Marcum’s ran her tongue across the inside of her teeth as she cocked her head, leaning closer as though that would give her a better view. “So he called. Just like that. Because you threatened to if he didn't?”

“Not exactly.” I drew in another breath and curled my hands into fists. “He saw me with my suitcase. I told him I'd leave too. That I'd never come back. That's why he agreed.”

The door swung open before she could ask anything else. A tall, thin black man with a silver-edged mustache peered in at us before beckoning to her. She nodded at me and then I was left alone.

Exhausted, I lowered my head to my arms.

I wanted this done. Even if they arrested me, as long as I had a flat surface so I could sleep, I'd be happy.

***

“For the record,” Marcum said, her voice flat. “I don’t want us crossing paths like this again. Ever.”

My head still spinning, I nodded at her. She gave a short nod in reply, and then leveled a glare over my shoulder. Turning to look at the object of her disdain, I didn’t notice her leaving. Then I just didn’t care because it was Ash.

I practically collapsed into his arms, relief and something much deeper flowing through me.

He cupped my face in his hands, studying my face. “Are you hurt? You’re not hurt?” he demanded, craning my chin to the right, then the left.

“I’m fine,” I told him. “You were there when the EMTs checked me out.”

I kissed him, rising on my toes to reach his lips.

He kissed me back, sliding his hands down my shoulders, then my arms and wrists and fingers. I broke the kiss as his fingers explored. There was little eroticism to the touch, and I knew he was searching for injuries I hadn’t told him about.

I leaned into him. “Take me home.”

“I will. Just...” He held me more tightly, clutching me to his chest. “I’m sorry, Toni. Dammit, I’m sorry. I was stupid. I don’t know what I was thinking. I’m so sorry. I put you at risk...”

“Just take me home.”

He nodded and kissed me again. Then again, each more frantic than the last.

After the fourth one, I tore away from him and caught his hand. “Home,” I said, squeezing him.

It wasn’t until we got there that I realized I hadn’t really specified what I'd meant by home. But I was okay with his choice, so long as it meant I got to fall asleep in his arms. Preferably sooner rather than later.

But as soon as we walked in, Isadora was there with Colton, flinging herself at her brother while a blank-faced uniformed officer stood behind them, watching the reunion.

“You’re all right!” She hugged Ash, then me, and then Ash again. “I was so scared. The news said there'd been a gunshot reported, but nothing else.”

“It's okay,” he said, pushing her curls back from her face. “They got Trask and the men who were working with him. You're safe.”

She sniffled, and then turned away as she started to cry. Colton came up to her and wrapped her in his arms, guiding her away as he spoke softly to her.

Envy curled through me. And then Ash came up to stand behind me, his hands on my shoulders. He slid them down, then around my waist to pull me back up against him. I went willingly, craving his warmth and strength.

“It’s over,” I said quietly.

“Yeah. It is.”

A breath shuddered out of me.

In the circle of his arms, I turned to face Ash.

Cradling his cheek, I rose on my toes and pressed my lips to his. He responded by parting his lips and sliding his tongue across the seam of my mouth. The sensation sent a ripple through me as I opened my mouth, my arms sliding around his neck. And then, a moment later, I was gasping because Ash was picking me up, his hands cupping my ass. I wrapped my legs around his waist, groaning as his denim-clad cock rubbed against my core.

I didn’t even remember him carrying me from the foyer to his bedroom, but suddenly, we were at his door. He paused there to press me back against the wall. He yanked my t-shirt up, shoving it up until it was twisted under my arms. He yanked the cups of my bra down and lifted my breasts out. While he teased one nipple into taut firmness with his thumb and forefinger, he used teeth and tongue on the other, until I was whimpering and rocking against him.

Then he was moving again, taking me the couple extra feet into his room, where, for one unimaginable second, he stopped touching me. It was only for a moment, though.

“I need you.” He cupped my face as he stared down into my face. “I need you so much.”

Desire coiled tight in my belly. “Then take me.”

He growled as he claimed my mouth, his fingers tearing at the button of my jeans. I pulled at his shirt, just as desperate to feel him as he was me. This wasn't going to be slow, and I was just fine with that.

I needed him.

He groaned as my nails raked down his chest. As he broke the kiss, he spun me around. He pushed my pants down to my knees as his other hand put pressure between my shoulder blades, bending me toward the bed.

A moment later, he drove inside me, hard and fast. I wailed, pain and pleasure spiking through me. I wasn't wet, wasn't ready, but I wanted him, wanted more. My hands twisted in the raw silk of his comforter, seeking purchase as I pushed back against him.

He withdrew and surged deep again, the friction rough enough to make me whimper. His body curled over mine as he thrust into me, each stroke rubbing against that spot inside me as his hands slid up under my t-shirt. His fingers rolled and tugged on my nipples, sending jolts of pleasure that helped slick his way.

“I love you, Toni,” he said, his voice raw and molten.

The sound made something break open inside me, something that fed my need until it was nearly unbearable. I lifted my hips as best as I could, taking his cock as he rode me with quick, short digs.

It was hot, and raw, and he came almost immediately after I did, our bodies left shaking and trembling as we slumped onto the bed. He twisted us around into a relatively more comfortable position and tucked me against his chest. He pressed his lips against my temple.

Neither one of us spoke, but I didn't need him to say anything right now. We had issues we'd need to deal with, decisions to make. But that could wait. For now, I just wanted to fall asleep in the arms of the man I loved.

After the shitstorm the last few weeks of my life had been, I felt like I deserved it.

Chapter 14

Ash

TWO MONTHS LATER

“Are you okay?”

Toni took my hand as we sat in the courthouse.

Daniel Trask had just been sentenced to life in prison for kidnapping Isadora as well as the first-degree murders of our parents. And the second-degree murder of his step-daughter, Lily. They’d found her remains buried in the community garden next to the apartment. Forensics put her death at around the same time she'd originally disappeared. When Trask took his plea deal, he confessed to having killed her shortly after she'd refused to help him extort money from me.

My gut churned just thinking about it.

Our mysterious ghost had been one of Trask's accessories...and apparently the smartest one of the bunch. Less than an hour after his arrest, he’d rolled on Trask and everyone else involved, singing like the proverbial canary. He was doing a shorter sentence thanks to his cooperation. It wasn’t good enough, not for me, but it meant that Trask had taken a plea deal and saved my sister the pain of having to testify. It had taken two months to put it together, and it had been hellish to listen to the allocution, but it was finally over.