Page 19 of Pretty Puppy

Now who was the liar?

A lone tear trailed down Ash’s cheek and Lee gritted his teeth. He couldn’t give in, couldn’t get swept up in the thrill that there might be a genuine chance they could be together again, that Ash truly cared, that Lee could comfort his sweet boy and not get tricked.

Lee glanced away from Ash’s hurt expression and fussed with a file on his desk. He couldn’t face him anymore, couldn’t look him in the eye.

“I think under the circumstances, it would be best if you leave. I already have Shane searching for a replacement for you.” Lee shuffled some more papers around. “I’ll cut you a check for the work you’ve done so far, and if you have nowhere to go, it so happens I have a condo that’s recently been vacated. You can stay there for the rest of the month while you make other arrangements.” He lifted his gaze. “But in the meantime, I would prefer you not return to the resort.”

Ash’s jaw dropped then he shot to his feet. “I don’t blame you for being angry and I don’t mind that you’re firing me. I totally deserve that. But I don’t want yourcondo. I don’t even want the money, since I was so terrible at my job.” He slammed his fists on his hips. “I came here for you, andnothingelse. I was a stupid, immature, spoiled, entitled asshole when we were together. I wasn’t ready to settle down. I had barely turned nineteen when we met.”

Ash threw his hands in the air. “I was a fucking teenager! That’s no excuse for how I left, none at all. That’s totally on me. But I still love you. Ineverstopped.” He choked out a sob. “Is that what you want, for me to bare my soul? Well, there it is.That’sthe truth. I told myself for years that you were a good time and nothing else.” He ran his hands across the top of his head. “I was wrong. I was so fucking wrong.” Ash hiccupped another sob. “You were the one and I stupidly threw it all away.”

Before Lee could process what Ash was saying, he’d run from the room. Lee’s hands trembled, his stomach twisting.

It couldn’t be true, right? Yet, he’d never witnessed Ash so intent, so open. His speech hadn’t sounded rehearsed. The spew of emotions had punched Lee in the chest with the sincerity behind the words. And the one thing that stood out above everything Ash had said was fact. Ashhadbeen young, had been new to the lifestyle. Was it fair to judge someone’s behavior who had barely been an adult at the time?

Lee covered his face with his palms. But could he risk it? Could he let himself be that vulnerable with Ash again?

His phone rang and he thought about ignoring it so he could go find Ash. With a sigh, he reached for his cell. It was the contractors working on the new hall. The event had to come first—the charity was counting on him.

But the moment he was done handling whatever needed to be handled, he was going to find Ash and sit him down for a long, long talk.

Chapter Nine

Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuckity fuck.

Ash grabbed his socks and underwear from the drawer and stomped back to the bed, his soon-to-be-full duffel open and ready for him to shove all his belongings inside. His emotions raged, but he couldn’t discern how much was pain, sorrow or fear.

He marched to the closet, yanking shirts from the hangers, not caring whether buttons were torn free, or T-shirts stretched out. He’d already changed into a basic pair of black jeans and thrown on a long sleeve tee that would be comfortable to travel in. As soon as he got his puppy gear, pants and grooming crap packed up, he was out of there.

Ash growled as he continued stuffing items into the bag. Stay at Lee’s condo? Was he high? That would be pure torture. Agonizing. And that was actually what Lee thought? That Ash had come back to fleece him or something? Maybe he thought he didn’t have anywhere to stay and figured he’d come back to take advantage of Lee’s feelings for him.

Ash froze.Shit. He reallydidn’thave a place to stay. He wiped his hand across his mouth. That wasn’t technically true. Owen and Rick’s offer still stood. Ash hung his head. God, he was such a mess.

The lock clicked and Ash tensed. Jarrod strolled in then came to an abrupt stop. He furrowed his brow.

“What’s up? Are you changing rooms?”

“I…” He croaked. “I uh, I’m leaving. I was fired.”

Ash’s stomach plummeted when Jarrod didn’t appear surprised.

“Oh. Um, that’s too bad. Do you plan on staying in Tahoe?” He draped his jacket over a chair. “If you are, I’m sure there are lots of casino openings. You shouldn’t have a problem finding work.”

Gee, thanks. Ash swallowed down the sarcasm he so badly wanted to unleash. “Actually, I have a lead on something back in San Diego. But I need to get there right away, so I’m taking a bus tonight.”

Maybe someday he’d quit lying through his teeth all the time.

“Cool. I’m gonna grab a shower. Good luck.”

Ash couldn’t help but wonder if he was the star of the gossip mill right now. It certainly seemed as if his roomie had either drawn his own conclusions about Ash’s abilities or been clued in by someone else. The pups and ponies never trained at the same time, so he couldn’t see how Jarrod had formed an opinion. Then again, maybe the guy just didn’t like him in general.

“Thanks. Let me grab my grooming kit real quick before you get in.”

After they’d shared another awkward goodbye, Ash made fast work of getting the rest of his things in the duffel. He couldn’t get out of Tahoe soon enough. His plan was to get to the bus station first, worry about schedules later. As soon as he knew when the next bus left, he’d give Owen a call.

Ash bit his lower lip. Maybe Owen would be proud of him for owning up. At the same time, Lee was the one who forced his hand, so he couldn’t take full credit.

After throwing on his jacket, he practically ran to the elevator. If he saw Shane—or God forbid, Lee—he’d come unglued.

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