knew everything when he knew nothing.
“I’m crashing in the upstairs room tonight,” I said, scooping up my bag.
Caleb gave me the once over. “Right.”
I rolled my eyes. “Oh, just say it.”
He shook his head and began to back away toward the showers. “Don’t let it fester too long, Ren.” Pointing upstairs he added, “I’ve taken a number.”
“Are you coming onto me?” I asked, my mouth dropping open.
He laughed, his eyes sparkling with mischief. “I call dibs when the fallout settles.”
Then he was gone.
Nine
Ren
“I’m sorry.”
I glanced up from the pile of paperwork I was helping out with and found Ash standing in the doorway. The office was empty since everyone had gone home an hour ago, but I’d stuck around a little longer to avoid talking to him . I’d never dragged out a fight this long, or stayed over at Beat to avoid hashing it out, and he knew it.
He leaned against the wall and nudged the door closed with his foot. He had this sheepish look on his face like he’d been caught with his hand in the lolly jar.
I raised an eyebrow and turned back to the paperwork.
“Ren, look…” I glanced up at him, and he shrugged. “You know I’m bad at this shit.”
“It’s not an excuse,” I said, looking at the invoice so I didn’t have to look at him.
“I didn’t like not being with you last night.”
Best not tell him that Caleb was already staking a claim over our nonexistent break up.
“Where were you?” he asked.
“Beat.”
He sighed heavily. “I’m not keeping anything from you.”
I shook my head. “I can tell when you’re bullshitting me, Ash.”
“Look at me.”
I shook my head, stood, and walked over to the filing cabinet. He watched me put the bit of paper away as I stewed on his admission. He said nothing was on his mind, but I could feel it. Something heavy hung in the air, and it was killing me knowing that something was amiss, and I couldn’t help him. He wasn’t letting me in, and after all the work it took for us to get to this point—all the fucking heartbreak and the fighting—it hurt like hell.
“I trained with Caleb last night.” I don’t know why I said it because it was like slapping him in the face, but it came out and hung there like an elephant in the room.
I sensed Ash’s body stiffen as the words hit him, and I cast my gaze to the floor. Training at Beat in the dark was our thing. It brought us together when nothing else could’ve made a difference. It was our thing.
His fist hit the wall, and I jumped, my gaze finding his. His shoulders were tense, jealousy clearly written all over his face.
“Did he touch you?” he asked, his eyes smoldering with a mixture of rage and lust.
I shook my head. “No.”
His eyes narrowed, and he pressed forward, backing me against the wall. His caveman was out, and his hands raised to grasp any part of me he could. My back hit the plaster, and he was on me, shoving his thigh between my legs, his mouth covering mine. He showed no mercy as he told me with his touch what he couldn’t seem to vocalize. He was sorry, but what for?
The kiss deepened to unbearable levels, as I knew it inevitably would, and I wrapped my arms round his neck, tangling my fingers into his hair. As his tongue claimed mine in slow swirls, my nipples tightened against his chest. This was how he told me that he wanted me forever. No stupid ceremony could give us this unbelievable passion. We totally clicked in the physical sense, but we still had emotional things we needed to work through and solving those would only come with time.
“I want you,” Ash murmured, holding me tight against his chest. “I want you even though now I’m the one pissed at you.”
Feeling his erection against my leg, my body flared hotter in response.
“That time is ours,” he went on. “No one else’s.”
“When else am I going to learn from him?”
“In a class,” he shot back immediately.
“Ash, you’re blowing it out
“I’m crashing in the upstairs room tonight,” I said, scooping up my bag.
Caleb gave me the once over. “Right.”
I rolled my eyes. “Oh, just say it.”
He shook his head and began to back away toward the showers. “Don’t let it fester too long, Ren.” Pointing upstairs he added, “I’ve taken a number.”
“Are you coming onto me?” I asked, my mouth dropping open.
He laughed, his eyes sparkling with mischief. “I call dibs when the fallout settles.”
Then he was gone.
Nine
Ren
“I’m sorry.”
I glanced up from the pile of paperwork I was helping out with and found Ash standing in the doorway. The office was empty since everyone had gone home an hour ago, but I’d stuck around a little longer to avoid talking to him . I’d never dragged out a fight this long, or stayed over at Beat to avoid hashing it out, and he knew it.
He leaned against the wall and nudged the door closed with his foot. He had this sheepish look on his face like he’d been caught with his hand in the lolly jar.
I raised an eyebrow and turned back to the paperwork.
“Ren, look…” I glanced up at him, and he shrugged. “You know I’m bad at this shit.”
“It’s not an excuse,” I said, looking at the invoice so I didn’t have to look at him.
“I didn’t like not being with you last night.”
Best not tell him that Caleb was already staking a claim over our nonexistent break up.
“Where were you?” he asked.
“Beat.”
He sighed heavily. “I’m not keeping anything from you.”
I shook my head. “I can tell when you’re bullshitting me, Ash.”
“Look at me.”
I shook my head, stood, and walked over to the filing cabinet. He watched me put the bit of paper away as I stewed on his admission. He said nothing was on his mind, but I could feel it. Something heavy hung in the air, and it was killing me knowing that something was amiss, and I couldn’t help him. He wasn’t letting me in, and after all the work it took for us to get to this point—all the fucking heartbreak and the fighting—it hurt like hell.
“I trained with Caleb last night.” I don’t know why I said it because it was like slapping him in the face, but it came out and hung there like an elephant in the room.
I sensed Ash’s body stiffen as the words hit him, and I cast my gaze to the floor. Training at Beat in the dark was our thing. It brought us together when nothing else could’ve made a difference. It was our thing.
His fist hit the wall, and I jumped, my gaze finding his. His shoulders were tense, jealousy clearly written all over his face.
“Did he touch you?” he asked, his eyes smoldering with a mixture of rage and lust.
I shook my head. “No.”
His eyes narrowed, and he pressed forward, backing me against the wall. His caveman was out, and his hands raised to grasp any part of me he could. My back hit the plaster, and he was on me, shoving his thigh between my legs, his mouth covering mine. He showed no mercy as he told me with his touch what he couldn’t seem to vocalize. He was sorry, but what for?
The kiss deepened to unbearable levels, as I knew it inevitably would, and I wrapped my arms round his neck, tangling my fingers into his hair. As his tongue claimed mine in slow swirls, my nipples tightened against his chest. This was how he told me that he wanted me forever. No stupid ceremony could give us this unbelievable passion. We totally clicked in the physical sense, but we still had emotional things we needed to work through and solving those would only come with time.
“I want you,” Ash murmured, holding me tight against his chest. “I want you even though now I’m the one pissed at you.”
Feeling his erection against my leg, my body flared hotter in response.
“That time is ours,” he went on. “No one else’s.”
“When else am I going to learn from him?”
“In a class,” he shot back immediately.
“Ash, you’re blowing it out
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