Mark stared at me nearly a week after the incident. He was searching my face and I knew what he was thinking already.
We’d watched the security footage over a million times. Yet, the event was fresh in my wife’s mind. It seemed to be haunting Halo’s dreams because she’d started having nightmares.
A man with a bear mask on had followed Halo into the women’s restroom and done God knows what to her before exiting.
She’d been avoiding me ever since it happened.
“Of course,” Mark finally said.
“Good…have you had any leads?”
Naturally, after we’d left the restaurant, I’d had him get every single copy of security footage he could find from the restaurant and the nearby locations. The man had simply disappeared into the night. It was like he’d never existed and whoever he was, Halo wasn’t going to tell me who he was.
Is she protecting him? I wondered briefly, pulled out of my thoughts.
Mark tried to reassure me. “No, nothing further has developed. But we’re going find him.”
“I hope so,” I murmured, my eyes going back to the screen once again. “I want this motherfucker to understand what happens when you touch what belongs to the Yakuza.”
“Yes sir,” Mark replied.
Once he left, I worked in my office for the rest of the day. I didn’t emerge until it was time for dinner. Whatever Halo was cooking up smelled delicious and it had wafted up into my office.
Locking my laptop, I stood and stretched before making my way downstairs.
My stomach felt weird as if dread had settled there.
The fact that Halo had avoided me since the restaurant had started to bother me when not much else did. No woman had ever made me feel much of anything.
I fucked them.
And then I discarded them.
Women were like a pair of shoes to me. If I liked them after trying them on, I’d keep them around for a while but not much longer.
As I entered the kitchen, I saw the girls setting plates at the table and talking with each other. When they saw me they stopped and immediately came over to eat with me.
“Uncle Ash,” Maggie’s arm went around my waist immediately.
Luna, who was older and more reserved simply smiled and jerked her thumb over her shoulder. “We didn’t know if you were doing dinner. She’s making something.”
“Well, it smells delicious, whatever it is.”
My gaze moved to Halo who had a pair of white earbuds in her ear. She had a glass of wine sitting nearby and was stirring the pot while scrolling on her phone. As I approached, I scanned her phone and saw she was looking at a recipe.
She noticed me and pulled an earbud out, her body tensing for just a moment. Her eyes met my own and I found myself noting she had a little blue fleck in her hazel eyes. There was a deep need to pull her into my arms and kiss her deeply.
I made sure to refrain.
“Are you joining us tonight?” She asked finally looking away.
“Is that alright if I do?”
She shrugged. “It’s your house.”
“Our house,” I said gently as if to reassure her.
Halo turned and gave me a quick false smile. “Whatever you say.”
Quickly, I grabbed her arm not liking her reactions. She stopped in her motions and looked down at my hand.
“Halo...”
Her eyes slowly drifted upward, her eyelashes like black fans. Her lips were so full and pouty and I wanted to kiss her. “What?”
I realized that the room had grown quiet and my nieces were looking at the two of us. It probably looked strange because Halo and I didn’t touch.
“Nothing,” I murmured before removing myself and sitting at the table.
We went about the meal quietly until Maggie had simply had enough. She couldn’t sit still for more than five seconds. Secretly, I was happy.
“Uncle Ashton, are we going to the festival?” She started looking between Halo and me as she shoved food into her mouth.
I winced as food started going everywhere. My sister had been a saint because listening to other people chew drove me nuts. In fact, I preferred to eat alone.
“What festival?” I caught Halo’s eye and she shrugged.
Luna finally interjected. “The school has this carnival every year. The Japanese American Sisterhood helps to put it on. It’s part of why mom had us at that school and why we moved to Atlanta. She wanted us to be in touch with our culture.”
“Oh,” I mumbled feeling slightly dumb that a fourteen-year-old knew more than me.
I still hadn’t figured out much of Abby’s life. The tuition for the girls had been fully paid for but I had no idea how. Abby had been a nurse with a base salary. She didn’t have large pits of money and our parents had cut her off.
“Where is the carnival?” Halo asked.
“Downtown Atlanta,” Luna shrugged.
“So?” Maggie asked, her face wide and food sticking to it.
Halo grinned and leaned over with a napkin. “You’re a messy eater. But if your uncle thinks it”s fine. I’d love to go.”
“Yes!” Maggie giggled while Luna groaned.
“I don’t want to go with grownups,” Luna rolled her eyes.
God the attitude, I took a deep breath.
“Who do you want to go with?” I finally asked after taking a sip of wine.
“Friends,” Luna had leaned back and folded her arms over her chest.
“Boys?”
The question lingered in the air.
“Boys that are friends. A bunch of friends want to go. Mom would have said yes.”
“Luna,” I grimaced. “I understand that. I was simply asking a question.”
She sat up suddenly and wiped her mouth with her napkin. “Can I be excused? Dinner sucked anyway.”
Halo bit at her lip and didn’t say anything. If this was what she’d been dealing with for six months while I’d been away and working, I owed her so much more than a fucking shopping spree.
“Yes, Luna. But we’re going to talk about this later.”
My niece was already standing up, and heading out of the kitchen. That left just Maggie and Halo and myself staring after her.
“She misses Mom,” Maggie said softly.
“I…I still miss my mom too,” Halo offered and I leaned back, shock riding through my body as she spoke. “And you know Maggie, that’s okay to miss her.”
“Even if she’s never coming back?” My niece’s voice just sounded so small.
My emotions were rather reserved and I felt my own eyes stinging. They missed their mother and I missed my sister.
As my niece leaned against Halo, and my wife stroked her shiny black hair comforting her, I gathered up the dirty dishes. The smell of green apple dish soap took over my senses. I became lost in the scalding hot water and dish suds as I scrubbed the white plates. My focus was so intense that I didn’t even know that Halo had left the kitchen with Maggie and returned.
“I don’t think I even thought life was so rough at eight,” Halo leaned against the sink.
I realized we’d traded positions from how it’d been earlier.
“It did seem to be easier,” I nodded.
“I need a glass of wine,” she stepped away and grabbed the bottle sitting on the island.
She poured both of us a glass before leaving me in the kitchen alone again. She’d escaped to go sit by the pool. From the kitchen window, I could see her rolling up the legs of her pants.
The glow from the pool lights cast a blue aura around her body, her curls rustling in the wind.
Drying my hands, I glanced at my phone. My father would be calling any minute wanting a status report on my sister’s murder and my mother would want to know how the girls were doing.
I took the phone, put it on silent, and sat it on the countertop.
Picking up the glass of wine, I went out to join Halo. Surprise slid over her face as I sat down next to her.
The wind had started to pick up, rustling the trees along the property’s edge. A storm seemed to be brewing.
“I think it”s going to rain,” I murmured.
“Fun fact about me,” Halo shrugged. “These are my favorite moments. Right before a storm starts, it”s like everything gets so still.”
“Fun fact about me, I’m terrified of getting electrocuted,” I grimaced as lighting pierced the sky in the distance and then looked to where Halo had her feet in the water.
She chuckled. “How often do you use this pool?”
“Never,” I shrugged. “I bought this house after the whole situation with my sister.”
Halo’s eyes flashed with a bit of sadness. “The girls are so lucky.”
One of her curls began to violently whip in the wind. These days, my desire to touch her in any way possible caused me to burn to the point that it scared me. Desperation coursed through my veins.
Slowly, I reached out and tucked the curl behind her ear. “What do you mean?”
Halo leaned over, our faces close enough that I could feel her warmth before she stood up. “They have you to protect them, something I wish I’d had after my mom,”
Without hesitation, I watched as my wife cleared the edge of the pool and dived in fully clothed.
“Hey!” Alarm rushed through my body, watching her make a splash. “What are you doing?”
Looking up, I found lightning streaks getting closer. Anxiety began to overwhelm me and I waited for her to break to the surface.
“Halo! Seriously, get the fuck out of the pool!”
She resurfaced in the middle of the pool, and her laughter echoed through the backyard. “It’s fine.”
My anxiety was getting the better of me, and the wind was becoming more violent and thunder was rumbling in louder now.
“Halo get out, now!”
She shook her head. “Nope. If you want me out, you have to come in and get me.”
“Halo…”
She grinned at my hesitation, and I took in how heavy her hair looked drenched in pool water. Halo fluttered around in the water. “Ashton…”
Hesitation wracked my body for a few more moments as another crash of thunder could be heard. Finally, I stopped thinking and kicked off my shoes before diving into the pool after her.
The cold water shocked my body as I swam to her, my strokes propelling me in close.
Pushing up through the water, I grabbed her around her waist and we stared at each other for a few moments. “I told you to get out of the pool.”
Thunder cracked again and this time everything around me started to vibrate and I pushed my eyes closed.
Halo draped her arms around me. “It’s okay.”
“It’s not we’re going to get fucking electro…”
Halo’s mouth was crashing against my own, flooding me with warmth. Any worry about being electrocuted went out the window. Nothing mattered as I got lost in the sensation of her mouth on mine.
We pulled apart and studied each other. “I’ve wanted to do that for a while.”
The thunder boomed again. “We really should get out now!”
She nodded and we swam back to the edge and climbed out. We eased into the house, dripping wet.
“Stay here,” I whispered to her.
There was a downstairs bathroom close by with extra towels. Stripping out of my clothes, I wrapped a towel around my waist before coming back out to find Halo staring outside. The rain had picked up and I was glad we were safe inside now.
Halo’s teeth clicked together as she started to shiver. “Thank you.”
She moved to go past me and I made a split decision to stop her. “You kissed me.”
I watched as she bit at her lip. “I did.”
“I liked it,” I whispered back.
Her golden curls were plastered against her head, water still rolling to the ends and dripping. She was the single most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.
I could hear the storm picking up and it seemed to beat in time with my own heart. It was as if the storm was mirroring the two of us in the kitchen. A mix of electricity and desire permeated the air and I smoothed back a wet strand of hair.
“How much did you like it?” Halo’s eyes sparkled, her voice husky and barely a whisper.
I stepped in closer. “I can show you.”
Our mouths crashed together again, the kiss becoming needy. I became aware that all that was separating me and Halo was a towel and her wet clothes. I needed her out of them like I needed air.
Scooping her up into my arms, she gave a slight protest.
Her face turned into a puzzled look. “Whha…where are we going?”
“Spare bedroom,” I replied softly.
I could feel her tense up in my arms, but I waited until we were safely behind closed doors. Sitting her down gently on the bed, I closed the door.
As I turned to face her, Halo’s entire body seemed to be trembling under my gaze. She was looking at the floor and her hands were clenched tightly in her lap.
Slow down…
Taking a breath, even though my dick was harder than it’d ever been in my life, I made myself calm.
“Don’t be nervous,” I whispered.
Halo’s eyes locked with my own, and I saw the hesitation before she stood and eased her shirt from her body followed by the rest of her clothes.
Thunder crashed and rolled making the windows rattle and I heard the air kick on the second we were both naked in front of each other.
Halo’s body was full and curvy. Her breasts were full and her ripe nipples were pale and tight from the pool and the frigid air. I longed to run my hands down her hips that dipped and curved to her plump thighs.
Stepping closer, I pulled her mouth back up to my own.
I loved her mouth.
I couldn’t wait until she was down on her knees sucking my dick for everything, she was worth. My hands couldn’t help themselves as I began to roam her body, sliding up and cupping her breast.
“Ashton…”
“Hmm,” I murmured lost in the sensation of her body as I began to lay kisses against the side of her neck.
“Wait…”
I forced myself to stop even though I’d been caught up in everything I was feeling. She looked away from my gaze and I forced her to look back at me.
“What’s wrong?”
Her face looked so worried, that I thought she might cry. “I’ve never been with anyone.”
A thrill shot through my body and my stomach felt as if I were on a rollercoaster. I couldn’t possibly be hearing what I thought I was hearing.
Shaking my head as if to clear away cobwebs, I took an anxious breath. “No man has ever touched you?”
Halo took a deep breath, “I’m a virgin.”
“Fuck…”
“Are you disappointed?”
I could only grin as our mouths crashed together again. This time when we kissed, I let it consume the both of us. We explored each other’s bodies until I finally eased her onto the bed and pulled the sheets around us.
I promised her that I would be gentle.