Page 49 of No Mistakes
It’s Ant.
He stands there, hands in his pockets, head tilted slightly like he’s debating walking away. My heart skips, pounding harder against my chest the more I wait. I take a deep breath, opening the door.
He lifts his phone almost immediately, a message already waiting.
“Didn’t mean to wake you earlier.”
I smile, stepping back to let him in. “You didn’t. Eva did.”
She waves from her bed. “Hey, mute man. You come bearing snacks?
Ant gives the faintest smile and holds up a paper bag I hadn’t noticed before. He crosses the room in a few quiet steps and drops it onto the dresser.
“Okay,” I say, stepping closer, “you’reofficiallymy favourite Ashford.”
He raises an eyebrow like that’s not saying much. I catch his eyes, and for a split second, something unspoken hangs there. A hum beneath my skin. The memory of us in that room, in the parking lot outside the shooting range and the way he cared for me when I was in their apartment. He looks away, pulling his phone out.
“Carter said you were hungry. Thought you’d like this.”
Eva whistles from the bed. “Silent and considerate? Unreal. Maybe you can teach Axel a few things.”
I roll my eyes at her, already reaching for the snacks, but my hand brushes Ant’s as he’s reaching to hold his phone out. I freeze, his hand warm, solid, yet… soft.
I look up and see he’s already watching me, butreallywatching. His dark eyes drink me in, like I’m a puzzle he’s been trying to solve for days. The air shifts between us, electric and still. I don’t know how long we stand there, but it’s enough to make Eva clear her throat.
Ant steps back like I burned him, and the sudden distance makes my chest ache. He holds his phone out again, and I read the message on the screen.
“Will you meet me out front in twenty minutes? I want to show you something.”
I read the message numerous times before placing the phone back into his hand.
“Okay,” I say softly. He nods, the corner of his mouth lifting into the kind of smile that could ruin a girl. As he turns to leave, his fingers brush against mine one last time, just enough to set every nerve in my body on fire.
He waves goodbye to Eva, then disappears through the door, closing it behind him.
CHAPTER 22
ANT
The air is colder now comparedto when we first arrived, the December chill really making an impression. I lean against the passenger side of the car, arms crossed, waiting underneath the glow of the motel's sign. It’s quiet out here, the hum of crickets filling the silence between cars that pass every few minutes.
Every time a door slides open, my eyes snap to the sound, but every time, it’s not her. I check my watch to see it’s exactly twenty minutes on the dot. My fingers twitch against the sleeves of my shirt.
I glance towards the motel doors just as they open, and everything around me slows down. She walks out like a damn problem I don’t want a solution for. Short-sleeved, tight-fitted top, hugging her curves like it was painted on, light blue denim shorts showing off legs that won’t leave my head tonight, and black boots that make her hips move in a way that has me clenching my fists, trying to keep them to myself. Her hair’s down, long and wavy, brushing over her shoulders like silk, her makeup soft but flawless just like her, while her deep brown eyes glow beneath the lights, pulling me in without even trying.
She spots me, and that smile.Fuck. That smile could end wars.
I open the passenger door for her without saying a word. Her brows lift. “Well, damn,” she mutters, stepping closer. “Chivalry’s not dead after all.”
She slips into the seat, and I close the door, walking around to mine before she can say something else.
I open the door, climbing inside when I see her noticing a little gift.
“Is this-” She pauses, picking up the iced drink in the cupholder. Her favourite. Extra syrup. No ice. The same one I’ve seen her hold multiple times. “How do you even know what I drink?”
I give her a look while smirking. My shoulder lifts like ‘maybe I’ve been paying more attention than you thought.’
She stares at the drink, then at me. “You’re kinda creepy,” she teases, but her voice goes soft at the end. “But in a hot, thoughtful way, so it’s fine.”
