Ash sat alone in River’s car. River had given him the privacy to think about the proposal. He was to toot the horn if he wanted to head to his place. Ring the doorbell if wanted to stay.
Ash settled back against the seat, staring out at the ginormous house lit by staged lights for crying out loud. What was he doing here?
He shouldn’t crave to stay.
He called Danielle. “How’s space camp?”
She gave him an enthusiastic rundown. “I trained on the 1/6th gravity chair and built a Rover. Tried to build a rover. There was a miscommunication with my tech partner. Nevermind.” Ash could practically see Danielle narrowing her eyes suspiciously. “Why did you really call?”
“I can’t want to know how you’re doing?”
“I can tell by your breathing you want to say something. Say it.”
He let the words pour. “I called in sick for a week to learn about Silver Pines. And it’s beautiful and gives me all sorts of crazy, ridiculous hopeful feelings, and maybe I want to continue my granddad’s legacy but I also want the money for you and”—he hauled in a breath and got to the crux of the call—“River invited me to stay at his place for a few days.”
Danielle took all that in with a thoughtful hum.
“What you do with Silver Pines is completely up to you, Ash. Don’t worry about me. As for River . . . you need friends. Need to have some fun.”
“Fun,” Ash said wistfully.
“Yes, fun. Like getting drunk and having a fling.”
Stomach knotted with dread and yearning, he wrapped up the call, gathered his wits, and rang River’s doorbell.
* * *
The doorbell chimed through River’s bones, whipping up a giddy laugh that had Ben’s brows lifting. Landon stirred on the sofa, editing one of his YouTube videos on his laptop, but avoided River’s eyes. Still on icy terms, apparently.
He needed to get started on this forgive-me-whiskey Saturday night.
“That’s Ash. Ben, tell Landon to be nice the next few days.”
“Landon,” Ben dryly repeated. “Be nice to Ash the next few days.”
River shook his head as he cut into the entrance hall. He opened the door with so much vigor, a gust of wind whipped at Ash’s sweetly tangled hair.
“I don’t have underwear!” he burst out.
His cheeks flushed and his gaze flooded with mortification. Endearing nervousness sparked out of him like dappled sunlight.
River stepped back and gestured Ash inside. He strolled in and stuffed his hands into pockets. “To clarify, I have underwear. Like, I am wearing them. I meant for tomorrow.”
“I have spares.”
Ash gave a nervous laugh. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
River fought a smile. “I meant, new, never been worn, still in the packaging spares.”
“From all your one-night stands?” Ash said.
Didn’t sound great, put so bluntly. No wonder Lester had been so clear about Ash being off-limits. Like River might treat his grandson the same way. Love him and leave him.
“Crap. You have to take me back home,” Ash said.
Back home? He’d come so close to staying. “Why?”
“Chucky,” Ash said. “I have to feed and medicate her.”
“Please stay?” River asked, horrified at his pleading voice. At least it made Ash stop and pay attention. He bit his lip, and River took advantage of the hesitation. “We’ll drive to Poplar Low and bring Chucky here.”
“You’d do that for me?”
His words came out gravelly. Trumped pleading. “Of course. Anything for Lester’s grandson.”
Ash rolled back on his heels, nodding. “Lester’s grandson. Right.”
* * *
They picked up his darling Chucky. Some clothes for Ash.
Chucky meowed from her carrier on Ash’s lap in the passenger seat. He poked a finger into a gap and rubbed the top of her head. “You’ll be okay, beautiful.”
Ash caught River staring.
River cleared his throat. “What if we brought Chucky to Silver Pines instead of my place?”
“Are you trying to use Chucky to convince me to keep Lester’s legacy?”
River gave a hollow laugh and pinned Ash with his eyes. “I don’t know, would it work?”
Ash gazed at his sweetly meowing cat. “Why do you think we should take her to Lester’s?”
“The crypt isn’t as big as my place. Might be an easier transition for her. Besides, we’ll mostly be sleeping at my place. We’d be around her more during the day at Silver Pines. We can medicate her before we close up each day.”
Ash liked the idea. More than liked it. He’d often found it hard not seeing his cat when he had to work such long hours. To have her around, close by all the time . . .
“I suppose we could do that.”
They settled Chucky into the chapel. Set up a litter box. River medicated her while Ash filled a bowl of kibble and another with water. He rubbed Chucky’s back while she sniffed the bowls.
River knelt next to him. “You can stay here too, if you’d prefer?”
“You really are working every angle to bring me here for good.”
“I’d do anything.”
Ash laughed. “Come on. Tonight, I’d rather you take me to your place.”
* * *
Ash followed River through the entrance hall and reception room to a living room three times the size of his apartment. Large sofas and stuffed armchairs filled the space, yet the two guys sitting in the room were jammed up close on one beige couch.
He recognized Ben immediately.
He barked in surprise when the second guy glanced up. He swung to River at his side. “Crap, you said you had a brother. Not that there are two of you.”
Ben let out a rumbling laugh that had River’s twin turning toward it.
“That’s Landon,” River said. “If you look closely enough, he’s the more attractive one. But that’s cool. I inherited the better brain.”
Landon snorted, and a look passed between the twins. They shared the barest of smiles.
River inclined his head toward Ash. “Let me show you where the fridge is. Then your room.”
* * *
River had chosen the best of the remaining spare room options for Ash, and the room’s location being next door to his didn’t weigh in the decision at all.
Not the tiniest bit.
Ash clutched the doorframe as he took in the grand room. “Really? It’s all for me?”
“Unless you prefer company when you sleep—”
Ash flickered a teasing look over his shoulder at him. “I get to sleep with you?”
Holy hell, it’d be a long week. “I was going to suggest getting my stuffed teddy here.”
Ash smirked. “Stuffed teddy?”
“Patchy McCuddles is my childhood.”
“Patchy McCuddles?”
“Don’t look at me like I’m cutely insane. Your granddad named him.”
“I thought you met when you were ten?”
River pointedly peered into the spare room. “Will this be enough for you? Or do you need more.”
Ash laughed. “I’m good thanks.” He turned to the room again, bouncing on his heels.
River gestured him to do it. “Go on, jump.”
Ash slipped out of his shoes, gave him a sly, over-shoulder wink, and raced into the room. He pounced on the bed, toppling a mountain of pillows. He pushed to his knees, laughing loud and heavy and free.
It ached that such simple pleasures meant so much.
“I’ve always wanted to do that,” Ash said.
“Knock yourself out.”
Ash seemed so carefree—the worries usually clinging at his brows had lifted and a mesmerizing smile took his face hostage. Took River hostage with it.
Perhaps it had been a mistake to give Ash this room.
Knowing Ash’s long, sinewy limbs would be knotting sheets in the bed that backed his was already making him groan.
River clutched the doorframe, gritting his teeth against the rising pleasure. “I’m going downstairs to order in pizza. Take your time getting comfortable.”
Ash rolled off the bed. He spoke nervously yet tempted. “Pizza?”
River caught the flash of dollars in Ash’s eye as he calculated if he could partake, and River wanted to shake him fondly. No way would River let Ash pay. Hell, he never let Ben pay, and that guy earned ridiculous money with his and Landon’s YouTube channel. “What do you like? Barbecue chicken? Meat Lovers?”
Ash straightened as if deciding to give himself this one pleasure and suck up the cost. Good luck trying to pay. River would never let it happen.
“What’s your favorite topping?” asked Ash.
“Barbecue.”
“Let’s try that, then.”
Try that? What exactly did that mean? Had Ash never had a damn pizza before? “Do you not like pizza?”
“Course I like it.”
“What do you mean try barbecue, then?”
Ash folded his arms, with a proud scowl. “Pizza’s a birthday treat. We don’t call up for it whenever we have a craving. I usually choose Meat Lovers, but since I decided this week I’m all about trying new things, I’ll try barbecue.”
River hastily nodded and backed into the hall. “I’ll buy one of each in case you don’t like it.”
He heeled off before Ash could disagree.
I’m all about trying new things.
He would damn well repeat those lust cooling words to himself every hour he spent in Ash’s company.