“Great. That threat probably didn’t go over well.”
Leyton pinned Jase with a glare. “Marco’s got a sister, so he gets it.”
“What does he want out of this? What’ll it take to call off the hit?” If that was even an option.
“That, I don’t know,” Leyton admitted. “But trust me, I plan to find out.”
Jase couldn’t believe how calm Leyton was. Sure, the guy was a businessman, he knew how this worked, and Jase was nothing more than hired muscle, but he couldn’t stand the fact that neither of them seemed to be as worried as he was.
No one said anything for a good two minutes. Then Ashlynn got to her feet. “Thank you for stopping by. I appreciate it.”
“Ashlynn…” Leyton was on his feet, moving toward her.
From across the room, Jase stopped pacing and watched them. Yeah, if Leyton was trying to pretend he didn’t care about her, he’d just failed miserably.
“I’ll be fine,” Ashlynn told him, taking a step back. “I’ve got Jase. He’s all I need.”
Leyton looked as though he’d just had his heart ripped clean from his chest. Jase almost felt sorry for him, but then he remembered that Leyton had been watching them earlier. It only bothered Jase because Leyton continued to deny himself, although it was quite clear that he’d give his left nut to be with Ashlynn.
As for Ashlynn, Jase wasn’t sure why she was acting so cold toward Leyton all of a sudden. She’d obviously seen him watching them as well. Sure, knowing he was there had been hotter than hell, and likely had spurred them on, but knowing that Leyton wasn’t going to act on that desire only pissed Jase off. Perhaps she was growing tired of the game as well.
“You should go.”
“I’ll leave Sal here tonight,” Leyton said.
“No! What if that’s their plan? You need Sal and Rock. I’ve got Jase. And Teddy, Leo, and Derrick. Cowboy’s here tonight as well. We’ll talk to them. They’ll be vigilant. You don’t need to worry.”
Right. Like that was going to happen. Jase kept his thoughts to himself.
Leyton glanced over at him, and Jase nodded, agreeing with Ashlynn. Regardless, he would keep her safe. “I’ll walk you out.”
Leading the way, Jase headed out of the office.
“I parked in the garage,” Leyton informed him.
Without a word, Jase made his way through the house with Leyton close on his heels. After telling Derrick to round up Teddy and Leo and then wait for him in the kitchen, Jase walked Leyton out.
“Keep an eye on her at all times,” Leyton commanded.
Jase spun around to face him. “Like you did earlier? Did you enjoy that?”
Leyton frowned.
“Which did you enjoy more? The fantasy you overheard or watching Ashlynn come with my fingers buried in her pussy?” Jase stepped closer.
“Does she know?” Leyton asked, the uncertainty in his tone surprising Jase but not enough to diminish his anger.
“Of course she knows. We saw you.” Jase stabbed a finger into Leyton’s chest. “She doesn’t play games. You keep this up and you’ll only piss her off.”
“Keep what up?”
“Pretending you can’t have her but watching her every chance you get. You need to figure out what you want before it’s too late.”
“It’s already too late,” Leyton droned. “I told you, it doesn’t matter what I want.”
Jase nodded. He didn’t understand, but if Leyton was going to continue to spew the same bullshit, there wasn’t a damn thing he could say that would make a difference. “Fine. Believe what you want. But stay the fuck away from us.”
“I can’t do that,” Leyton hissed.
“The hell you can’t. I’m more than capable of taking care of her. And I’ve proven I don’t need your fucking help.”
When Leyton’s gaze dropped to Jase’s mouth, he fought the urge to kiss him. As much as he wanted Leyton, as much as he wished the guy would fucking give in to what he desired, he was growing tired of the games.
“I’ll bring her to your place in the morning,” Jase told him. “And we won’t leave until we figure this shit out. Even if it means I go talk to Moroso myself.”
With that, Jase turned on his heel and went back inside, slamming the door behind him.
Chapter Eighteen
According to Courtney, his view wasn’t always the best one. Who knew?
“Where are you?” Max asked the instant Leyton answered the phone.
He’d managed to get into the limo alongside his wife before he’d punched in Leyton’s number, and now, as they headed back to the hotel, he wanted an update on the news they’d received regarding Marco Moroso. Namely the hit the bastard had ordered on Max’s fucking sister.
“In your sister’s garage,” Leyton replied.
Garage? What the fuck? “Why the hell are you there?”
“She practically kicked me out. But I can’t bring myself to leave.”
“Good.”
“Good?”
Max heard the confusion in Leyton’s voice, and he weighed his words momentarily. He needed to be as clear as he could here. “I told you not to leave her alone for a minute.”
“She’s got Jase,” Leyton said a little too quickly.
If Max wasn’t mistaken, there was a hint of jealousy resonating in those words. It was the same tone Leyton had used the last time they’d discussed Ashlynn and Jase. “Is there a problem with Jase?”
“No. Not at all.” Again, Leyton’s response came a little too quickly. Leyton took a deep breath, obviously attempting to calm himself, which made Max curious as to what the hell had happened to put Leyton on edge.
“Somethin’ wrong?”
“No,” Leyton snapped again. “Sorry. No, nothin’s wrong. Jase is here with Ashlynn. He won’t let anything happen to her.”
Max laughed. He had no doubt about that.
“What’s so funny?” Leyton asked.
“He loves her.” Max chuckled again. He wasn’t even sure whether he was talking about Jase or Leyton at this point, and he didn’t clarify.
“What?”
Okay, so he’d obviously thrown Leyton for a loop. Peering over at Courtney, Max said, “That’s what my wife told me. She said Ashlynn can’t see it and neither can he, but he’s definitely in love with her.” Again, Max wasn’t sure which man he was referring to. Possibly both.
The question was whether or not Leyton would be able to move forward knowing that Jase had feelings for Ashlynn, or more importantly, that Leyton did. Max was well aware of Leyton’s feelings for Ashlynn. He’d known since they were teenagers that Leyton was fond of Ashlynn. Until recently, he just hadn’t realized how much.
At the time, when Max had issued his command for Leyton to stay away from Ashlynn, he’d fully expected his best friend to argue, to tell him that he wanted to be with her. A nod of agreement sure as hell hadn’t been what Max had anticipated, although it was the only response he’d received.
“Have you heard from Moroso?” he asked when Leyton said nothing.
“No,” Leyton offered, his tone calm once again. “Rock left him a message. Told him I expected a call tonight.”
“You need my help?” Max knew Leyton was more than capable of dealing with any issue that arose, his faith in the man was strong, but when it came to Ashlynn, regardless of what Leyton wanted him to believe, there were some strong emotions involved. Max remembered when his own father had attempted to take a hit out on Courtney. He’d been blinded by rage, and as far as he’d been concerned, there was only one way to deal with that threat. He could only assume Leyton was feeling the same way at this point.
“No,” Leyton ground out. “I’ve got this.”
“I know you do,” Max assured him. “But if you need me…”
“I won’t hesitate to call,” Leyton replied.
“Stay with her, Leyton.”
“I don’t think that’s necessary.”
“Oh, it’s necessary.” Rather than explain further, Max hung up.
“Everything okay?” Courtney asked.
“For now.” How long that would last was anyone’s guess, but he was fairly certain they had a reprieve until Leyton spoke with Marco Moroso in the morning, although he wasn’t sure that was what Courtney had been referring to.