I’ll see you soon, Ashy. I miss my girl.

Immediately her response came through.

You make me swoon. I miss you too.

I dropped my bag by the door and followed Ky down the hall to where I could hear the girls talking. Ky and Eden had decided to stay at Ky’s old apartment, which he still kept for the weekend, and that was where we were now. As soon as Ky appeared, Eden came running and jumped in his arms, so I scanned the room for Ashlyn. I found Tanzi and Savannah, friends from the West Coast, who both worked for Beautify Magazine. Savannah smiled knowingly, and I knew I’d be pulled aside and forced to discuss all things me and Ashlyn before the end of the night. Who I didn’t see was Ashlyn.

Anticipation shot through me when a hand touched my shoulder and moved down my back. Fuck, I missed her, and I was afraid that the moment I saw her I’d want to tear off her panties and fuck her right there. I turned, eager to find the big green eyes that I craved and the pink pout I wanted to devour, but my eagerness quickly faded when I locked eyes with Tori.

“It’s good to see you, Josh,” she said, running her eyes over my body.

Fuck.

“Hi, Tori,” I replied, trying my hardest to be polite, and stepping away in the process. I didn’t have time to deal with her suggestive tone and blatant disregard for personal boundaries.

“Where’s Ash?” I asked, turning my back to Tori and directing the question to Eden.

“She went out about an hour ago.” Her brows furrowed. “I assumed she was going to pick you two up.”

Without a second thought, I pulled my phone from my pocket and scrolled through to her number. As I impatiently waited for her to pick up, I paced the living room until her voice sounded.

“Hi, you’ve reached Ashlyn Hart. Sorry I can’t get to the phone right now. Leave your name and number, and I’ll call you back as soon as I can.”

“Ashlyn, it’s me. Where are you? Call me back when you get this.”

I ended the call and looked up to meet Ky’s questioning gaze. Something didn’t feel right, and unease sat deep in my gut. She knew what time our flight was coming in, so she knew what time we were due home.

“I’m going to try and find her,” I declared, and headed for the door, not having a clue where to start.

“Be back soon, babe,” I heard Ky say behind me.

Knowing that Ky was coming with me made me feel somewhat at ease. There were times when you just needed your big brother, no matter how old you were.

“Let’s go find her,” Ky said softly as we stepped into the elevator and headed for the garage.

All I could do was nod.

For an hour, we drove around, trying to find her car. The longer it took, the more on edge I became. My frustration spilled out of me, and my tapping foot gained Ky’s attention.

“We will find her. She is probably shopping or got caught up somewhere,” he said from the driver’s seat. Thank fuck he was here, because I would have broken too many laws if I had been driving.

“Something isn’t right. I can feel it. We were texting on the plane, so what the hell could have happened between now and then? Now she’s gone? Something isn’t right.”

“I’ve seen the way she looks at you, and I’ve seen you two together, so get the fucked up idea out of your head that she’s gone. Knowing Ashlyn, she probably decided to buy a new dress because she wanted to look good for you. I won’t be surprised if we find her with way too many store bags.”

I could only hope that it was as simple as that. “I just want to find her and make sure she is okay.”

There was nothing I could do but wait. This wasn’t the best thing for a man who had very little patience when it came to Ashlyn. I tried calling her cell, and once again got her voicemail. Then I called Eden to see if she had turned up, but there was no sign of her.

The car took a sharp right turn. “There’s her car.”

Ky pulled into the parking lot of Edward’s Tavern, and I shot out of the car before it came to a stop. I ran across the gravel parking lot with the double doors in sight, and pulled them open. The low light of the bar diminished my sight. When my eyes adjusted, I scoped out the place for any sign of Ashlyn.

Her eyes connected with mine from across the bar, and I saw a mix of relief and reluctance flash within them. Relief that I found her swamped me, but it was quickly overshadowed by anger. Gaining her attention meant I also gained the attention of the person sitting opposite her.

Lachlan motherfucking Johnson.

“What the fuck is she doing?” Ky hissed beside me.

Like a madman, I stormed across the bar with fury burning through my veins. My first thought was that I needed to protect her and get her out of here before he poisoned her mind any further.

“We were wondering how long it would take you to get here,” Lachlan sneered when I reached the table. “Just so you know, it was Ashlyn who called me.”

I felt like someone had stabbed my in the gut and was dragging it up to my heart. “Why the fuck would you call him?”

Ashlyn went to speak, but Lachlan decided to twist the knife a little further. “Obviously, she is slowly coming to her senses and knows what cock she truly wants.”

“Don’t be an asshole, Lachlan. I said what I needed to say,” Ashlyn spat, then stood from the table.

“Let’s go,” I demanded, wanting to get the fuck out of there as quickly as possible.

She didn’t object. Without a word or another look at Lachlan, she grabbed her bag and walked out of the bar, with Ky close on her heel. I stuck with Lachlan. When she was out of sight, I swung back to him to find his eyes locked firmly on the door Ashlyn had just disappeared through.

Leaning over the table, I got in his face, and his arrogant gaze fell to mine. My jaw clenched as the need to wipe the smug look off his face hit me full force.

“Ashlyn is mine, and what’s mine I will protect until I take my last breath. I don’t care what I have to do, but I will do anything to protect her. Leave her the fuck alone.”

“You are a joke, Josh. She will come to her senses. It’s only a matter of time. She came back to me once, the second time will be the icing on the cake.”

“Fuck off. You’ve been warned.”

There was no point in sticking around. With anger seething through my body, I left the bar before I lost control. What the fuck was she doing here? Betrayal and confusion were a dangerous mix. The sunlight hit my eyes, and I pulled my sunglasses on, which helped avoid Ashlyn’s gaze. She stood beside Ky near her car, and her eyes burned into me as I crossed the parking lot.

“I’ll drive Ashlyn’s car,” I stated without any emotion.

Ashlyn broke the distance between us, but I needed to get my thoughts in check before I could even touch her.

I stepped away. “I need a minute.”

“You okay to drive?” Ky asked nervously, his brow furrowed and concern flickering over his face.

“I need to drive.”

Without fighting or complaining, Ashlyn handed over her keys. Avoiding her gaze, I headed toward the car, pushed the button for the locks, and slid into the driver’s seat. In the silence of the car, I took a couple of deep breaths and rested my head against the seat. This was beyond fucked up. The passenger door opened, and I watched Ashlyn climb in. Her eyes showed her nerves and reluctance. As I pulled out of the parking lot, quiet filled the car. This was not how I imagined today going. After not seeing her for a week, I should have been kissing the fuck out of her by now.

“Can you please say something?” Ashlyn asked in a timid voice beside me. Her hand came to rest on my thigh, and she offered a gentle squeeze.

“I’m pissed off. Just let me calm down and I’ll be fine.”

Her hand remained on my thigh, and she didn’t say another word. The apartment building appeared, and I drove into the parking garage. Neither of us said a word as we walked with Ky to the elevators.