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“You heard me. That’s what Squeaker wanted, so I needed to ask.”
“You didn’t need to ask me,” he growled. “If that’s what you think of me, then maybe this isn’t going to work for either of us.”
Well, now I’d gone and offended the one person offering to help me. Period. “I had to ask.”
“You really didn’t.”
I shook my head. “Yes. I really did. As you pointed out, I used to be quite naïve. However, I’m learning a lot about the world lately.”
And the lessons learned, I knew, would stick with me forever.
“I wouldn’t take anything you aren’t willing to give me, Bonnie.”
For some reason, his words gave me goosebumps. “Okay.”
“Okay, you’ll stay?”
I shook my head. “I didn’t say that. You said sex wasn’t on the table. What is?”
Cal sighed and picked up the syrup, pouring a gross amount over a stack of four pancakes.
“Eat,” he barked in a bossy tone that I kind of liked. He took a big bite and chose that moment to speak. “Stay clean. No pills and no heroin for at least thirty days. Do that and I’ll pay off the Crusaders and whoever else you owe.”
Whoever else you owe.
Those words were both offensive and ominous as if I were some kind of junkie with massive drug debts all over town. But right on the heels of that thought came another.
“If I let you pay off my debt then I’ll just be indebted to you.” And every single person in my life other than Maisie—my parents and even Wyatt—had tried to use money to control me in some way, shape or form.
No, thank you. I’d rather go explore Squeaker’s option of selling my body, but who on earth would pay to spend a night with a virgin?
He sighed and shook his head, annoyance rolling off his broad shoulders and barely concealed behind his black rimmed glasses. “The payment for me will be in you getting clean and staying clean.”
Now it was my turn to be annoyed. “I don’t need to get clean because I’m not dirty or whatever you mean. I take a few pills and use what I can to take the edge off when pills aren’t available. That doesn’t make me a drug addict.”
“For fuck’s sake Bonnie. I slit the throat of a guy who was going to rape you as payment. For your drug debt. Yours, Bonnie. No one else’s. People who aren’t addicts don’t have drug debts.”
I wondered if Maisie would think it weird that I felt kind of excited by the way Cal spoke to me, and then I wondered if I was crazy for even thinking that. He was good looking, in that sexy rich geek kind of way, expensive jeans and those desert-friendly plaid shirts he wore to complete his whole hipster lumberjack look.
“Bonnie!”
I blinked and stared at those green eyes for a long time, wondering how on earth I found myself not just attracted to an Ashby but the redheaded one at that. But I knew the answer. Despite his family and his upbringing, Calvin Ashby was a nice guy during a time I was pretty sure nice guys had gone extinct. It was really annoying.
“Yes. I’m listening.”
“Good. Do you have an answer?”
I shook my head. “Now. I’m listening now.”
Cal nodded and took off his glasses to rub his temples. “You have a problem, Bonnie, and I’m offering to help. Do you want that help or don’t you?”
Luckily, the arrival of the other two Ashby sons interrupted our conversation, and I flashed a victorious grin.
“This isn’t over.”
“Seems like it is,” I sang back just before Jasper and Virgil entered the kitchen, both pretending not to be surprised to find us having breakfast together.
“We need your help,” Jasper said, not sparing a glance for me. “A few hours tops.”
Cal looked at me. “We’ll pick this up later,” he said and turned to his brothers. “Let’s go.”
As soon as they were on the other side of the door, I got up and rinsed the dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. I hadn’t decided for certain to stay but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t treat this place like it was my own.
Alone with my thoughts was the last place I wanted to be today, especially after everything that went down last night. So, I went upstairs to grab my purse with a plan to spend the day job hunting any and everywhere that was hiring or thinking about hiring.
Before my foot hit the bottom of the staircase, the doorbell sounded and then the door opened. Another Ashby.
“Bonnie, just the woman I was looking for. How are you?”
“I’ve been better Kat. How are you?”
She shrugged, her smile genuine and friendly. “I’m the same as I always am. Busy. But I didn’t go through some serious shit last night, so cut the crap and tell me how you’re doing. For real.”
