hurt you, right?”
Sighing, she turned to look at him. The sun shining in through his open window lit up her golden curls like a halo. Wow… She really was gorgeous. Nate was one stupid bastard for letting her go.
“I know you wouldn’t,” Ashley replied.
He wasn’t sure if she really meant it, or if she was just appeasing him. Tension radiated from the stiff set of her shoulders and the tight set of her mouth that was usually smiling—but not this morning.
Ashamed of himself, he looked down and noticed the bandage on her palm. “What happened to your hand?” He turned her wrist to look more closely at the crimson-stained gauze.
“It’s nothing…” She made a move to stand, but Mitch tugged her back down, refusing to release her wrist.
“It’s not ‘nothing,’ Ash. You cut your hand. Let me see it,” he said, scooting up in bed to get a better look.
“Don’t worry about it. It’s fine now.” Impatience clipped her tone as she pulled her hand back, yanking harder this time. Reluctantly, he released her. She was pissed—not that he blamed her. He’d acted like a real ass. “You cut yourself on that glass I broke last night, didn’t you?”
Ashley didn’t answer.
“I’m sorry…” Before Ashley could move away, he caught her wrist again and dipped his head, gently placing a kiss near the bandage.
Her frown deepened. Mitch wasn’t sure why he kissed her. He knew he was only making a bad situation worse.
Ashley jumped up from the bed as if her ass was on fire. “I’ll go turn on the shower for you. You stink,” she grumbled, walking into his bathroom.
Aw hell… Mitch lay there a few more minutes, fighting back another wave of nausea. The hiss of the shower started with a blast. He lifted his head, trying to get up, but the moment he moved... Throwing back the covers, he rolled over the edge of the bed and hurled into the waste basket again.
***
Ashley was sitting at the kitchen table drinking a cup of coffee when Mitch dragged himself into the kitchen. His dark blond hair was wet and tousled. He wore a day’s growth of beard on his square jaw, which would have looked sexy if it weren’t for his bloodshot eyes.
He looked like a hung-over surfer, she decided—one who hadn’t bothered to put on a shirt. “You look like hell,” she said, getting up from her chair to pour him a cup of coffee.
Mitch plopped down at the table and grumbled, “I feel worse than that. Thanks, though,” he added dryly, taking the cup from her and bringing it up to his lips. “You really know how to make a guy feel better.”
“It’s a gift...” she replied off-handedly.
“I’m glad my pain is a source of amusement for you,” he grouched, casting her a sideways glance. “But seriously, Ash, thanks for staying last night. I didn’t deserve it after the way I acted.”
“You remember, huh?”
“Not all of it, but enough…”
“Well, stop beating yourself up. Are you always so hard on yourself?” She and Mitch had been friends for a long time, not nearly as long as her and Olivia, but friends nonetheless. She thought she knew the guy. Then again, he’d just been jilted at the altar, so she should probably cut him some slack.
“Only when I yell at my friends and throw things like a little kid.”
Ashley burst into a laugh. She hadn’t expected him to say that.
He chuckled. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure—” She got up and poured herself another cup of coffee, a little uneasy at the sudden seriousness of his tone, “—after you go get dressed.” The last thing she needed was for someone to stop by and find her and Mitch here alone like this. At this, he cocked a grin, leaving her reeling as his emotions seemed to swing from one extreme to the next.
“Why? Do I distract you?”
Mitch had always been a flirt. She just wasn’t expecting it on the dawn of his being jilted at the altar. “If by ‘distract’ you mean inappropriately half-dressed, then
Sighing, she turned to look at him. The sun shining in through his open window lit up her golden curls like a halo. Wow… She really was gorgeous. Nate was one stupid bastard for letting her go.
“I know you wouldn’t,” Ashley replied.
He wasn’t sure if she really meant it, or if she was just appeasing him. Tension radiated from the stiff set of her shoulders and the tight set of her mouth that was usually smiling—but not this morning.
Ashamed of himself, he looked down and noticed the bandage on her palm. “What happened to your hand?” He turned her wrist to look more closely at the crimson-stained gauze.
“It’s nothing…” She made a move to stand, but Mitch tugged her back down, refusing to release her wrist.
“It’s not ‘nothing,’ Ash. You cut your hand. Let me see it,” he said, scooting up in bed to get a better look.
“Don’t worry about it. It’s fine now.” Impatience clipped her tone as she pulled her hand back, yanking harder this time. Reluctantly, he released her. She was pissed—not that he blamed her. He’d acted like a real ass. “You cut yourself on that glass I broke last night, didn’t you?”
Ashley didn’t answer.
“I’m sorry…” Before Ashley could move away, he caught her wrist again and dipped his head, gently placing a kiss near the bandage.
Her frown deepened. Mitch wasn’t sure why he kissed her. He knew he was only making a bad situation worse.
Ashley jumped up from the bed as if her ass was on fire. “I’ll go turn on the shower for you. You stink,” she grumbled, walking into his bathroom.
Aw hell… Mitch lay there a few more minutes, fighting back another wave of nausea. The hiss of the shower started with a blast. He lifted his head, trying to get up, but the moment he moved... Throwing back the covers, he rolled over the edge of the bed and hurled into the waste basket again.
***
Ashley was sitting at the kitchen table drinking a cup of coffee when Mitch dragged himself into the kitchen. His dark blond hair was wet and tousled. He wore a day’s growth of beard on his square jaw, which would have looked sexy if it weren’t for his bloodshot eyes.
He looked like a hung-over surfer, she decided—one who hadn’t bothered to put on a shirt. “You look like hell,” she said, getting up from her chair to pour him a cup of coffee.
Mitch plopped down at the table and grumbled, “I feel worse than that. Thanks, though,” he added dryly, taking the cup from her and bringing it up to his lips. “You really know how to make a guy feel better.”
“It’s a gift...” she replied off-handedly.
“I’m glad my pain is a source of amusement for you,” he grouched, casting her a sideways glance. “But seriously, Ash, thanks for staying last night. I didn’t deserve it after the way I acted.”
“You remember, huh?”
“Not all of it, but enough…”
“Well, stop beating yourself up. Are you always so hard on yourself?” She and Mitch had been friends for a long time, not nearly as long as her and Olivia, but friends nonetheless. She thought she knew the guy. Then again, he’d just been jilted at the altar, so she should probably cut him some slack.
“Only when I yell at my friends and throw things like a little kid.”
Ashley burst into a laugh. She hadn’t expected him to say that.
He chuckled. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure—” She got up and poured herself another cup of coffee, a little uneasy at the sudden seriousness of his tone, “—after you go get dressed.” The last thing she needed was for someone to stop by and find her and Mitch here alone like this. At this, he cocked a grin, leaving her reeling as his emotions seemed to swing from one extreme to the next.
“Why? Do I distract you?”
Mitch had always been a flirt. She just wasn’t expecting it on the dawn of his being jilted at the altar. “If by ‘distract’ you mean inappropriately half-dressed, then
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