Chapter 3: Chapter Three

Ashley sighed while she dragged herself through her day. After Erik had left that morning, she’d managed a few hours of fitful sleep.

The thought of those three alphas was something she couldn’t shake. Liam had been sweet and charming. His eyes had flecks of green in them, and the brown seemed like warm honey. He’d been easy to talk to, as though she’d known him for years.

Erik had been easy to distinguish from his twin, despite them dressing alike and looking nearly identical. Rather than the green flecks, Erik’s eyes had blue, an icy tone in the brown as cold as his personality. He’d been more demanding, more straight-to-the-point, but not unkind.

They both had shaved heads, strong jaws and sinful physiques. They had dressed in black suits which were perfectly tailored and likely to cost more than a year of rent for her tiny apartment. It seemed criminal to cover up bodies like those, even with such fine clothing.

And worse? She’d sort of enjoyed them worrying over her. It had been a long time since anyone had helped her, since she’d had anyone in her corner.

Erik’s offer had been like a life raft, and even if she couldn’t accept, it had made her feel less alone.

Which was a nice change.

She couldn’t even remember the last occasion she’d spent time with anyone outside of work. A year?

The depressing thought had her glancing at her phone, so tempted to dial one of the numbers she knew by heart, one she’d memorized from her old life. Just one familiar conversation would be enough. She wanted to hear a voice she knew, to talk to someone who knew her in return.

But then her reality came back to her and, as always, she didn’t go for her phone.

Just like when Erik had asked, she held it all in. Each time she’d reached out, it had only gotten worse, only made things harder.

That had taught Ashley a lesson she didn’t enjoy but couldn’t refute—it was better to stand on her own.

Though the locks and new door helped. Ever since moving in, she’d set a large, heavy free weight in front of the door at night. It wouldn’t keep the door from opening, but it would give her a warning.

Between that, the windows and her little toothpick trick, she’d been able to sleep.

Not well, and not for long, but anything was better than nothing.

Each time she closed her eyes, though, she’d remember that horrible voice on the other end of the phone. He hadn’t cursed, hadn’t even yelled, and that was worse. Instead, he’d been sweet, soft and coaxing.

It drew a shudder from her and made her stomach clench. How long would she have here? How long before everything was ripped away again?

A knock on the door had her jumping to her feet, eyes wide.

No one knew where she lived other than the alphas, and they wouldn’t show up again. They’d made their position clear—one she agreed with.

Another knock. “Furniture movers.”

What the hell?

In the hallway stood an older, heavy-set beta, his eyes on a clipboard. “Ashley?”

“Yes.”

“Got a full truck for you. Gonna take a few hours though, with all the stairs. Bed, couch, table—”

“I didn’t order anything.”

The man stopped and flipped over the paper on the clipboard. “It was ordered for you. Already paid for.” He paused, then huffed a laugh. “And they left a damn good tip.”

“Who ordered it? I don’t know anything about this.”

“Torrin Kansas did first thing this morning. Normally it would take a couple days to deliver but, well, like I said, he tipped well.”

Torrin? And she had a last name, finally. She should have said no, but somehow the confusion about it, the surprise, had her stepping back to let the man in.

Memories of the man came back to her, the only of the three she hadn’t seen again. She recalled his hair, so blond it bordered on white, and reaching to the collar of his shirt. His eyes had been dark brown, odd against the lightness of his hair. He’d been dressed impeccably, just as his cousins were, but he’d had a cane. Not something he’d held as an accessory, but something he’d leaned against as he’d walked forward.

Still, Ashley couldn’t just accept it. Nothing came for free. “Can I have his number, please?”

The man frowned. “A man buys you a few grand in furniture and you don’t even have his number?” He let out a laugh. “Guess you’re memorable, huh? Sure, here.” He set the open clipboard on the counter, then tapped the bottom, where a phone number sat. “I’m going to go down and set up with the boys so we can get this figured out. Do you care where anything is put?”

Ashley shook her head as she picked up her phone and dialed the number.

It rang as the mover left, and Ashley had no idea what she was going to say.

What was there to say? A man she hadn’t spoken more than a few words to had just bought her a bunch of furniture. Why? What did he expect in payment?

The ringing stopped when a woman answered. “Hello?”

Does he have a mate? Why did that idea bother her? What if he thought she was going to be some sort of mistress?

Ashley found her voice. “Can I speak to Torrin?”

“Who is this?”

“Ashley.” Would he even recognize the name?

A pause, a shuffle on the other side of the line, then a smooth male voice. “Hello?”

She froze, unsure what to say.

Another pause, the closing of a door, then he spoke again. “Ashley? Is that you?”

She licked her lips before she could answer. “Why are there movers here?”

“I was told you lacked furniture.”

“So? That isn’t your problem.”

He spoke in an aristocratic tone, words slow and careful, and fancy enough that Ashley felt as though she didn’t quite live up to him. “It was something I could remedy rather easily, so I did.”

“I can’t pay you back.”

“I don’t believe I asked you to.”

Ashley scraped her foot on the old, dirty carpet of her apartment. “Then what are you expecting from me? Because I won’t…” She couldn’t bring herself to actually say it.

“Won’t what?”

Ashley could almost hear a smile in his voice, which was strange, because he hadn’t struck her as the sort to ever smile.

“Was that your mate?”

“Who? Oh, the woman who answered? No, that was my personal assistant.”

“She didn’t answer like a business number.”

“Because it isn’t. It’s my personal phone, but she answers it for me during the day since I have meetings. And for the point you didn’t finish making, no, I am not expecting you to sleep with me as payment.”

Her cheeks heated at the statement. Even if she’d considered that, having Torrin say it out loud was different.

The words, in his smooth, deep voice, were so much more sinful than they should have been. It brought forth brief flashes in her head, thoughts she hadn’t had much experience with and certainly no desire as of recently.

“Ashley?”

He must have been talking, and she missed it, distracted by his statements.

“I can’t accept this. It’s too much.”

“Money is of little consequence, trust me. Accept it, because it can’t be returned.”

“And why? Why would you do it?”

A slight pause before he ignored her question. “Do take care of yourself, and since I doubt you slept enough last night, go to bed soon.”

Ashley frowned at the authoritative tone, and worse, at the way she almost wanted to listen.

“Don’t tell me what to do,” she whispered instead.

“Do as you should, and I won’t have to. Goodnight, Ashley.” The line went dead, leaving her standing there, phone in hand and Torrin’s smooth voice sliding through her body.

The goosebumps on her skin remained, even after the call ended, and knowing she’d never see any of the alphas again didn’t stop the reaction at all.

She really wanted to see them again, no matter how unwise that was.

* * * *

“You sent her furniture?” Liam’s grin was full of mockery, as though he was thoroughly amused by Torrin’s actions.

Torrin slid his phone into his pocket and tried to remain impassive. “It seemed the best way to cut ties.”

“And we have to cut ties?” Liam had his feet up on the edge of the desk despite knowing how much Torrin hated when he did that—maybe even because of it. Torrin’s cousin did love to play the brat. “The fact we keep thinking about her says maybe that isn’t the right choice.”

Torrin leveled a look at Liam. “You already know the answer to that. Anyone we took as a mate would be at risk.”

“We’ve survived everything thrown at us.”

“Not all of us.”

Liam’s smile fell. “That was different. We’ve learned a lot since then. It wouldn’t happen again.”

Torrin shook his head, then dropped his gaze to his laptop screen. It was easy for Liam and Erik to dismiss Torrin’s concerns. They hadn’t suffered as he had. They hadn’t lost what was most important to them, as he had. So of course Liam thought it would be different.

Torrin, however, couldn’t be so sure.

“You can’t just keep doing this.” When Torrin didn’t respond, Liam went on. “Eventually, you have to get past Gilly. What happened was horrible, but you can’t keep cutting people out just because you don’t want it to happen again.”

The name brought forth a smiling face in his mind—the freckles, the blue eyes and, worse, how she had looked afterward. Beauty was so easy to strip away with enough violence.

“You don’t understand.”

Liam nodded, as if agreeing. “Maybe I don’t know what it feels like to go through it, but I was right there with you afterward. I helped pick you up. I know what that looks like.”

“And yet you’re so quick to risk it anyway? You, who haven’t, in all these years, risked yourself in such a way even once?”

Liam scowled, crossing his arms, looking almost petulant. “I’m not saying she needs to be forever, but damn it, do you really want to just end this before it even starts?”

“Yes. Sometimes you have to choose what you want most. We have made our decisions through the years, and to think we could have everything now would be foolish.” Torrin didn’t say the rest, the truth that their choices had consequences, and they would eventually pay the price for the things they’d most valued in their lives.

No one got anything for free, so it was good they’d cut ties with Ashley.

When the time came to settle the debts of the choices Torrin had made in his life, he alone would pay for them.

* * * *

Ashley held the beers on her tray, her feet sore in hour six of her shift.

The belt at her waist had her tips, and they made the entire thing worth it.

She stopped at a table, setting the drinks down in front of each customer before grabbing the folded bills between one of the men’s fingers.

He caught her hand. Over the smells inside the bar, Ashley couldn’t scent his designation. It all muddied together, something she hated because she felt as though she’d lost one of her senses.

“How about you join us? A few shots, sweetheart.”

“Sorry, but I’m working.”

“When are you off?” The man was young and cute, she supposed.

It felt hard to be sure anymore. She’d spent the last few years avoiding any sort of connection, so she didn’t trust herself to know if someone was attractive.

Except the alphas from a few nights before. They had been attractive.

“Sorry, but I can’t date customers.” The rule was true, but she’d have said it even if it wasn’t.

“Who said anything about dating?” The man grabbed her ass and pulled her closer.

Ashley pushed away from the man, and he let his hands slip free. “Let me know if you need anything else.”

The man nodded, laughed and focused his attention back on the drink and his friends.

That was the thing. Drunks tended to come on strong, but they gave up fast, too.

She dropped the tray off at the bar and leaned against the counter, rising to the balls of her feet to stretch her calf muscles.

“Hey, Ashley.” The bartender and manager, Carla, came over. “I think someone was calling for you earlier.”

“What do you mean?” Dread started inside Ashley, but she didn’t let it take hold, not yet.

“When I first got here, someone called. They asked if Ashley worked here, so I said I don’t give out employee information. They said Ashley had brown hair, blue eyes. I figured it was some customer who was trying to score information.”

Ashley’s chest tightened. He couldn’t have found me already, could he? “I need to take a ten,” she said through a narrowing throat.

Carla responded, but Ashley didn’t hear it. Instead, she kept moving, needing fresh air, to get control of her breathing.

The back door of the bar had a fenced-in staff-only area. A picnic table sat there, along with the dumpster and doors to the storage space.

Once outside, Ashley collapsed on the bench and leaned forward. She dropped her head down and tried to slow her breathing.

She could hear that voice in her head. It was too soon. She shouldn’t have to pick up and leave yet. She’d just started to set up a life.

It isn’t fair!

“I could break his hand.”

The voice made her jerk up, smacking her back against the table.

In front of her stood Erik, his gaze unwavering. He didn’t apologize for startling her, didn’t rush to her side. No, not Erik. Already, she knew he wasn’t the sort.

He just waited for her to catch her breath while he stood there in silence.

Ashley leaned forward again. She wasn’t afraid of Erik, didn’t need to watch him.

The bench creaked as he sat beside her. “The man inside. I’d be happy to break anything on him you want me to. He’d certainly offer an apology for his behavior then. Would that make you feel better?”

Ashley let out a soft laugh that wheezed through her tight throat, thankful for the joke. “I don’t care about him.”

“Then what’s this about?”

Ashley stayed leaning forward but turned her head to peer up at Erik’s face. “What are you doing here?”

“Business brought me. I didn’t know you worked here, though I suppose it explains the outfit you were in the other night.”

That made her heart speed, as if he were almost implying he liked the way she looked in the skimpy shorts she wore to work.

Instead of responding to that, though, Ashley remained on topic. “The only people who work in a place like this are ones who can’t do it in legal places.”

“I had a meeting with a business associate who is fond of places like this.” Erik didn’t offer more before changing the subject, though his tone said he wasn’t a fan of the atmosphere. “Why are you out here, Ashley?”

“Even waitresses get breaks.”

“Most don’t hyperventilate during their breaks.”

“I’m not like most people.”

“So it seems.”

Neither spoke for a while, but his presence helped Ashley regain her breath and her standing. Maybe it was because she felt…safe. It was odd, since she didn’t know Erik.

The logic of it didn’t change the reality, though, and she did feel calm. It was as if the issues couldn’t touch her right then. Whether that was foolish or not didn’t change that she wanted to enjoy it.

She rested her forearms on her knees and let herself think through it.

Maybe Carla was right, and the man was a customer. Or maybe…

“Did you call looking for me? Or maybe Liam or Torrin?”

Erik lifted an eyebrow. “No. We’d agreed none of us would come looking for you, and like I said, we didn’t know you worked here. Is that what set you off? Did someone call for you?” He narrowed his eyes. “Are you running from someone? Is that why you nailed the windows closed?”

The answer rested on her lips, and she wanted to tell him. Not because she wanted him to fix it, but because she wanted to be able to tell someone. The weight of the truth, that she could never let anyone close or even explain what was wrong, had worn her down to nothing.

She opened her mouth, wanting to spill the ugly details, but she couldn’t. It was too dangerous for all of them.

Instead, she shook her head. “Why did you all agree to leave me alone?”

Erik pressed his lips together, then looked away. “Because we aren’t in a position to offer anything, and you seem to undo our good intentions. Normally, I could trust Torrin and Liam to enjoy you but not get attached, but with you? You are dangerous, so we agreed it would be best to all leave you be.”

“And yet you followed me out here.”

“As I said, you are detrimental to our self-control. It seems even I’m not immune.”

Ashley shivered as a breeze skimmed over her skin and she realized how little she was wearing. She had hardly finished the tiny reaction to the chill before Erik moved, pulling off his coat and draping it over her shoulders. “You are a disaster,” he scolded.

The heavy fabric around her shoulders held Erik’s scent. She breathed it in and enjoyed the sense of security it gave her, the way it did something unusual to her.

When she’d never reacted to any man in a positive, normal way, she had thought herself broken. She’d assumed it was a reaction to everything that had happened, yet there she was, growing wet from Erik’s masculine scent, from the way his button-up shirt showed off his impressive body.

Guess I’m not as broken as I’d thought.

Erik inhaled loudly, and even outside, she had no doubt he could smell exactly how much she wanted him.

What would he do? Kiss her? Pull her closer? Do I want him to do that?

Instead, Erik rose. “I should go.”

Oh. Ashley got to her feet as well, sliding off the jacket. “Thanks,” she said without meeting his gaze. “And good luck with your business.”

She went to pass him, but Erik grasped her arm.

He caught her chin and lifted her face until she had to look him in his dark eyes. He said nothing until she did, until her gaze met his. “You will be careful, and you will call Torrin again if you are in danger.”

“You said I was dangerous.”

Erik stroked his finger along her jawline. “You are. However, knowing you’ll call might help us relax.” He frowned, then shook his head. “I keep saying that, but it doesn’t seem to matter.”

Ashley wrapped her fingers around his wrist, but she didn’t pull away. If anything, she leaned toward him, drawn by a pull she didn’t understand and could only feel.

Her gaze dropped from his dark and fathomless eyes to his lips. Full, a light pink and enough for her to start fantasizing about what they could be used for.

“To hell with it,” Erik muttered with a groan before he pulled her forward with his grip on her jaw. His lips were firm against hers, taking a kiss that made her knees weak and her pussy clench.

Ashley wrapped her arms up and around him, and Erik did the same, grasping her and pulling her tight to him. Every hard inch of his body was unyielding against the softness of her curves.

The kiss was everything she could have imagined and more, especially with how assertive Erik was. He wasn’t nervous, didn’t kiss her as if unsure. Instead, he moved with complete confidence and purpose, even when he forced her head to tilt more, when he pressed his tongue to her lips in a demand—one she happily gave in to.

His cock, rigid against her, told her how much he wanted this as well. Funny, since he’d seemed unaffected by her so far.

His rigid shaft said differently.

He growled against her and bit down on her bottom lip hard enough to sting before he moved back, taking his jacket with him. “Just what I thought. Too damn dangerous.”

With that, he pulled away and walked back in through the door.

Ashley was confused, her body alive in a terrifying way she’d never felt, but at least she wasn’t thinking about the call anymore.

That’s something, right?