Total pages in book: 38
Estimated words: 36039 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 180(@200wpm)___ 144(@250wpm)___ 120(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 36039 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 180(@200wpm)___ 144(@250wpm)___ 120(@300wpm)
“How have you been?” he asked.
“You don’t get to ask me that question. I can find my own way home.” She moved her hand up to his fingers, and this time, as she pulled them back so he’d let her go, he did as she asked.
He didn’t want broken fingers, and something told him Ashley hated him. Not that he could blame her, he’d been cruel to her five years ago. In his defense, she’d been freaking young. A baby. Eighteen years old. A newbie. She had her whole life ahead of her, and he … well, he’d seen shit that would make her scream. He had the scars on his body to prove it. He had no choice but to allow her time to adapt, to grow up.
Staring at her now, he couldn’t believe he’d been so stupid. She’d been beautiful back then, in fact, she’d been as stunning back then as she was now. At twenty-three years old, she was still young, but … he couldn’t go another visit without seeing her, without smelling her. He probably sounded so fucking freaky, but he didn’t care. When it came to her, he felt this overwhelming need. His bike had lost its appeal. The open road had faded and no longer looked like a freedom road, but a death trap. The only time he felt free was when he visited this fucking pack. The pack he was alpha to. The pack that homed his mate.
He wanted her so badly. That need hadn’t faded.
She pushed his arm out of the way, but if she thought for a second that he was leaving, she would be in for a shock. He wasn’t going anywhere.
Stepping in beside her, Phoenix took several steps, and she stopped and turned to him. “What are you doing?”
“I’m walking you home.”
“No, you’re not. I can find my own way home. You don’t have to follow me.” She moved again, and he tagged along.
“I told your parents I’d come find you and return you. This is what I’m doing.”
“I don’t know what game you’re playing, but leave me out of it.” She kept walking, and he, well, he kept following.
Chapter Two
The scent of frying bacon woke her up.
Ashley laid in bed, staring up at the ceiling as the events of the previous night came rushing back to her. The run, the majestic view, chatting with Daniel, running with him, and then … Phoenix.
She sat up in bed. He’d walked her all the way home. Her father, Ben, had been waiting up for her, while her mother, Leah, was in bed.
Running a hand over her face, she reached out for the clock and groaned. It was a little after 7:00. She hadn’t slept in, even though it was a Sunday, and the DIY store was closed.
She spent Sundays at home, helping her mother cook, chilling out, possibly reading a book, and just relaxing before the week ahead. Unless her parents disappeared for sex. They were never quiet. It didn’t help that she now had great hearing. It made listening to her parents easier than it did as a child. She had no choice but to leave the house for several hours, or at least until she assumed they were done.
She stepped out of the blanket and quickly made her bed, before disappearing into the bathroom. Her parents had insisted she have her own en suite, and she couldn’t argue with them. They had sex everywhere and the bathroom wasn’t a sacred place. She had walked in on them doing it there when she was twelve years old. She accepted that her parents loved one another.
A bathroom had been installed in her room less than three months later. Her bedroom and bathroom were the only sacred, non-parent fucking rooms. She didn’t doubt for a second that would all change the moment she moved out. After using the toilet, she flushed, washed her hands, and then grabbed her toothbrush. She glanced at her reflection and winced.
Ashley had gotten into the habit after her first real encounter with her mate, of not looking at her reflection. He’d found her disgusting, and with her inability to lose weight, she hated the sight of herself. Once her teeth were brushed, she ran a comb through her hair and left the bathroom. Heading downstairs, she stretched and yawned, then stepped into the kitchen.
“Something smells good,” she said.
All too soon she became alert to the fact they were not alone. This never happened. Her parents took Sundays seriously. It was their time together, it was family time. Even as she got older, they wouldn’t allow her to work on a Sunday.
Ashley stared at the man who rejected her. Phoenix was at the kitchen counter, a mug of coffee in his hand, and her parents looked happy.
“Yes, something does smell good,” Phoenix said, looking at her.