“You’re welcome. Now get going, before Brock goes crazy.”

I practically danced up the aisle, finally feeling more confident. For the first time since we’d met, I could be something more for Ashton. I was beginning to believe that we had potential, that we could make it. And not only that; other people could see it too. It was a heady feeling of content mixed with excitement. It was unfamiliar, but definitely not unwelcome.

Brock watched me prance out to the car while he walked behind me, muttering something unintelligible under his breath. But I didn’t care. My good mood was infectious. He’d soon be smiling again.

Not that I’d ever seen Brock smile . . . not that I could recall.

When I arrived back at the house there were still a few hours before Ashton came home, so I decided on a hot bubble bath. The steam from the warm water relaxed my tired muscles as I sunk lower into the water. My eyes slid closed and I inhaled deeply, the scent of lavender washing over me. It was bliss.

A soft knock at the door brought me out of my daze. There in the doorframe stood Ashton, his heated gaze glued to the receding bubbles at my chest.

“Fuck. If we didn’t need to be somewhere, I’d climb in with you.” A salacious smiled curved his lips.

Swirling my fingers through the bubbles, I teased him. “Wouldn’t that be fun.”

“Get out of the tub, before I spank your cute little ass again.”

I’d let him try that one night a few weeks ago and his words evoked a memory that made my core ache. Needless to say, I hadn’t been disappointed.

Sinking my teeth into my bottom lip, I stood and stepped out of the tub, making sure every movement was slow and exaggerated. We didn’t have time, I knew that, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t have some fun.

He groaned and took a step back. “I’ll be downstairs. If I come anywhere near you, we won’t be leaving the house tonight.”

Ashton knew exactly how to boost a girl’s courage. “In that case, I’ll be down in a few,” I said, batting my eyelashes. He shook his head, a smile on his lips before he headed through the door, mumbling all the way.

As soon as he left I raced to get ready, grabbing a salmon sundress from the closet and plucking matching accessories from my ever expanding closet. I had more clothes now than I’d had my entire life. Ashton really needed to stop spending money on me. But we’d talk about that later.

When I was finally ready, I went downstairs to meet Ashton, who I found in the foyer, keys in hand. He paced the floor to the point he could have worn a hole in it. The sound of my shoes hitting the floor must have caught his attention, because he turned around and froze.

“Damn. Wet and naked you were edible. That dress . . .” He blew out a long breath through pursed lips, “I could bend you over the nearest surface and fuck you until you can’t walk tomorrow.”

I had to squeeze my legs together to keep from running over and jumping him. He grabbed my hand and pulled me out the door. “Let’s go. I only have so much control. Just know this—your body’s mine when we get home.”

Trying to rile him up even more, I grabbed his ass. Then, without warning, I was moving, my back up against the car, Ashton devouring my lips. Before I could even process what had just happened, he broke the connection and opened my door.

“After you.” He gestured into the car.

I stared at him for a few moments, unable to catch my breath. When he didn’t move I climbed in, watching him as he shut my door and moved around to his side. After we pulled out onto the road, I turned to him.

“What was that all about?”

“That,” he said with a smirk, “was to get you as riled up as me, you tease. Now I’m not the only horny one.”

No doubt about it.

Shifting in my seat, I tried to ease the need pulsing between my legs, but nothing seemed to help.

“Don’t worry,” he whispered. “I’ll take care of that when we get home.”

Thoughts of him “taking care of me” distracted me the entire ride, and it wasn’t until the car stopped that I noticed we’d arrived at the ballpark. Walking hand and hand with Ashton, I was confident. At least, until we reached the hallway with the bank of elevators for the club boxes.

Memories of my last walk down the hall assaulted me, taunting me, bringing back the familiar feelings of doubt and fear. I drew a deep breath in through my nose but it was no use. They still plagued me. By the time we reached the box, I was a jumbled mess of nerves. The confidence I’d built up at the house had slipped away. My stomach was in absolute knots.

“Elena, what’s wrong?” Ashton was concerned, but I couldn’t spoil this for him. It must have taken a lot for him to bring me here; to trust me with everything that this entailed. Knowing what I knew, I could bring down his whole family—everything generation after generation of Haweses had worked for. It might not be legitimate, but it was still a legacy. This was a huge leap of faith on his part. I had to show him it wasn’t unfounded.

“Nothing.” My eyes looked everywhere and nowhere at the same time. “It just feels weird being here again.”

Placing one hand on the small of my back, he guided me over to one of the chairs near the window. “Sit and watch the game while I get us drinks.”

He left me but returned within minutes, handing me a glass. I smelled the white wine before I saw it and I pulled back, the drink almost dropping to the floor. His hand reached out and gripped the stem before it left my fingers.

“Elena?”

I stared wide-eyed at the window. “Too many memories.”

Ashton stepped into my line of sight and knelt in front of me. “Yes, but this time is different. You’re different. Now you’re mine.”

He slid his hand around the nape of my neck and guided my mouth to his. The soft caress ended the second his tongue slipped through my lips. Then his kiss took on the erotic rhythm of his body thrusting in and out of mine. If I’d thought I was needy in the car, it was nothing compared to this moment. The clearing of a throat broke us apart.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.” Brock lifted one eyebrow and crossed the room.

My face flamed, and I had a hard time making eye contact with Brock. How did I let myself get carried away every time I was in Ashton’s presence? No matter the reason, I still wanted him. I let my body cool with the realization that a little bit longer and I would have begged Ashton to take me right there in the club box. The meeting couldn’t be over soon enough for me.

“It’s fine,” Ashton said. “We were just about to order dinner.”

That was news to me, but I went along with it in an effort to distract myself. It would be a long night otherwise.

We picked our meals and Ashton called down to the kitchen. When he came back, he took the seat next to me, with Brock taking a seat on one of the chairs on the other side of me.

“Did everything go okay at rehearsal?”

I nodded. “It did. Although, I think Brock might have been a bit bored.” I nudged him with my elbow and he smirked.

“Nah, it was fine.”

“Good, because I want him to go with you from now on.”

Brock’s eyes narrowed.

“Dominic made bail this afternoon,” Ashton explained, his face stoic. He was silent for a moment, letting that bit of information sink in. Then he turned to me. “What kind of moves have they taught you in your self-defense classes?”

“Mostly how to escape if someone grabs us. A knee to the crotch, a head butt. Oh, and how to knock someone off you if they have you pinned.”

Ashton’s fingers caressed my face. “All things I’m glad you’ll know with that asshole roaming the streets.”

That reminded me. Yesterday, Ashton had been arrested for kidnapping me. “Should you be doing this today? After being arrested yesterday, I mean.”

He shrugged. “It goes with the territory. If we back down because the police search our businesses looking for evidence—evidence they are never going to find—then we look weak to our clients. We can’t have them thinking they won’t have to pay us back if the police are involved.”