Page 25 of Ash (Dragon Riders MC 3)
This is the best any man has ever treated me.
“Sounds like you’ve been with some real dickheads, then,” Ash said.
My eyes fluttered open. “Hmm?”
“If this is the best a man has ever treated you, then you need to up your standards.”
I paused. “I said that out loud?”
He snickered. “Didn’t mean to?”
I shook my head softly. “Nope.”
When the bubbles and the water covered my breasts, Ash reached forward. He turned off the water and sank down, taking me along with him. I turned to my side and curled against his strength, and his warmth. His arms wrapped around me like a protective jacket, cloaking me off from the rest of the world. I liked this. This thing I had with him. I didn't know what it was, and I didn't know whether it would be more, but I hoped it might go that way.
I hoped things might turn that way.
Good guys like him never go for you.
“Ah, you never know, Hannah,” Ash murmured.
I sighed. “I did it again, didn’t I?”
“Hey, at least I know you can never hide anything from me. That’s reassuring.”
I giggled. “I talk in my sleep, too.”
“So I’ve noticed.”
I looked up at him. “What now?”
He paused. “Uh, well. I mean, it’s just—”
I sat up. “Ash, have you been watching me sleep?”
“I mean, I’m not creeping on you or anything. But sometimes I’ll come downstairs to get something out of your kitchen and hear you murmuring to yourself.”
“Oh.”
He furrowed his brow. “Why do you sound disappointed?”
“I’m not disappointed, you weirdo.”
“Then, why the change of voice?”
I laid my head on his shoulder. “Didn’t you ever think of coming and crawling into bed with me?”
His arm wrapped behind my back. “More times than I can count.”
I smiled. “Well, maybe try doing it next time. You never know what might happen.”
“Mmm, I like the sound of that.”
My fingertips danced against his tattoo on his chest. “Do you have work today?”
“Nothing I can’t get done tomorrow.”
“Wait, so you have to work today?”
I looked up at him and watched him shake his head.
“Like I said, I can get it done tomorrow.”
I paused. “You won’t get in trouble, will you?”
“Nah. I’ll be fine. Besides, Bowser and Link have been off the radar for a few days now. They can’t fault me if I decide not to check in for an afternoon.”
I couldn't believe he blew off work for me. I wasn’t sure what I’d done to deserve it, but an entire day in bed with Ash sounded like heaven. I rested against him and let the bubbles pop against my skin. Every once in a while, he’d swirl bubbles around on my back, or the outside of my thigh. As if he were trying to clean me down. But once the water started growing cold, Ash shifted around.
Before the draining sound of water hit my ears.
“Come on. I’ll order us some food,” he said.
Then, I was sailing in midair again. Cradled in his arms as he walked us into his bedroom.
“Are you not going to give me a choice with anything today?” I asked.
He settled me against his bed. “You can choose what we eat, if you’d like.”
I giggled. “How does pizza sound?”
“Oh, I never turn down a good pizza.”
“Your mattress is going to be soaked, you know.”
He slid in bed next to me. “It doesn’t matter. I need a new one anyway. If it starts smelling funky, gives me a reason to switch it out.”
“Wait, does pizza deliver all the way out here?”
He nodded. “It does when I order from the pizza place the crew invests in.”
“Ah, the perks of being the girlfriend of a—”
The second the word slipped from my mouth; I knew I had done it. I knew I had fucked everything up. I braced myself for impact. I braced myself for his anger or for him kicking me out of bed. Surely, he’d never want anything to do with me after this.
Instead, though, he pulled me beneath the covers and held me against his body.
“I suppose there are perks, sure. But there are just as many risks,” Ash murmured.
I slowly turned to face him. “Like… what?”
His eyes danced along my face. “Like, the trouble we get into. You know, with this op and stuff.”
“This isn’t the first time something like this has happened?”
“Unfortunately, no. And it won’t be the last. And even then, what we’re dealing with right now is mild compared to a couple of the issues we’ve gotten into in the past.”
“Sounds like you take on a lot of burden with your lot in life.”
He shrugged. “I make good money, I’ve made even better investments, and I know I can walk away at any time and start a new life for myself.”
“But…?”
“But those men are my family now. We’re ride or die. And I think that’s the biggest risk that comes with my life.”
