“Good,” she whispered.
I nodded and helped her sit up against the headboard then handed her the bottle of water I had already uncapped for her. “Slow, small sips,” I warned while she finished the bottle of water slowly. Then laid her back down on her stomach, reached over and grabbed the lotion. I gently rubbed it into her abraded flesh, working out the kinks in her shoulders and checking her wrists. I kissed her temple before curling up around her.
I kissed her lightly on the shoulder. “You staying tonight?”
“Yeah,” she murmured sleepily.
“Good, let me clean up then let’s get some sleep.”
“Mmmkay,” she replied softly. I watched her another moment before climbing out of bed to take care of putting things away and turning the lights off. I was looking forward to curling up with her tonight; I had missed her the past week.
Chapter 5
Ash
I woke up wrapped up in warm arms and smiled to myself. I loved waking up like this, with Cris surrounding me, making me feel safe. I looked over my shoulder to find his dark eyes watching me.
“You okay?” he murmured
I nodded, stretching and feeling the after effects of last night. I ached in places and my back was tender, but I loved it.
“I’m very okay,” I whispered back, “but are you?”
The smile he had melted and his eyes took on a haunted look then he lied to me. “Yeah, I’m good,” he said giving me a fake smile.
I pulled from his arms and went in search of my clothing. Ignoring him calling my name as I quickly dressed.
“Ash, what the hell is your problem?” he asked jerking on a pair of jeans.
“I don’t like being lied to,” I told him while yanking my tennis shoes on.
He sighed and rubbed his face with his hands then looked at me. “I didn’t lie. I just—” then he stopped and cursed.
I nodded. “I get it. I’m good enough to play with, but not good enough to be your girlfriend. Well, next time you need to play call one of your old girls and see if they’ll be more accommodating.”
“What the hell does that mean?” he growled.
“It means that I will not be your plaything, Cris. I am not willing to put my entire life in jeopardy for that. If you want me, you have to want this to be real, I won’t take anything less,” I told him then stomped out the door and climbed in my car. I made it halfway home before the tears started.
When I walked in the door, Devi looked at me once then started cursing men and their stupidity before wrapping her arms around me.
“What did that dumb fuck do this time?” she growled.
“Why can’t he trust me?” I sobbed into her shoulder. “Why is it that every time we start to get close he pulls away?”
“Because that man is an asshat,” she spat. “An asshat that’s about to have my foot up his ass.”
I took a step back and wiped my eyes. “No, I don’t want that, I never wanted us to cause problems.”
She snorted. “Yeah, well, when one of my friends gets hurt by an ass sniffing prick, I cause problems.”
Then she smiled at me, and I was scared by that smile. It was the smile Devi got when she had an idea that wasn’t safe for anyone involved. “Don’t worry about Cris.” Then she spun away and walked out the door.
Seth’s head popped around the corner and whispered, “Is it safe now?”
I giggled and nodded. “You’re such a wuss.”
“That woman has lost her fucking mind,” he said.
“I’ve noticed that lately,” I murmured looking at him. “Want to tell me why?”
“Nope.”
I nodded, I had my suspicions and if they were correct I may be one less boss here soon.
“I’m getting to work,” I told Seth and watched him skulk away hiding from his wife.
Cris
I walked into the shop using the back door hoping I could sneak in without anyone noticing I was here yet. I couldn’t deal with any more shit today. I knew I was fucking things up with Ash, but I couldn’t seem to stop myself. I went into my office and shut the door before I sat down in the chair behind my desk and put my head in my hands. I don’t know why I lied, but we both know I did. No, things weren’t okay. I was fucking suffocating, and I had managed to fuck up the one bright spot in my life.
I sighed running my fingers through my hair; I didn’t know how to fix this. I didn’t know how to fix any of this, the shop was safe now thanks to Devi. I hated the fact that she had to swoop in and fix everything. I hated that I had become that weak. It didn’t matter to me that she had always planned on buying into the shop, things are different now. When we had discussed that, it was before Seth. It was before I lost the one person I thought I loved, only now I realize I never really loved her. I love her, though not in the way I thought; more as my sister. Ash, though, I love her in a very non-platonic kind of way. I just didn’t know how to open up to her. I didn’t want her to look at me and think I was weak. Needing your best friend to come in and fix your financial problems and keep your business afloat is definitely not something I wanted to talk to her about.
I stood up, or attempted to stand up but the chair came with me pulling at the seat of my jeans. I set down the chair, banging it on the floor then stood up again. “That fucking bitch,” I muttered before yelling, “Devlin Shaye Taylor, get your fucking ass in here.”
I watched as Devi slowly opened the door and sauntered into the room and sat down on one of the guest chairs across the desk from me.
“You bellowed?” she asked so sweetly sugar wouldn’t have melted in her mouth.
“What. The. Fuck?” I growled, she didn’t even bat an eyelash.
She shrugged and looked me over. “Thought you might need some help getting your head out of your ass. Had lots of ideas on how to remedy that, but decided on gluing it to the chair, maybe when you get out of that your head will pop free.”
“You are fucking insane,” I seethed.
“That is a distinct possibility, but you, I know for a fact, are an idiot.”
I growled at her again and she just kept staring at me.
“You made her cry, Cris, and I will not fucking tolerate that,” she growled back. “I put up with a lot of your shit, but I will not sit back and watch you fucking hurt her.”
“I didn’t.”
“You. Are. Not. Allowed. To Speak. Only Listen.” She eyed me again. “You hurt her and I swear to god I will shove your balls so far up your ass you’ll be tasting your own cum, do you understand me?”
I nodded, I knew better than to fuck with Devi when she was like this.
“What I don’t understand is why you’re acting like this?” she murmured. “You two are good together. Hell, she puts up with your dumbass, you should be bowing at her feet. I do know if you don’t start trusting her, and I mean out of your bedroom and away from the whips and chains, you’ll lose her.”
I rubbed my hand over my face. “I don’t know why I can’t.”
She laughed at me. “And Cris, stop lying to her, to me, and most of all to yourself.”
With that, she got up and walked out the door while my ass was still glued to the chair. “Hey, you going to help me?” I called after her.
“Nope, I think you need a time out.” She shut the door behind her.
I ended up having to cut my jeans then rip them to get out of the fucking chair. I am sure that crazy woman threatened my staff to keep them from helping me. Though, that didn’t stop Max from coming in and laughing his
