Were they?
Chapter Twenty-Four
Reggie pulledopen the door leading out to the hall, and a flood of sound and light barreled toward Skye, making her wobble against Ash. A line of security held back the crowd, and Reggie led her and Ash forward with Sam following with Forest.
Skye blinked and covered her ears.How did Ash live with all this attention?But he ate it up. Even with his hand holding hers, he raised his other arm, waving to the fans and giving his rock-star smile.
Forest stepped around their small group and pushed Reggie out of the way. “Here, let me lead. I have a way with crowds.”
As always, a bubble of space formed in front of Forest, the crowd making room for the implacable force that was her brother. While he cleared a path, Ash followed in his shadow, drawing her along beside him. Sam and Reggie moved into position, flanking them, while simultaneously protecting their rear. Forest seemed to know exactly where to go, surprising her, until she remembered that he’d spent the day helping with the sound check.
Her grip on Ash tightened as he sheltered her from the crowd.
“I have you, Skye. I’m never letting you go.”
She breathed out a deep sigh.
Women cried out their undying love while reporters hammered Ash—Blaze—with a rapid-fire stream of questions he couldn’t possibly answer.
Sam and Reggie hustled them to a waiting town car. Forest held the door open while Ash helped her inside. After everyone was seated, Forest slammed the door shut. Automatic door locks engaged, and a blessed empty silence fell upon them.
When they arrived at the hotel, Sam and Reggie held the lobby crowds back while Forest used his impressive presence to once again clear the way. A short elevator ride saw them delivered to an impressive penthouse suite. Six bedrooms led off a main living space, and Ash led her through the living area, not stopping, to head down the left hallway.
He clasped her hand with a possessive resolve, refusing to let go. “You’re mine for the rest of the night,” he proclaimed.
Forest arched a brow, questioning if she truly was okay. Other than a bone-deep weariness, she had no problem with spending the night with Ash. It was the rest of her life that concerned her, but despite that nagging doubt, for right now, being with Ash felt right.
He pulled her into his room and released her hand. She wandered, ignoring the king-size bed and everything it promised, to stand before a wall of floor-to-ceiling plate-glass windows. The city buzzed with activity, buildings glowing with the light of those inside and cars swerving through traffic. The pulse of the city spoke to her, all those people living different lives.
Did any of them have as messed up of a life as she led? Probably. Hell, who was she kidding?She took care of the sickest of the sick.
Fatigue—that was the root of her depressed mood.
Behind her, Ash twisted the lock to the door, and the snick sounded too loud in her ears, defining their seclusion from the rest of theworld.Would the Ash who’d hunted waterfalls return, or was the rock star, Blaze, still with her?
“When the guys get here later,” Ash explained, “it can get even weirder than what you saw after the show. I don’t want any of that spilling in here. I know you must be tired, and we haven’t had a moment alone since…”
She’d left him at the airport.
“We party hard,” he continued, “and I’m not going to lie about it, but I won’t apologize either. I never hid my past, but it’s just you and me from now on.”
He’d been up-front to a fault about his past and even more forthright about his desire for the future. She hadn’t hidden her past exactly, explaining only those few details necessary, but she certainly hadn’t shared the full extent of it. He never asked for more, and she wasn’t yet willing to divulge her secrets. He would run far and fast once that happened.
He claimed he was tired of gorging himself on sex. She hoped that was true. If her experience with Spencer had taught her anything, something other than sex would have to interest a man if she was going to keep him.
And, now, they were painfully alone, locked behind a hotel room door. Alone meant she would have to face, if not their future, then at least their very potent present.
And Ash took no time in proclaiming his intent. He devoured the distance between them. His purposeful long strides brought him to her before she could take a second breath. He stole all the air around her, making it impossible for her to think.
She took a step back, turning toward the bathroom. It was an evasive move but all she had. “Well, I’m tired, and you stink. Any chance we could take that shower?”
There, she could give him a hand job or a blow job and move his mind through and past sex. She’d be able to hide her issues behindthe steam. It had worked with Spencer often enough, and she prayed it’d work now.
A victorious expression brightened his face. “A shower sounds awesome.”
He peeled his shirt off and tossed it to the floor. He kicked off his sneakers and tugged at the fly of his jeans.
She smiled as she walked to the bathroom, analyzing what was to come with clinical efficiency.Ugh, she was such a mess.
