Page 50 of Freaks Of Nature
He shrugs. “We kept checking in with our mom off and on. She passed away three years ago.”
Ash doesn’t go on, leaving me hanging without the rest.
“And your father?” I cue.
His brow furrows as if with bitter memories. “Prison, probably.” He lifts one of his fries to his mouth. “Haven’t seen him in over a decade,” he adds, taking the bite.
So not a happy childhood, I conclude.
I change the topic after that to something a little more uplifting, and we share a few more laughs about my own pathetic life story. It’s not bad, just very plain.
I finish a second Daiquiri and feel the buzz on another trip to the ladies’ room. When I return, Ash has already taken care of our check.
My fingers clench around the wallet I have tucked into the front pocket of my hoodie. “You paid last time,” I remind him with a light scowl. “I wanted to cover this one.”
He slides off his seat and straightens in front of me, shoving his hands into his pockets. “That was never going to happen,” he tells me, his chest so close it brushes mine.
A hint of warm vanilla tangles through the darker notes of amber and oak I recognize as his cologne.
My nipples harden as I stare up at him. I’m sure he can feel it. I don’t know whether it’s the effect from the alcohol or him, but my skin is suddenly heating all over. The hairs at my neck prickle.
“Why?” I force my tone steady so as not to reveal how desperately I want him to touch me right now. “Because you’re old-fashioned and don’t believe a woman should pay for dinner, or because she’s required to pay the guy back in other ways later?”
The deep, sensual green of his eyes pins me. “I wouldn’t let you pay, becauseI’mthe one who askedyouout. The only requirement of you was to show up. And you held up your end.” He frees a hand from his pocket, reaching up to touch my face. “I don’t expect anything else in return, Em.”
My gaze drops to his lips at the sound of my name, and my eyelids grow heavy.
Ash’s fingertips skim my jawline, searing a path directly to my core. The pulsing between my thighs increases with each beat while my breathing shallows.
“But tell you what,” he prompts, tipping my chin up, and drawing my attention back to his eyes. “Next time,youaskmeout, and I’ll let you pay. How about that?”
“Next time?” I raise my brows at his bold presumption.
“Yeah.” The corner of his mouth turns upward. “Next time.”
I match his grin. “Deal.”
I drop my eyes as I slide my free hand up the thick bulk of his bicep, feeling his shirt glide smoothly against his bare skin underneath.
My voice takes on a hopeful tune. “What else do you got planned for us tonight?” I ask, raising my heavy gaze back to him.
The tip of his tongue comes out to wet his lips, and his teeth do a slow rake across the bottom before his grin turns up another notch. “Put on your hoodie and find out.”
I don’t miss the sparkle in his eyes when he nudges me toward the exit, and I pray he has something more private in mind. I remember our unfinished business at the park. The view was spectacular there.
Ash pauses before stepping outside to let me get dressed, then slides his hand into mine.
My right palm fuses to his left. It’s not warmth that spreads through my body but scorching heat, setting me ablaze all at once.
“I thought I recognized the bike.”
Both our heads snap around at the remark. It’s spoken with a contemptuous edge, and the hairs on my arms and neck immediately bristle in alarm.
I turn toward the street where a guy is leaning against Ash’s motorcycle that he parked next to the curb. He’s about Ash’s height, with an indication of a light muscle bulk beneath his dark sweatshirt.
Around him mobs a small posse of four guys with similar builds and threatening facial expressions. Two of them have their hoods up like their leader, and all I can think is that they look like some street gang, and we’re about to get jumped.
Ash tugs me closer to his side when the guy by his bike dips his chin in a curt greeting, his hands buried in his front pockets like he might be concealing a weapon there. “Ash.”
