Текст книги "Beautifully Loyal"

Автор книги: Nicole Edwards

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Текущая страница: 6 (всего у книги 25 страниц)

Chapter Eleven

She was real, right?

Present day

Thursday, November 5 th

Rock was standing by the bar on the main floor, keeping his eye on the stairs to the VIP section, waiting for Ashlynn to come down. He knew the girl would eventually give in and go see Leyton; he just didn’t know when. She was a stubborn one, no doubt.

Hell, they were all stubborn. Every last Adorite had their own way of doing things, and the only thing they had in common was that they did it whenever they felt like it. And for whatever reason, Rock liked that about them. They were a different breed, made their own path in the world, and he considered himself damn lucky to be part of it.

Standing up straight, Rock peered over when someone tapped him on the arm. He glanced down into the face of a twenty-something chick with too much eyeliner and more than enough red lipstick on her face.

“Care to buy me a drink?”

He bit back the smile. Some of the chicks in this place made him want to laugh. Some tried too hard; others thought that the guys owed them something. He was still waiting for that one woman who would catch his eye but make him chase her. It hadn’t happened yet, and he’d been working at Devil’s Playground for six years.

“Sorry, ma’am,” he replied. “I’m workin’.”

“I didn’t say you had to drink,” she snapped, rolling her eyes and spinning on her heel so fast Rock expected her to face-plant. Luckily, for her sake, she didn’t.

With his hands behind his back, he continued to scan the room, checking out the patrons, watching the stairs for Ashlynn and Jase to come down so he could take them to Leyton.

That was when he saw her.

What felt like a punch to the solar plexus threatened to steal the air from his lungs as he stared across the dance floor, eyes pinned on the most beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes on. And he’d seen some damn fine women in this place. But her… No, he’d never seen someone like her before.

When her gaze slid over to him, Rock swallowed hard, holding her stare momentarily while his heart rate kicked into overdrive.

She was wearing a white, formfitting dress that emphasized every single one of her delicious curves and accentuated her caramel skin. The back… Fuck all. The back of that dress should’ve been illegal. The six crisscross spaghetti straps ran from the curve of her amazing ass up to her shoulders, baring an obscene amount of flesh and making his dick jump to attention.

Her pink, pouty lips glistened in the strobe lights overhead, and Rock suddenly wished that every damn one of these people would go home so he could take that dress off of her. With his teeth.

Unfortunately, her attention drifted back to her friends, and she smiled at them, laughing at something, making Rock feel a little left out in the cold. Although it irritated him that a lot of these women so easily threw themselves at him, most of them because they knew he worked there, he suddenly wished she was one of them. He couldn’t see himself turning her down for a night. No way.

Remembering where he was and what he was supposed to be doing, Rock pulled himself from the lustful fog and glanced over at the stairs once more. Still no Ashlynn.

He did not want to have to go up to the penthouse and tell Leyton that she’d refused him, because that wouldn’t be cool. Despite how Leyton pretended not to be interested in her, Rock knew better. Hell, the guy practically undressed her with his eyes anytime she was in the same room. Watching those two eye-fuck one another gave him hours of endless amusement. Sometimes he just wanted to push the two of them together and watch them tear each other’s clothes off, because there was no doubt in his mind that would happen. Eventually.

“Cherry kiss martini, please.”

Rock glanced over to his left at the sound of the sexy, raspy voice, and it took everything in him not to spin around and plant his elbows on the bar, reducing himself to nothing more than a horny teenager on the prowl when he saw the woman in the white dress standing there, smiling at the bartender.

She was tall. Much taller than he’d expected. Probably six feet without those four-inch stilettos that made her legs look miles long. He could imagine them wrapped around his hips…

“Sure thing,” the bartender replied, winking at her and turning to grab a bottle from the shelf on the mirrored wall behind him before spinning back and casting a flirting glance at the woman again.

Rock felt a strangely possessive, completely foreign desire to punch the little fucker in the nose.

Instead, he swallowed hard and kept his attention on the rest of the room.

“Not gonna talk to me, huh?”

At first, Rock thought she was talking to the bartender, but then he realized the woman in the white dress had asked him that question. He cleared his throat, intended to say something, but nothing came out. Not one fucking syllable.

Her smile lit up her entire face, a flash of pretty white teeth. Her light gray eyes glittered, and he was tempted to drop to the floor and worship at her fucking feet.

Hell.

Before he could find his voice, another woman stumbled over, laughing as she stared at the woman in the white dress, giggling uncontrollably. “Did you ask him?”

His mystery woman met his gaze and shook her head subtly as though telling him she had nothing to do with what was about to happen.

“Is it true?” the short, dark-haired chick asked.

Rock lifted an eyebrow in question.

“You know…”

No, he didn’t know, but he also knew better than to encourage the woman. She’d clearly had too much to drink, and when she tried to get the bartender’s attention, Rock shook his head, letting the bartender know she was cut off.

“You ask him,” the dark-haired woman said, nudging the angel in white.

When her gaze lifted to meet his, Rock wanted to save her from her friend’s likely embarrassing question, but he didn’t know what to say to her. There were a million questions running through his head but not a one of them appropriate.

“Okay, fine,” the brunette slurred. “I’ll just come out and ask. Is it true what they say about bl—”

Rock smirked when the woman in white cupped her hand over her friend’s mouth, effectively stopping her question. He knew what she’d been about to ask. Hell, he’d gotten that question too many times to count. Due to his size, women often asked whether or not his anatomy was proportionate. A few times he’d let the skinny white chicks—the only ones who usually asked—find out for themselves. However, tonight, he had no intention of letting the drunk girl feel his dick to determine for herself. He’d much prefer to hold out for the real deal.

Movement from the second floor caught his attention, and he looked up to see Jase helping Ashlynn down the stairs. That was his cue to get back to work. Leyton had asked him to escort them to the penthouse, so he had to take his leave.

But before he did, he looked over at the angel in white and smiled. “Don’t go anywhere,” he growled.

A small smile tilted her pretty pink mouth, making her eyes crinkle slightly. “I’m not usually good at taking orders,” she said in that sexy rasp of hers.

Ah, hell. His dick twitched.

Seeing that Jase and Ashlynn had made it to the bottom of the stairs, he knew he had to go, but he leaned in once before he walked away. “You’ve never had orders from the right man, then.”

With that, he left her staring after him, that beautiful smile on her mouth. And while he made his way across the crowded dance floor, he prayed like hell she’d be there when he got back. And maybe then he’d be smart enough to get her name.

Chapter Twelve

Fucking hell.

Jase knew after her second drink that Ashlynn was wrestling with her demons tonight. He should’ve cut her off before now, but two hours, five mojitos later, she was fit to be tied, ready to take down anyone and everyone around her. It had actually been a blessing that Leyton had summoned her, because convincing her that the people in the club weren’t out to get her was beginning to get old.

No one said Ashlynn didn’t have any flaws. The woman had lived a brutal life, having endured a hell that most people didn’t even know existed. And while she attempted to numb the pain with booze and sex, Jase knew, beneath it all, there was a vulnerable woman who needed someone to take care of her. He had easily stepped into that role, and it wasn’t a hardship, because during the time they’d been together, Jase had fallen in love with her, even though he knew she didn’t feel the same for him.

Not entirely, anyway.

Yeah, he got the impression she cared about him. She wouldn’t allow him to sleep in her bed if she didn’t. But as far as loving him, he wasn’t sure Ashlynn Adorite was capable of love.

Then again, he’d thought the same thing about Max, and the man was now married, so what the hell did he know?

Helping Ashlynn out of the elevator on the top floor of the building that connected to Devil’s Playground, Jase nodded at Sal, who was standing guard, watching the monitors outside the penthouse suite that Max owned.

“Let him know we’re here,” Jase instructed.

“He knows,” Sal told him. “He said for you both to go in.”

Jase was surprised that Leyton was inviting him inside as well. Ashlynn he understood, but him… They hadn’t said a single word to one another since Jase had walked out of Max’s office on Sunday. No matter how many times he replayed their conversation in his head, Jase couldn’t help but think he’d fucked up. That he’d pushed Leyton too far. It didn’t seem to matter that he couldn’t see it happening any other way than how it had.

Opening the door, Jase held Ashlynn steady on her feet. She wasn’t belligerent anymore, thank Christ, but the alcohol had definitely dulled her senses, and she was leaning into him.

“You got her drunk?” Leyton growled when they stepped inside the penthouse, the door closing behind them.

“Yes,” Jase snapped. “I got her drunk.”

“He doesn’t tell me what I can and can’t do,” Ashlynn slurred. “I got myself drunk, thank you very fucking much.”

Jase watched Leyton. The man was studying Ashlynn as though trying to figure her out. He could’ve told him that wasn’t possible. The woman was an enigma, and he never knew what to expect from her. Like tonight. They’d had dinner at the house with the rest of Ashlynn’s security team, but then, when he thought she would retreat for the evening, she’d somehow convinced him to bring her to Devil’s Playground.

“Why’d you summon us here?” Ashlynn asked, pulling away from Jase as she moved over to the window that overlooked downtown Dallas. “Are you finally ready to give in to your dark side?”

Leyton shook his head as though trying to dislodge his brain. Jase understood what he was going through. More often than not, he felt lost, but that was because he found himself in awe of Ashlynn most of the time.

“I don’t have a dark side,” Leyton stated.

Ashlynn laughed without mirth. “Tell me you don’t really believe that shit.”

Jase couldn’t hide his smile.

“Drink?” Leyton asked him.

Jase declined with a shake of his head. He had to get Ashlynn home in one piece, and since she was three sheets to the wind, he had to remain sober.

“Quit stalling,” Ashlynn demanded, turning around and glaring at Leyton. “You’ve got ten seconds before I get naked.”

Okay, that wasn’t what he’d expected her to say, and clearly Leyton was just as surprised as he was.

Once again, Leyton shook his head. Jase had spent the last couple of hours with Ashlynn, so, honestly, at this point, nothing out of her mouth should surprise him.

“Sit,” Leyton encouraged. When Ashlynn narrowed her eyes at him, he added, “Please.”

Jase took a seat on one of the leather sofas.

“We need to talk about … whatever the two of you seem to be after.”

Wow. Jase was surprised Leyton was so straightforward. He’d actually expected the guy to hem and haw before getting down to the reason they’d been called there.

That got Ashlynn’s attention as well. “I was thinkin’ we needed to chat about your voyeuristic tendencies. They’re gettin’ a little outta hand, if you wanna know the truth.” Ashlynn didn’t bother to sit. She crossed her arms over her chest, making her breasts swell over the top of her strapless dress. If Jase had to guess, she didn’t have anything on beneath that skimpy black dress.

“The same could be said about your public exhibitionism,” Leyton countered, carrying a tumbler of scotch with him when he took a seat on the sofa across from Jase.

“Is that what it’s called when I like to fuck in public?”

Jase knew she was simply being crass, but he watched the interaction between the pair. It was quite possibly the highlight of his evening.

“Ashlynn…” Leyton sounded as though he wanted to reprimand her, but he stopped.

“So, which of us has the problem?” she probed. “You for wanting to watch me fuck Jase, or me for wanting you to watch?”

Leyton’s eyes widened slightly, clearly shocked by her blunt question.

“Do you wanna watch now?” Ashlynn moved toward Jase. “Is that why you beckoned us up here?”

Leyton cleared his throat.

“I think that’s a yes.” Ashlynn smiled at Jase as she stopped directly in front of him.

“That’s not—”

Leyton didn’t get the words out before Ashlynn lifted the hem of her dress, baring her ass for Leyton and giving Jase a remarkable view of her waxed pussy. He’d been right, she didn’t have a stitch on beneath that tiny bit of cloth that had covered the bare necessities.

His mouth suddenly watered with the need to taste her.

She turned to face Leyton, and Jase peered around her to see Leyton’s face. As Jase’s had, Leyton’s eyes slid right to the apex of her thighs.

“You like what you see?” she taunted.

“That’s not it,” Leyton acknowledged, his words raspy, his cock tenting his slacks.

Jase knew then that this was a bad idea. If Leyton thought he’d had any control whatsoever over Ashlynn, she was about to prove him wrong, and Jase was going to have a front-row seat.

Things heated up more when Ashlynn pushed the top of her dress down, freeing her breasts. Jase didn’t bother to move when she eased down onto his lap, still facing Leyton. She leaned back against him, spreading her legs wide while Leyton continued to eye her.

His dick hardened beneath her ass and throbbed as she ground against him while getting situated.

“Did you call me up here to tell me that this is too much temptation for you?” Ashlynn reached for Jase’s hands and placed them over her breasts, moaning when he touched her. “Do you enjoy watching when Jase pinches my nipples? Because I enjoy the fuck out of it.”

For only a moment did Jase consider putting a stop to this. Righting Ashlynn’s dress and carrying her out of there would’ve been simple.

Instead, Jase decided to go all in, pinching her nipples and preparing himself for what was to come.

After all, what the hell did he have to lose?

Chapter Thirteen

He would always be her shield from evil.

Eleven years ago

Ashlynn knew her father would be angry at her for hiding out in her room while everyone else was downstairs celebrating her fifteenth birthday, but she was also hoping they would think she had run away.

Well, one person in particular. Uncle Patrick. Her father’s older brother.

The mere thought of him made her want to puke. After last week, when he’d stopped by to check on her, or so he’d told her father, she didn’t want to be in the same room with him. He creeped her out. He’d always been strange, but it was during that visit that Ashlynn had known there was something seriously wrong with him.

Samuel and Patrick weren’t especially close, but that didn’t stop Patrick from always showing up uninvited. Apparently her uncle was pretty pissed that her dad was in command of the family instead of him, and he enjoyed making sure everyone knew how disgruntled he was.

A knock sounded on her bedroom door, and her eyes flew up, fear churning in her gut.

“Who is it?” she hesitantly called out.

“It’s me, sweetheart. I wanted to check on you.”

Oh, shit. Uncle Patrick.

“I’m not feelin’ well,” she lied. “I’ll be down in a bit.”

There wasn’t a lock on her door, so she knew he could come in if he wanted to, and to her horror, that was exactly what he did, closing the door behind him.

“What’s the matter, honey?”

She’d always known there was something weird about the way he looked at her, even when she’d been too young to understand. But she had no misconceptions now. He was a sick, perverted bastard, and for some disgusting reason, he had set his sights on her.

“Nothing. I’ll be down in a few minutes,” she told him, getting up from her bed and walking over to the vanity table she used to put on her makeup. She didn’t sit down, not wanting to be at a disadvantage with him there.

Her dismissal didn’t seem to faze him one bit. He approached, his slow perusal making her skin crawl.

“Are you sick?” he questioned, crowding her into the corner.

No, but she was going to be if he came any closer.

He lifted his hand and she flinched. When he pressed his clammy fingers to her forehead, bile rose in her throat.

“You don’t feel feverish,” he said in that soothing tone he thought made him sound as though he actually cared. “Is it your tummy?”

Her tummy? Really? He was a grown man and she was fifteen years old; couldn’t he think of a better word? Then again, Patrick had always talked to her like that. Treating her as though she were still a child, always wanting her to sit on his lap so he could hug her. Even tonight, at the party, he’d attempted to do so, but Ashlynn had pretended not to notice him.

Unfortunately, she wasn’t able to pretend now. He was crowding her, standing so close she could see the dark whiskers shadowing his cheek and smell the whiskey on his breath.

His other hand pressed against her stomach, and Ashlynn jumped back, slamming her shoulder into the wall.

“I just want to feel, to see what’s wrong,” Uncle Patrick told her. “I can help, honey. Trust me.”

“I think you should leave,” she said through clenched teeth.

“Is that any way to speak to your uncle?”

His hand pressed more insistently on her stomach, and she swallowed hard, wondering what he would do if she threw up on him. Because it was beginning to be a real possibility.

Her door opened and her father’s head appeared. He briefly regarded them. “Is everything okay in here?”

“Of course,” Patrick said, not bothering to look at her father. “We’re just talking. We’ll be down in a minute.”

Samuel’s ice-cold glare locked on her face, and Ashlynn felt a chill slither over her entire body. He knew what was going on, but he didn’t have any intention of stopping it.

God, she hated him almost as much as she hated Uncle Patrick.

The nauseous feeling returned.

“I’m ready to go downstairs now,” Ashlynn blurted. “I’m feeling better.”

“No, you’re not,” Patrick said matter-of-factly. “Close the door, Sam. We’ll be down when we’re done … talking,” he told her father.

“Do what you need to do,” Samuel said, his tone far too casual for what was going on. “But you need to keep it down. You don’t want Max coming up here.”

Yes, she did. Ashlynn definitely wanted Max to come looking for her. Maybe he would stop Uncle Patrick from … whatever it was he was doing.

Her father met her eyes once more, not an ounce of remorse on his face, then slipped back out of the room, closing the door behind him. Ashlynn tried to free herself from between Patrick’s body and the wall, but his hand pressed down harder on her stomach, his other hand sliding to her thigh.

She knew she shouldn’t have worn a skirt today, but she’d wanted to look nice for the party. Namely, she’d wanted to look good for Leyton. But now, the short skirt made her feel underdressed.

“I’m fine, Uncle Patrick,” she told him hurriedly, meeting his gaze. “I really am ready to go back downstairs.”

His hand trailed up her thigh, and she instinctively reacted, pushing him away. Before she could escape, he grabbed her, spinning her around and slamming her onto her bed, facedown.

“I’ve been waiting for this day,” Patrick growled against her ear. All pretenses that he was worried had vanished completely.

Ashlynn squirmed, trying to get free, but he had one hand on the back of her neck, forcing her face into her comforter, which meant screaming wouldn’t do much good, though she tried, anyway.

“Stop! Don’t do this!” Unfortunately, the words were too muted to be understood. She cried out when his hand roughly went between her legs, his fingers tearing at her panties.

Oh, God! What was he doing?

Ashlynn kicked and flailed, desperate to get away from him, but he was so much stronger.

“You heard your father,” Patrick said. “You need to be quiet. It’ll be much easier if you just do as you’re told.”

“Never!” she exclaimed. “Oh, my God! You’re gross! Get away from me!”

“I’ve seen the way you look at boys,” Patrick grumbled, clearly ignoring her rant. “I thought you’d be happy about this, honey. You want this as much as I do, don’t you, sweetheart?”

He was a lunatic! “Please don’t,” she whimpered, still trying to get free.

“I always hoped you’d come to me one day, but it looks as though I have to take matters into my own hands.”

No. God, no! He touched her between her legs again, and she screamed at the top of her lungs, jerking back and forth, trying to dislodge him, but he shifted, holding her down with more of his body weight.

Where was her mother? Or her brothers? Why didn’t they come looking for her?

Then she remembered Samuel and the way he’d eyed them. He was giving his brother permission to… “No! Don’t. Please don’t!”

Patrick ripped her panties off as he held her down by her neck, then used his free hand to work his pants open. Ashlynn knew he was going to rape her, and she feared there wasn’t anything she could do to stop him. Tears leaked from her eyes as she continued to fight. It was the only thing she could do, because she damn sure wasn’t going to give in. For a brief moment, she thought she’d managed to overpower him, getting to her knees and knocking his hand away, but he grabbed her and shoved her down just as quickly.

“Don’t move and it won’t hurt,” he said, his tone lethal. “Your father promised me this. And it’s time to pay up.”

Ashlynn couldn’t stop the sobs that racked her body as she rolled, trying to get out from under him, but she couldn’t.

“Move one more inch, and I will shoot you where you stand.”

Ashlynn’s heart skipped a beat.

Max.

He was there.

She cried out.

“Take your hands off her, you sick fuck. Right. Now.”

“You need to go downstairs, son,” Patrick told Max. “This is none of your business. It’s between me and your father.”

“As of right now,” Max said roughly, “it’s between you and the bullet in my gun. Move away from her.”

The instant Patrick let her go, Ashlynn jumped from the bed, stumbling to the floor and scooting away from him as fast as she could, heading for the corner. She covered herself as best she could, but he’d ripped her skirt during the scuffle.

“I told you to stay out of this,” Patrick said, his tone eerily calm. “Like I said, this is between your father and me. She’s been promised to me, Max. That’s somethin’ you don’t have control over.”

“I have more control than you know,” Max countered, his gun still aimed at Patrick, his jaw tense.

“You’re wrong about that.” Patrick seemed insistent on making Max understand.

“I’m never wrong. If I ever fucking catch you puttin’ your hands on my sister again, I’ll kill you.”

“Well, you better shoot me now,” Patrick dared. “Because I will take what’s rightfully mine.”

“Is that what you want?” Max asked, sounding genuinely interested in the answer to his question.

Ashlynn’s eyes widened when she realized her brother was going to kill Patrick. She’d always suspected that he would do whatever it took to protect her, but to kill their uncle...

Max’s gaze dropped to her face as though he was looking for her input. It was then that Ashlynn realized Leyton had come into the room, standing directly behind Max, his eyes leveled on Patrick. He looked angry.

Ashlynn didn’t know what she should do, what she should say. Would Leyton think she was crazy if she told Max to kill Patrick? As far as she was concerned, there was only one right answer.

What no one knew was that her brother and her father weren’t the only two whose souls were dark. She’d lived in their world for fifteen years, seen things that she doubted they had wanted her to see. Ashlynn knew things. And she knew for a fact that if Patrick wasn’t stopped, he would come after her again. And what if Max wasn’t there next time? What if she couldn’t save herself?

Patrick would rape her and he’d smile while he did it.

What if he went after Madison? She couldn’t live with herself if this sick fuck hurt her sister.

Bile rose in her throat as she looked up at her uncle.

“Honey,” Patrick said, his tone soothing once more, “tell your brother this is between you and me. We’ll get it settled and go back down to the party. Once it’s over, I’ll never bother you again.”

“You’re a pervert,” she hissed. “You make me sick.”

Patrick sneered at her. “I’ll enjoy taking your virginity, and Madison’s, too, and leaving the mess for your mother to clean up. You can ask her how it feels; she knows firsthand. It’s your destiny. A whore, just like her.”

“Kill. Him,” Ashlynn ground out, never looking away from Patrick. “Or let me do it.”

One shot.

That was all it took.

At Max’s request, Leyton had grabbed some of Ashlynn’s clothes from her closet and carried them to the guest bedroom down the hall. It had taken a little more effort to get Ashlynn to come with him, but eventually Leyton convinced her and then herded her into the bathroom, telling her to take a shower. She hadn’t relented until he’d promised he wouldn’t leave.

So he’d stayed, standing in the far corner, staring out the window at the seemingly ignorant people down by the pool. They were smiling and laughing, some playing in the water, others chatting it up near the elaborate outdoor kitchen, where hot dogs were being grilled.

No one seemed to realize that the stench of death was permeating the walls of the house.

Patrick was dead and Max was dealing with that. Undoubtedly there would be fallout that came along with the cleanup, but Leyton couldn’t say he was disappointed. He still couldn’t believe what they’d walked in on. He’d known something was wrong when Samuel had returned to the living room but his attention had continued to stray to the stairs. When Max had asked where Ashlynn was, Samuel had insisted Max stay out of it.

When Max had taken off, Leyton had been right behind him, bounding up the stairs when Ashlynn’s tormented scream echoed down the hall. And that was when the world had come to a jarring halt—the instant they’d stepped into Ashlynn’s bedroom to find her being held down by her fucking uncle.

The sick fucker had been planning to rape his own niece. What kind of person did that?

The thought made him want to throw up.

He heard the bathroom door open and he turned. Ashlynn appeared, wearing a long-sleeve shirt and pajama pants, her dark hair wet, her eyes red and puffy from crying.

“You okay?” He knew it was a stupid question, but he couldn’t think of anything else to say.

She shook her head.

“Can I get you something?” he asked.

Another head shake.

Leyton was at a loss. He had no idea what to do next, but he knew he couldn’t leave her. She looked so lost, so confused, and he didn’t have to guess why. Not only had her own family member been planning to do something so unthinkable, so horrific, but she’d watched as her brother had shot and killed him. It reminded Leyton of the day Max had killed Carl at Leyton’s insistence. Strange how it hadn’t affected him any differently. Watching a person die, a person as vile as those two… Leyton didn’t harbor an ounce of remorse for either of them.

“Will you hold me?” Ashlynn asked, and Leyton realized she’d come to stand in front of him.

“Uhh…” He didn’t know how to answer that. He still vividly remembered the day Ashlynn had kissed him, right there in this very room. He’d been sixteen at the time, her thirteen. It had seemed so wrong yet so right at the same time. Somehow, Leyton had managed to push her away. That hadn’t stopped him from thinking about that sweet, perfect kiss.

Ashlynn must’ve taken his confusion as a yes, because she took his hand, pulling him until he got with the program. He followed her as she moved to the bed, and he hoped like hell she didn’t feel his hand shaking. Her touch… Just that little bit did something strange to him, something that he wasn’t willing to acknowledge.

She was fifteen fucking years old, for chrissakes. He was eighteen.

He might not have many morals, but that … being with someone so young, so inexperienced… Leyton couldn’t fathom it.

When Ashlynn crawled onto the bed and looked at him expectantly, Leyton simply stared back at her. Not sure what to do, he finally sat down, putting his back to the headboard. Ashlynn then pressed up against his side, her head on his chest, and he wrapped one arm around her.

It was then that she let go, sobbing uncontrollably while he held her.

He had no idea how long they remained like that, but Leyton wouldn’t have complained if he’d had to sit right there for the rest of his life. The room eventually grew dark, but no one came in to bother them, and Leyton couldn’t bring himself to get up although he knew she was asleep.

It was then that he suspected his affections for Ashlynn—though she was far too young for him—weren’t entirely unselfish. But he vowed to keep that to himself.

After all, what other choice did he have?