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I was still a bit dazed from his kisses and his proclamation that I was now his to react. I probably should have protested, but I had enjoyed it, so I was glad he left, and I didn’t need to.
I stuffed things into a small suitcase as I tried to process everything that happened and the jumble of emotions that were spinning inside me.
My hands shook, and I was aware that it wasn’t just from kissing Ash. I was still feeling the effects of my nerves from our earlier confrontation with the black guys, and I hadn’t even begun to process the fact that they had found us and attacked us in my home. Or the fact that one of them was now dead.
I was only beginning to realise the danger I’d been in, and I knew when the adrenaline wore off entirely, I’d need to deal with the fear I could feel buried away. Yet, despite the nerves and hidden fear, I was wildly excited at the same time. I had never felt anything like I did when I was with this guy. Who knew what lay in store for us in the future? I longed to find out.
This guy was special, and what was between us was special, and I knew that that kind of special didn’t come along often. So, no matter how dangerous this guy and his world might be, I was ready to meet that danger head-on. That should have scared me. Yet, as soon as I realised it, I felt a sense of calmness, of rightness settle over me, and I quickly finished packing.
A short while later, I was sitting in the back of an SUV with Ash. He was holding my hand and smiling at me. Wow!
I tore my gaze away from his lips and forced myself to look out of the window instead so I wouldn’t give in to my urge to straddle him and kiss him like a woman possessed. We weren’t alone, and I wasn’t ready for any more public displays of affection. My cheeks heated at the thought.
This all seemed so surreal I could hardly believe any of this had happened. A week ago, I had been annoyed at Ash for being a jerk and running off after kissing me, thinking I would never see his sexy self again. Now, here I was, heading to his home to stay with him.
It couldn’t be real. Surely, it was a dream? Maybe I was still in a drunken stupor after getting fired and had dreamed the whole week up. Yet Ash’s warm hand clasped in mine felt very real. I snuck a peek at him. He was still looking at me. He smirked and winked as if he knew my thoughts. Considering the heat, my face was probably bright red again, so he no doubt did. I closed my eyes in embarrassment, and he gave my hand a little squeeze as he chuckled quietly.
That chuckle had the same effect on me as his eyes, his lips, his hands, and his voice. Oh my. If he kept that up, I wasn’t going to be able to refrain from jumping his bones much longer.
I turned my head and stared unseeingly out of the window again. This was definitely no dream. I felt a thrill of excitement ran through me. I really had rescued him last night, and this morning, we were attacked and nearly shot.
I should probably be running as far away from this guy as possible, all things considered, but in the last week since we first met, my life had become pretty exciting! It was like I was on some sort of adventure which was both thrilling and dangerous.
I couldn’t wait to see what else was ahead. Especially if it involved more kissing! I definitely wanted it to involve more kissing and maybe a lot more than that.Oh yes, please!I smirked, glad that my inner devil and I were once again in total agreement.
I watched the countryside fly by as we sped towards Ash’s home. He had told me it was called Rominov Strana (literally Rominov land or country) and was located in the small town of Harpendon, near St. Albans, Hertfordshire. I was looking forward to seeing it. We couldn’t be far away now.
I bit my lip. I needed to tell Derrick where I was going.
It wasn’t as if I felt that Ash would hurt me. After all, he had insisted on protecting me, but nevertheless, we’d been attacked in my home, and I wasn’t sure if my friends and family could be in any danger. Also, I couldn’t just disappear. Derrick would be frantic and probably imagine the worst.
My concern was more about what I could tell Derrick without causing any issues for him or Ash and his family. I wasn’t a fool. I knew there was more to Ash and his family than met the eye. I have read enough mafia-style romances not to believe they might even be Bratva. If so, then I needed to be careful what I said to others. I’d have to subtly check with him what he wanted me to say.
Claire and Marcie were away for a few days at the spa, so I didn’t need to worry about telling them anything yet. I was glad about that. It meant they would be safe in case anybody else did try to kill us. That was something else I needed to talk to Ash about.
Hopefully, the cleaners, whoever they were, would fix and secure the house.
That expression alone had told me so much about who I was likely dealing with. I yawned. The adrenaline was finally wearing off, and I was left with an overwhelming tiredness.
“Will your clean-up crew fix the door?” I asked Ash just to be clear.
“Yes, sweetheart, don’t worry about a thing; they will get everything sorted,” he reassured me.
“What about the trouble?” I asked.
“My brothers and I will sort that out, hon; we will keep you safe, I promise,” he said, and I could hear the sincerity in his voice.
“How did they find us?”I asked. It had only just dawned on me that I might have been followed home after all.
“No idea yet, hon, but I will find out.”
I didn’t press him any further on that but would later. At some point soon, we would need to have an honest talk about what he had gotten me into. In the meantime, I was too tired to deal with it.
“I need to call Derrick and let them know where I am,” I said.
He assessed me before replying.
“Okay, you can do that later, but let me talk to him first and explain things. You were due to be off work today, so that is fine, but tomorrow, you will need to call the pub and tell them you’re sick and won’t be in for a few days as you can’t go to work until we sort this out,” he told me.
