“Alex, what are you doing home early?” My voice comes across wary and a little more forceful than I expected. Damn it. Relaxing my posture, I apologize. “Sorry, long day, and I was just called out. I was going to surprise you and take you out for dinner.” Placing small kisses on her lips, I confirm, “I’ll be home soon. We can watch a movie and stay in.”
Alessia is cautious but pushes past whatever has crossed her mind. “I’ll put your dinner in the fridge. Be safe, come home soon.” She wraps herself around my body. Call me crazy, but it is crushing. Did she find out? My one hand digs into her shirt and the other into her long curly hair that I love.
Tilting her head back, I rasp, “I love you, Alessia. Every part of me belongs to you. I don’t want anything to ever come between us. I will be home soon.”
Her eyes shine. “I’ve just missed you so damn much, now it scares me when you leave.”
Her confession is not lost on me. For Alessia to admit her emotions, it is a gift, and one I don’t deserve. I can’t leave, my mind wars with me to stay, but I have to. If she finds out this mess, I will lose her forever. “I’m going to take you away from all this when we can. Me and you, forever.” My forehead touches hers, and for a minute, I pray this works. “Love you.” Our lips meet, and my tongue takes hers in a demanding kiss. I steal what I can because I can’t let go of her.
My fingers tighten and pull back to gaze into her soft brown eyes. The heart of her is there. “See you soon.” Letting go, I walk away and face the consequences of my actions.
Ashley is ten minutes late to the restaurant. I’m nursing my beer when she finally struts through the front doors. I flag her over to my table. Once she is seated, I pass her a menu, and after a few minutes, our orders are given to the waitress. “Ashley,” I start, “I was wrong with what went down between us. I am sorry for the way I treated you.”
She spins her white wine around on the table and watches me closely. “Why am I here, exactly?”
“I need you to keep what happened between us quiet. You’re back in town, let’s not make this a problem with your sister and Alessia. There is no reason we need to hurt them, or you, by what we did.”
“I’m pretty sure you mean you.”
Her coolness is throwing me off. Why isn’t she more pissed? “More than anything, I don’t want to ruin my marriage.”
She picks up her glass, takes a small sip, and holds the glass up. “Not a problem.” Ashley winks. “We can still be friends with benefits if you should ever get lonely again.”
Luckily, the waiter brings our appetizer, and I shove food into my mouth. What the hell is wrong with this girl? Halfway through the meal, I realize she thinks this will continue as a quiet affair. But why would she want that?
Ashley scoots out of her chair and excuses herself to the bathroom. Quickly, I reach into her purse and pull out her phone, pocketing it into the inside of my cut. The last thing I need is for her to have my number or any evidence of this.
She returns and slides into the seat next to me. “Ashley, how are things with you and Jenn?”
She bristles a little at my question. “Fine.” She holds the ‘e’ a little longer than needed, and it is obvious she has drunk too much to drive herself home, doing this on purpose. “Jenn, like my mother, chose the club over me.”
“Ashley, she cares for you. You could always be a part of her world too.”
“Don’t worry about me, Hawk. I’m used to being tossed aside. I thought maybe we would have a run, but I’ll take what I can.”
“Why would you want only part of me?”
“Because, one day, I’ll get what I want.” She beams with pride. Ashley is using me to get back at her sister for whatever grudge she’s been holding onto. I think she would have used any guy who approached her first. That dumb ass was me. I would bet part of her hates Alessia for being close to her sister.
She never did thank Alessia for the barbeque she put together for her. That night, she was pleased to hear when I told everyone Alessia left. Ashley had the spotlight to herself. Everything was right in front of me.
“Let’s get you home.” Pulling out my phone to call an Uber for her, her hands cover mine, stopping me.
“Can’t you take me home?” she pleads very sweetly. “It is on the way to your house. You can come inside . . .” Her finger sweeps over my shirt.
Capturing her hand, I remind her, “Friends, remember?”
“Sure, friends,” she squeaks. Ashley will be a problem, but at least I have her phone until I can figure out how to get rid of her.
* * *
Ashley
Does he think I am this stupid? I’ll do anything to piss off Jenn. I’m in this war with her for the long haul. I’m going to chip away at every piece of her life, causing her to be miserable. Alessia, unfortunately, is just the spoils of war. Besides, the way I see it, I’m doing her a favor. Hawk is a piece of shit, and I just saved her years of dealing with this asshole.
Snake is on to us. I’ve dropped more than enough hints to him for him to not get it. I’ve been at the clubhouse all afternoon with Jenn and Jazzy. I gloated about my mystery date and where he was taking me. They didn’t get it, but Snake sure did.
All they will ever think is poor Ashley
