Page 90 of Doesn't Count

A surprised squeal jumps from her lips as I yank her off the counter, her legs wrapping around my waist to keep her from falling. I back her up against the closest bedroom door across the hall from the kitchen, my lips pressed firmly to hers while my hand blindly finds the knob.

“This is Sam’s room, mines down the hall.”

“I don’t think she’d mind.” I lift a shoulder in a shrug.

She tugs the hair on the back of my head in punishment. “I think she might.”

With a burning curiosity I was trying to suffocate, I carry her down the hall to the second bedroom. A slow smile stretches across my face as I take in every piece of Ash, drowning in the past. Her bed sits center of the wall to the rightwith a black metal frame and a barred headboard. The entire wall is lined with posters of famous artists and bands, none of them us, but I never expected as much. Her taste has barely altered from years ago, only to keep up with what is currently mainstream.

She slides down my body slowly, distraction taking hold. I flip on the lamp at her bedside, illuminating the room in a soft glow. She crawls onto her white bedspread, resting against the mountain of pillows.

“So, this is Ashton Crawford.” I smirk, drinking in every detail of our surroundings.

“Give or take.” She confirms.

I roam around as she watches me with weary eyes. There’s her neat and tidy desk underneath the window to the left of her bed, her closet on the other side, but it’s the dresser directly across from her postered wall that captures my attention. A collage of tiny pictures line her mirror, leaving hardly any glass showing. One by one, I study them, most of which are of her and Sam. Then there are her parents, the images of them strike an unwelcome feeling of loss. Growing up I never once thought of Ash’s parents, but after losing everyone around me, I suddenly resented their absence in my life.

Finally, my eyes drop to the last picture in the bottom right-hand corner. A face that’s all too familiar, yet utterly strange stares back at me. Oliver. I wonder if he’s as foreign to Ash as he is to me now.

Desperate to shake the feelings that are starting to pull me into darkness, I quickly advert my attention to something else.

“Should I check the closet next, or under the bed?” I joke, turning to Ash.

Her eyes widen, “Neither.”

“Why not? What am I going to find?” I smile mischievously.

She crawls to the edge of the mattress, trying to catch me before I drop down to my knees, but she’s too late. I peak under the skirt of bed finding a shoe box and pull it out.

“What secrets lie in here, Eris?” I taunt.

“Nothing!” She tries to pull the box from my hands.

“Don’t make me tie you up.”

She doesn’t let go, her eyes pleading. “Don’t open it.”

“If your hands aren’t off this box by the count of three, I’m tying you to your headboard and you’re going to watch me open it.” I warn.

A flash of excitement passes over her blue irises. I count down slowly, already knowing that she isn’t going to give in.

I let go, but only for a moment because in the next I’m digging through her closet for something resembling a rope. I yank the belt from a silver silk robe, Ash’s eyes clouding with fear when I show it to her. She pushes to her knees, ready to bolt out of her room with the box in hand, but I’m scooping her up within seconds. I throw her against the mattress, straddling her so she can’t escape, ripping her secrets from her hands.

“No! Khaos, please, don’t!” She shouts, writhing under me, trying to slip free.

“I warned you.” I grip both her wrists in one hand and wrap the belt around them, tying her to the headboard, her arms restrained above her head. “Now be a good girl and sit still.”

I remain on top of her, pinning her down to keep her from kicking me off this bed. Teasingly, I drag the box over, placing it on top of her stomach. She stabs me with a furious gaze, never once looking down at the object in question.

“What am I going to find in here?” I give her the chance to tell me before I open it up.

"Don’t you dare...” She growls, bucking her hips.

Her attempt at throwing me off of her is weak considering I’m nearly twice her size, but it humors me, nonetheless.

“A threat?” I smirk. “Must mean I’ve hit the jackpot.”

“Khaos, no!” She barks as I remove the lid, my eyes never wavering from the look on her face.

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