Total pages in book: 125
Estimated words: 122074 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 610(@200wpm)___ 488(@250wpm)___ 407(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 122074 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 610(@200wpm)___ 488(@250wpm)___ 407(@300wpm)
“Trust me,” Ashton clipped out. “I am working on it.”
“We know.” Trace moved to Jess, a hand curling over her shoulder. She reached up, grabbing it. He pulled her into his chest. “She’s slowly letting it go, but he didn’t know that.” He looked Ashton’s way. “We’ll be fine. All of us. I believe that.”
The two were sharing a look. It was heated and long, and somehow, when Ashton nodded, blinking rapidly, I was thinking something good had happened here.
“I don’t need the words,” Jess said to me, holding tight to Trace’s hand. “Words are empty to me. Never put much stock in them, but actions. That takes time, and”—she looked Ashton’s way—“it’s happening. I’m okay with that.”
He jerked his head in another nod, blinking again before focusing on me. “How about you?”
“Me?”
“You found out I tortured your friend. Are you going to judge me?” Those eyes of his, so dark and so defiant right now, but I knew better. I knew him better.
I shifted on my feet. “Are you sorry you did it?”
“Yes,” he grated out.
I already knew my answer, and he should’ve known it, too, but fine. I’d string it out. “Will you do it again?”
He frowned. “Not her.”
Trace snorted.
Jess shot him a look.
Ashton ignored both of them. His gaze was focused on me. His words were for me alone. “What else?”
He was asking what else I needed to know. What did I need? I needed him to know me better. “You should know better,” I chided, softly. His eyes flashed, but I added, “If you could do it again, would you have—”
“Never.” His answer came so fast after my question. “I would never do it again. There was a time I thought I would.” He shifted his gaze to Trace. “A time when I was full of self-righteousness about what was ‘best’ for the families, but that was before I understood.” His gaze slid from Trace to Jess, then to me. An extra fire was lit there, burning at me. “Before I got it.”
I felt that burning in my stomach.
“You said I should know better, but I do, and I need you to know this.” He said, swiftly, “If Trace ever touched you? Took you? Put you in a chair? Made you feel like you were drowning over and over again? If he dared even consider doing any of that to you, and I’d—”
We shared a look, and a pulse went between us.
“You’re no longer the woman I’m going to use to end this war. You’re the reason for this war because if anyone hurts you, touches you, I’ll kill them. Are you hearing me? All of them.”
He cut himself off, before pulling his gaze away. He said to Trace, “You showed restraint when you put me in the hospital.”
“You’re right. I did. You’re welcome.”
He shifted to Jess. “I am sorry that I hurt you.”
She drew in a deep breath, blinking as her eyes grew wet, before she nodded. “Thank you.”
He held her gaze for a second before shifting his attention my way. His eyes gentled. “Of the two of us, Trace is the better man.”
That burning was back inside of me, and rising, spreading throughout me. “You should know better.” I said it again. Softly.
His jaw clenched, and his tone gentled. “You should be judging me.”
I shook my head. “I’m not built that way. Of the two of us, I’m the one who’ll do something stupid. Remember?”
The corner of Ashton’s mouth curved up. “Sometimes I like when you do stupid things. I get to be the good guy.” He sent Trace a look before closing the distance between us. He pulled me to him. His hand slid to the back of my neck, and he dipped down, his mouth finding mine. He whispered there, just for me to hear, “I will never lose you. I refuse.”
To a girl like me, those words had my fuzzies all aflutter. My job was done.
There was an extra peace among the group.
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
MOLLY
Matt was outside my bedroom door, and I’d blasted my fan, telling him not to bother me for a few hours. I was going to take a much-needed nap.
All my craziness. All the times I reacted to situations and ended up making things worse. Most of those times, I hadn’t made a conscious decision. I’d only felt the switch happening, and then bam, I was reacting and doing stupid things to put my loved ones in danger.
This was different. I was choosing to do something stupid, but I was doing it to save someone I loved.
So, I snuck out using the secret exit.
Ashton shouldn’t have told me about it because it was going to be my personal front door. Also, it was just plain awesome because there was a tunnel that went under a whole other building. It came out to a side street, but because no one thought I knew about it, and I doubted Ashton thought I’d use it, I totally used it.