Текст книги "Traded"

Автор книги: Rebecca Brooke

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Текущая страница: 18 (всего у книги 19 страниц)

CHAPTER 29

Elena

I woke up feeling deliciously sore. After my nap, Ashton had made us dinner, which we ate without bothering to dress. Despite my hunger I was barely able to finish my meal; the sight of his hard length and muscled abs almost drove me to distraction. I did my best not to make it too obvious but I wasn’t quick enough because the second Ashton noticed, he scooped me from the stool and carried me over his shoulder back to our room. After that . . . I wasn’t distracted anymore.

Our room.

It felt weird to say, but if I was moving in then that’s what it was.

Ours.

My life was finally on the right track. The man I was with treated me like a princess, like I was the only person in the world who mattered. I had a wonderful new career. And I was weeks away from being free of the proverbial ball and chain that had been weighing me down.

Life was good.

Seeing as he was always looking after me, I decided to do something special for Ashton. Sneaking out of bed, I threw on the silk robe he bought me and tiptoed downstairs to start breakfast.

Once I’d started the coffee pot, I searched the pantry until I located all the necessary ingredients for my mother’s famous Belgian waffles. They went perfectly with bacon.

I was just pouring the coffee when two strong arms slipped around my waist, and Ashton began nibbling on my neck as I poured the batter for the last waffle into the iron.

“You don’t have to make me breakfast.”

Turning, I wrapped my arms around his waist. “I know, but I wanted to. You helped me work up such an appetite last night. I was starving this morning.”

I covered the waffles with strawberries, whipped cream, and powdered sugar, then took them over to the table. They smelled divine—even if I did say so myself. Ashton dived for the coffee the minute the mug touched the table.

“Mmm. This is exactly what I needed.” He took his first bite and moaned. “That’s absolutely delicious.”

“Thank you. It’s a recipe my mom used to make.”

“Just saying, you can make these anytime you like.”

I giggled and started on my own breakfast. That meant a lot coming from someone who owned three of his own restaurants.

A few minutes later he set his fork down, the look on his face somewhere between anxious and pensive. It was not a look I liked at any time, but especially not while he was eating my mom’s special waffles. These things were like heaven on a plate so whatever was on his mind could not be good. I waited, but when he remained silent I stopped eating to see what he wanted.

“You don’t have a show tonight, right?”

I shook my head. “No, we have rehearsal for a few hours this afternoon, but that’s it.”

“I’d like you to come to a drop with me.”

“A drop?” I had a feeling I knew what he meant, but I wanted to make sure.

“A payment. I have a client meeting me at the box tonight.”

The box.

It was one of the last places I wanted to go, and Ashton knew that. He had to. There had to be a reason he wanted me to go with him.

“Can I ask why?”

He leaned toward me taking one of my hands in his. “Last night you agreed to stay with me—to be mine. The only way I’ll know if you can accept the life I lead is if you come and see exactly what it is we do.”

My eyes dropped to the floor. “I’ve seen what you do—first hand, remember?”

A finger slid under my chin, forcing my gaze back up. “I know there are a lot of bad memories for you there, but if you hadn’t been there that night, we wouldn’t be together now. It’s different being on the other side. Trust me.”

I warred with myself, unsure of what to do. If I went, could I push away the bad memories long enough to observe objectively, or would it bother me too much?

Either way, sitting there, watching Ashton, I knew he wasn’t doing this just for me. He was doing it for us. This was my opportunity to show him that I trusted him.

“Okay.”

He smiled and all the tension left his body, and I knew I’d made the right call. Whether or not I would be completely cut out for this, I didn’t know. But I at least owed it to Ashton to give it a try.

* * *

A little bit after breakfast, Ashton left for The Bluewater Grill. He had a lot of work to do and not a lot of time to do it in. While he was at work, I spent the day on the phone with Arthur, trying to see if we could get the paperwork for a contested divorce expedited. I knew Dominic wouldn’t sign, but I guess somewhere in the back of my mind, I hoped he might make it easy on me for once.

Yeah right.

My stomach churned while I showered and got dressed for the day. From the moment I’d come to stay with Ashton, he’d taught me to be independent; to stand up for myself; to recognize that I was worth someone’s love. I had a hard time equating that man with the one who collected debts, threatening people who didn’t pay. I didn’t want seeing him in action to cloud my opinion of him.

When it was time to leave, Brock met me out front. I very nearly blanked him, my mind still lost in this morning’s conversation.

“Hey, Elena,” Brock called out when I reached the car.

His voice startled me out of my thoughts. “Hi, Brock.” Ashton had talked to me the night before about Brock staying with me when he wasn’t able to. After the events of the day before, he was worried what else Dominic might try. If he made bail, that was.

“You all right?” He opened the car door for me.

“Yeah. Just stuck in my head today.”

“Don’t worry, that piece of shit won’t get anywhere near you,” he said through clenched teeth.

I smiled at the harsh tone in his voice. It probably should have scared me, the menace radiating from him, but it didn’t. It filled me with relief. For the first time someone was willing to protect me.

“I know. It’s not him. I know you and Ashton won’t let him near me.” For some unknown reason, I felt like opening up to someone. Brock, who didn’t seem like the feeling type, happened to be the only one with me, besides Lewis, so he was my only option.

“I’m more worried about going with Ashton tonight.”

“To the game?” His brow creased.

“I’ve only ever seen Ashton like . . . that one time, and it was a day I prefer to forget.”

He shrugged. “It’s in the past. I know Mrs. Hawes went with Mr. Hawes one time. He swears it’s the main reason they’ve stayed married so long.”

“He did?”

Although it surprised me to hear, I could see his point.

Brock nodded once.

“Are you telling me that Ashton wants me to go so his business won’t interfere with our relationship?”

“Yeah. I know he wasn’t all that keen, but I’d be willing to bet Mr. Hawes or Miller talked him to it.”

A warmth spread through me at Brock’s reasoning, yet it wasn’t enough to alleviate the queasy feeling I’d had since breakfast.

“It’ll be fine,” he said, as we pulled up to the theater. “Ashton talked to Alan and he’s okay with me sitting in the back throughout rehearsals.

“Sounds good to me.”

Brock stepped out of the car first and helped me out. “Don’t worry, he’s still in jail. We’ll know if and when he gets out.”

“Okay.”

I had no idea what Dominic was capable of. He’d never put a hand on me before, but the crazed look in his eyes didn’t leave me with a whole lot of comfort. It was clear that he was far from stable; especially now the three months were up and I hadn’t returned home. But Brock’s presence made me feel safe, and I had to trust that he would look out for me.

For the next few hours I tried to push all of it from my mind. If my performance was affected, Alan didn’t mention anything. But when rehearsal ended, he pulled me aside.

“Is everything okay? I heard you and Ashton disappeared after the police let him go.”

I forced a smile. “It is. I’m still getting used to the idea of living with Ashton permanently. Obviously, the last time I agreed to live with a man things didn’t turn out so well.”

“Ashton is nothing like that piece of shit you were married to. Besides, he needs someone like you in his life.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Ashton is consumed by his work. He needs someone to remind him that life isn’t all about money.” He smiled.

I flung my arms around his neck and placed a quick kiss to his cheek. “Thank you. I needed to hear that today.”

“You’re welcome. Now get going, before Brock goes crazy.”

I practically danced up the aisle, finally feeling more confident. For the first time since we’d met, I could be something more for Ashton. I was beginning to believe that we had potential, that we could make it. And not only that; other people could see it too. It was a heady feeling of content mixed with excitement. It was unfamiliar, but definitely not unwelcome.

Brock watched me prance out to the car while he walked behind me, muttering something unintelligible under his breath. But I didn’t care. My good mood was infectious. He’d soon be smiling again.

Not that I’d ever seen Brock smile . . . not that I could recall.

When I arrived back at the house there were still a few hours before Ashton came home, so I decided on a hot bubble bath. The steam from the warm water relaxed my tired muscles as I sunk lower into the water. My eyes slid closed and I inhaled deeply, the scent of lavender washing over me. It was bliss.

A soft knock at the door brought me out of my daze. There in the doorframe stood Ashton, his heated gaze glued to the receding bubbles at my chest.

“Fuck. If we didn’t need to be somewhere, I’d climb in with you.” A salacious smiled curved his lips.

Swirling my fingers through the bubbles, I teased him. “Wouldn’t that be fun.”

“Get out of the tub, before I spank your cute little ass again.”

I’d let him try that one night a few weeks ago and his words evoked a memory that made my core ache. Needless to say, I hadn’t been disappointed.

Sinking my teeth into my bottom lip, I stood and stepped out of the tub, making sure every movement was slow and exaggerated. We didn’t have time, I knew that, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t have some fun.

He groaned and took a step back. “I’ll be downstairs. If I come anywhere near you, we won’t be leaving the house tonight.”

Ashton knew exactly how to boost a girl’s courage. “In that case, I’ll be down in a few,” I said, batting my eyelashes. He shook his head, a smile on his lips before he headed through the door, mumbling all the way.

As soon as he left I raced to get ready, grabbing a salmon sundress from the closet and plucking matching accessories from my ever expanding closet. I had more clothes now than I’d had my entire life. Ashton really needed to stop spending money on me. But we’d talk about that later.

When I was finally ready, I went downstairs to meet Ashton, who I found in the foyer, keys in hand. He paced the floor to the point he could have worn a hole in it. The sound of my shoes hitting the floor must have caught his attention, because he turned around and froze.

“Damn. Wet and naked you were edible. That dress . . .” He blew out a long breath through pursed lips, “I could bend you over the nearest surface and fuck you until you can’t walk tomorrow.”

I had to squeeze my legs together to keep from running over and jumping him. He grabbed my hand and pulled me out the door. “Let’s go. I only have so much control. Just know this—your body’s mine when we get home.”

Trying to rile him up even more, I grabbed his ass. Then, without warning, I was moving, my back up against the car, Ashton devouring my lips. Before I could even process what had just happened, he broke the connection and opened my door.

“After you.” He gestured into the car.

I stared at him for a few moments, unable to catch my breath. When he didn’t move I climbed in, watching him as he shut my door and moved around to his side. After we pulled out onto the road, I turned to him.

“What was that all about?”

“That,” he said with a smirk, “was to get you as riled up as me, you tease. Now I’m not the only horny one.”

No doubt about it.

Shifting in my seat, I tried to ease the need pulsing between my legs, but nothing seemed to help.

“Don’t worry,” he whispered. “I’ll take care of that when we get home.”

Thoughts of him “taking care of me” distracted me the entire ride, and it wasn’t until the car stopped that I noticed we’d arrived at the ballpark. Walking hand and hand with Ashton, I was confident. At least, until we reached the hallway with the bank of elevators for the club boxes.

Memories of my last walk down the hall assaulted me, taunting me, bringing back the familiar feelings of doubt and fear. I drew a deep breath in through my nose but it was no use. They still plagued me. By the time we reached the box, I was a jumbled mess of nerves. The confidence I’d built up at the house had slipped away. My stomach was in absolute knots.

“Elena, what’s wrong?” Ashton was concerned, but I couldn’t spoil this for him. It must have taken a lot for him to bring me here; to trust me with everything that this entailed. Knowing what I knew, I could bring down his whole family—everything generation after generation of Haweses had worked for. It might not be legitimate, but it was still a legacy. This was a huge leap of faith on his part. I had to show him it wasn’t unfounded.

“Nothing.” My eyes looked everywhere and nowhere at the same time. “It just feels weird being here again.”

Placing one hand on the small of my back, he guided me over to one of the chairs near the window. “Sit and watch the game while I get us drinks.”

He left me but returned within minutes, handing me a glass. I smelled the white wine before I saw it and I pulled back, the drink almost dropping to the floor. His hand reached out and gripped the stem before it left my fingers.

“Elena?”

I stared wide-eyed at the window. “Too many memories.”

Ashton stepped into my line of sight and knelt in front of me. “Yes, but this time is different. You’re different. Now you’re mine.”

He slid his hand around the nape of my neck and guided my mouth to his. The soft caress ended the second his tongue slipped through my lips. Then his kiss took on the erotic rhythm of his body thrusting in and out of mine. If I’d thought I was needy in the car, it was nothing compared to this moment. The clearing of a throat broke us apart.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.” Brock lifted one eyebrow and crossed the room.

My face flamed, and I had a hard time making eye contact with Brock. How did I let myself get carried away every time I was in Ashton’s presence? No matter the reason, I still wanted him. I let my body cool with the realization that a little bit longer and I would have begged Ashton to take me right there in the club box. The meeting couldn’t be over soon enough for me.

“It’s fine,” Ashton said. “We were just about to order dinner.”

That was news to me, but I went along with it in an effort to distract myself. It would be a long night otherwise.

We picked our meals and Ashton called down to the kitchen. When he came back, he took the seat next to me, with Brock taking a seat on one of the chairs on the other side of me.

“Did everything go okay at rehearsal?”

I nodded. “It did. Although, I think Brock might have been a bit bored.” I nudged him with my elbow and he smirked.

“Nah, it was fine.”

“Good, because I want him to go with you from now on.”

Brock’s eyes narrowed.

“Dominic made bail this afternoon,” Ashton explained, his face stoic. He was silent for a moment, letting that bit of information sink in. Then he turned to me. “What kind of moves have they taught you in your self-defense classes?”

“Mostly how to escape if someone grabs us. A knee to the crotch, a head butt. Oh, and how to knock someone off you if they have you pinned.”

Ashton’s fingers caressed my face. “All things I’m glad you’ll know with that asshole roaming the streets.”

That reminded me. Yesterday, Ashton had been arrested for kidnapping me. “Should you be doing this today? After being arrested yesterday, I mean.”

He shrugged. “It goes with the territory. If we back down because the police search our businesses looking for evidence—evidence they are never going to find—then we look weak to our clients. We can’t have them thinking they won’t have to pay us back if the police are involved.”

Brock added, “With Ashton taking the meeting tonight, it proves that they still need to pay the money back—that the police can’t do a thing to stop it.”

Before I could respond, there was a sharp knock at the door, and my heart leaped to my throat. The door opened slowly and a cart was wheeled in.

Our food.

I swallowed, trying to cover up just how scared I’d been. The memories of that first night were a bit fuzzy after Dominic left. My stomach started to rumble. I hadn’t been in the mood to eat much throughout the day. I got about two bites into my meal when another knock sounded. That one had to be the man there to meet Ashton.

Brock stood and walked over to open the door. A small, portly man with thinning black hair walked in, a book bag on his back. He was dressed like every other guy in the stadium: shorts, jersey, and sneakers. There was nothing conspicuous about him. Had I seen him in the hallway, I would never have believed he was there to pay off a loan shark.

“Anthony.”

I glanced to my left and was shocked at what I saw. The man with the smile that could melt my heart was no longer sitting next to me. In his place, was a man with a look of cold determination in his eyes.

I noticed the slight tremor to the guy’s hands. He looked at me for a second but seeing Ashton’s face he quickly averted his gaze.

“Mr. Hawes. I . . . umm . . . I have a problem.”

“And, what would that be.” Ashton’s tone was cool and clipped, not what I was used to hearing.

“I . . . uh . . . only have . . . uh . . . part of the money.” Anthony stuttered his response. Clearly he was terrified.

And I was about to see why.

“What? I don’t think I heard you right.” Ashton didn’t shout, like I expected. He didn’t even raise his voice. Instead his words were low, menacing, and it hit me that this kind of calm was a prelude to danger. Brock stood, his shoulders hunched, hands clenched into fists at his sides.

Brock made me feel safe in his presence, but I knew the man in front of me didn’t feel the same way. And rightly so. I remembered how I’d felt the first time I saw him. Brock was an imposing individual. It’d taken me months to get used to him.

It took all of my willpower not to say or do anything. Ashton and Brock had been doing this for years. Whatever their plan, I needed to watch and see it fall into place if I were to make a fair decision about this part of his life.

“Mr. Hawes—”

Ashton put his hand up and Anthony immediately closed his mouth.

“How much?”

Anthony swallowed hard. “Seventy-five thousand.”

“Twenty-five thousand short.”

“Yes, sir.”

Ashton steepled his fingers in front of his face and stared at Anthony. After a few more seconds, he finally spoke.

“You’re lucky I’m in a good mood today.” Anthony bobbed his head up and down, setting the bag down while Ashton continued speaking. “Since this is the first time you’ve been short, I’m going to give you another chance. You have two weeks.” Anthony’s shoulders relaxed, but it was too soon. “But you’ll bring me forty thousand, won’t you?”

“Yes, sir, Mr. Hawes. I can do that.”

He wasted no time backing toward the door. When his hand closed over the handle, Ashton called out his final warning. “Just remember—you turn up light again, we won’t be having a discussion like this.”

“Yes, yes. Thank you Mr. Hawes.”

Ashton didn’t even take the time to watch the man leave. He simply picked up his knife and fork and resumed eating. And that’s when it hit me—Ashton was playing a part. His audience may be smaller, his stage more informal, his performance more intimate, but that’s what it was. A performance.

When the curtain went up and the spotlight was on him, he became the character he needed to be. He followed the script his father, and his father before, had written, revised, and perfected. Ashton was no different to me. And if he could accept that I changed when I was doing my job, surely I could accept the same?

I knew Ashton. He wasn’t the monster they thought he was. But if I was asked to choose, I’d want him to play his part to perfection. Because Ashton’s acting kept him safe.

The minute the door closed, Ashton became the relaxed, sweet man who’d stolen my heart. “What are you thinking about?” Ashton asked, searching my face for answers.

“I’ll tell you later.” I winked at him and watched as the tension left his shoulders and the creases around his eyes smoothed out.

“Well then, eat your dinner so we can leave. You can tell me on the ride home.”

Desire coursed through me. Like water, it found its way to every part of me, and my body thrummed with anticipation. I’d wanted dessert, but the look in Ashton’s eyes told me there would be something much more delicious at home.

So I ate my dinner.

Fast.