She listened, not saying anything, while his words cut a hole in her heart. Perhaps she wasn’t the only walking cliché.
“It must be frustrating—to be used like that,” she said.
It was a little odd to listen to a man complain of too much sex and to refer to himself by two different names…identities. But she understood vacuous sex; physical contact without emotional intimacy drained a person.
“It pisses me off,” he continued. “So, when I ran into you, and you…well, you didn’t?—”
She hid a smile and finished his sentence, “Jump your bones? Or was it because I didn’t know who you were?”
His smirk made a fleeting reappearance and then melted away under a frown. He scratched the side of his head. “Well, both, to be honest. You treated me like Joe Normal.”
She laughed. “Technically, I treated you as Nobody Ash.”
“Yeah, and it’s fucking amazing. I get to be me for once and not bigger-than-life Blaze, lead singer of Angel Fire.” He gestured between them. “You and I…there’s something real here. Fate brought us together. Don’t fuck it up and run because you’re scared. I’m still the same guy even if I sing for some rock band.”
The corners of her lips turned up. She couldn’t help it.
And who he was or wasn’t had nothing to do with her issues.
Well, that wasn’t true. His fame complicated an already screwed up situation.
He rubbed his neck, his fingers stretching across the bloody strands of the tattoo, making the web twist beneath his touch. “Is it over, now that you know?” He scooted back, staring at his clasped hands.
The stupid plane rolled down the taxiway, the tires bumping over the tarmac. Slowly, they closed on their destination. Soon, they would have to climb out of the plane and face the prospect of another night together.
Another night.
Another opportunity to feel his touch.
Another chance to fuck everything up.
His simple kiss couldn’t cleanse the taint staining her soul.
Her body shuddered with the remembered pain, and she wished it could be different.
Ash leaped out of his chair and captured her in a hug. “Fuck, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you cry.”
She wiped tears from her cheeks, not really certain when they’d started to spill.
“I’m okay,” she said, pushing Ash away. “But, since we’re being honest, you need to know something about me, about my past…” Because it would change everything.
By the time the plane stopped, he’d probably want to turn it back around and fly far away, but she found the strength to continue and to be as honest as she dared.
Rubbing her palms on her jeans steadied her nerves. “My childhood…”
“You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to, but just because something’s complicated doesn’t mean it can’t be fixed.”
Fixed? There was no fixing.
She held up a hand. “There was a time when I was young and powerless. I was hurt in ways my body and brain couldn’t deal with.” She needed to explain why her body did what it did and how her shutting down wasn’t his fault.
“Then, came Bean,” she said, “only they hurt him worse. He was so much weaker and brittler than me. We found each other in the darkness and have been with each other ever since.”
A sour expression crossed his face, like he was going to be sick or kill someone. “Skye, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. I survived, as did Bean. We came out on top.” She pulled up her knees and hugged them. “The first time it happened, I was twelve.” Her voice hitched at the memories. “It only got worse.”
Fresh tears poured down her cheeks. She swallowed against the lump in her throat. Admitting such a private thing felt like someone was punching her in the gut all over again. She wasn’t ready to discuss the training, the beatings, or the performances that hadbeen forced upon her and Forest by the man entrusted to keep them safe.
