Her hand nudged something metal, and she felt around it. She wasn’t sure what kind of gun it was, but she felt for a safety and found one, which she prayed meant there was a bullet chambered. If not, she wasn’t going to be able to cock the damn thing in time.
She felt the cool blade against her neck, and she was pretty sure Dwayne had drawn blood at that point, but she felt no pain. Not even from where he was crushing her into the cushion. Her only thought was getting that gun in position so that she could…
Pressing the barrel of the gun into his side, Ashlynn met his gaze. His eyes widened, but she didn’t give him time to make a move. Praying, she pulled the trigger. She felt the recoil in her arm, at the same time she gripped Dwayne’s arm with her other hand, forcing the knife away from her neck. His full weight fell on her, causing her to scream at the top of her lungs as she tried to get out from beneath the dead man.
Partially paralyzed from fear, partially fueled by adrenaline, Ashlynn managed to get half of her body out from beneath him, but it wasn’t until the door flew open and Leyton stormed into the room that she knew she was out of danger. He was instantly at her side, pulling Dwayne’s limp body off her and dropping it to the floor.
“You okay?” he asked, his voice gravelly, his hands sliding down her arms.
“Yeah,” she huffed, trying to suck in air.
“What the fuck happened?” he asked, his tone lethal.
“You’ll have to ask my father. I think this was a test.”
Leyton didn’t look surprised. “You’re bleeding,” he said, his hand going to her neck.
“It’s just a scratch,” she told him, then stared back at him for a moment, her eyes wide as she took him in.
His hair was wet, and he wasn’t wearing a shirt, so she had to assume he’d been in the shower, though she had no idea how he’d heard her, where he’d even come from, or why he wasn’t with Max, but the sight of him half-dressed stole her breath. The scars that marred his body were numerous. Burns covered a large portion of his arms and part of his chest, more along his shoulders. Small circles that looked as though someone had…
“You need to get out of here,” Leyton commanded, grabbing her arm and pulling her to her feet. “Now!”
Knowing that someone had to clean up the dead guy—the first man who she had killed—Ashlynn stumbled toward the door, staring back at Leyton.
“Fucking go, Ashlynn. Don’t make me tell you again.”
With that, she ran out the door, not looking back. For days she wondered about those scars she’d seen, thought about who had hurt him and why they’d done it.
And that was when Ashlynn had realized that not all scars were visible to others. Not even when they weren’t deep inside. Some people simply managed to hide them well.
Which was when she’d decided it was time to hide hers, too.
Chapter Twenty
Everyone’s had that moment when “no” suddenly means “yes, please.”
Present day
Friday, November 6 th
Leyton had no idea what to expect when he knocked on the door that led back into the house and waited for someone to answer, but it damn sure hadn’t been to come face-to-face with Ashlynn. When she stepped out into the garage, closing the door behind her, he knew he was in for it. His only hope was that Ashlynn would keep in mind that Rock and Sal were sitting inside the Escalade, watching them.
“Send your boys inside,” Ashlynn instructed, her tone cold.
Well, fuck.
Turning to face Rock, Leyton nodded his head toward the house. Rock climbed out slowly, Sal close behind, their dark eyes watching them as they made their way past the Escalade identical to the one they’d just exited, then two more of Ashlynn’s vehicles. Rock cast a concerned glance over his shoulder as he turned the knob, and before the door closed once again, he met Leyton’s eyes, a clear warning in his perceptive gaze.
Leyton tried to ignore it. He didn’t need a warning. He’d already received one. From Max.
You stay the fuck away from my sister. Do you understand me? If I catch you with her again, I’ll saw your fucking nuts off with a rusty butter knife. And then I’ll fucking feed them to you.
“Why’re you still here?” Ashlynn asked, standing less than two feet away. She was still wearing the black silk robe, which offered an eyeful of smooth, creamy skin that he was hard-pressed to keep his gaze from straying to. Not only was there a deep V at her neck that provided a sinful glimpse of the swell of her breasts but the robe was also short, giving him an appetizing view of her long legs. Her little toes were painted a ruby red, and for some perverse reason, he even found that damn sexy.
Remembering why he was there, he said, “I spoke with Max. He wants me to stay here tonight.”
Ashlynn studied him for a moment, and Leyton wished he could read her mind. He’d sensed the cool detachment in her tone earlier, and he’d actually welcomed it. The cold shoulder from Ashlynn was about the only thing that seemed to work for him these days. At least as far as keeping himself under control where she was concerned. Ever since that day when he’d kissed her at the wedding that they’d attended with Max, Leyton hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her. Day, night. Awake, asleep. It didn’t matter. She was always on his mind.
And these little trysts she was having with Jase… It seemed more and more that he was meant to see them, meant to want what he couldn’t have. As though the two of them were toying with him.
So her brush-off earlier had put things into perspective, making him realize he had no place in her life.
Or so he’d thought.
“Stay here, huh? Are you gonna sleep in my bed?” she inquired, her tone serious.
“Ashlynn…” He’d intended to tell her that would never happen, but then she moved closer, and the words died in his throat. He took a step back, then another, until he backed into the Cadillac CTS-V that sat in one of the four occupied spaces.
Her finger trailed his jaw as she pressed up against him, trapping him between her luscious body and the car. He could feel the silk of her robe against his fingers, the crush of her breasts against his chest. It took every ounce of his self-control to keep his hands at his sides and not reach for her the way he wanted.
“Don’t tell me you didn’t like what you saw earlier.” Her eyes glittered knowingly.
Fuck. He should’ve listened to Derrick when he’d told Leyton they were busy, that they didn’t want to be bothered. Unfortunately, Leyton had been too caught up in the news he’d received to pay much attention. Instead of waiting, he had marched up the stairs and right into Ashlynn’s bedroom, coming to an abrupt halt just outside the bathroom door when he’d unsuspectingly glimpsed the sexiest fucking interaction between two people that he’d ever had the pleasure of seeing. Better than any fucking porno he’d ever watched.
He had hoped she hadn’t seen him there, gawking at them through the reflection in the bathroom mirror. It’d been a huge invasion of their privacy for him to have blatantly gaped at them in the bathtub, he knew, but all the commands he’d tried to give himself to walk away had never taken root. Instead, he had been awestruck.
Ashlynn had been perched atop Jase in the huge tub, water cascading over her flawless skin, her beautiful breasts jutting upward as Jase held a generous mound in his tanned hand, his fingers plucking her rosy nipple while he had been simultaneously fucking her with his fingers. But it hadn’t only been what he’d seen but also what he’d heard that had nearly done him in.