Page 61 of Crave Me

A sudden knock on the open door pulled us from our rare brotherly moment, and we both looked to see Luke standing there.

He smiled as he took us in, then he told me, “There’s a friend here to see you.”

“A friend? I thought the manor was locked down?”

“King made an exception, per Miss Bennett’s request. It’s Ashley Morrison.”

“Sure. Send her up.”

Luke eyed Damien. “Might want to put some clothes on.”

“You want to get them for me then, sure, because I’m not leaving my brother.”

“I’m not housekeeping,” Luke muttered, before walking off to retrieve Ashley.

Damien chuckled.

“Don’t test Luke. He’ll push back,” I advised him.

“He knows I’m just ribbing him. He needs the levity with the way King is at the moment. Right on the fucking edge. Maybe even over it, actually.”

“I know.” I’d seen some of it for myself, and Sky had told me a whole lot more.

The problem was, there was no cutting into it or easing it for him. Not with Caleb gone and still in danger. He wouldn’t be able to see reason through any of it.

“Hey, this friend of yours, her name sounds familiar.”

“She’s an up-and-coming model, a fashion influencer too.”

“Ah, the model with the coke habit, right?”

“She’s in recovery. I met her in my support group.”

“Huh.”

“You were only able to stalk me at Luxe, huh?”

“Yeah. King cut me off everything else.”

“Well, maybe we can change that when all of this done.”

“Really?” he asked, so much hope in his eyes.

Before I could answer, Ashley walked into the room, escorted by Luke.

He gave me a chin lift, then headed back down the corridor.

“Thank God,” she said, as she took me in. “I needed to see for myself when the reports came in all over the news that you were finally back.”

She shifted her weight in her pink bootcut pants and a glittering silver wrap top, a pink studded circular purse hanging off her wrist.

“Fuck me. She’s incredible,” Damien whispered.

It wasn’t quiet enough, though. Ashley’s eyes sparked and she flicked her long blonde hair. “That’s the best greeting I’ve had in a long while,” she told my brother.

He pushed off the bed and rounded it, then held his hand out to her. “How’s this?”

She giggled and took his hand, and I saw him hold back a lot as he shook with her. Hmm.

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