Page 68 of Losing Ansley

"I tried to call you both!" He exclaims. I pat my jeans and realize I didn't grab my phone before we left.

"Sorry. I left my phone. We grabbed a pizza." I motion to the pizza in my hand. Ansley opens the door showing him she left her phone too. Dylan joins us, and we all eat.

"Chad was arrested. And whoever hired him got fired." Dylan tells us. I nod in response. Earlier this morning, Julian texted, telling me what was going on. His connections informed him the recording Ansley got was golden and would help the girls he attacked in California. If they chose to, the evidence would go a long way to get them justice. Ansley hums. Her phone buzzes, but she ignores it. She's been doing that all day.

"Who is that, Ans?" I ask her.

"Probably Leslie; she's been texting me all day." She responds, and I arch an eyebrow.

"And you haven't responded?" I ask her. She shakes her head. Dylan glances between us.

"Why not?" He asks.

"Because I don't want to talk about what happened yesterday." She says. I grab her hand and begin to massage her palm.

"That's understandable, but at least let her know you're okay. Have you done that?" I ask her. She shakes her head, and I share a look with Dylan. I've had enough.

"Text her right now and tell her you're okay and you'll talk to her later when you're ready." Her eyes connect with mine for several seconds before she snatches her phone, types out a message, and then places it back on the bar.

"There." She says and takes a sip of her wine. Dylan glances at me, his eyes wide. He stands and cleans up where he is sitting.

"I think I'll go. I wanted to stop by and check on you before I went to sleep." He throws his trash away and then stops beside Ansley giving her a peck on her head.

"Try to get some rest Ans." He encourages. "I'll call you tomorrow." I'm not sure if he could be saying it to her or me. He leaves, and I start cleaning up the kitchen.

"Why don't you go lay down, Ans? Take a nap." I tell her. Part of me wants her to fight back to shake herself out of whatever funk she's in, but she nods and walks to the bedroom. I stare after her, at a loss of what to say or do.

I think about doing a spanking scene with her, but I can't, not after what she went through yesterday. Then I think about what she said at the cafe. This isn't the first time she's voiced insecurity about feeling like I didn't want her. I walk into the bedroom and see she's on her side with her knees to her chest.

I climb onto the bed and hover over her pushing her gently onto her back. I settle between her thighs as she stares up at me. I bring my index finger to her face and trace her forehead, nose, cheekbones, and slender neck. Then I follow that path with my lips.

"Do you know how much I love you, Ansley?" I ask her. She gives me a response by arching against me. "How much I love looking into your beautiful eyes?" I tell her as I stare down into her soul, and she returns my stare, her eyes shining with tears. She brings her hands up to my face cupping my jaw.

"I love you, Lincoln. So much. I'm sorry about today. I've been in a terrible head space today." She says. I lean down, giving her a gentle kiss.

"You don't have to be sorry, baby. I understand. But people worry about you, so don't cut them off. Let them know you're okay." She nods and wraps her arms around my neck, pulling me down, so I'm flush against her.

"I need you, sweetheart," I say against her neck. She whimpers against me, and I kiss her jaw. She pushes her hands under my shirt; I sit back, lifting it over my head, and then pull her up so I can remove her shirt. Before she can lay back down, I wrap my hand around her neck and tilt her head back so she's looking up at me. Her eyes are filled with desire.

"You're mine. Do you understand?" I remind her, and she nods as her tongue comes out to lick her lips. "Don't ever forget that," I order. She nods again. "Say it." She stares at me for a long moment.

"I'm yours." It comes out weak, and I shake my head.

"Try again," I tell her, and she swallows.

"I'm yours, Lincoln." She says with more conviction. I lean down, my lips brushing against hers.

"And I'm yours. Always and forever."

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

ANSLEY

I FEELmore normal today. Anita called to check on me and told me she was handling everything, and if I needed to, I could take the rest of the week off. Part of me felt terrible because Leslie was also out sick, leaving them short-staffed, but I knew I needed at least one more day before I could face the real world again. And honestly, the whole situation made me want to return to Mississippi with Lincoln.

Lincoln took another day off work to spend the morning with me, but he's leaving now to get back into town tonight. He has some crucial meetings tomorrow that he can't miss. I kept hoping he'd ask me to come with him, but he never did. Things still feel off between us, and I'm not sure why. He grabs his bags off the bed, and I follow him to the living room.

"Why haven't you asked me to go back home with you?" I ask him. His head turns toward me as he drops his bag on the floor next to the front door.

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