Unfortunately, her attention drifted back to her friends, and she smiled at them, laughing at something, making Rock feel a little left out in the cold. Although it irritated him that a lot of these women so easily threw themselves at him, most of them because they knew he worked there, he suddenly wished she was one of them. He couldn’t see himself turning her down for a night. No way.

Remembering where he was and what he was supposed to be doing, Rock pulled himself from the lustful fog and glanced over at the stairs once more. Still no Ashlynn.

He did not want to have to go up to the penthouse and tell Leyton that she’d refused him, because that wouldn’t be cool. Despite how Leyton pretended not to be interested in her, Rock knew better. Hell, the guy practically undressed her with his eyes anytime she was in the same room. Watching those two eye-fuck one another gave him hours of endless amusement. Sometimes he just wanted to push the two of them together and watch them tear each other’s clothes off, because there was no doubt in his mind that would happen. Eventually.

“Cherry kiss martini, please.”

Rock glanced over to his left at the sound of the sexy, raspy voice, and it took everything in him not to spin around and plant his elbows on the bar, reducing himself to nothing more than a horny teenager on the prowl when he saw the woman in the white dress standing there, smiling at the bartender.

She was tall. Much taller than he’d expected. Probably six feet without those four-inch stilettos that made her legs look miles long. He could imagine them wrapped around his hips…

“Sure thing,” the bartender replied, winking at her and turning to grab a bottle from the shelf on the mirrored wall behind him before spinning back and casting a flirting glance at the woman again.

Rock felt a strangely possessive, completely foreign desire to punch the little fucker in the nose.

Instead, he swallowed hard and kept his attention on the rest of the room.

“Not gonna talk to me, huh?”

At first, Rock thought she was talking to the bartender, but then he realized the woman in the white dress had asked him that question. He cleared his throat, intended to say something, but nothing came out. Not one fucking syllable.

Her smile lit up her entire face, a flash of pretty white teeth. Her light gray eyes glittered, and he was tempted to drop to the floor and worship at her fucking feet.

Hell.

Before he could find his voice, another woman stumbled over, laughing as she stared at the woman in the white dress, giggling uncontrollably. “Did you ask him?”

His mystery woman met his gaze and shook her head subtly as though telling him she had nothing to do with what was about to happen.

“Is it true?” the short, dark-haired chick asked.

Rock lifted an eyebrow in question.

“You know…”

No, he didn’t know, but he also knew better than to encourage the woman. She’d clearly had too much to drink, and when she tried to get the bartender’s attention, Rock shook his head, letting the bartender know she was cut off.

“You ask him,” the dark-haired woman said, nudging the angel in white.

When her gaze lifted to meet his, Rock wanted to save her from her friend’s likely embarrassing question, but he didn’t know what to say to her. There were a million questions running through his head but not a one of them appropriate.

“Okay, fine,” the brunette slurred. “I’ll just come out and ask. Is it true what they say about bl—”

Rock smirked when the woman in white cupped her hand over her friend’s mouth, effectively stopping her question. He knew what she’d been about to ask. Hell, he’d gotten that question too many times to count. Due to his size, women often asked whether or not his anatomy was proportionate. A few times he’d let the skinny white chicks—the only ones who usually asked—find out for themselves. However, tonight, he had no intention of letting the drunk girl feel his dick to determine for herself. He’d much prefer to hold out for the real deal.

Movement from the second floor caught his attention, and he looked up to see Jase helping Ashlynn down the stairs. That was his cue to get back to work. Leyton had asked him to escort them to the penthouse, so he had to take his leave.

But before he did, he looked over at the angel in white and smiled. “Don’t go anywhere,” he growled.

A small smile tilted her pretty pink mouth, making her eyes crinkle slightly. “I’m not usually good at taking orders,” she said in that sexy rasp of hers.

Ah, hell. His dick twitched.

Seeing that Jase and Ashlynn had made it to the bottom of the stairs, he knew he had to go, but he leaned in once before he walked away. “You’ve never had orders from the right man, then.”

With that, he left her staring after him, that beautiful smile on her mouth. And while he made his way across the crowded dance floor, he prayed like hell she’d be there when he got back. And maybe then he’d be smart enough to get her name.

Chapter Twelve

Fucking hell.

Jase knew after her second drink that Ashlynn was wrestling with her demons tonight. He should’ve cut her off before now, but two hours, five mojitos later, she was fit to be tied, ready to take down anyone and everyone around her. It had actually been a blessing that Leyton had summoned her, because convincing her that the people in the club weren’t out to get her was beginning to get old.

No one said Ashlynn didn’t have any flaws. The woman had lived a brutal life, having endured a hell that most people didn’t even know existed. And while she attempted to numb the pain with booze and sex, Jase knew, beneath it all, there was a vulnerable woman who needed someone to take care of her. He had easily stepped into that role, and it wasn’t a hardship, because during the time they’d been together, Jase had fallen in love with her, even though he knew she didn’t feel the same for him.

Not entirely, anyway.

Yeah, he got the impression she cared about him. She wouldn’t allow him to sleep in her bed if she didn’t. But as far as loving him, he wasn’t sure Ashlynn Adorite was capable of love.

Then again, he’d thought the same thing about Max, and the man was now married, so what the hell did he know?

Helping Ashlynn out of the elevator on the top floor of the building that connected to Devil’s Playground, Jase nodded at Sal, who was standing guard, watching the monitors outside the penthouse suite that Max owned.

“Let him know we’re here,” Jase instructed.

“He knows,” Sal told him. “He said for you both to go in.”

Jase was surprised that Leyton was inviting him inside as well. Ashlynn he understood, but him… They hadn’t said a single word to one another since Jase had walked out of Max’s office on Sunday. No matter how many times he replayed their conversation in his head, Jase couldn’t help but think he’d fucked up. That he’d pushed Leyton too far. It didn’t seem to matter that he couldn’t see it happening any other way than how it had.

Opening the door, Jase held Ashlynn steady on her feet. She wasn’t belligerent anymore, thank Christ, but the alcohol had definitely dulled her senses, and she was leaning into him.

“You got her drunk?” Leyton growled when they stepped inside the penthouse, the door closing behind them.

“Yes,” Jase snapped. “I got her drunk.”

“He doesn’t tell me what I can and can’t do,” Ashlynn slurred. “I got myself drunk, thank you very fucking much.”

Jase watched Leyton. The man was studying Ashlynn as though trying to figure her out. He could’ve told him that wasn’t possible. The woman was an enigma, and he never knew what to expect from her. Like tonight. They’d had dinner at the house with the rest of Ashlynn’s security team, but then, when he thought she would retreat for the evening, she’d somehow convinced him to bring her to Devil’s Playground.