Chapter 7 #3
As they gathered their things, she wondered which one of them would be more eager for the arrival of the seventy-third hour.
She fished her phone out of her backpack and drafted a message to Forest. He needed to know about Spencer cheating on her, Ash’s appearance, and whatever this three-day experiment was about. And, if Ash turned out to be some ax-wielding psychopath, Forest would need to recover her body.
Ash led her around to the parking lot out back. The lights of a beat-up black Jeep with oversized tires and a lift kit flashed.
“My baby.” His chest expanded with pride. “Bought it myself when I was seventeen.”
She pointed to the vehicle and then to him. Unable to keep the smile from her face, she said, “Black Jeep, black jacket, black jeans, and black shirt? Either you’re crazy about the color black, or you’re seriously depressed.”
His lips curved. “Wiseass, get in my Jeep.”
But there was a guitar case in the way. He hefted the case into the rear, freeing up the passenger seat.
“You play?”
Another of his amazing smiles brightened his face. “From time to time.”
He went around to the other side. Once inside, he removed the sunglasses, folded them up, and placed them on the dash.
She leaned toward. “Let me look at that cut.”
He swatted her hand away. “It’s fine.”
She used her authoritative doctor’s voice. “Let me see it.”
He turned toward her. It was not as bad as she’d feared but worse than it should have been.
Someone had slapped Steri-Strips across it and used superglue to seal the edges. Not a bad job, but she could have sutured it, so the cut would heal with hardly a scar.
“You told me you were going to have it taken care of.” She traced the line of the cut. The puckered raw edges made her shake her head. “You should have let me stitch it up.”
He squeezed her hand. “I know, but now, I have a battle scar from fighting over my girl.” His eyes flashed in the light, sparkling with more brilliance than Spencer's diamond.
“I’m not your girl.”
“Well, when I tell the story of how I won you over, it’ll be priceless.” He released her hand and turned on the ignition. “Now, how do I get to your place?”
She wasn’t sure how she felt about the scar, but from the way Ash’s chest puffed out, he seemed proud of it.
He slipped the Jeep into traffic and wove between the cars. Hard rock streamed through the speakers. As she leaned forward to reach the speaker controls so that she could turn the music down for him to hear the directions to her place, her gaze caught on the spiderweb tattoo covering his neck.
The web had been inked in black, but up close, she saw the edges had been outlined in red.
Some of the strands oozed blood. In the center, the dragon she had only glimpsed before stared out at her with a defiant glare.
The silk seemed to sway under the dragon’s weight as its talons curled around the bloody strands.
Its ruby eyes gleamed with a fiery glow, and the blackbird, which she’d originally thought was ensnared by the dragon, was instead held with a gentle grip.
Catching her out of the corner of his eye, he fractionally turned his head as he pulled up to a Stop sign. “You’re staring.”
A flush warmed her neck and crept up her cheeks. “Sorry, but your tattoo is amazing.”
He rubbed at his neck. “Yeah, one of my many acts of teenage defiance. Totally freaked my mom out.”
“How old were you when you got it?”
“Seventeen. Got it the same day I bought the Jeep, but it took a few years to finish it off.”
“I thought you had to be eighteen to get a tattoo?”
“Well, I knew the artist. Mom didn’t speak to me for a week. I got the web first.”
“Does it mean anything?”
“Maybe. But I’m not going to spill all my secrets on the first date.”
“Is that what this is? A first date?”
“Not really.” He reached over and stroked her thigh. The heat of his palm radiated through the fabric of her jeans, stirring arousal elsewhere. “Technically, it’s the second. No way can I forget our first kiss.”
His brows quirked with mischief while her cheeks flushed again.
He focused on the traffic and curled his fingers around her hand. “You look scared to death. Don’t be. I pride myself on being a man of my word.”
This whole situation was crazy, their agreement was insane, but she was willing to take a chance on Ash.
Half a block later, he pulled into the driveway of her modest two-bedroom brownstone.
Forest had wanted to buy her a bigger place, but the mortgage fit within the salary she pulled from her job at the hospital. He didn’t like that she’d taken out a mortgage either, but it was important to her to live within her means as a physician.
Ash put the mirrored sunglasses back on and hopped out, coming around to open her door. She wasn’t sure what to think about the fact that he shared that trait with Spencer.
“Come inside.”
He shook his head. “Too risky.”
“What does that mean?”
“This isn’t the cabin. Our three days haven’t officially begun yet. Best I wait in the car.” He lowered those stupid glasses and pinned her with a penetrating deep gaze. “Me and my junk will be right here. Don’t take too long. Otherwise, I’ll be forced to come looking for you.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
He pushed the glasses up, hiding his beautiful eyes.
“If I come in there, I’m going to kiss you.
If I kiss you, I’m going to touch you.” He took a step toward her, closing the distance, forcing her heart into a rapid flutter.
His voice lowered as he spoke in her ear, “I’ll peel off all your clothes and make you forget all about your maybe, maybe-not fiancé until my name is the only sound you make. ”
She imagined him doing exactly that and bit her lower lip.
He took a step back. “Technically, our trip hasn’t started. My promise isn’t in effect. As soon as I pile you into my Jeep and take you to this cabin, I’m going to regret giving you my word because I already know what it feels like to touch you. Unless that’s what you want…”
She had no words.
He gave a shake of his head. “Okay then, I’ll be waiting right here. I’m not fucking this up. Not that I don’t want to follow you right now. Sex is great. But you should know, I’m after the bigger prize.”
Holy hell in a hand basket. Did this guy have no filter?
With the sunglasses, there was no way to know if he was telling the truth or teasing.
Half of her wanted to find out if he would carry through on his threat. As threats went, that one sounded like a lot of fun.
She twisted the door handle and stepped across the threshold. “I’ll be out in ten minutes. No need to come get me.”
Her bags were already packed. All she needed to do was tell Forest and cancel the rental car.
Inside, the quiet of her house reminded her of the starkness of her life. The one devoid of a strange man, a three-day agreement, and scorching kisses that threatened to undo everything she’d fought to build.
She scanned Spencer's prenup into a file to send off to Forest.
Spencer promised a future she’d always dreamed of having. Could she really walk away from all the time she’d invested in achieving her most precious dream?
But she needed answers. And Ash might be the only clear signal in the confusing noise of her life right now.
A loud pounding sounded on her door after a few minutes.
“Skye,” he called out, “it’s been fifteen minutes. Don’t make me come in there. I don’t like breaking promises.”
She glanced at the door, a ghost of a smile lifting the corners of her mouth. While she knew next to nothing about Ash, her gut told her that his singular comment encapsulated the truth about him.
As much fun as it would be to let him in and have him ravage her as they both wanted, deep down, she knew they needed to wait.
“I’m on my way!”
She pressed the Send button and packed up her laptop. What would Forest think?
With her backpack slung over her shoulder and her day bag clutched in her hand, she headed out.
Three days with a man with emerald eyes, a magnetic voice, and the ability to melt her from the inside promised so many things.
She shut the door to her brownstone and locked her practical half inside.