Chapter One
~ Ashton ~
I tried again to tie the silky material into some semblance of a bowtie, but I just didn’t have a clue. A loud groan escaped my lips. I was going to look like a first class prick at Anna’s dad’s birthday party. I was sure to embarrass Anna because I had no idea how to behave and integrate with the class of people that were sure to attend. I had even heard this week that there were going to be actual celebrities attending too, friends of Senator Spencer’s.
Giving up, I sighed and grabbed the corsage off the side that I’d bought for her, and made my way downstairs, hoping to find Dean or someone to fix my tie for me. As I got to the bottom of the stairs, Anna’s mom, Melissa, looked up.
She smiled warmly at me, and nodded at my bowtie that was hanging loosely around my neck. “Let me give you a hand with that,” she suggested,
My pride sank to a new low. “Er, that’d be great, thanks,” I replied, stepping closer to her, hating the fact that I was so out of my depth and it was probably glaringly obvious for all to see.
She laughed quietly as she fiddled with it. “Don’t be embarrassed, I just had to tie Tom’s too,” she winked at me conspiratorially. At least the future President of the United States couldn’t do it either.
“You did? Well that makes me feel better,” I admitted, laughing. “You look very nice tonight, Mrs Spencer.” She looked radiant in her gold gown; she was undoubtedly where Anna got her looks from. But Anna just had something else, an inner beauty that just burst from every pore.
“Thank you. You look exceptionally handsome in your suit. My guess is that you’ll make Annabelle swoon,” she said, grinning. I smiled, silently hoping she was right.
Senator Spencer came down the stairs then. “Melissa, are we ready to go?” he asked, smiling lovingly at his wife.
“I think so, we’re just waiting for Annabelle,” she answered, looking expectantly at the stairs. “Annabelle, are you almost ready? We need to leave, the car’s here!” she called up the stairs.
“You look nervous,” Senator Spencer observed, smiling warmly at me.
I nodded. “I am, sir. I’ve never been to an event like this.”
He laughed at my remark. “You’ll be fine, son. Just start the cutlery from the outside, and smile. If you have no idea what you’re doing, just smile and pretend you do, that’s how I get through these things,” he admitted.
“I’ll do that. Thank you, sir.”
Footsteps to the side caught my attention. “You look great, Annabelle,” Dean’s voice drifted down the stairs.
“Thanks, Dean, you look pretty good yourself. I haven’t seen you in a suit for a while,” Anna replied, her voice teasing and light.
“Yeah, it feels a bit weird to be wearing it actually. It’s been almost three months since I’ve been made to wear this uniform. Thank goodness for undercover assignments, is all I can say,” he replied, chuckling.
She laughed in response and my heart throbbed at the sound of it. No matter how many times I heard it, I just couldn’t get enough of her happiness.
I looked up at the stairs expectantly, waiting. As soon as I saw her, my legs felt weak. She looked stunningly beautiful, and that was exactly how I felt, stunned. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t even breathe. I’d never seen anything so perfect in my life, all she was missing was the wings and she would look like the angel that she was.
The plum coloured ball gown that had been specially made for her tonight clung to her, showing off her perfect, flat stomach and tiny waist. The top was a halter neck, so it showed off her flawless creamy-white shoulders. And the cleavage… I had no idea how I was going to keep my eyes away from it tonight. The dress showed just enough to tease and hint at what was underneath, making me feel hot and horny as hell. The skirt of the dress flowed out all the way to the floor, hiding the toned long legs that I knew were underneath. Her hair had been pulled up and was pinned in curls at the back of her head, hanging down her back.
I sucked in a ragged breath as I looked at her face. She looked radiant, her skin almost shining. Her make-up was different tonight; she had on some grey eye shadow that made her brown eyes look like they were shining with an excitement and joy, that made my world stop spinning. She always took my breath away, no matter what she was wearing, even if it was baggy sweaters or one of my T-shirts, but tonight she was almost killing me. She was walking towards me and looking me over slowly; a small, sexy smile played at the corners of her mouth.
I swallowed, wondering what I was going to say when she got to me. My mouth was so dry, I wasn’t even sure I could speak. I couldn’t take my eyes off her as I shifted from one foot to the other, trying to get my brain to form an articulate sentence so that I wouldn’t embarrass myself. The trouble was, the only word that I could think right now was: wow.
“Hi,” she greeted, smiling as she stopped in front of me.
“Hi,” I managed to choke out. I looked into her eyes and felt her pull me in. I loved this girl with all of my heart. I cleared my throat, knowing I needed to compliment her on how she looked. “You look incredible; I’ve never seen anything more beautiful in my life.”
She blushed and smiled her sexy smile, making my insides flutter. “Thanks. And you look extremely smart in your tux,” she countered, as she ran her hand along the edge of the jacket that I was wearing, making my body yearn for her in the normal way.
Calm down, Ashton; do not get a boner in front of her parents! I swallowed the lump in my throat. I was behaving like a love-struck moron, I could feel it, but I just couldn’t help myself. Just give her the damn corsage, Ashton! “I… er… I got you this,” I muttered.
Her eyes dropped to the box and her teeth sank into her bottom lip as she looked at the little white rose corsage bracelet I was holding out like a complete and utter moron. “Ashton, that’s gorgeous,” she gushed, smiling gratefully.
I smiled awkwardly. “If I’d known you would look this beautiful tonight, I would have gone for something a little bigger and more expensive. This is gonna pale in comparison to you tonight, Anna,” I admitted, frowning at the thing that I thought was beautiful until I saw her.
“Jeez, Ashton, seriously, do you just get these lines straight from a how to make the girls melt handbook?” she teased, grinning at me. I couldn’t help but laugh. I genuinely didn’t understand how she could look the way she did but still have the greatest personality in the world. From my experience, it didn’t usually work like that. People were usually blessed with either looks or personality. Yet Anna had an abundance of both. I slipped back into our easy flirty mode as I remembered that I loved her personality even more than I loved her body.
“Yeah, is it working yet?” I joked, grinning wickedly.
“Definitely,” she giggled, nodding.
I plucked the corsage from the box. “You don’t have to wear it.” I fiddled with it, embarrassed, giving her another chance to change her mind if she didn’t like it. She stepped closer to me, and her perfume wafted around me, filling my senses and making me forget my protests.
“I love it. Thank you,” she whispered, looking into my eyes. I could see the honesty there, she really did love it. When she offered her arm to me, I slipped it on her wrist, trailing my fingers across her soft skin afterwards.
Movement from the corner of my eye snapped me out of the little fantasy I was slipping into, and I remembered that we weren’t alone in the room. Anna just had the power to make everything else disappear in an instant. Dropping her hand quickly, I stepped back, hating that her father was close enough to have heard every single word I said.
Her father stepped forward, grinning proudly. “You look beautiful, Annabelle.”
“Thanks, Dad. You look good too,” she replied, smiling warmly at him.
He shifted uncomfortably on his feet. “Thank you, sweetheart.” He brushed his hand over his jacket before his easy smile faded from his face. “So, I’ve just spoken to Reginald, my publicist. Apparently word has gotten out about the party tonight, and someone has leaked the venue. There are some press and a couple of TV crews that are converging around the entrance to the hotel. It’s nothing to worry about,” he stated, smiling reassuringly. “Reginald has made a few quick adjustments, and nothing needs to change too much apart from maybe posing for a few photographs at the entrance and answering a couple of questions to placate them. He’ll guide you through everything when you get there, just remember to smile for me, alright?”
Anna’s shoulders seemed to tighten as he spoke. I knew she was unhappy about losing her anonymity, but there wasn’t much we could do about that now, apart from roll with it and hope that it all worked out.
I placed a hand on the small of her back, forcing a smile when she looked up at me. “It’ll be fine. You knew this might happen. I’ll be right there, just smile for the camera, that’s all.”
She took a deep breath and nodded, stepping closer to my side as she fiddled with the little gemstone necklace I’d bought her that I’d never once seen her take off. “Hold my hand though, okay?”
“Definitely,” I nodded in agreement. That wasn’t a chore on my behalf.
“Right then, let’s go,” Senator Spencer suggested, nodding at the crowd of staff and secret service that were waiting by the front door for us. We weren’t coming back to the Lake House tonight; for ease, we were staying at the hotel where the party was being held. Our overnight bags were already there. As we walked towards the door, Anna slipped her arm through mine. A black limousine was waiting out front for us. I watched as her parents climbed into the car first and then Anna and I followed suit.
The car journey was only about ten minutes, but Anna didn’t let go of my hand the whole time. She didn’t even seem to notice or care that her parents were watching us. Since we’d come back from Los Angeles, she’d been unconsciously seeking out contact with me all the time. She hugged me a lot, wrapped her arm around my waist, held my hand or just plain old pressed herself to my side. I loved it and didn’t even think she knew she was doing it half of the time.
When we pulled up outside the hotel, the crowd of reporters were easy to see. The staff had cordoned off an area and they were all lined up ready with their cameras and microphones. Luckily, due to the tinted windows, they couldn’t see us yet. On the opposite side to the reporters, a gathering of onlookers waited excitedly too. Obviously word was spreading beyond just the press that this event was happening.
Anna winced and leant forward in her seat. “Are you sure that Ashton and I can’t sneak in through the back?” she asked her dad hopefully.
He sighed and shook his head apologetically. “I’m sorry, Annabelle, I need you to come in the front. We need to show a united front. I know it’s going to make things more difficult for you.”
I knew she didn’t want to do this at all; everything was going to change for her now. Once it was common knowledge who she was, her normal life that we had tried to build would change completely. Until now, her father had people managing the press so that it made it possible for her to remain in the shadows. Now that she was about to step out of this car with him, there would be no more paying off photographers to keep her name out of the tabloids and magazines. I squeezed her hand gently, trying to reassure her that everything would be fine. We’d spoken about it a lot recently, so I knew exactly how she felt about it; she was putting on a convincing show for her parents though.
“It’s fine, don’t worry,” she smiled, waving her hand dismissively. She squeezed my hand tighter, so I knew she was lying through her teeth. Her parents looked like they bought it.
As soon as the car rolled to a stop, someone opened the door and waved her parents out but then held up a hand to tell us to wait in the car. People cheered, shouting their names excitedly as the cameras flashed in a nonstop stream. I took a deep breath and snapped my business head back on. I turned in my seat.
“You don’t leave my side, and you stay within my reach at all times,” I ordered, trying to sound stern with her. I hated telling her what to do but I needed to keep her safe, she was the most important thing in the world.
She grinned. “Yes, Mr Sexy SWAT Agent,” she flirted, raising one eyebrow at me. I couldn’t help but smile. Before I could answer, the same guy stuck his head in the door and waved us out of the car too. I climbed out first, doing a quick survey of the area. Dean was already out of the car that had travelled in front of us; I could see he was scanning the crowd for trouble too. He nodded discreetly, so I turned and held out a hand to Anna.
Her hand closed over mine, gripping so tightly that my fingers mashed together. She stepped out; biting on her bottom lip so hard that I was afraid she’d bite it in two.
“Miss Spencer, Mr Taylor, if you would just follow me, and pose for a couple of photos?” the flustered organiser guy requested, ushering us forward. This was probably Reginald, the publicist.
We both followed behind him, stopping where he pointed before he announced our names and that Anna was Senator Spencer’s daughter. As soon as he said who she was, the cameras started flashing in our direction, so many flashes that I could barely even tell where they were coming from. I pulled Anna closer to me.
She turned to look at me, smiling her beautiful smile. “Oh my God, this is crazy,” she whispered, laughing. I grinned and nodded. Crazy wasn’t exactly the word I would have used. A piece of her hair blew across her face, so I brushed it back into place, smiling down at her.
“Totally freaking crazy,” I confirmed.
Reginald stepped in front of us, holding up a clipboard, trying to shield us from the continuing flash of the paparazzi. “Okay, that’s great. The reporters are going to want to ask you a few questions,” he said, as he pointed to a huge line of people with microphones and video cameras. Anna tensed next to me as we followed him over to the right place. Nerves settled in the pit of my stomach. “Just a couple of questions, guys. One at a time, alright?” he instructed, pointing to the first person standing there.
Anna tightened her already vice-like grip on my hand. I smiled, silently wondering if she thought I was going to run away and leave her here. The first reporter, a woman in her early thirties I would guess, grinned excitedly as she looked Anna over quickly, clearly debating on her one question so that she didn’t waste it.
“Miss Spencer, who designed the dress? It’s beautiful.”
I laughed. Of all the things she could ask, and she asks about the dress. Typical woman! Anna smiled and looked down at herself. “I know, it’s incredible. It’s by an English designer called Mary Shaun; I think she’s going to be the next big thing. I love her designs,” she answered easily, as if she was expecting this to be like torture or something. I was half a step behind her.
Reginald pointed to the next reporter who was obviously more prepared than the first and wasn’t as concerned about fashion. “Miss Spencer, what do you think of your father being elected?”
She beamed a killer smile. “It’s great. He’s worked extremely hard and his policies are worth supporting. I’m immensely proud of him.”
“Miss Spencer, who’s your date tonight?” the next reporter asked.
My back stiffened because I wasn’t expecting to be mentioned at all. I was a nobody. Anna laughed and tugged on my hand so that I had to take a half step forward to be at her side.
“This is my boyfriend, Ashton Taylor,” Anna answered, smiling up at me. I couldn’t help but smile back. I was so proud to have those words come out of her mouth, even if they weren’t strictly true. My boyfriend, Ashton. I loved that.
“How long have you two been together?” the next reporter asked quickly, using up their question.
“A year and three months,” Anna lied quickly. That was how long we had told people at college that we were together, so we needed to keep up the pretence for them.
“Miss Spencer, will you be working for your father’s administration?” the next one asked.
She shook her head in response. “No, I’m actually in college at the moment.”
My stomach clenched, and I squeezed her hand warningly, praying for her not to elaborate. While we’d discussed possible scenarios about what would happen once people knew who she was, I’d already instructed her not to give away any details of her life. Thankfully, she didn’t elaborate though, so I breathed a sigh of relief. We were on the last reporter now, and then I could get her inside and stop being so damn worried about her safety. We both looked at the last reporter expectantly.
The lady smiled. “Mr Taylor, what’s it like dating the future President’s daughter?”
Anna laughed, and I smiled at her nervously. I had no idea why this woman would waste her question on me. Not having practiced anything for myself, I decided to answer her question with the truth. “Well, to be honest, it was a little intimidating being taken home to meet the parents,” I joked. Anna laughed, as did half of the reporters who were still filming and taping us. “Honestly though, it’s been the best time of my life. She’s the best thing that ever happened to me,” I said honestly. I bent my head and kissed her on the forehead.
Anna’s eyes shone with happiness and joy as she smiled up at me, clearly impressed by my answer.
Reginald stepped forward once more. “Okay, that’s it folks. Only one question each. Miss Spencer and Mr Taylor would like to get inside and enjoy the celebrations.” He waved us towards the door so I pulled her inside quickly, happy that it was all over.
My body relaxed as we made it through the doors. From the corner of my eye, I saw Dean slip into the building behind us. He nodded at me discreetly, signalling that everything was satisfactory.
“That was insane,” I muttered, wrapping my arm around her waist and pulling her body close to mine.
“I know, but it’s done now though,” she sighed deeply, looking relieved. She nodded towards the sign that was sitting in the foyer of the hotel, announcing the way to the private function in the ball room. “Think that’s us,” she muttered, slipping her hand into mine.
Formal didn’t quite cover the posh party that I was currently in the midst of. The dinner had been exquisite; on the small side though, so I was glad I’d eaten a sandwich beforehand. After dinner, there were a couple of speeches and people wishing Anna’s father happy birthday and offering stories of him when they first met or witty anecdotes on something he’d done or said at some point in their friendship. It was nice and intimate. Of course, because Anna was underage, and I was pretending to be, we had to toast with non-alcoholic champagne.
Finally the speeches finished, and a big band started to play. I smiled, wanting to escape the stuffy people that were seated on our table with us. “Want to dance?” I asked Anna.
She smiled happily and nodded. “Sure,” she replied, taking my hand. I stood up and proudly led her to the dance floor, pulling her as close as I could without being all over her.
“You’re amazing, you know that?” I whispered. I didn’t just mean how she looked tonight; I meant how she was conducting herself with grace and poise when she probably hated this whole thing and the attention that was being directed at her. I was immensely proud of her right now.
She smiled. “You’re not too bad yourself,” she teased, tightening her grip on my shoulder.
Dancing with Anna made me feel amazing, like I was the most important man in the world; she wouldn’t dance with anyone else like this and I loved that fact. I could see some of the guys in the room watching her like vultures. I smiled to myself smugly, setting my hand on the small of her back as we sashayed around the dance floor.
After a few songs, her father walked over, smiling happily. He looked every inch the President tonight, and I was honoured to be in his presence; he truly was a brilliant man who would do well for the country.
“Do you mind if I cut in?” he asked. I resisted the urge to say no. I didn’t want to let go of her tonight. Well, that wasn’t strictly true, I didn’t want to let go of her ever, it wasn’t limited to tonight.
Anna shrugged. “Sure, if you want to dance with Ashton, then I’ll go get a drink or something,” she teased, making both me and her father laugh.
I stepped back as he held his hand out to her in invitation. She took a deep breath, seeming to steel herself before she stepped closer to him, placing one of her hands into his and the other onto his shoulder. I grinned proudly and made my way back to the table, sipping my water but not taking my eyes off her the whole time. Anna’s father looked like the proudest and happiest man on the planet as he paraded his daughter around the dance floor.
When the song was nearing completion, he bent and kissed her forehead. Surprisingly, she didn’t flinch away from him the way I had seen her do in the past. She detested all forms of affection or closeness with other people. Her father looked up and caught my eye, giving me a small nod. He had things to do tonight, and people to speak to no doubt, so their dance was probably limited to one because of that. I smiled and headed over to them.
I caught the end of their conversation. “I know this is going to be hard for you now with my new job, and I’m sorry. But I’m glad you have him. He’s a really good guy,” Senator Spencer told her quietly. I slowed my approach so that they could finish talking. I had a feeling that the ‘him’ was me.
“It’s fine, Dad, honestly. I’m really proud of you,” Anna replied.
Her father beamed down at her. “Thank you, Annabelle. That means a lot to me,” he answered. I couldn’t put it off any longer. I stepped to her side, and she instantly melted against me. I smiled and wrapped my arm around her waist affectionately. Her father smiled at me before looking back at his daughter. “I won’t see you again tomorrow because your mom and I are heading out early to catch a flight to New York, so make sure you say bye to your old man before you leave tonight, huh?” She smiled and nodded in agreement. “Thank you for the dance,” he said happily.
Anna laughed. “Anytime, Mr President.”
He grinned. “That’s going to take some getting used to,” he stated, shaking his head, looking a little bemused. He turned to me and held out his hand, smiling warmly. “Look after my little girl,” he pleaded.
He really didn’t need to ask me that, I would look after Anna forever if she’d let me. “Of course, sir,” I promised, nodding and tightening my other arm around her waist as I shook his hand. As soon as her dad left, I pulled her into another dance, eager to have her in my arms again. My mouth was itching to be on hers. She looked exquisite tonight; she was so beautiful that it honestly hurt to look at her. I couldn’t seem to get close enough to her. “I don’t suppose I can kiss you in front of your parents,” I whispered, already knowing the answer was no.
She shook her head and winced. “I don’t think I’d ever hear the end of it.”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” I admitted, trying not to show her how disappointed I was that I couldn’t kiss her soft lips. As her eyes drifted over my shoulder, her whole posture changed. She stiffened, her hand tightened on my shoulder, her nails dug into the back of my hand that she was holding as we danced. My body tensed too in response, but I had no idea what, or who, had caused her reaction. Just as I was about to turn and look, she twisted my body and ducked her head so that she was hidden from view. Whoever she was looking at, she obviously didn’t want them to see her.
“Holy shit, Jack’s family are here,” she whispered.
My eyes widened in surprise. No doubt, she was going to have a full scale meltdown now, just like last time she’d seen Jack’s mother. My arm tightened on her as she pressed her body closer to mine, peeking over my shoulder. “They are? You want to leave?”
She gulped but didn’t answer. Slowly, her hand loosened on mine and her shoulders lost the tenseness to them. “Actually, I’m alright,” she replied, seeming a little shocked about it herself. I looked down at her, stunned. Her eyes told me that she was telling the truth, she really was okay at being confronted by Jack’s family. Is she finally getting over him? Is she finally ready to move on? I wondered.
“Yeah?” I asked, watching closely to see if her mask slipped.
“Yeah,” she nodded. “Actually, I want to go say hi,” she added, as a smile tugged at the corners of her lips.
Pride swelled inside me. I actually wanted to jump up and down in celebration, doing my victory dance because she was clearly making some progress with her grief.
She pulled out of my arms and sidestepped me, walking confidently over to a table at the back of the room. I followed behind her with my heart still slamming in my chest. “Hi, I didn’t realise you guys were here, otherwise I would have come over sooner,” Anna said, smiling happily at them as we got to their table.
I glanced around the table quickly, taking them all in. When my eyes landed on the blond guy, I felt sick. It was Michael, Jack’s brother. Last time she’d lost control because he looked so much like his brother. Maybe she hadn’t seen him yet? I flicked my eyes over to Dean, seeing that he was watching the scene unfold with wide eyes. He was clearly expecting her to freak out at any second too.
A blond guy, probably in his early forties, stood and smiled at Anna affectionately. “Hi! Oh you look beautiful, Anna,” he cooed as he stepped forward and wrapped her into a tight hug.
She smiled as she stepped back after a second. “Thanks, Steve, you’re looking pretty good yourself there,” she answered, looking him over. She turned as Jack’s mom stood too. “It’s so nice to see you again. It’s been a while.”
The lady engulfed her in a hug too, patting her back as she closed her eyes and clearly cherished the affection from someone whom she cared about deeply. “It’s been way too long,” the lady gushed. I tried desperately to remember her name, but I couldn’t recall it. When I was introduced to her in the café, I’d been too concerned with Anna to listen to her name.
“This is Ashton Taylor,” Anna smiled, motioning towards me.
The guy she’d called Steve smiled. “Right, yeah, we’ve heard about him. He’s the one with you at college?”
“Yeah, he is,” Anna confirmed.
I reached out a hand towards him. “It’s nice to meet you, sir,” I greeted politely.
He grinned, placing his hand in mine and shaking it firmly. “You too. You can call me Steve,” he replied, waving a hand dismissively. I nodded. He seemed like a nice guy.
My body unconsciously stiffened as Michael jumped up from his chair. He looked so much like Jack that it was scary. I was pretty used to what Jack looked like from the photo Anna had in our bedroom – even though it wasn’t on the bedside unit anymore. She’d moved it onto one of the shelves, and the photo on the bedside was now of me and her and my friends in LA at one of the bars we went to.
“Hey, Michael,” Anna greeted, smiling.
I frowned in confusion, again flicking my eyes over to Dean, who looked just as stunned as I felt. I had no idea what was going on. This wasn’t how I would have predicted that this meeting would have gone.
He pulled her into a hug and said something in her ear which made her chuckle in response. When the embrace broke, he stepped back and motioned towards a young girl who was sitting at the table with him. “This is my date, Lisa. Lisa, this is Anna,” he waved a hand between his date and Anna in introduction.
“Hey, it’s nice to meet you,” Anna said.
Lisa stood, looking a little awed, probably by the ambience, the setting, the celebrities and the sheer luxury of the party. “Hi. I love your dress,” she replied, looking Anna over a little jealously. I wasn’t surprised that the girl was jealous; Anna’s dress was killer and made her look like a runway supermodel.
Anna nodded quickly in agreement. “I know it’s hot, right? Did you see my shoes? I love my shoes,” she gushed, lifting her dress up past her knees. I looked down at her perfect legs and groaned internally because dirty thoughts immediately clouded my mind. Jack’s mom and the girl gasped as they both stared at her shoes longingly. I noticed Michael was looking too, but I didn’t think he could even tell you what colour the shoes were – he was looking at her legs the same way I was.
“Oh goodness, those are beautiful,” Jack’s mom gasped.
“I know. I have to return the dress and shoes, but I’m going to accidentally lose the shoes in my suitcase,” Anna stated. I grinned at that. She was totally serious – I could tell by her voice.
“I’d lose them too,” Lisa chirped, laughing.
Anna nodded, dropping her dress back to the floor again. “Well, it really is great to see you. I’m going to go dance some more, but I’ll come and see you again before you leave.”
Jack’s mom reached out and touched Anna’s face adoringly. “I’d like that, honey. I’ve missed you.”
Anna nodded sadly, before slipping her hand into mine and giving me a little tug in the direction of the dance floor as she waved over her shoulder to Jack’s family.
I watched her warily as she wrapped her arms around me. She looked happy though, and I just couldn’t comprehend it. “You really okay?” I asked.
Her lips pursed as she seemed to think about it for a few seconds. Finally, she nodded, seeming a little shocked about her own feelings. “Actually, I’m fine. Strange as it may seem, I really do feel fine.”
Happiness exploded within me, because maybe, just maybe, she really was getting over him… maybe I did have a shot after all. “Great. That’s really great, Baby Girl,” I said, rubbing my hand across her skin on her back, sending little tingles of pleasure through my hand. I was so proud of her, I could barely stop myself from grabbing her and spinning her around in a circle. She truly was getting over him, and I didn’t even think that she realised it.
We danced for another couple of songs in silence before she set her head on my shoulder and sighed deeply. Tracing my hands up her back, I gripped the back of her head, feeling her soft silky hair under my fingertips. My heart sank, knowing what this would be about. The Jack thing was finally catching up to her. “What’s wrong?” I whispered, bending and resting my head on the top of hers.
Her arms tightened around me as she spoke with her face pressed into the side of my neck. “Nothing’s wrong. I’m just having a nice time with you tonight.”
It hadn’t been a sad sigh. It was a sigh of contentment. My heart started back up in double-time. “I’m having a nice time here with you too,” I replied, pressing my nose into her hair, breathing her in.
It wasn’t too much longer before the party started to wind down. I followed behind Anna as she said goodbye to Jack’s parents, promising to stay in touch and visit next time she was in town, before seeking out her own parents and bidding them farewell too.
I nodded to Dean who immediately headed to the door and stopped, waiting for us. As we stepped out of the hotel ball room, we made our way across the foyer and over to the elevators. Two secret service agents that I recognised from the lake house were waiting outside it, they waved us through quickly.
As the elevator sped us up to our desired floor, I felt slightly sick. I wasn’t staying in with Anna tonight. The accommodation was prearranged, and it would look weird if we changed them, so the agents were to be sleeping two floors below the family tonight. The night guards would take over their protection duty. I’d been dreading this part all day. I hated being separated from her; I worried about her like crazy when she wasn’t at my side. Thoughts of Carter haunted me when she wasn’t with me, but spending the night away from her would be even worse because I knew she would dream about him and there would be nothing I could do to prevent it.
I tried not to show Anna how worried I was as we walked to her hotel room. “Can I come in and check your room?” I asked, needing to make sure that she was safe. I knew that her room was okay because there had been guards outside it all day, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to settle if I didn’t look for myself. Realisation hit me that maybe I really was too overprotective, just like she always said I was.
“Sure,” she agreed, looking amused as she gave me a little tug into her suite.
My eyes widened at the luxury of the place as we stepped inside. She had a separate living area with a ginormous flat screen TV on the wall, sofas, and even what looked like a little kitchen area. She plopped down on the sofa as I headed to the bedroom and checked under the bed and in the closet and bathroom to make sure nothing or nobody was hiding in her room. When I had satisfied myself, I sat down next to her on the plush sofa. This situation was killing me. I knew she was going to be annoyed with me if I didn’t stop stressing out, but I couldn’t calm my jangled nerves.
One of her perfectly plucked eyebrows rose in question. Silently, I waited for her to scold me for treating her like a child or something, but she didn’t. Instead, she looked like she understood. “Ashton, I’ll be fine, will you stop worrying?”
I sighed. I really wished I could. My life would be so much easier if I’d never met her and didn’t have her to worry about. “I know you’ll be fine, I’m just worried about how many bad dreams you’re gonna have without me there,” I admitted. “And also, I’m gonna miss you in the bed,” I added, smiling weakly.
She laughed quietly. “I’m gonna miss you in the bed too,” she shrugged before continuing, “And maybe I won’t even dream, you never know. I haven’t had any nightmares for three months. Maybe they’ve stopped?” She looked like she didn’t believe a word of that statement at all.
“Yeah, I hope so. If it gets bad, then please call me,” I begged. “I’ll come up if you need me.” I took her hand, just needing to touch her before I left her.
A reassuring smile graced her lips. “I’ll be fine, but if I’m not, then I’ll call you,” she agreed.
I sighed, knowing that it was time to go. “Well, I guess I should let you get some sleep then. I’ll see you for breakfast, yeah?” I asked hopefully.
She nodded. “Yep,” she agreed and I kissed the back of her hand as she walked me to the door. She nodded tersely at the guy who was sitting in the chair outside her bedroom door. By her tight and defensive posture alone, I could tell she didn’t like him. I smiled and shook my head; she really had a problem with guards.
“Goodnight then, Anna,” I whispered, watching her face, silently wishing she would beg me to stay with her, screw the guards and her parents and their opinions.
“Night, Ashton.” She shook her head, and an amused smile pulled at the corner of her mouth. Probably because of me and how pathetic I was. I sighed as I stepped out of the door and closed it behind me. Every muscle in my body was tight, wanting to run into her room and throw her on the bed and never let go. I pushed the thought away and turned back to the agent outside her door as I reached into my pocket, fumbling for the scrap of paper that I’d written my cell phone number on.
“Hey, here’s my number. If there’s any trouble with Anna tonight, then give me a call. Any time, I don’t care,” I instructed, holding out the paper to him.
He grinned. “I think I can handle Annabelle’s trouble,” he replied sarcastically, sneering at me like I was a three year old.
I bit back my angry retort. “Look, I’m sure you think you can handle her, but I’ve been working with her for the last three months, if she freaks out or has a nightmare or something, then call me, okay?” My anger was growing by the second.
“Screw it, man. If she has a nightmare, then that’s down to her. You’ve got the night off, go enjoy yourself, you don’t get paid enough for her shit,” he said, shrugging arrogantly.
Fucking asshole! My hand was itching to punch the smirk off of his face, but I swallowed my anger and tried to keep my voice normal. “What’s your name?” I asked politely.
His smile faded. “Mike.”
Clearly, my tone hadn’t been as polite as I’d intended. “Well, Mike, if I find out tomorrow that she had a bad night and you didn’t call me, you and I are going to have a big fucking problem. You understand what I’m saying?” I growled, looking at him warningly.
He flinched, so he obviously got the point. “Right, whatever you want,” he answered as he snatched the note from my hand and shoved it into his pocket.
“Thanks, I’m glad we understand each other,” I replied, staring him down for a couple of seconds before I left for my floor. My rage was simmering on a slow boil, and I knew I wouldn’t be getting much sleep as I stewed on what an uncompassionate jerk Mike was. When I got to my own room that I was sharing with Dean, I noticed that he was already in his bed and sound asleep.
As I shrugged out of my clothes and slipped into my own bed, I knew then that I was in for a sleepless night as I worried about the girl I was hopelessly in love with.