Page 19 of Don't Look Away

But after what happened in the bathroom just now, I’m not so sure, and that realization fills me with a fear I’ve never known before, the fear of losing complete control.

“Yo,” a voice intones from behind me.

I glance over my shoulder and see Ash paddling up.Fuuuck.“Aren’t you a bit far from home? You have your own damn beach.”

He paddles up next to me and then sits on his board. “It’s choppy as shit down there. The waves looked better here.”

“This spot is private.”

Surfers are some of the most territorial fuckers around, and the fact that he’s paddled up onmystretch of ocean is a capital-fucking-offense. Then add his obvious interest in Lux, and this guy is practicallyaskingto be beaten senseless.

“No one owns the ocean, Roman. Not even your family.”

I glance at him lazily. A month ago, I would have tackled him right here and held his head under the water until he wasonebreath away from death. Now, the only thing stopping me is that Lux likes Ash. God knows why, but she does. And if I fuck him up, she might see me as even more of a monster than she already does.

Maybe that’s what he’s banking on.

“There are rules,” I answer, glancing back out at the ocean. “An unspoken agreement we all have to follow. You have your territory, and I have mine. Cross that line…” I turn to glare at him, my jaw tight. “...and I won’t be held responsible for what happens next.”

Ash laughs, tilting his head back a little. “Are we still talking about the water?”

I stiffen. “What else would we be talking about?”

“Oh, come on,” he laughs again. “We both know this is about Lux.”

I’m not talking about Lux with this prick. He may think he knows her, and he may even think they share something special, but I can guarantee he doesn’t feel as deeply as I do for her. Bet on that.

“You and I had our issues before she came along,” I point out.

Ash’s betrayal still stings. I trusted him, but in the end, like so many other people, he turned against my family.

Ash shakes his head, his surfboard bobbing as small waves pass under us. “Your brother is bad news, Roman. I wish you could see that.”

Goddamn, this guy is either brave or he has a fucking death wish.

Clenching my jaw, I bite out the words, “You don’t know my brother.”

“I wouldn’t say that,” Ash replies. “We grew up together. I know him better than most.”

I glance at Ash again, my hands balling into fists. He’s only about two feet away from me in the water, and I could probably get a few good punches in before a wave pulled us apart. It’s difficult to fight in the ocean. But I’ve done it more than a few times. It’s difficult, but it can be done.

I release a sigh. “I came out here for some damn peace, Ash. Why don’t you just tell me what you want, so you can fucking leave?”

“You need to let Lux go,” he says.

My head snaps in his direction, and I glare at him. “What?”

“You heard me.”

I glare at him. “You should know better than to tell me what to do, Ash.”

He tilts his head, like, yeah, he should. “I don’t want Lux to get hurt, and I think we both know, you share too many of your brother’s tendencies.”

Holy shit, this guy.Wow.

But the fact that he’s echoing my own thoughts is more than a little disturbing.

“Lux isn’t your concern,” I say, gripping my fiberglass board so hard, I worry I might pull off a chunk of it.

---