Page 167 of Ash and Poison

“I don’t,” Diya said with a wink. “My life was boring before you walked into my cottage in a mask, threatening me with a…” Diya’s eyes gleamed as she licked her lips.

“Here they go. Again. Horny bitches,” Layne said with a chuckle.

When the bowls were empty, Trina came back with four plates, balancing them precariously on her hands.

“Grilled salmon with stir-fried veggies and rice,” she said, handing us the plates.

I groaned when I took a bite of the salmon. It melted in my mouth. God, I had been starving for something like this.

“This is delicious.”

We had caramel cheesecake for dessert, and I had never been so full.

“Thank you. I had almost forgotten how much I love food. I survived on sandwiches,” I said, and Trina gave me a grin.

“You’re welcome. Now that you’re here, I’ll feed you good food,” Trina said.

Looking at these three women now… I knew life wouldn’t be boring with them.

After a while, Diya helped Trina clear the table. When they were done, Diya and I walked out, saying goodbye. Layne stayed.

“Hey, Ash?”

“Yes?”

“Let’s go home and baptize the mattress, yes?”

I laughed as she caught my face and kissed me. Soft. Slow.

I sighed when she pulled back.

“Oh, yes, please.”

We took the elevator to the seventh floor of a high-rise building and stopped in front of an apartment.

“Close your eyes,” she said. She took my hand in hers and guided me inside the apartment. “Now. You can look now.” She sounded excited.

I opened my eyes, and my breath caught.

There was a gold banner that said, “Welcome home, Pussycat.” Streamers floated in the air, and there was a picture of me and Diya in her cottage, drinking coffee, my eyes fixated on her. I had no idea when that picture was taken—Layne must have taken it. It was beautiful.

“Diya?”

“You wanted a home. This is it.” Her voice was soft. “You don’t have to run anymore, Ash. You can breathe now. Relax.”

Her words settled into my bones, into the cracks that were always there, waiting to be healed.

“This is all I have ever wanted.”

How did you thank someone for giving you everything you never even knew you were searching for?

“I wanted it too. I just didn’t know it before you, Asher. You made me trust again, and that is… everything.”

“I don’t know how to thank you for this, Diya, for trusting me with your life, in your home,” I murmured, my voice barely more than a breath.

She smiled, slow, knowing. “You know how to thank me, Pussycat. On your knees, between my thighs. Does any of that sound familiar?”

She grabbed my hand, her fingers threading through mine, pulling me toward the bedroom, her laughter following us.