Ash doesn’t say a word as I quietly drink him in. It’s like he knows exactly what I’m doing, and that I need to do it, so he lets me look my fill in silence.
“I hate that he hurt you,” I whisper, unable to even say the jerk’s name. “He should rot in hell for what he did to you.”
His mother isn’t much better, but now is not the time for me to say that.
“So should my mother for encouraging him,” Ash says for me. He turns his head and presses a soft kiss to the palm of my hand, making it tingle. “Don’t waste your time hating them. They’re not worth it.”
He’s so right. And even though this conversation was hard to have, I’m glad we had it. We need to be real with each other. It’s the only way we can move forward. And that’s what I want more than anything. To move forward.
With Ash.
“I’m going back to school Monday,” he admits.
I lightly stroke his cheeks, my hands dropping away from his face completely. “Are you ready for that?”
“I have a shit ton of homework to catch up on, but yeah. I’m ready. I need to get back to normal.” He hesitates, and I notice that he swallows hard, as if the next words might be difficult to say. “Your dad is going to take me in with him and we’re meeting with Adney on Monday too. See what we need to do to get me out of my mom’s house for good and into the temporary care of your parents.”
I’m shocked. My parents want to take him in completely? If they knew about us, they might try to put a stop to it. “Why would Adney know anything about that?”
“She deals with kids from shitty families all the time. She actually called your dad Thursday afternoon and told him if he needed to talk, she had plenty of advice to give him about my situation,” Ash explains.
Oh. That probably happened because of my confrontation with Rylie and the subsequent conversation with Brandy. Which I never did mention to Ash. “I hope she can help my parents—and you.”
“I hope to hell she can too.” He shifts, his head moving closer, his mouth hovering just above mine. “I wish we were really alone.”
“Ash,” I chastise him, but a shiver moves through me because I wish we were really alone too.
“You know you want it.” He grins, that familiar, arrogant smile, and I’m desperate to kiss him.
But I’m also afraid my parents are watching us, so I can’t risk it.
Not yet.
“Found any condoms yet?” I tease.
He chuckles. “Nope. Know where I can get some?”
“Maybe we should go shopping later,” I suggest.
He raises his brows. “For condoms?”
“And other stuff,” I say with a little shrug. Though I really don’t want to go into the local CVS and pick up condoms. People I go to school with work there on the weekends. They don’t need to know our business.
“I can buy some,” he says. “Or I can go to my apartment and grab some out of my room. Pretty sure I have a few in there somewhere.”
I frown. No way do I ever want to go back there. “That’s too risky.”
“I thought you like it risky.” He pulls me in tight and drops a kiss on my lips. So quick, it’s almost like it didn’t happen.
Curling my fingers into his shirt, I pull him in for another kiss, this one deeper, longer. He breaks away first, breathing heavily, his gaze hooded as he studies me. “How’s that for risky?” I ask him.
His lips curve. “I’m guessing your parents will shit if they knew we were doing this.”
“With you living under our roof? Definitely.” My dad would kill him if he knew what Ash and I have been up to. In the hot tub. In my room.
My entire body prickles with awareness just thinking about it.
“Let’s meet tonight,” he whispers, his gaze lifting to scan the yard before he kisses me again. “Come to my room.”
“We probably shouldn’t go shopping together,” I say with a little frown, though I want to. “It’s probably best if we lay low.”
“You sure it’s not because you’re embarrassed to be seen with me, Callahan?” He’s joking, I can tell by the tone of his voice, but when I look into his eyes, I see the vulnerability there. The unease.
Does he really believe that?
“I would be proud to tell the whole world that we’re together,” I say, my voice firm, my hands holding his face again. Such a pretty face. And it’s all mine. “But with my parents, and your mom, and Rylie, I think we’re better off keeping it quiet. Just for a little while.”
“Yeah. Okay. You’re right.” He nods, then kisses me yet again. “Meet tonight at eleven?”
“Make it midnight,” I suggest, and when he frowns, I continue. “The entire household stays up later on Saturday. It’s safer.”
Ash licks his lips. “Hope I can wait that long.” He grabs hold of my hand and settles it right on his lap, where I can feel his burgeoning erection. “I want you already. All the time.”
My cheeks go hot and I give him a squeeze, then snatch my hand away. “You’ll have to wait.”
“You’re a tease.”
“You’ve already called me that.”
“Yeah, well, I’m calling you a tease again.” More kissing. More hugging, until I finally disentangle myself from him and stand. “Leaving already?”
“I’ll see you later. I have laundry to finish,” I tell him as I start to walk away.
“Your rich-ass parents make you do your laundry? Why don’t you have a maid?” Ash calls after me.
“My parents want to instill good habits in their children,” I yell back, laughing, as I start to run toward the back door. I feel so good, so light, so happy. It’s all going to work out between Ash and me.
It has to.
Twenty-Nine
Our midnight meeting wasn’t going to happen after all. Kaya had a moment of crisis—she and Jaden were arguing—and she texted me when I was up in my room finishing sorting my laundry. Without thought, I invited her over to hang out so we could talk about it. She’s my best friend, I had to be there for her, and I know she’d do the same for me. When she asked if she could spend the night, I couldn’t tell her no.
When I tell Mom that Kaya’s coming over to stay the night, she gives me a stern look. “Will she be able to keep it quiet that Ash is here?”
I found her in her room, making the bed, which is weird because she usually does that first thing in the morning. I think it’s funny how Ash believes we should have a maid. We are normal people with a lot of money. Why wouldn’t we make our own beds and do our own laundry? But Mom does have a housekeeper come in once a month and do a thorough clean, which she says is worth every penny.
“Autumn?” Mom says when I haven’t answered her. “Will she?”
My mood deflates like a busted balloon. “Are we still keeping that a secret?” I hate all the secrets. They’re starting to get to me.
“Only until Monday. Once we get everything squared away, it won’t really matter if people know Ash is staying here or not,” she explains.