“You want to go back to your family?”
I shrug. “Yes, and no.”
He frowns. “Please give me more than that.”
I bite my lip, wondering if he’ll think I’m a traitor for what I’m about to admit.
“Remember the night AJ patched you up?” I ask. “The conversation you overheard?”
Asher nods. “I remember. He spoke about your uncle, and how he forced your sisters and cousins to have hysterectomies.”
“That’s right,” I sigh, a little relieved that he remembers so I don’t have to go over it again. Every time I think too much about it, I want to kill someone.
“I want to return to Australia to make my uncle Ewan pay for that and… so many things. Things Barrett doesn’t even know about. AJ wants my help for some reason… and since Lily Tipping-Bennett can’t stay on British soil, and neither can my sons now that the country knows I’m the Crimson Angel, I don’t think I have any other choice.”
His concerned eyes dance between mine. “You’re right. You can’t stay in the country.”
He looks sad and goes to move back from me, but I fist my hands in his hair and drag him close.
“Come with me.Please.Once we kill Monty and the MacKenzie twins, we can get your mum the help she needs. Hell, she can come with us if that’s what you want. I know it’s a lot to ask, but?—”
His lips smash against mine in a claiming kiss, and I sink into the mattress as tears run from the corners of my eyes in relief.
When we break apart, Asher leans in, pressing his forehead to mine. “So let me ask you again. This is you acceptingus, right?”
More tears escape my eyes, and Asher pulls back to wipe them away.
“Yes,” I say softly. “This is me accepting us. I’m not going to fight my feelings for you anymore. I’m not sure what you want the future to look like, but I’ll be in your life for as long as youwant me.” I divulge my heart and soul to him, biting my lip before I reveal the next part. “I’m not sure that I can give you children, though. That part of my life has come and gone. I’m not interested in having more kids.”
Asher chuckles. “All I need is you, Angel. Nothing else.”
“That’s good, because I’m pretty sure you’re the only person walking this planet who speaks my language.”
Asher snickers. “Is that the language of filth? Because hell yes, I talk it, walk it, fucking live it when I’m with you.”
I giggle. “Yes, that’s the language I’m talking about.”
Asher rises up over me again, his whisky eyes dancing with mischief.
“Fuck, I want to do every filthy thing imaginable with you, Lily Benn—” he cuts himself off before correcting, “Lily Marx.”
My brows hitch. “Lily Marx… I haven’t called myself that in years.”
Asher grins wickedly. “About time you owned your past, Angel. I’m not sure what happened in it, but I sure hope you tell me all about it one day.” Then he dips down to nip at my lips before speaking against my mouth. “I’ll call you Lily Marx until the day I make you Lily Scott.”
My cheeks flare at his declaration, and my insides turn to a thousand butterflies at the thought of one day becoming Asher’s wife. It may never happen, what with the twins and all, but a girl can dream.
“Why do you call me Angel?” I ask, steering the conversation in a different direction. “Is it because you’ve always known who I really was?”
Asher grins wickedly. “Yep. That, and to me, youarean angel.”
I frown. “I’m more monster than angel.”
Asher growls. “Don’t say that. You are no monster, Lily. Hell, look at this.” He shifts so I can see his ribs and abdomen and points to the tattooed angel with fiery red hair. “This is you, Lil. You’ve always been my Angel. Does that look like a monster to you?”
Reaching out, I run my finger over it, finally getting confirmation of what I’d wondered.
“Is this really me?”
