Fatal Attraction by Mia Ford, Bella Winters (43)

“Shut up, Chance,” I interrupted, kissing him again, pushing my body closer to his until I felt like I could somehow dissolve inside him. His lips were warm, his hands strong, and I felt like my body would go completely numb against his touch. He found his way under my shirt, wrapping me in his arms as his hands explored my back, the intensity of our kiss magnifying as he touched me. I wanted him to hold me like this forever. I wanted to feel his hands all over my body. I wanted his lips to explore every inch of me.

My hands explored his naked chest, tracing the lines of his muscles as I sighed into his kiss. I felt my entire body sizzle, an excitement rising inside me that was so overwhelming, it threatened to consume me completely. His hands found their way to the small of my back, and as he pulled me closer to him, deeper into his embrace, I could feel his excitement, too.

“Upstairs,” I mumbled against his lips.

He didn’t reply, only looked at me and waited until I grabbed him by the hand and led him up the flight of stairs to my room. As soon as we were past the threshold, he turned me around to face him and picked up where we had left off. His hands ravaged me, feeling their way across every inch of me, his lips devouring me hungrily. And I kissed him back with equal need, equal hunger.

I didn’t even need to maneuver him towards the bed; we just drifted towards it, like our bodies knew where they were supposed to go. He laid me down softly, tenderly, something I thought would be a problem for him with the way he was shaped. But even with all those muscles, he moved with such agility, such grace, it excited me. My mind instantly drew up images of what he could do to me, even though I knew I only needed to wait a few minutes for the imagination to become a reality.

He pushed my shirt up, and slowly slid it over my head, his lips immediately kissing my neck and tracing a line down to my chest. His hands held me by the waist, soft yet firm, as he kissed the skin above my breasts and slowly moved downwards. I felt a shudder hit me when his lips brushed against my nipples, and when he took one in his mouth, I softly moaned my approval.

He squeezed my other breast softly, pinching gently on the nipple while he sucked on the other. He nibbled, traced circles around it with his tongue, flicked at it, and with every new touch, bolts of electricity shot through me. He kissed his way back up and found my lips, his body pressing down on mine. I reveled in the sensation of our skin touching, of his warmth mixing with my own, making me want him even more.

Sitting up, he met my gaze and slowly pulled my shorts and panties off together, sliding them down my legs and tossing them off the side of the bed. He bent down, kissing my stomach, his lips forming a path to my sides and down to my hips, slowly moving to the inside of my thighs. My hands curled around the sheets in anticipation as I watched him. I could feel his breath across my clit, the light flick of his tongue against my pussy lips. My hips began to grind on their own, like my body was taking control of the situation, ignoring any instructions my brain might have to give.

But that wouldn’t have mattered anyway. My mind was numb, and all I could think about was how much I wanted, how badly I needed this very moment.

He looked up at me, gave me a wicked little smile, and buried his face between my legs. I almost lost it right then and there. The touch of his lips against my most sensitive area, the way his tongue hungrily buried itself between my pussy lips, licking in long strides up and down. He found my clit and sucked at it, gently at first, then more hungrily. I closed my legs against the sides of his head and curled my fingers in his hair, my hips bucking, grinding, moving against his face as his tongue explored me. He shifted, and I moaned in pleasure when I felt his fingers slide inside me.

My pussy instantly clenched down, tightening around his fingers as I felt him fill me up. He rolled them inside me, making sure he touched every part of me, making me squirm as he slid them in and out.

“Yes,” I moaned, grinding harder against his fingers and face. “Keep doing that.”

My toes curled, my legs closing tighter, and before I knew what hit me, I shook with an intense orgasm that rocked me to the core. My legs shuddered against him, my hands now clutching his hair and pushing his face against my pussy, wishing I could get him to move deeper inside. He pulled his fingers out of me and replaced them with his tongue, licking until I came again and again.

I couldn’t hold back anymore. I wanted him inside me, and I wanted him now. I rolled out from under him, pushed him onto his back, and climbed on top of him. He was smiling, and I bit my lip seductively as I shifted my body until my pussy was grinding against him. Even though the pants were between us, I could feel how hard he was, how he pulsed under me as I moved against him. I rested my hands on his chest and leaned down, my breasts inches from his face. He grabbed both in his hands, squeezing gently, sucking on one nipple and then the other as I moved.

I pulled his pants down quickly, freeing his thick, veiny cock, and straddled him again, enjoying the control I had at the moment, the haziness in his eyes as he watched me. His eyes took me in with such desire, he made me feel like the sexiest woman on earth. No one had looked at me like that, not even Earl. There was always a hunger in his eyes, like he couldn’t wait to ram himself inside me and fuck until he was done. But not Chance. No, he was admiring me, tracing the lines of my body with his eyes, as if he were trying to catch this moment in his mind forever. And it only turned me on even more.

I continued to grind against his cock, feeling myself getting wetter, wondering if all the orgasms in the world would be enough to satisfy me now. He felt incredible nestled in my warmth, and the way his hands were everywhere at once only added to the sensations that rushed through me.

I shifted, adjusting myself above him, and sliding him inside me slowly. He closed his eyes as my pussy suctioned around him, and a shiver raced down my spine. Seeing the pleasure on his face was priceless. I moved against him, slowly sliding him out and then in again, with every grind pushing him deeper inside me. I clenched my muscles as I moved, tightening and relaxing, knowing I was driving him crazy by how much stronger his grip on my hips became.

I picked up the pace, riding him hard, feeling him fill me up. Soon he was bucking his hips against me, meeting my every move. His cock was big and thick and long, much bigger than Earl’s. His thrusts hit parts of me that I didn’t know could be reached, and I was experiencing a whole new level of pleasure. My moans that had started out soft were now echoing across my bedroom, and with his hands on my ass, I rode him even harder. He reached down between my legs, and with his thumb began rubbing m clit, driving me completely insane. Within seconds, I was shaking with an orgasm that left me so lightheaded, I felt like I could not take any more.

He turned me around on my back, holding my arms down, pushing the entirety of himself inside me. He was so deep inside, I felt like I would explode, and for reasons I could not explain, I only wanted him to go deeper. It was like he was a perfect fit, like he was a part of me that I had been missing all my life, and now that he was here inside me, I didn’t want to ever let him go.

He moved with such grace, his hips rotating and thrusting, alternating between both as new waves of pleasure washed over me. He pulsed inside me, and if I didn’t know better, I would have sworn he was growing bigger with every thrust. My legs wrapped around his hips, and I pulled his face down to my breasts, begging him to kiss me, to suck on my nipples until they were sore.

His cock felt incredible inside me, and with every thrust, every movement, I begged for more. He moved faster, harder, deeper, my moans became screams of pleasure, and all I could think about was how I wanted more of him; more of this. I came twice, each orgasm hitting me hard, and he never stopped. It drove me crazy, sent me into a sexual frenzy I had never experienced before, one that I did not want to stop.

I felt his grip on me tighten, his muscles flexed, and I knew he was close to cumming. I wrapped my legs tighter around his waist to prod him on with my heels. I wanted to feel him cum inside me, his body shuddering against mine, his groans vibrating against my neck. With a few more thrusts, he gave me what I wanted.

Chance shot his hot seed deep inside me, hard, his muscles flexing and his body freezing in my arms. He pushed that last time as deep as he could, and I let out a long and loud moan as he exploded. I felt his cock pulse inside me, and I clenched down, milking him and making his body shiver. When it was over, he lay on top of me, gasping and spent, his heartbeat like a hammer against my chest.

He didn’t roll off right away, and instead looked me in the eye and smiled lazily. I giggled, feeling my body relax underneath him. He bent down and kissed me. And it was the gentlest thing in the world. In that precise moment, I felt like I could fall in love with a man like Chance; I felt like I could spend the rest of my life in his arms, safe, loved, cherished.

He rolled off of me and pulled me into his arms, and before my head could settle against his chest, I fell asleep.

Chapter 11: Chance

I woke up to the warm rays of sunlight on my naked body and the sweet smell of fresh air. I had a smile on my face, and when I stretched, my groans were met by those of the bedsprings as I lazily waited to be brought back to the land of the living. The open window brought a cool breeze into the room, and for the first time in as long as I can remember, I didn’t wake up coughing to the suffocating smell of lingering cigarette smoke or with a bourbon-infused headache.

Ashlyn lay next to me, one arm flung over my chest, her face buried in my shoulder. Her blonde locks gently wrapped her face the way the blanket wrapped her body, and her eyes shifted underneath closed lids as she dreamed. She was breathing softly, her body barely moving, and only when I shifted did she mumble something incomprehensible and hug me tighter.

She was absolutely gorgeous, and if it weren’t for my rumbling stomach, I wouldn’t have wanted to leave the bed at all.

Images of last night replayed in my head, and I couldn’t believe how much I had enjoyed the sex. For once, it had not been all about fucking. It had been passionate, sensual, a mix of touches and emotions that was new and foreign to me. Yet, it had felt right. I never thought that I could feel this way about anyone, but with Ashlyn, all of that seemed to fall into perfect place.

I gently kissed her forehead, and slowly slipped out from under her arm and the comfort of the covers. I stretched, my body letting out joyous clicks and cracks, and I had to admit that I felt incredible. Like a new born man. As if nothing in the world mattered anymore. There was no company waiting for me back in Austin. There were no women running after my money. There were no late-night parties I was expected to attend. No one wanted anything from me; the world had forgotten I existed.

And it felt fucking great.

I washed my face, took a quick shower, and made my way downstairs. I found my pants, pulled them on, and hummed as I strode into the kitchen. It took me a while to find out where she kept everything, but within ten minutes I had the stove ablaze and breakfast in the making.

There was a small radio by the sink, and I turned it on, dancing to the music as I worked. It was like I couldn’t even recognize myself. The last time I had had the patience to listen to an entire song had been in college. Now I felt like a man with a dozen quarters in his pocket and a jukebox all to himself.

“Sexy,” I heard Ashlyn say from behind me.

I turned around and smiled as she leaned against the kitchen door, clad only in my shirt, her hair tied back so that her eyes shone like twin jewels. I could wake up to this every day, I thought.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to wake you,” I said.

“You didn’t,” she said. “The radio did. Actually, startled me. I’m not used to someone else in the house.”

“Breakfast?”

“Oh God, yes,” she smiled, trudging to a chair by the kitchen table and folding herself in it.

“I’d like to say that I’m making the Chance Special, but I’d be lying,” I said. “Haven’t made breakfast in a while, so I’m probably going to ruin everything.”

She nodded and gestured at the stove. “Probably burn down my kitchen while you’re at it.”

One of the pans was engulfed in flames, and I quickly pulled it away and dropped it into the sink, immediately turning the cold water onto it. “Damn!”

Ashlyn laughed. “What do you do in the mornings?” she asked. “Pick up a bagel from Starbucks or something?”

“I usually have Alice get me something,” I said, staring at the mess in the sink.

“Who?”

I froze for a beat. “What?” I asked, trying to buy myself some time.

“You said Alice gets you breakfast?”

“Yeah,” I smiled. “Alice. My secretary.”

“I thought Alice was your sister.” She gave me a suspicious eye.

“No, Pauline is my sister,” I muttered, hoping I was remembering the lie I’d told her correctly. “Alice my secretary.”

Ashlyn raised her eyebrows at me. “You have a secretary?”

“Don’t all successful entrepreneurs have secretaries?” I asked.

“You didn’t strike me as the kind who would need one.”

“Hey, just because I came into town in a beat-up Chevy doesn’t mean I don’t have money,” I said, pointing an accusing finger at her and hoping I could lie my way out of the corner I’d painted myself into.

“Whatever you say, Mr. Sabbatical,” she said. “And wouldn’t your sister and your secretary be wondering where you are? I mean, they’d be expecting you in Houston by now, right?”

“She’s my sister, not my mother,” I said, suddenly remembering that I had switched my phone off after calling my mother on my first day in Ludwig, and hadn’t checked it since. “Come to think of it, I haven’t checked in with her in a couple of days. Maybe I should.

“Maybe you should.” Ashlyn got up and tapped me on the chest, pushing onto her toes to kiss me. “Go check in, and I’ll make us breakfast,” she said. “I really hope you’re better at business than you are at cooking.”

* * *

I stepped out onto the porch, waiting for my phone to start up while Ashlyn took over in the kitchen. I sat down on the porch swing, kicked my legs up and enjoyed the fresh air and silence around me. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I had never felt this relaxed in my life.

The doctor’s voice came to mind.

Learn to enjoy life, Mr. Ridder. Before your bad habits kill you.

My phone came to life, and almost immediately the notifications went crazy. I frowned, lifting the screen up higher to avoid the glare, and watched in horror as my instant messaging notifications rose to almost one hundred missed messages. I groaned, cursing myself silently for even turning the damn thing on. I could almost feel the onset of a headache. I could feel my heart catching in my chest.

I swiped and unlocked the screen, bringing up the messaging app. I braced my elbows on my knees and bent over the phone, frowning as I read the first few messages. Some were from board members, some from shareholders, and others from acquaintances I had made from random social circles. But there was one thing in common; everyone was wishing me a speedy recovery.

From what?

Before I could scroll through the rest, the phone vibrated and began to ring. Alice’s number flashed on my screen, and I quickly answered.

“Where the fuck are you?” she almost yelled. “I’ve been calling you for two days!”

“I had my phone off,” I replied, standing up and beginning to pace across the porch.

“No, shit!” Alice countered. “I could tell. I called your mother, and she said you hadn’t arrived yet.”

“You called my mother?”

“I needed to reach you,” Alice explained.

“The point of me leaving was that I couldn’t be reached,” I said. “That’s why I turned off the phone.” I stopped. “Wait, what’s so urgent that you had to call my mother? And why is everybody wishing me a speedy recovery?”

“We’ve got a big problem, Chance,” Alice said. “I have no idea where you are right now, but you need to haul ass back here.”

“What’s going on?”

“It’s Dennis!” Alice hissed.

“Yes?”

“He’s got everyone thinking that you’re on drugs, and the reason you left was because you had checked yourself into some kind of rehab.”

“He did what?”

The messages suddenly made a lot of sense. Why Dennis had done it, though, I had no idea. I remembered stressing on the fact that I didn’t want anyone to bother me while I was away or even know I was sick, but this was a little bit of a stretch. He could have just told everyone I was away on business.

“It’s all over the news, too,” Alice said. “Someone leaked this nonsense to the press, and they’re really running with it. You’ve been a television sensation since last night.”

I frowned. What the hell?

“I don’t get it,” I said. “Why would Dennis do that?”

“Why? Really?” Alice scoffed. “Seriously, for a man who runs a multi-billion dollar company, you can be thick as a brick sometimes.”

“For a woman who is still on my payroll and hopefully wants to remain that way, you really need to learn boundaries,” I shot back, angry at the tone, and even angrier at how confused I was by all this.

“Okay, well here’s the shit you’re in,” she said. “Your so-called best friend has called an urgent board meeting to discuss the implications of your ‘drug problem’ on Ridder Technology. On the agenda? A vote as to whether or not you’re suitable to run this company anymore.”

“What?” I shouted, feeling every muscle in body tense. A sudden burst of rage exploded inside me. “That’s my company!”

“Yeah, but the board decides who runs it, remember?” Alice said. “Get back to Austin, Chance. Dennis is screwing you. He’s trying to take over as CEO.”

“I’m on my way,” I said. My chest started to ache, but I ignored it.

I hung up and fought the urge to throw the phone against the wall. Christ, did I need a cigarette and a drink. I couldn’t believe Dennis would do this to me. After everything we’d been through together, after all that I had done for him, and he was taking the first chance that I was away to try and steal the company from right under my feet.

Can he even do that?

Of course he could, if he had the support of the fucking board, who was not that happy with me at the moment. I wasn’t going to sit around and wait for it to happen. If that fucker thought he could mess with what I built, he had another thing coming. I was already thinking up different ways to rip him apart once I laid my hands on him. Not only that, but he was slandering my name, too.

I clenched the phone in my hand and went back inside, making my way to the kitchen while trying to think of what to tell Ashlyn. I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw my face on the small television sitting on the kitchen table.

Ashlyn turned to look at me, the tears in her eyes barely masking the anger that flamed behind them.

* * *

“You lied to me!”

The sound of her shouting made me cringe, and although I had been trying to calm her down for the past ten minutes, there was no breaking through the wall of rage that shrouded her. I would have had better luck talking to a log.

“That’s not entirely true,” I argued, trying to keep my voice down in hopes she’d do the same. It wasn’t working so far.

“How is it not true?” she yelled. “You told me you were on fucking sabbatical. You never told me you were a drug addict! Did you run away from rehab or something? Oh Christ, is the law after you?”

“Jesus, Ashlyn, I’m not a fucking drug addict!” I couldn’t hold my anger back anymore, and my voice bellowed across the kitchen. “That’s a rumor started by an asshole who is trying to steal my company from me!”

“And I’m supposed to believe that?” she asked. “After all the other lies. You told me you were just some entrepreneur, not a fucking billionaire!”

“I said an entrepreneur of sorts.”

“Stop it!” she screamed. “Stop playing with your words to get yourself out of this!”

“Out of what?” I shouted back. “I didn’t do anything wrong!”

“You call this not doing anything wrong?” she shot back, pointing at the screen. The networks were having a field day. There was video of me drunk off my ass leaving a late-night party. The banner beneath the video read Billionaire Entrepreneur Drug Addict… Jesus freakin’ Christ.

I sighed and threw my hands in the air. “It’s all a lie. You have to believe me.”

“I should have seen this coming,” she said, talking to herself rather than to me, shaking her head and burying her hands in her hair. “I always choose the crazy ones. Always. Why would this be any different?”

“Ashlyn, please.” I reached out for her.

“Don’t!” she screamed, pointing at me angrily to keep my distance. “Don’t you fucking come near me, you lying son of a bitch!”

“Listen, most of what I said was true,” I tried to reason with her. “My name is Chance Ridder, as you can see from the fucking TV. A week ago, my doctor told me that if I didn’t tone down the stress and every other crazy thing in my life, I’d die of a heart attack before I was forty. So I really am on a sabbatical. I was on my way home to see my mother in Booth. I was just trying to stay anonymous, that’s all. Okay? I didn’t want anyone to know who I was.”

“You should have told me,” she hissed, her eyes drenched. “After everything I told you yesterday, you should have told me. I fucking opened up to you, Chance! I laid my entire life at your feet. And you trampled all over it!” She stopped suddenly, her eyes wide. “I let you into my bed. I trusted you and let you in my bed.”

She grabbed a plate and threw it at me, the ceramic shattering against the wall over my head. “You fucking asshole!” she screamed.

“Ashlyn, goddammit!” I yelled.

“Get out!”

“Ashlyn.”

“Get out!” she screamed, running to me and slamming her fists against my chest, pushing me out the kitchen and towards the door. “Get out, get out, get out, get out!”

She shoved me out the front door, and I let her. I didn’t have it in me to fight her, let alone make her angrier. Right now, I needed her to calm down, and if letting her throw me out of the house would do that, then so be it.

“You can walk to the fucking motel,” she shouted, ripping off my shirt, revealing her naked body underneath. My eyes couldn’t help but stare at her tits. She threw my shirt in my face and slammed the door. “I don’t ever want to see you again.”

I sighed, taking in a deep breath before I knocked on the door. There was no reply, but I could hear her on the other side, crying. I slid down to a sitting position with my back to the door, the blood hammering in my head as my mind raced with a hurdle of emotions. My chest was clenching like a son of a bitch. I could hear my pulse pounding in my ears. First Dennis, and now this. Yet, all I gave a shit about was making Ashlyn see the real me.

“My name is Chance Ridder,” I started loud enough to be heard through the door. “I’m thirty-two years old, born and raised in Booth, Texas. My father was an abusive alcoholic, but my mother loved him, and on the good days, I actually felt like I had a family. I went to college at Texas A&M, where I met the man who would eventually stab me in the back and try to take my company.”

There was no reply from her, but the crying had stopped.

“I am the CEO of Ridder Technology, founded it fresh out of college and worked my ass off to make it what it is today. I’m not married, I don’t have kids, and for the past five years my life has only revolved around work, parties and women. I’m an only child. Pauline isn’t my sister, she’s my maid. Alice really is my secretary, and the Chevy in Hank’s garage belonged to my father.”

I sighed and waited. Still no reply.

“I am rich. Filthy rich. I have more money than I know what to do with, and then some. I spend my money on alcohol, cigarettes and cars, but definitely not drugs. I live in a penthouse in one of the most expensive areas in Austin in a building I own.

“I wasn’t on my way to Houston. I was going back to Booth, to get away from it all. When you’re in a position like mine, at one point or the other, you feel like you’re invincible, like you would never die. That maybe you can bribe death to leave you alone. But that’s just a lie I tell myself to kind of validate my lifestyle.”

I took a long drag from my cigarette, looked at the thing that was slowly eating away at my life expectancy, and let the smoke out with a sigh.

“I panicked when the doctor told me I was headed for a heart attack. I took the old Chevy, told only a few people where I was going, and left. I wanted a break, Ashlyn. A break from the parties, the stress, everything. I wanted to go where no one knew me, where no one expected anything from me.”

I thumped the back of my head against the door. “I didn’t expect the truck to break down near here. I didn’t expect to spend a couple of days in Ludwig. And I definitely didn’t expect to meet you. Being with you, Ashlyn, the past couple of days, it’s like nothing I’ve ever felt before. It’s new to me, scary even, but in a good way. I didn’t want to lie to you. I really didn’t. And I especially didn’t want you to find out this way. But these past couple of days, and last night, they were incredible, and I didn’t want to ruin it.”

I waited. Nothing.

“Ashlyn?”

There was a shifting movement behind the door. Her voice came through softly. “Go back home, Chance. Leave me alone.”

I closed my eyes in frustration as I listened to her feet retreat deeper into the house. My time with sweet Ashlyn had come to an end.

Chapter 12: Chance

It took me almost an hour to get back into town. Driving up to Ashlyn’s place made the distance seem miniscule, but actually having to walk it in the heat of the Texas sun shed a new light on just how far away from the town center she really was.

I kept my head low, avoiding eye contact with the scant number of people awake and strolling down the main road. I wanted to get to the motel, pack and get the hell out of here. I didn’t even care about the things I had left at Ashlyn’s house. The feelings coursing through me right now, the embarrassment I was experiencing, it was like I had been slapped across the face. Hard.

Add to that the fact that my best friend was screwing me over, and you got yourself the perfect blend of self-pity and loathing.

You should have just kept your head low and not gotten involved.

Too late for that now.

I clenched my fists and buried them in my pockets. I didn’t know what was pissing me off more, the fact that I had screwed things up with Ashlyn or the fact that Dennis was trying to screw me over. But the more I thought about it, the more I felt like I could handle Dennis; I just had no idea what to do about Ashlyn.

“You just had to go and fall for her, didn’t you?” I muttered to myself.

The Chance Ridder from two days ago would have known better. He would have been able to keep a straight head on his shoulders and get the hell out of dodge before any of this had happened. There was no room for emotions in his life, no space for feelings and caring and all that other bullshit that was clogging up my mind and making me feel like shit. He would have handled this the right way; fuck the girl, then leave.

A part of me kind of hated that Chance Ridder just a little bit for letting things go so easily.

By the time I reached the motel, the sun was beating down hard, and I had worked up a good sweat. A cold shower was what I needed, then a few hours of complete silence while I tried to figure out what the hell I would do next. There was no doubt in my mind that I had to get back to Austin. Staying here any longer would only make things back home worse, and I didn’t want that. But at the same time, leaving Ludwig meant leaving Ashlyn, and with the way things stood between us right now, I didn’t want that either.

Pull yourself together.

I shook my head angrily, ran a hand through my hair and tried to clear my head. First things first, clean up the mess Dennis had made and somehow get that knife out of my back. I walked past the motel, making my way towards Hank in hopes that the Chevy would be ready for me by the morning. I found the man sitting in the shade, legs propped up on a milk crate and his hat pulled over his eyes.

“Hank.” I snapped my fingers at him, waking him up.

Hank pushed his hat up, squinted at me and smiled. “Mr. Ridder,” he said. “Good news. Your head gasket came in.”

“That’s great to hear,” I said. “How long before it’s fixed?”

Hank frowned. “Leavin’ already?”

“I think I’ve overstayed my welcome,” I nodded.

Hank looked at me for a beat, then shrugged. “Wasn’t gonna work on her until later in the mornin’, but if you’re in a hurry now, I’ll get right to it.”

“You think you’ll be done by tonight?”

“That bad, huh?” Hank asked.

“Excuse me?”

“With Ashlyn,” Hank said. “Things didn’t go so well I take it.”

“How about this?” I said, changing the subject. “You get the Chevy ready within a couple of hours, and I’ll update your workstation free of charge.”

“That’s a mighty fine offer, Mr. Ridder, but I’d be lyin’ to ya if I promised that,” he said. “Definitely not before tomorrow mornin’ for sure.”

I sighed and scratched the back of my head, looking at Chevy and cursing it for everything it had put me through. “Fine,” I finally said. “I’ll find another way back to Austin. I’ll send someone over to pick it up tomorrow.”

“Your call, boss,” Hank said, looking at me like I was in desperate need for a friend.

I thanked him and made my way back to the motel. I speed dialed Alice on the way.

“Tell me you’re on the road,” she said.

“Truck’s down until tomorrow,” I said. “How was the meeting?”

“Postponed until tomorrow,” Alice replied. “Are you sure the truck will be ready in time?”

“I’m not waiting until tomorrow,” I said. “Call Miles and tell him to come pick me up. I’ll send you the location now.”

* * *

I sat on my bed, the smell of the lilies faint now that Ashlyn hadn’t replaced the flowers in two days. I twirled the phone between my hands, trying to decide whether or not to call her. She wouldn’t answer me anyway; I was sure of that. But a part of me still wanted to dial that number.

I tossed the phone aside, ran my hands across my face and ruffled my hair in frustration. I needed to get a grip. There were bigger problems right now. I needed to get to Austin and deal with Dennis first, and then I’d be able to figure out just what to do about Ashlyn. Right now, my mind was clogged with problems, and there would be no thinking straight until the one thing that got me into this mess in the first place had been dealt with.

Fuck, I hated this.

I stood up and paced about the room, grabbing my phone again and checking the time. If Miles had left when I called Alice, then it would be another three hours at least until he got here. I should have told her to send the damn company helicopter. That meant three hours of me alone with my thoughts, and if that didn’t kill me, I didn’t know what would. If I didn’t get a hold of my emotions, that heart attack would be knocking on my door a lot sooner than foretold.

I needed to clear my head. Maybe walk a bit around town, although that would only kill a half hour or so, not more. Chuck would only be good enough company for maybe an hour before we both got bored of each other, and Hank wasn’t a better choice. Besides, I wanted him focused on fixing the truck, even if I wasn’t going to be driving it back.

That fucking truck.

So many things would have gone differently if that damn head gasket hadn’t have blown. I could have been in Booth right now, enjoying my mother’s food and a relaxing time out in the fields. I wouldn’t be tormented with thoughts of Ashlyn or anyone else for that matter. And I probably would have been able to stop Dennis far before things had blown out of proportion.

I silently cured my father and his piece of shit old truck. Even in the grave, he was still tormenting me. If I had it in me, I’d dig him out, burn what remained of him, and scattered his ashes across the cow dung at the farm back home.

You need to get out of the room.

I needed more than that. I needed a fucking drink.

* * *

Just like every other store in this damned town, the bar was named after the owner, the apostrophe after the name whimsically created in the shape of a beer glass. I hadn’t expected anyone to be at Joel’s this early in the afternoon, but apparently, I wasn’t the only one drinking my troubles away.

I pulled myself up on a stool at the bar, briefly taking note of two men watching me from a booth in the back and an old geezer who looked like he was half asleep over his drink, his head nodding every few seconds before he snapped it back up again and blinked rapidly. The overall atmosphere was enough to make you want to drown in liquor, and the jukebox was playing some old tune that sounded like cats scratching across a chalkboard. I started to regret the choice to come here, and only the view of lines of liquor bottles lined up and waiting to be drunk made me feel a little better.

The bartender was a huge man, easily shadowing Chuck and making me look like a matchstick in comparison. He had a towel in his hand and was cleaning a glass, making me wonder how in the world the thing hadn’t shattered in his grip.

“What can I getcha?” he asked, giving me a suspicious look.

“Bourbon,” I replied, taking out my cigarettes and lighting one. I inhaled the smoke like a man gasping for his last breath. The smoke burned my lungs, but immediately chilled me out. “Best you got. And keep pouring until I say stop.”

The bartender didn’t move. He stood there, glaring at me, his hand twirling the towel inside the glass as if he were on cruise control. I took a drag from my cigarette, stared back at him and waited.

“You’re the new guy, aren’tcha?”

“The new guy?”

He nodded. “Over at the motel. The one that’s been hanging around with Ashlyn Carter.”

Word really did spread in this fucking place.

“You don’t have to worry about me anymore, sport,” I said with the smoke billowed from my nostrils. “I’m leaving in a few hours.”

“Earl Greene’s been looking to get his hands on you.”

“Tell Earl I have no problems with him,” I said. “Miss Carter was just showing me around town. Nothing else.”

He looked over my shoulder, then back at me. “Mister, I suggest you skip the bourbon and go back to the motel until you’re set to leave.”

“Excuse me?”

“Take my word for it,” the bartender said. “You don’t want to be having a drink here today.”

I turned around to where he was glancing and took note of the two men in the booth. They were staring at me intently, their hands on their beer mugs but neither drinking.

I turned back to the bartender. “Let me guess. One of those guys is Earl Greene?”

The bartender nodded. I heard the shifting of chairs, and didn’t have to turn around to know that Earl and his buddy had gotten up and were making their way towards me.

“I don’t want trouble here,” the bartender said, putting the glass down and reaching under the counter. I had this flash image of him pulling a shotgun out and blowing my head off if I refused to take my problems outside.

“Trust me, big guy, neither do I,” I replied.

The stools on either side of me pulled out, and the men flanked me. The one on my right looked like he had just stepped out of a commercial for monster trucks, and the other looked like he had just been dragged through the mud and had a great story to tell about it. I guessed the one on my left was Earl.

“Afternoon, boys,” I greeted them.

“Well, what d’we have here, Lloyd?” Earl said to his friend. “If it isn’t Ludwig’s most notorious tourist.”

Notorious. Good one.

“I’d like to think I’m your only tourist,” I said.

Lloyd smacked me on the back and laughed. “He’s a funny guy, Earl.”

“Yeah, a real fucking comedian,” Earl smiled. “It’s good to have a sense of humor. Don’t I always say that, Lloyd? That it’s good to have a sense of humor?”

“You sure do, Earl.”

I’m in the middle of one of the worst movies ever, and the scriptwriter had even managed to fuck up the dialogue.

“Say, funny man, how about you tell us a joke.”

I took a drag from my cigarette and looked at him. “Sorry, buddy, all out of jokes since I got here. Your town seems to have sucked all the funny right out of me.”

“Well, then we’ll just have to change that, right Lloyd?” Earl said, clapping his hands together. “It seems like the clown’s lost his laugh.”

“Clown?”

Earl nodded and rubbed his hands together. “Yup, as in a man who clowns around. I hear you’ve been doing that a lot since you got here.”

I squinted at him through the smoke. Not a bad looking guy, if you liked the greasy, mean type. “Is that right?”

“Yeah, that’s right,” Earl said, leaning in. “Like clowning around with my wife. Heard you’ve been spending quite a lot of time with her.”

I took a long drag from my cigarette then tapped the end on the ashtray on the bar. “Last I heard, Earl, she was your ex-wife.”

I felt Lloyd shift in his seat, moving closer until I could smell the alcohol on his breath.

“That’s temporary,” Earl hissed. “We’re in the process of healing.”

“So is her face.”

Lloyd grabbed me by the collar, and I turned to him quickly, putting my cigarette out in his forehead. He jumped back, hollering in pain, his stool toppling over. I immediately turned to Earl, and before he could register what had just happened, I slammed my elbow in his face and sent him sprawling to the ground.

I got out of my seat just as Lloyd came for me. I threw a punch, one I knew wouldn’t do much more than anger him, and got the reply I expected. The punch barely fazed him, and he wrapped his big arms around me, picked me up and slammed me down on a table, the force breaking it and leaving me groaning on the floor.

I rolled over, slowly pushing myself to my feet, and felt a kick connect with my side, shooting bolts of pain through my body. I cried out in pain, rolled away from a second onslaught and hurriedly got up. Earl came for me with a speed I thought beyond him, and I quickly dodged his first two punches before landing one of my own. He staggered back, and before Lloyd could come to his aid, I kicked him in the groin, hard.

Lloyd grabbed me again, but this time I was more prepared, and twisted my body around, using his momentum to throw him onto the ground along with me. I slammed my elbow into the big man’s face, hearing the audible sound of breaking bones, and watched blood splatter from his nose. He cried out in agony, rolling away from me and cradling his face.

I was on my feet in seconds, bracing myself against the chair that slammed into me and sent me staggering back. Earl came at me again, but this time I twisted away from the weapon aimed at my head and quickly wrapped an arm around his neck. I squeezed, hard, ignoring the fists slamming into my face as I slowly choked him. I quickly looked to where Lloyd was still trying to stop the bleeding from his nose, and knowing he wouldn’t be troubling me anymore, I squeezed on Earl even harder. He choked in my grip, kicking out uselessly, his arms flailing as he tried desperately to break my hold.

The distinct sound of a shotgun being racked brought my attention around, and I gazed at the bartender as he aimed his gun at me.

“That’s enough, fella,” he said, slowly making his way around the bar. “You let him go and get the hell out of my bar.”

I let Earl go and raised both my hands. Earl kicked away from me, coughing and gagging. When he looked back at me, his face was flushed in anger, and he looked like a rabid dog that had just found its next victim. He lunged for me, but stopped when the bartender aimed the shotgun at him.

“You, too, Earl,” he said. “Walk it off.”

“What’s going on here, boys?”

We all turned towards the door simultaneously, and I silently cursed my luck when my eyes fell on the man’s chest and star that was pinned there, glistening in the sunlight.

Chapter 13: Ashlyn

It took me at least two hours to stop crying, and maybe an hour more before I could finally look at myself in the mirror without cringing. I tried to get ready as quickly as I could, tying my hair in a loose ponytail and only adding touches of makeup to my face. I still had a job to do, after all, and I didn’t want Chuck and Martha worrying too much.

I walked into the living room, trying my best to create a mental checklist to keep my mind off of Chance, when I saw his things strewn next to the couch.

Damn you, Chance Ridder.

I felt tears well up in my eyes again, and I quickly pushed them back, taking a deep breath to steady myself as I collected everything in a bag and tossed it next to the door. I had never felt so humiliated in my life. I had opened up to him completely, trusted him fully, and it all came crashing back at me, like a brutal slap to the face. I didn’t even care that he had tried to fix it with his little speech. All I cared about was not seeing him again.

Which made my job even harder. The delivery to the motel would bring me in his vicinity, and I knew that he would probably try to talk to me again. I had to think of something to say to him, something that would stop us from making a scene in the middle of the motel. My only hope was that Hank had finished fixing the truck and Chance had left Ludwig for good. Then again, I knew I wouldn’t be that lucky.

Stop thinking about him.

Right, like that would somehow miraculously keep him out of my life.

I went through my morning rituals in the greenhouse as quickly as possible, and within an hour I had my truck packed and ready to go. My phone rang just as I got into the driver’s seat, and I almost ignored it if it hadn’t been sitting on my dashboard. Martha’s name flickered on and off on the screen.

“Martha, welcome back,” I said, answering the phone.

“I’d say the same to you, sweetheart,” Martha replied with a light chuckle. “Chuck tells me you’ve been missing for almost two days.”

“Was just down with the flu,” I lied. “Feeling a little better this morning. Actually, I’m on my way to you now.”

“Excellent,” Martha replied. “I’ll be waiting with fresh pie and coffee.”

I smiled, hung up, and headed toward town.

* * *

The first thing that caught my eye as I drove into the motel was the long black limousine parked in front of the office. It looked so out of place, I almost thought that I was dreaming things. It was the way the twins standing on the sidewalk ogling it that made it real.

Not bothering with staying anonymous anymore, is he?

I shook my head in disbelief. Chance was obviously in a hurry to get back to his playboy life. It only confirmed to me how much I knew nothing about him, and how badly he had played me. I felt even worse than before.

I parked next to the limo, purposely slamming my door open against it. The twins cringed, and Britney gave me such a look of horror, it made her look comical. I greeted them with as much false cheer as I could muster, and peeked through the window into the front office. I didn’t want to run into Chance, and if he was inside, then I would just get right to work and talk with Martha later.

The front office was empty, though. I walked in and called out my arrival.

Martha came out from the back room, all smiles and smelling like she had just stepped out of a bakery. She wrapped me in her arms, her hug almost suffocating me as she pressed me to her.

“Oh, how I’ve missed you!” Martha cried out.

“I missed you, too, Martha,” I laughed. She let me go and I tried to rub life back into my arms. “If that’s how you greet me after a couple of days, what’s going to happen if we don’t see each other for a week?”

Martha waved me away and strolled to the coffee pot, switching it on while she cut two pieces of pie for the both of us.

“Have you seen the car outside?” she asked, balancing the pies on plates and handing me mine. She winked. “Turns out we had a real billionaire in our motel.”

“Chance Ridder.”

“You knew?” Martha said, eyebrows raised.

“I recently found out,” I admitted. “He’s been keeping a low profile.”

“Not so much when it comes to women in the flower industry,” Martha gave me a knowing smile.

“Oh, come on,” I sighed. “I was just showing him around.”

“Whatever you say, honey,” Martha said. “Are you sure you didn’t show him just a little bit more?”

“Martha!”

Martha laughed and held my face in both her hands. “Sweetheart, I’d be thrilled for you,” she said. “He’s a handsome man, and have I mentioned that he’s a billionaire?”

“Didn’t take you for a gold digger, Martha,” I laughed. “Besides, there’s nothing there, trust me. He’s nowhere near my radar.”

“Well, he’s definitely on Earl’s radar,” she replied, walking back to the coffee machine.

“You heard, huh?”

“The whole town’s heard,” Martha said. “That car came with a driver, you know. The man’s over at the Sheriff’s station paying your billionaire’s bail.”

“What?” I asked, my eyes wide.

Martha frowned. “The bar fight,” she explained. “Wait, what did you think I was talking about?”

I didn’t reply. I just jumped to my feet and raced out.

* * *

The sheriff’s station was surprisingly empty when I walked in, but the people I wanted to meet the least were all there.

They all looked up when they heard me enter. The Sheriff gave me a bothersome smile, almost as if he was trying to apologize for being a useless piece of shit when it came to anything regarding Earl. Right next to him was Big Ben Greene, all dressed up and looking like he had come to attend a big business meeting. There was a man I didn’t recognize whom I assumed was the driver of the limo.

And, of course, Chance.

“Ashlyn, just the lady we wanted to see,” Ben said formally, his smile wide and warm despite the coldness of his eyes. “Didn’t I tell you that we could resolve this with Ashlyn’s help?”

I frowned and cocked my head to one side, trying to understand what he meant, but quickly ignoring it when Chance walked up to me and held both my arms, pulling me to a side.

“Are you okay?” I asked, momentarily forgetting how much I wanted to slap him.

“I’m fine,” he said, keeping his voice low. “I don’t think Earl’s doing too well, though.”

“What happened?”

“Ran into him at the bar,” Chance explained, glancing at the Sheriff and Ben as he spoke. Ben had his eyes on me, though, watching my reaction to Chance. “Let’s just say he’s going to think twice before taking on any more tourists.”

“Good,” I said. “That son of a bitch deserved it.” I put my hands behind my back to keep them from touching his bruised face. “Are you in any trouble?”

“Earl’s probably going to sue me, especially since everyone’s found out who I am,” Chance said. “But don’t worry about it, my lawyers can handle it.”

“Okay, that’s good to know.” I forced a smile for him. It wasn’t that hard to do.

Chance smiled back. “Listen, about this morning –”

I held up a hand to stop him. “I’m still angry at you, and a part of me still wants nothing to do with you, so don’t remind me why.”

“Yet you’re here.”

I bit my lip and folded my arms across my chest. “Martha told me what happened, and I came right away. Don’t read much more into it.”

Chance nodded and looked over his shoulder at the others now watching us.

“What did Ben mean by what he said? About me sorting things out.”

Chance shook his head. “Ignore him,” he said. “I can handle this.”

“Ashlyn, can we speak to you now?” the Sheriff called us over.

I looked at Chance again, but he was gazing at the Sheriff, his eyes shooting daggers. Whatever it was they had been talking about before I came, it obviously hadn’t sat well with Chance. And from the look on his face, I had a feeling I wouldn’t like it, either.

“You see, Ashlyn, Mr. Greene here has a proposition for you that I think can benefit all parties involved,” the Sheriff explained as I joined them. “Rather than press a bunch of charges and send anybody off to jail.”

“Ashlyn isn’t an involved party,” Chance said.

“I beg to differ,” Ben said, smiling despite the cold look in his eyes.

“I don’t care how you feel about it,” Chance countered. “The answer is no.”

“How about we let Ashlyn decide,” Ben suggested, all but ignoring me. “You see, my dear, it has recently come to our attention that Mr. Ridder here is quite the wealthy man, and is currently undergoing some terrible media attention because of his extensive drug abuse.”

“It’s all bullshit,” the limo driver said.

“Miles,” Chance warned the man, and he briefly looked at him and shook his head. “I got this.”

“Well, true or not, television has its own rules, and I’m sure that Mr. Ridder’s display of violence here will only make things worse. Wouldn’t you agree, Sheriff?”

The Sheriff nodded. Of course he agrees. He’d agree to you screwing his wife if it kept the money coming. I kept my mouth shut.

“Now, Earl is hell-bent on suing given he has multiple broken bones and a nearly-crushed trachea,” Ben said. “I tried to talk him out of it, but he’s determined to make Mr. Ridder pay for the damages inflicted on him.”

Bullshit. I wondered how long I could keep quiet before I burst out in rage.

“However, Earl’s agreed to drop all charges,” Ben continued, looking at me intently. “Under one condition.”

“And what condition is that?” I asked. I already knew the answer, but wanted him to have to say it.

“It doesn’t matter,” Chance said. “She’s not doing it, and I’ll see you in court, Mr. Greene.”

“Oh, don’t be so rash, Mr. Ridder,” Ben chuckled. “Let the young woman decide for herself what she wants to do.”

“What’s the condition?”

Ben looked at me, paused for a few seconds, then said, “That you drop the charges you filed against Earl yesterday.”

I froze, my eyes wide and my mouth dropping like a stone. “The rape charges?” I muttered. “Are you fucking serious?”

“Ashlyn, please, language,” Ben sighed.

“You know what? Fuck you, Ben,” I yelled and pointed a stiff finger at the Sheriff. “Watch my language? Your son tried to rape me, and this lapdog’s done nothing about it, and you want me to drop the charges?”

The Sheriff was about to reply when Ben held up a hand to stop him. “Be reasonable, Ashlyn,” he said. “We both know that Mr. Ridder here has become quite the acquaintance to you. The whole town’s talking about it. You have a chance to help him avoid public disgrace. And further damaged to your own reputation.”

Chance cut in before I could reply. “Trust me, your son’s lawsuit is the least of my concern. I told you, she’s not dropping the charges. Matter of fact, I’m going to make sure she’s got the support of a team of lawyers who will stop at nothing until your son is behind bars for a very long time.”

“Mr. Ridder, we both know that won’t happen,” Ben said. “You’re going to leave in your fancy car, with your fancy driver and your billion-dollar attitude, and go back to whatever life you had before you accidentally stumbled upon our town. You’ll forget all about us, my son will walk free, and the fact that Ashlyn wasn’t being reasonable today might mean she’ll have a very difficult life afterwards.”

“Are you threatening me?” I snapped. I glared at the Sheriff, who looked away.

“No, I’m just warning you,” Ben replied, no longer smiling. “Take the deal, Ashlyn, and let’s put this behind us. You have my guarantee that Earl won’t bother you ever again.”

“What use are your damn guarantee when you can’t keep your dog on a leash?”

“I think we’ve debated, Ashlyn,” Ben said, narrowing his eyes at me. “Let’s just finish this and call it a day.”

“No,” Chance stepped in front of me, “we’re just getting started. I am going to leave, and I expect to hear from your lawyer soon. And you’ll be hearing from mine.”

He gestured to Miles, who took me by the arm and began walking me out.

Chance’s voice turned to a growl as he said, “And if you ever warn Ashlyn again, I’ll come at you with everything I have. And that’s not a warning, Mr. Greene. That’s a motherfucking threat.”

* * *

“Come with me.”

We were standing by the limo, the driver already behind the wheel and the trunk packed with Chance’s things. There was a slight twinge in my chest at having to see him off, something I had hoped to avoid but found myself in the middle of despite my best intentions. If there was any doubt about how I felt about him, it flew out the window the minute I heard he had been arrested.

But I was still angry at him for lying to me, and now a little bit more because he thought that I would just drop everything and leave Ludwig.

“I can’t do that,” I said. “You know I can’t.”

“Ashlyn, you heard the man. They’re going to make your life miserable from now on.”

“I can take care of myself,” I said.

The look he gave me mirrored how much he didn’t believe that, and I had never wanted to hit him as much as I did now. The contradicting emotions I was going through were starting to take their toll on me.

“You can build a greenhouse in Austin,” Chance said. “Hell, you can open your own florist. I can move everything you have here in no time. It’ll be like nothing’s different.”

“Are you listening to yourself?” I asked with a huff. “I’d be in a completely different city, a huge city, one that’s foreign to me, surrounded by people I don’t know. How is that not going to be different?”

“You’d be with me,” he said softly.

“You’re not really that tempting at the moment,” I said. “I’m still having trouble dealing with the whole lying issue.”

“Ashlyn, my doctor –”

“Chance, just stop it,” I said, holding up my hands. “I’m not leaving Ludwig. Just, think of this as a fling or something, and I’ll try and do the same. You didn’t actually believe this would go somewhere, did you?”

He looked at me with a mix of shock and disbelief, and for a minute there, I felt like I had probably made a mistake. Did he actually think we could continue whatever the hell it was we were doing while he was in a different city? Was he as delusional as I had been last night?

“That’s not fair,” Chance said. “You’re not giving me much of a chance here.”

“A chance to do what?” I asked. “Chance, please, don’t make this harder than it already is. I’m channeling all my anger for what you did just so I don’t feel anything when you go. Let’s keep it at that.”

“It doesn’t have to be that way,” Chance argued, and I could see he was getting a little frustrated. He pressed two fingers to the center of his chest and blew out a long breath. He gazed into my eyes, pleading, making me feel like a total shit for not doing what he asked. “Come with me, spend a couple of days in Austin, and then make a decision.”

“You have a company to win back,” I said. “Meetings, press, and now a lawsuit. I don’t want to be in the middle of all that. I can’t handle that. How am I going to be able to decide anything when nothing around me is stable?”

“You’re really not looking at the bigger picture here.”

“Actually, I am,” I snapped. “Listen, I appreciate what you said you’d do about the lawyers, and I’ll never forget it. But I really think that should be the end of it. I don’t see this going anywhere good.”

Chance scoffed and shook his head. “You know, a couple of days ago, I would never have expected to be begging a woman to be with me.”

I bit my lip and looked away. “Sorry to disappoint, Sabbatical.”

He took a deep breath, let it out in a long sigh, and then nodded. “This fucking town,” he said.

I smiled despite the sorrow I felt in my heart. “Yeah, Ludwig has a way of changing people.”

“Not everyone, apparently,” he said.

Our eyes met, and we just looked at each other in silence for a few seconds before he turned and climbed into the back seat. The door closed, and I half expected the window to slide down, but it didn’t.

I watched as the limo left the motel, turned the corner, and Chance Ridder disappeared from my life forever.

Chapter 14: Chance

I arrived back in Austin just as the sun was going down.

The penthouse was spotless, courtesy of good old Pauline, and I dropped my bag by the door as I made immediately for the kitchen and the beer that waited in the refrigerator. I popped a bottle open, took a long swig, and stretched my aching muscles. My mind was spinning, thoughts of how I left things back at Ludwig weighing down on me like dead weight, and soon enough I decided the beer wouldn’t do it for me.

Within an hour, I was slumped on the couch, gazing out at the city with half open eyes, half the whiskey bottle gone.

The only lights on in the penthouse came from the kitchen, but they were enough to mirror my reflection in the large windows, and it came as no surprise that I looked like a fucking mess. I needed a shower, desperately, and my clothes made me look like I had just barely survived a rodeo and barely lived to tell the tale. With the bottle of whiskey in one hand and a dying cigarette in the other, I was the poster child for a heart attack advertisement, with the tagline ‘This Could Be You – Call 1-800-early-heart-attack NOW!’

“How the fuck did you turn into this miserable mess in just two days, Chance?” I asked myself, scowling at my reflection, getting angry at myself for just looking like shit, not to mention feeling pretty much the same.

I closed my eyes, and when I opened them, I could see Ashlyn reflected in the window, with her blonde locks, beautiful eyes, and soft lips stretched wide in a loving smile. She was laughing, probably at something stupid I said, and biting her lip in that way I had fallen in love with.

Fallen in what the fuck?

I shook my head and blinked rapidly, trying to push the image out of my head. I was being ridiculous. I was Chance Ridder, for fuck’s sake. I didn’t fall for anyone. People chased me, goddammit. People wanted to be with me. People didn’t wait for me to ask them to come back to Austin with me. People just did whatever the fuck I wanted them to do!

And I definitely did not fall in love. Not with Ashlyn, not with anyone. She chose Ludwig over me. She could rot there until the maggots crawled out of her eyes and devoured her beautiful, milky, soft skin.

I laid my head back and cursed the gods above. The alcohol swam through me like poison, reaching into the deepest recesses of my brain and tugging at whatever strands of sanity there were left. It was like a living essence, merging with every molecule inside me, turning every emotion I had into spite and hatred. I looked at the bottle in my hand, felt even more disgusted at myself for what I was doing, and angrily threw it across the room.

It shattered into pieces above the window, the whiskey pouring down and turning my reflection into a blurred mess. I looked even worse than before.

Pushing to my feet, I stumbled and fell, fighting through the haze in my mind as I made my way upstairs and to my bedroom. I needed a shower, and coffee, and Ashlyn.

I fell face first onto my bed, the mattress enveloping me and holding me in its warm embrace. I pictured Ashlyn by my side, stroking my hair, telling me everything would be okay. I could almost feel her touch against my skin.

I rolled onto my back, realized that I was actually all alone, and closed my eyes.

* * *

I woke up to the sound of incessant buzzing from downstairs. With a groan, I pushed myself up to a sitting position and tried to clear my head. I had a massive headache that made me wish I could just shoot myself, and my vision was blurry enough that, for a few seconds, I thought I was still in my motel room in Ludwig.

The buzzing continued, and it was only when I began to register that I was back in Austin, in my bedroom, with a debilitating hangover, that I realized the buzzing was the sound of my doorbell. I ran a hand through my hair, cursed the asshole who had decided to pay me a visit and was only adding to my discomfort, and forced myself to my feet. It took me the better of ten minutes just to get downstairs.

When I opened the door, Alice took a step back, her eyes wide and her mouth open. She was taking me in, and I could see from the look on her face that shocked would be the understatement of the year.

“Why didn’t you just use your fucking key?” I snapped.

“Jesus, you look like shit,” Alice said. “And I forgot my key.”

I nodded, turned away and trudged back into the penthouse. I heard her follow me and close the door.

“What the hell happened to you?” she asked, rushing past me and dropping her purse on the kitchen counter. She quickly set up the coffee machine, switched it on, then turned her attention back to me. “If you were hoping to dismiss any rumors about a drug addiction, you definitely can’t do it like that.”

“I just need a few minutes to get my head straight,” I said. “Coffee and Tylenol, and I’ll be fine. An hour max.” My words slurred, and I heard my voice as if it were coming from far away.

“The board meeting is in an hour,” Alice said, “and you have to be ready for that. Here, take these.”

I took the pills from her and downed them without thinking twice, washing them down with large gulps of water that ran down my chin and drenched my shirt. When I looked up at Alice again, she was regarding me with a look of complete distaste and hint of pity.

“Stop looking at me like that,” I said.

“You’re in a mess,” Alice countered. “It’s a good thing I decided to pass by before you showed up at the office. If you had come in looking like that, they would have asked security to escort you out.”

“Security won’t escort me anywhere,” I said. “It’s my fucking company.”

“It’s Chance Ridder’s company, for now,” Alice replied. “I don’t know who the hell you are.”

I shot her an annoyed glare, then looked away when I couldn’t hold it for too long. I felt heavy, as if the ground were pulling me towards it, promising peace and rest if I just laid down and never got back up. It was a tempting notion. One that I knew, though, that Alice would not allow.

“Get cleaned up, we need to get moving,” Alice said.

“In a minute.”

“Chance, seriously, this isn’t a joking matter.”

“In a minute!”

My outburst took her by surprise. She was used to the composed version of me, the one that didn’t care if the sky fell all around him because he knew that he was too special to be touched. I always gave her the appearance of a man who had his shit together, and the fact that she was the same was why we worked well together. Sudden bursts of fury were unlike me, and it shocked me as much as it did her.

“Sorry,” I said, scratching the back of my head and sighing. “I’ll get dressed.”

She didn’t reply as I got off the stool and made my way back upstairs.

* * *

We rode to the office in silence, and I could feel the tension in the air like a black shroud of distaste and dissent. Every now and then, I’d catch Miles looking at me in the rearview mirror, and although my impulse was to yell at him to keep his eyes on the road, I fought it back. I needed to keep my cool if I wanted to have any positive effect in today’s meeting.

I had the element of surprise on my side, which was a good thing. Alice had tried to keep my ‘return from the dark side’ as much of a secret as possible. It was a smart move, something that would give me the edge when I walked in on the board members while they decided the fate of my company without me. If Dennis had even caught wind of the fact that I was coming back, he’d be prepared. The son of a bitch was always fucking prepared.

Alice briefly told me about the paperwork I would need to fill once the meeting was over, and she already had a memo regarding Dennis’s dismissal ready to send out once I took the company reins once again. She had called a meeting with the company lawyers, had not told them what it was about, just so we can legally kick Dennis’s ass and make sure he stayed down. He had shares in the company, something none of us could really do anything about, but when this was all over, he’d be getting his information on Ridder Technology just like every other shareholder did; through email.

We drove into the garage, the tinted windows hiding me from the security guards as they waved us through. Miles chose to park in a spot other than my regular one, a little closer to the door. I brushed my fingers through my hair, straightened my tie and looked at Alice.

“How do I look?”

Alice only glanced at me before she stepped out. “Like a million dollars. Which is sad considering you’re worth a million times more.”

She said with such disgust, it made me cringe. I brushed it off quickly, making a mental note to talk to her after this was over and clear the air. She had been by my side for years, and I wasn’t willing to lose her now.

For a split second, Ashlyn’s face flashed before my eyes, and I realized I had not checked my phone since last night. There were no messages from her, no missed calls. Nothing.

Keep your head in the game. One shit storm at a time, buddy.

I stepped out of the car and followed Alice into the building.

The security guard by the elevators froze when he saw us, his eyes wide for a few seconds before he smiled at me. “Welcome back, Mr. Ridder.”

“Good to be back…” I squinted at the name plate on his chest. “Roger.”

I gave him my best smile and stepped into the elevator.

* * *

We rode most of the way up in silence, and just before reaching the top floor, Alice turned to face me. The scowl on her face had not changed, and it made her look much older than she really was.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with you,” she said, “but this has to be handled with some sort of finesse. Whatever’s got you on edge, forget about it until after the meeting. You need to win everybody back to your side. Just explain your medical condition and refute the drug charges.”

“That should be easy when they realize Dennis has been lying to them,” I said.

“Not really,” Alice replied. “Some of those suits have been waiting for a chance like this forever, but have been too scared to try and do something.”

“Excuse me?”

“Oh, come on, Chance,” Alice said in exasperation. “Who wouldn’t want to sit on your throne?”

“This board has been loyal to me from the get-go,” I shot back. “I handpicked every member.”

“Like Dennis?”

I didn’t answer.

“Just try and charm them back to your side of the battlefield,” Alice continued. “Dennis is a bit of a hero right now, and even if you have the power to fire him, you still need the board to nullify his contract. Don’t push them to a point where they still vote you out despite the lies.”

“Fine,” I said. “I can’t believe I’m actually trying to save my position in my own fucking company.”

“The bigger the rise, the harder they fall,” Alice mumbled.

“What?”

“We’re here,” she said, ignoring me as the elevator doors opened.

I got pretty much the same reaction from all the employees as I did with the security guard downstairs. Apparently, everyone had believed the lies Dennis had fed them, and with the media riding the wave of deceit right along with him, it was like everyone was looking at a dead man come back from the grave. It made my blood boil.

Two days. Two fucking days, and this shit happens!

A few of the employees came up to me to welcome me back, and before I could thank them, Alice was brushing them aside and leading me towards the conference room. It felt odd being back here, as if I had been gone for weeks and not just a few days. Not much had changed, but I was looking at it all in a completely different light. There was so much I hadn’t noticed before and was only taking note of right now.

I’m going to need to make a few changes.

After the mess was cleaned up. All that other stuff could wait.

As we neared the conference room, I could see that the board was already inside, with Dennis at the front of the table where I usually stood, talking to them excitedly, his arms moving about as he spoke. He caught sight of me, did a double take, and froze in the middle of whatever it was he was saying. His reaction made everyone in the room turn in my direction.

I hardly registered the look on their faces. I was focused on Dennis, and only him. My fists balled up, and a sudden rage burned inside me. There he was, my best friend, trying to throw me out of my own company and acting like he had already taken my seat at the head of the table.

During the drive back from Ludwig, I tried to conceive how in the world he had thought he might get away with this. I wasn’t outside the country; I was in the same fucking state. What part of that asshole’s twisted mind actually thought that I would not accidentally turn on the news, or that Alice wouldn’t call me and give me a heads-up?

But I knew Dennis. He had probably been planning for something like this forever, concocting the perfect plan, just waiting for a chance to dig my grave and push me into it. He had moved as soon as I had disappeared, and he was working fast. If the meeting had gone as planned yesterday, I would have probably been fighting this battle from a completely different stand point. The mere thought of him sitting on this backstabbing scheme, waiting patiently, pretending to be my friend, angered me even more. A wolf in sheep’s clothing, and I had fallen for it.

At that moment, I hated myself more than I hated him. But that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to fucking kill him if his lies cost me my company.

“Remember, finesse,” Alice whispered as she opened the conference room door and let me in. “And remember your heart.”

One or two board members stood up to greet me when I entered, all fake smiles and plastic cheer, as if they were ready to welcome me back. Most of the others were looking at me with their mouths hanging open, like they were in complete shock.

The look on Denis’s face was priceless.

“Chance,” he greeted, trying to compose himself. “What are you doing back?”

I smiled, chose not to answer, and walked up to him. Without breaking my stride, I drew back my fist and slammed it into his face.

Finesse that, motherfucker.

Chapter 15: Chance

Alice was wailing at me. “I asked you to do one thing! One!”

Mostly everyone at the office had clocked out for the night. The few people that remained were packing their things and getting ready to head out. Every now and then, when they thought I wasn’t looking, they would sneak a peek at me and Alice as we argued inside my office.

Have to replace the damn glass walls.

We had just come out of a meeting with the lawyers after hours of assessing just how bad my punching Dennis would be. Alice was right, I hadn’t handled it with fucking finesse. But one look at that smug bastard’s face, and all I could think about was hammering at him until he really did have use for his dental insurance.

Alice paced back and forth in front of my desk, and all I could do was lay back on the couch and try not get her any angrier than she already was. At this moment, she made me feel like this was her company, not mine. It was interesting what crap like this made you realize about the people around you. It really put things in perspective.

“He’s going to sue, you know,” Alice said. “And he has enough witnesses to make it seem like you ran him through a meat grinder.”

“It won’t be that bad,” I sighed.

“Oh really?” Alice asked, sarcasm dripping from her voice. “Sure, yeah, Dennis will probably forget about all this. Maybe he’ll come over and apologize for trying to screw you. You know what? Maybe you guys can go out and get a couple of beers, talk about old times, and wonder where the fuck things went wrong!”

“Alice!”

She stopped her pacing, took a deep breath and raised her hand to stop me from saying anything else. “I know, I’m sorry,” she said. She looked around the office and shook her head. “I guess it’s just…Chance, I really care about this place. I gave you some of the best years of my life, turned down good offers when they came, had your back through a lot. This isn’t just some job for me, you know?”

“I know. You’re preaching to the choir, Alice.”

She sat down on a chair next to me and folded her hands together. “I’d love to actually hear from the choir, if you don’t mind.”

I looked at her, scoffed and rubbed my eyes.

“What?” she asked.

“Do you want to go all the way back to my childhood, doctor?”

“This isn’t funny, Chance.”

“Seems fucking hilarious from where I sit.”

She opened her mouth to say something, closed it and then leaned closer. “Talk to me.”

I looked at her again, and this time she wasn’t Alice, my loyal secretary and perpetual sidekick. The way she looked at me, it felt like her eyes were boring right into my soul, reading me without me having to say anything. It was a side of her I hardly saw, and it felt good to see it now. Like I actually had a friend, and not just someone who cared about where their next paycheck was coming from.

I sighed, sat up and licked my lips. “I could use a drink.”

“Not the wisest of choices, Chance,” Alice replied.

“A cigarette?”

“I threw them all out.”

“You what?” When she gave me a look that told me it would be better not to argue, I closed my eyes and laid my head back, and tried to gather my thoughts. “This fucking sucks.”

She didn’t reply at first, waiting for me to go on, and when it was clear I was just going to wallow in self-pity, she asked, “What happened in Ludwig?”

I winced at the mention of the town, but for the life of me couldn’t think of what to say.

“Chance?”

“I met someone,” I said quietly.

Alice eyed me for a minute before saying, “So? You meet people everywhere.”

I shook my head. “Not people, Alice. I mean, yeah, sure, I met people, but there was this one woman.” I hesitated. “Ashlyn Carter.”

Alice raised her eyebrows. “In two days? You picked someone up in two days? In a town the size of a football field?”

I chuckled at the look on her face. “Actually, she kind of picked me up,” I said. “She delivers flowers to the motel I was staying at. Beautiful as hell, funny, smart, ambitious.”

“Oh my God,” Alice smiled.

“What?”

“You fell for her.”

“I don’t fall for anyone,” I sighed.

“You son of a bitch, you do have feelings,” Alice chuckled, sitting back in her chair.

“Stop that,” I warned, pointing a finger at her.

She raised her hands in mock surrender. “Whatever you say, Casanova,” she smiled. “Did you sleep with her?”

“Alice!”

“Well, did you?”

I looked at her for a beat before nodding. She clapped her hands together and laughed. “You don’t waste time, do you?”

“It’s not like that,” I said, getting up and stretching, acting like I was looking out my office window, when I just didn’t want her to read into any expressions she might see on my face.

“Then please explain it to me,” Alice said. “Because from where I’m sitting, it looks like some small-town girl was able to catch and tame the wild Chance Ridder.”

“You’re over-exaggerating it,” I said.

“Would that be so bad?”

I turned to her, frowning. “What do you mean?”

Alice got up and crossed the room, leaning against the window and folding her arms across her chest. “Why are you fighting it?”

“I’m not fighting anything,” I said.

“Sure you are,” she argued. “There’s no way Chance Ridder would actually fall in love. No, Chance Ridder’s too good for love. Chance Ridder doesn’t need love in his life. He has everything else anyway.”

“Okay, I get your point.”

“Do you? Because I have a feeling you’re playing this down as much as possible, as if it didn’t matter.”

“It doesn’t matter,” I confirmed. “Not anymore.”

“Not anymore?”

I sighed, hesitated, then finally said, “I asked her to come to Austin.”

“You did what?” Alice almost screamed, her smile reaching from one ear to the other, her eyes wide. “No way. So, I was right! You did fall for a girl!”

“Like I said, it doesn’t matter,” I pushed back. “She said no. She doesn’t want to leave Ludwig.”

Alice rested her head against the window and whistled. “Wow,” she said. “That must have hurt.”

“Can we push past the fact that you think I’m in the middle of some high school crush?” I asked. “I met Ashlyn, liked her a lot, asked her to move back with me, and she refused. End of story. There’s nothing more there.”

“Then why are you acting like a child who can’t get to the cookie jar?”

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

“I mean, it explains a lot,” Alice said. “The way you looked when I picked you up, the outbursts, the fact that you punched Dennis as if you’d caught him sleeping with your wife.”

“He did worse than that.”

“Be that as it may,” Alice countered, “you are definitely not yourself. And it’s pretty clear why.”

I didn’t answer her, but a part of me knew she had a point. I had believed I could somehow bottle my feelings until I solved things in the company. I had convinced myself that I could push Ashlyn back to the darkest recesses of my mind, handle my business, and then circle back to her, if I wanted to. But she had been on my mind all through the drive back, last night and even this morning. I couldn’t stop thinking about her, and in a way, I didn’t feel like that was so bad.

It was definitely throwing me off my game, but it wasn’t bad.

I rapped my knuckles on the thick glass, watching the lights of Austin and wondering if the stars outside Ashlyn’s house were this beautiful tonight.

“Well, it’s all under the rug now. No use talking about it.”

“Why?”

“What do you mean, why?” I asked. “I just told you, she doesn’t want to come to Austin.”

“And when has that ever stopped you?” Alice asked. “For as long as I’ve known you, the one thing I could always bet my money on was if Chance Ridder wanted something, he would go through hell or high storm to get it.”

“You can force someone to move from their home, Alice.”

“Then bring home to her.”

I frowned at her, wondering what the hell she was talking about. The look on my face must have been amusing, because Alice laughed and shook her head at me.

“You saved your company today, Chance,” she said. “And did away with the guy who was trying to screw you over. If anybody can convince some silly country girl to move to Austin to live with a billionaire, it’s you.”

“Again, it’s not that easy.”

“Then you’re a fool,” she said.

“Not helping.”

“If she doesn’t want to leave Ludwig, then why don’t you go there?” Alice asked.

“Are you out of your mind?” I scoffed. “Look what happened when I left for a couple of days. You want me to relocate?”

“Not relocate,” she said. “Commute. You don’t have to be here every day, and you don’t have to be there every day. In a couple of weeks, everything here will be back to normal, and you can plan it all better. Maybe even set up an operational branch out of Ludwig.”

“Business advice, Alice? Really?”

“Relationship advice,” she replied, “because you sound like you have no idea what to do beyond the skimpy brunette or the bimbo blonde you’re used to screwing around with.”

I smiled.

“Think about it,” she said. “We already have a unit in Houston. Open a smaller one in Ludwig. Better yet, build a company retreat there so you can write it all off. I doubt the cost would even put a dent into the company’s finances.”

No, it wouldn’t, and she wasn’t too far off. The only problem was, I had no idea if Ashlyn would want to pursue anything even if I did return to Ludwig. She had made it pretty clear that she was angry at me, and for some reason, she seemed like the kind of girl who didn’t easily forgive and forget. No matter how she felt about me.

Then call her and find out.

“I’ll think about it,” I said.

“Sure you will,” Alice said. “Just call her tomorrow, okay? You’ve been through enough today, and your mood doesn’t necessarily promise affection.”

“I said, I’ll think about it, that’s all,” I lied, and I could tell she knew. “Let’s just get this Dennis thing out of the way.”

“You’re the boss,” Alice said, placing an encouraging hand on my arm and squeezing gently. “Just don’t screw this up because you’re scared to take a chance, okay? Worst case scenario, a little heartbreak might actually bring out your humane side.” I laughed, and she rubbed my shoulder and turned to leave. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

She was almost out of the office when I remembered something. “By the way, we might need to meet with the lawyers in the morning again.”

“Why?”

“I may have to deal with another lawsuit,” I said. “I kinda went to town on a guy in Ludwig, and he’s probably going to sue.”

“No lack of excitement for you,” Alice said. “What happened?”

“He started it,” I smiled. “I finished it.”

“Chance?”

“Ashlyn’s ex-husband wasn’t too fond of the two of us hanging out together,” I explained. “He tried to show me how displeased he was, and I showed him how much I didn’t care.”

Alice smiled. “And you said you don’t fall for anyone?”

“Good night, Alice,” I said, turning to look back at the skyline. “Don’t let the door hit you in the ass on the way out.”

“Good night, Chance. I’m glad you’re home.”

* * *

I woke up the next morning to a message from Alice saying that the lawyers thought it would be in my best interest if I did not show up in the office today. Followed by a promise that everything was under control, she ended the message with a little reminder that I had some calls to make and plans to think about in regard to future business expansion in Ludwig, Texas.

I knew what she was talking about, and honestly felt like I could use a day of solitude, but the mere fact that I would be alone with my thoughts for hours until she came back to me with an update worried me. I eyed my bar, contemplated whether or not to make myself a drink, then decided that it was a little too early for that.

I spent most of the day lounging around on the couch. My phone was on silent, the constant notifications bothering me, and I had decided to ignore calls from numbers I didn’t know after the first two proved to be reporters bombarding me with questions. Around midday, Alice sent me a message about preparing a statement for the press, and I gratefully took to the task with vigor.

The truth was, since the moment I had gotten out of bed, I could not stop thinking of Ashlyn.

I finished my press statement a lot faster than I had anticipated and emailed it in, knowing well that Alice would probably hack away at it until it was ‘press appropriate’. With that I made my way into the kitchen, rummaged through the refrigerator and pantry, and began to cook. I had given Pauline the day off, and even though it was nice to not have anyone bothering me, I felt odd having to do things for myself for once. I had always loved to cook, but with how much time the company took from me, that little hobby had died away with most of everything else. I slowly began to get into the rhythm of things, humming as I worked.

I ate my lunch alone, every now and then checking my phone and convincing myself that I just wanted to make sure I didn’t miss anything important. The reality, of course, was that a part of me was hoping Ashlyn would contact me, a message, maybe a call, anything to let me know that I wasn’t the only one wondering if there was still a chance to make whatever it was we had work. I brought up her contact two or three times, but never could bring myself to do anything more than stare at her picture before swiping back to the main menu.

You’re going to give yourself a heart attack just by thinking about it.

Which was true. I had never been this flustered in my life, never this unsure as to whether or not I should do something. What was the worst that could happen? That she wouldn’t answer? And what if she did? Wouldn’t that at least give me some closure, one way or the other?

It was driving me crazy.

Fighting the urge to pour myself another drink, I decided I’d take a walk around the block to get my mind off things. Besides, it was a good start to what should have been the beginning of my exercise regimen. I got dressed in running gear I had not used in forever, took the elevator downstairs, and stepped out into the warm breeze of the late afternoon.

The walk proved fruitless, though. No matter how much I tried to busy myself with my surroundings, staring at products I didn’t need in store windows or making small talk with the barista while ordering coffee, I still couldn’t get my mind off Ashlyn. I imagined her in her green house, checking off orders on her pad, driving that truck of hers to the motel and other stops to deliver flowers, arranging lilies in rooms where I no longer stayed in. I pictured her at the diner, eating a burger by herself, maybe having a cup of coffee before making the drive back home and calling it a day.

And I imagined her smile. Her eyes, looking at me from over her shoulder. Her blonde locks framing her face and glowing in the morning sun. I imagined her touch on my arm, the way her head fit perfectly against my shoulder, and her entire body seemed like a puzzle piece that connected seamlessly with mine. I imagined her kissing me, sighing against my lips, melting in my grip. I imagined what it would be like to wake up next to her every day.

My phone ringing brought me back from my reverie, and I balanced my coffee cup on a park fence while I answered.

“Where are you?” Alice asked, sounding tired yet cheerful enough to give me hope.

“Out for a run, well, a walk,” I said. “Needed to stretch my legs.”

“You do know that every news channel in Texas is trying to get a hold of you, right?”

“I can handle them,” I said.

“Just don’t punch anyone, okay?” Alice warned. “We have enough on our plates as is.”

“I thought we could use a few more challenges,” I joked.

“We definitely cannot.”

I smiled. “What’s the update?”

“Well, in so far, your girlfriend’s been very helpful,” Alice said. “Her ex-husband is definitely suing, but with him breaking his restraining order and a bunch of other issues, that should be resolved pretty quickly. Actually, I’m surprised he even decided to sue.”

Because no one’s ever said no to them before, that’s why.

“And Dennis?”

“A little more complicated,” Alice remarked, but her voice said otherwise. “We offered him a settlement, but he still wants to go to court. Which the lawyers think is great.”

“Why?”

“Well, let’s just say some digging’s been going on, and there’s enough dirt on Dennis, including shady business deals under the umbrella of Ridder Technology, that will put him behind bars for quite a while. We let him sue, then fire back with our guns.”

I paused. “Bring him in tomorrow morning, and we’ll have a chat,” I said. “When he knows what we have on him, he’ll drop his case and do whatever we ask him to. There’s no need to drag him through the mud.”

“Are you serious? You’re willing to let him get away with trying to steal the company from you? I thought you would have Miles out digging his grave somewhere about now.”

I clicked my tongue and considered what I had just said. “Life’s too short. I don’t need the stress of an ugly trial, even if it meant burying Dennis in the dirt for good.”

“You really have changed, haven’t you?”

“Is that all?” I asked, unwilling to go through another round of Ludwig’s effects on my personality.

“Just one more thing,” Alice said. “Have you called Ashlyn Carter?”

“Alice, not the time, really,” I protested.

“Are you going to call her?”

I sighed and dropped my head. I had been wrestling with that all day, and still hadn’t made up my mind. “Please. Seriously.”

“Okay, I’ll stop nagging,” Alice said.

“Thank you.”

“Just don’t keep pushing it until it’s too late.”

“Good bye, Alice,” I said and hung up.

I walked back to my building, Alice’s words ringing in the back of my head. She had a point. If I kept putting this off for too long, whatever advantage I would have had with Ashlyn would be gone. I rode the elevator to the penthouse, my phone in my hand and Ashlyn’s number ready under my thumb, just waiting for me to press down on the call button. I didn’t manage to gather up enough courage to do it until I was inside my penthouse with a cold bottle of water in my hand and the setting sun in my face.

The phone rang for what seemed like forever, and eventually I got her voice mail. It felt nice to hear her voice, even if it was a recorded message, and when it ended with that annoying beep tone, I hung and dialed again. She didn’t answer then either, and I hung up before the voice mail picked up, frustrated and, in a way, embarrassed.

You just have to come to terms with the fact that she’s trying to move on. It’s over.

Only, I didn’t feel like it was. I didn’t want to accept it. I had a feeling that if I could somehow manage to talk to her, maybe even drive down to Ludwig and see her, I’d be able to fix this. I could convince her to give this a shot, whatever this was. She didn’t need to come to Austin; I’d figure something out.

Alice’s idea popped up in my head, and I mulled it over for a few minutes before picking up my phone again and dialing.

“Hank’s Garage,” came a familiar voice on the other end of the line.

“Hank, hi, it’s Chance Ridder.”

“Mr. Ridder,” Hank greeted with a chuckle. “My, my, didn’t expect to be hearin’ from you so soon. What can I do for you?”

“I’m interested in commercial real estate,” I replied. “Can you recommend a commercial realtor in Ludwig?”

“Hell, Mr. Ridder, there ain’t no such thing as a commercial realtor in Ludwig,” Hank said. “Hell, we ain’t even got a non-commercial one.”

“Well then, maybe you can help me out,” I said with a smile. “I’m looking for a space where I can locate a field office for my company.”

“A field office? In Ludwig?”

“Yes, something large enough to accommodate say, a dozen people or so,” I said, talking right out of my ass because I hadn’t given it that much thought. “Something on the main road with good visibility, one the ground floor.”

Hank went silent for a second, and I could almost see him leaning back on his heels with his eyes closed, deep in thought. “Only two places come to mind, but they’re pretty bent out of shape, need heavy renovations,” he finally said. “But they’re more shops than office spaces. That’s really all you can find on the ground level on Main Street. Nothing big enough for an office for a dozen people though.”

“That’s fine,” I said, my mind racing with the possibilities. “Could you find out what’s available, the cost, that sort of thing, and get back to me? I’ll make it worth your while. And it’s important that no one in Ludwig know that I’m looking.”

“Sure, my lips are sealed,” Hank said. There was a short silence before he continued, “If you don’t mind me askin’, Mr. Ridder, but why would you want to open an office in a town like Ludwig?”

I smiled to myself.

“Let’s just say Ludwig left a lasting impression on me.”

Chapter 16: Ashlyn

Life was slow in Ludwig during the fall. There was a lot less to do, and people were just generally lazy, with the urgency levels hovering dangerously low. And in this town, that meant something. It was almost as if life had come to a complete stand still.

My business always took a hit during the winter months, and every year around this time, I usually tried to get all possible repairs and renovations done while I still had the cash for it. The boiler at home was in dire need for replacement, and the truck was groaning with all sorts of ailments. I had to run my numbers this weekend at the latest, or risk having to find a part time job to help me push through December and January.

I pulled up into my regular parking space at the motel, climbed out of my truck and made a quick dash for the office. The winds had begun to slightly pick up, and they had this way of finding their way through every layer of clothing I wore, sending chills up and down my spine.

The office was empty, and I immediately made my way to the coffee pot and turned it on. I waited patiently for the pot to fill, placing my hands against the glass in an effort to warm them a bit, closing my eyes to the pleasurable feeling of heat snaking up my arms and spreading through me.

I looked to the couch on my left, and immediately pictured Chance sitting there, smile on his face while he flipped through decades old magazines strewn across the coffee table.

I shook my head, trying to get rid of the image. It had been almost eight weeks since I had watched that limo drive out of the motel, taking Chance with it. In the time between then and the last time we actually spoke, I had spent more time in bed than I had in my entire life. His absence hurt, and the fact that I had let him go had hurt even more. I had tried my best to act nonchalant about it all, to wear the perfect fake smile that I knew wasn’t fooling anyone, especially Martha, every time I came to the motel. I had tried to ignore the voice inside my head that was begging me to call him, or answer his calls, or at the very least text him back. It had taken a will of steel, and had ripped me from inside like my soul had been put through a shredder.

He had come through for me, though. His lawyers had shown up as promised, and after one or two court sessions, had made damn sure neither Earl nor any member of the Greene family would come anywhere near me again. For good measure, they had even taken a few light hits at the Sheriff, enough to make him a little warier, but not enough to make him hate me.

I texted him when it was over, thanking him for his help and letting him know just how much I appreciated what he did for me. I couldn’t bring myself to call him, knowing well that hearing his voice would mean I would have to go through the same pain it had taken to get over him the first time. He called me, several times, and then left me a simple ‘you’re welcome’ text when I didn’t pick up. I knew I wasn’t being fair to him, that I owed him more than a simple message, but I couldn’t do anything more than that.

But even after two months, although it had definitely become easier, I still couldn’t help but think about him every now and then. What would have happened if I had said yes? Would I have been able to live in Austin? My mother’s voice constantly rang in my mind, sounding disappointed that I had decided to stay behind even when the opportunity to leave came knocking on my door.

What the hell was I supposed to do anyway?

I frowned, angry at my mind for playing tricks on me, for throwing up images of what could have been, just to take them away again. It was cruel, yet at the same time frustrating. I had made the right choice. I know I ha. There was nothing for me in Austin. My entire life was in Ludwig; everyone I knew, everything I was familiar with, my little bubble of comfort in the big bag world. And my plants. My greenhouse. How could I even consider leaving all that I had built behind? How could he ask me to, that bastard?

Is that really what you’re angry about?

It was. It had to be. Because other than that, then there really wasn’t anyone else around to blame for how I felt other than me, and that wouldn’t sit well with me. I had moved on, or at least I thought I had, and Chance was just a memory; not the one who got away, but the one I couldn’t have.

Then again, there might have been a way to make it work.

No!

Or was there?

I shook my head angrily, rubbing my eyes with the heels of my hands, concentrating all my hatred on Chance and what he was doing to me, even when he was miles away. Millionaire playboy who thought he could get whatever he wanted. What the hell was I going to do with a man like him? Bear his children, cook his meals, and be his trophy wife while he fucked airheads right and left?

“You’re early.”

I turned around, surprised that someone had been able to walk into the office without me hearing it. I smiled at Martha as she rubbed her hands together and did a jog-dance around the office.

“It’s getting colder by the day,” she said, blowing air into cupped hands.

“Well, we’re a few days away from November,” I said. “You’d kind of expect it, wouldn’t you?”

“Funny thing, sweetie, is that no matter how old I get, I swear, the winters always get colder,” she chuckled. “Has Chuck come in yet?”

I shook my head. “Haven’t seen him.”

“Mhmm.” Martha walked around the desk and opened the ledger. “That’s just great,” she mumbled.

“What’s wrong?”

“The writer’s spending all of December here,” Martha replied. “There go our Christmas plans. And looks like New Year’s, too.”

“Seriously?” I looked over the desk and at the empty ledger save for one name. “That’s odd.”

“He’d better be writing a masterpiece in there,” Martha commented, rubbing her shoulders to stay warm. “Or else I might just kill him.”

“So what are you going to do?” I asked, pouring myself a mug of coffee and preparing one for her, too.

“What can we do,” Martha shrugged. “Usually, this time of the year, closing down for a month or two doesn’t really affect us. It’s a dead season anyway, and a good chance for me and Chuck to kick back for a while.”

I walked back and slid her mug to her. “Thank you, honey,” she said, taking a sip. “Looks like this year, though, we’re stuck here.”

An idea suddenly came to me. “If you want, I can run the motel for you,” I suggested.

Martha frowned, looking at me like I had just said something in a language she couldn’t understand. “What?”

“I don’t have business during December and January anyway,” I said. “I’m probably better off doing something useful, of it’ll give you and Chuck some time off.” I paused. “Besides, I might need the money anyway.”

“Are you sure?” Martha asked. “You don’t think it’ll be a burden. Sweetheart, I’m sure you can use some time off, too.”

I waved the remark away. “It’ll be pretty much the same thing as staying at home,” I said. “And who knows. Maybe someone else wants to escape somewhere to find a little solitude. You might actually get a few guests.”

Martha chuckled. “I highly doubt that,” she said. “Then again, you never know whose truck could break down on the interstate near us.”

I raised an eyebrow at her, knowing exactly what she was trying to do. For the whole time Chance had been gone, she had not stopped trying to get me to talk about it all. I had been nice enough to divert the conversation to something else, and she had been sensible enough to let the matter drop when she knew I didn’t want to talk about it. It didn’t stop her from trying to open it up every now and then.

“If someone’s truck does break down, I hope Hank decides to ignore them,” I said.

Martha only looked at me, then nodded and gave me a knowing smile. “Well, I’ll definitely talk to Chuck about it when he gets here,” she said. “I know he’s been looking forward to Christmas with the family.”

“Really?”

Martha shrugged. “I really don’t see why not,” she said. “Besides, we can probably show you the ropes in a day or two. There really isn’t much that goes into running this place anyway, and as long as you just have to take care of Mr. Bestseller in there, you should be fine.”

“That’s great,” I smiled. “We’re in agreement, then.”

“Thank you, Ashlyn, although you really didn’t have to.”

“Honestly, I could use the distraction.”

Martha glanced at me, sighed, then leaned over the desk and looked me straight in the eye. “How long are you going to keep this up, baby girl?”

“Keep what up?”

“Ashlyn. You know exactly what I’m talking about.”

I winced and shrugged. “I don’t know, Martha,” I admitted. “I don’t want to feel this way anymore. I just want to brush it all off and get on with my life.”

“But you can’t.”

“No, I can’t,” I shook my head. “I try so hard, and he still pops up in my head. And other places…” I put my hand over my heart. “Why won’t he just stay out of there?”

Martha smiled. “I think you know the answer to that.”

“I do, sure, but it’s stupid,” I said. “It’s been a stupid idea from the get-go. I never should have even let it happen.”

“Sweetheart, these things don’t need your permission to happen,” Martha said. “They just do.” She leaned back. “Do you think I planned to fall in love with Chuck? The man was a mess when I met him, and is still a mess, in a way. He used to be this scrawny young man working in my daddy’s garage, without a dollar on him. He was charming, and funny, but he was definitely not relationship material. But I fell for him anyway, and the rest is history.”

She paused, her eyes briefly glazing over as she reminisced, then she looked at me again. “That boy’s truck broke down right outside Ludwig, and he came across the most beautiful flower girl in Texas right here at this motel. He was the solution to your living up at that house all alone, to your problems with that disgusting Greene boy, and you want to call that coincidence?”

“Are you trying to tell me it’s fate that brought us together?” I asked, half-smiling.

“Call it whatever you want,” Martha shrugged. “Fate, blind luck, the devil playing a little game of chess with the big man upstairs. What I do know, Ashlyn, is that I have never seen you like this before. And if it’s Chance Ridder that’s got you like this, then that’s got to mean something.”

I thought about what she said, and although I saw the sense in what she was saying, I couldn’t quite bring myself to agree with her. “I don’t know.”

“I do,” Martha smiled. “But, then again, it’s your life. I just don’t want to see you make a big mistake and regret it for the rest of your life.”

I was about to answer her when two cars drove past the office and into the motel. I gazed out the large window and watched them park close to where Chance’s old room was. Four men stepped out of the vehicles, stretching and yawning, immediately going for the car trunks while one of them broke away from the group and made his way to the office.

“Well, I guess you’re going to have more guests than we expected,” Martha said just as the man opened the office door and stepped inside.

He flashed a wide smile at both of us and took off his shades.

Why he was wearing them in the first place would always be a mystery, I thought to myself. The skies were cloudy, and it was rare to see patches of sunlight large enough to merit sunglasses.

“Morning,” the man greeted.

“Afternoon,” Martha replied, smiling and a little bit amused by the man. He was trying too hard to fit in, his jeans and shirt looking like they had just been bought a few minutes ago, and was clearly uncomfortable.

Big city boy, just like Chance.

Only, this one looked like he deserved to be chased out of Ludwig with a shotgun. I could already tell I was going to hate him, and silently prayed that he and his friends were only here for a night, and I wouldn’t have to deal with them in the future. Thankfully there were no deliveries after today.

“Friends and I looking to book two rooms,” the man said, fishing his credit card from his pocket and sliding it across the counter.

“Sure thing,” Martha said. “You boys been driving long?”

“All the way from Austin.”

My head snapped around, and I caught him ogling me, smiling like an ass.

“Interesting,” Martha said, shooting me a sideway glance. “Seems like we’ve been getting a lot of Austin folk coming by this way. On your way to Houston?”

“Nope,” the man shook his head, every now and then stealing glances at me. “Our company has sent us here to renovate a new office space. We’re overseeing the work over the next few weeks.”

“Weeks?” Martha asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah,” the man nodded. “Didn’t I say? Oh, sorry, yeah, we’re booking the rooms until a few days after New Year’s Day.”

“That’s two months,” I said despite myself, and the man turned to look at me. He frowned a little, as if he were trying to place me, and that only made me feel worse about him.

“Yup, two months,” he said, turning back to Martha. “Is that a problem?”

Martha looked at me, as if asking me if my offer was still on the table. I shrugged. How much worse could they be?

“Nope, no problem,” Martha said. “Just let me get the paperwork ready.”

* * *

I didn’t know that Polly Wagner had sold her store, which was strange. Information like that would have travelled across Ludwig in less than an hour, but somehow, the sale had remained a secret.

I passed by the place on my way home, slowing down as I looked in the dark windows and padlocked door. Polly had run a pretty successful bakery out of there, until her husband had passed away and she had to pay back gambling debts she did not know he had. She had sold everything except for the store itself, probably in hopes that one day she’d be able to reopen.

Apparently, she had given up on that plan. I made a mental note to pass by her place to see how she was doing. It couldn’t be good if it meant selling the store.

But who the hell would buy it?

I frowned. Who in his right mind would buy and turn a store into office space? And exactly what kind of business was this? There was something off about all this, and I didn’t like it one bit. It was not normal for something as big as this to go unnoticed, or ignored for that matter.

Normally, the sale of a store would be the topic of gossip in town, but things were different here. I hadn’t heard anything about it at the diner, which was known to be Ludwig’s gossip center, and even Martha had seemed surprised when the man had explained why he and his friends were here. And when it came to Martha, she took pride in knowing everything that went on in town. This must have been killing her.

Let it go. You’ll find out soon enough. Taking one last look at the store, I shook my head in wonderment and drove away.

Chapter 17: Ashlyn

I groaned when the knocking on the door woke me up.

I was under the covers, my phone on silent and my alarm turned off, having had fully intended to sleep in as much as possible. It was December 31st, and the fact that the New Year was rolling in just twenty-four hours away had made me feel even more depressed than the cold weather did.

Plus, I had spent Christmas alone for the first time in years. I had put up and decorated a beautiful tree, but that was the extent of my holiday cheer. I made myself a pitiful turkey TV dinner for Christmas dinner and cried myself to sleep.

I know. Pathetic.

Chuck and Martha had taken that vacation they had wanted to take, and for the past seven weeks, life had been pretty slow and mundane. The motel didn’t get any new guests, and the men responsible for the renovations at Polly’s old store had been almost as secretive and quiet as the writer, despite their leader’s initial creepiness and perverted glares at my ass when he thought I wasn’t looking.

They had checked out yesterday, and although they said their work was over, no one in town had any clue as to what exactly they were doing or who was the new owner of the renovated space on Main Street. It had been a little mystifying at first, slowly developing into annoyed curiosity, and then angry demands that the people of Ludwig had a right to know what was going on in their own town. Soon, though, that passed as well, and people began to ignore the store completely, which had sat perfectly well with the four strangers from Austin.

The writer had checked out as well, a week before the renovators, a wide smile on his face and a loud declaration that his work here was done, and he was ready to return to civilization. I would have found that insulting had I not been happy to see him go.

With all three rooms now vacant, I had decided to lock the motel up for a few days and just spend New Year’s in bed, sleeping through the festivities, waking up when the world was back to its normal routine and the only difference anyone could recognize was the need to get accustomed to remembering the right date.

I felt like a hibernating bear, completely content with staying in my room until winter was over. I had even brought a few books up to keep me company.

Which was why the knocking that had woken me up annoyed the fuck out of me.

I pulled a sweater on and made my way downstairs, the cold floor making me shiver as I skipped to the front door. I had half the mind to verbally assault whoever it was who thought it a good idea to wake me up, but froze when I opened the door.

“Good morning, Miss Carter.”

I blinked several times, instantly recognizing Chance’s driver, Miles, but oblivious as to why he was here.

“Miles, right?” I asked.

The man smiled and nodded. “I hope I’m not intruding.”

“As a matter of fact, you woke me up,” I said. “So, if Chance has anything to do with this, please let him know that if he wants to frustrate me this early in the morning, he should do it himself so I can scream at him instead of you.”

“Mr. Ridder actually sent me to pick you up,” Miles said, still smiling despite my threat. “He would have done it himself if he believed you would have opened the door for him in the first place.”

“Smart man, your boss,” I said. “And what makes you believe I’ll come with you? I think I made it pretty clear to Chance where I stood in regards to…well, whatever.”

Miles nodded again. “He told me you might say that, and wanted to let you know that he is in no way trying to intrude on your life. He merely wants you to join him while he unveils his new business venture on Main Street.”

“That was you?” I almost yelled. “Chance bought the store? Why the hell would he do that? He doesn’t take a hint, does he?”

“I’m afraid not, Miss Carter,” Miles said.

“Well, you can tell him that I wish him all the best, and hopefully will not run into him while he’s here,” I said, closing the door.

Miles stopped me, and quickly pulled what looked like a small picture frame out of his inside suit pocket. It was barely the size of my palm as he handed it to me, and I looked at it in confusion. A dried lily had been expertly placed inside the glass frame. I looked up at Miles and frowned at him, waiting for an explanation.

“On the back,” Miles said with a smile.

I turned the frame over and read the inscription.

One of the lilies that was in my room.

The reason why we met.

Chance

I felt a short surge of emotions, and a small twinge in my chest. Stop playing hard to get. You’ve missed him, just admit it, and now he’s here and wants to see you. Go, goddamit!

I looked from Miles to the frame, then back at Miles again. He stood there waiting, his smile unfaltering, his hands behind his back.

“Give me fifteen minutes,” I finally said.

* * *

I had never been in a limousine before, and the drive back into town was amusing yet borderline uncomfortable. I felt like I was being whisked away by some rich guy back to his mansion, where he would show the small-town cottage girl all the wonders that gold could buy. It was pretentious to say the very least, but then again, I couldn’t expect Miles to pick me up in the old Chevy truck, right?

A small crowd had gathered around where Polly’s store once stood, and I felt all eyes turn towards the car as it pulled up on the opposite side of the street where I was to get out. I hesitated, feeling a little awkward, scared of what the people watching and waiting would think once they saw me exit the car.

Miles turned around and smiled at me. “I would open the door for you, but I have a feeling you’re already uncomfortable enough,” he said. “Unless you’d prefer it if I do.”

“That’s alright, Miles, I can open a car door on my own,” I said, smiling awkwardly. I hesitated for the briefest of moments, took a deep breath, then let myself out.

Everyone watched me as I approached the store, some smiling, others frowning in confusion as they tried to figure out what was going on. The cold weather had most of the onlookers crowded beside each other for warmth, but as I walked past them, they seemed to detach from each other just to get a better look.

Chance was waiting for me near the door, and I froze in my tracks when I looked past the store windows into the space inside.

The store had been turned into a retail greenhouse similar to the one behind my house. Flowers of all shapes and sizes decorated the store front, and inside I could make out rows of shelves and benches, all stocked with plants. My eyes slowly rose, and I gasped when I saw the sign hanging above the door.

Ashlyn’s Flowers.

I felt tears well up in my eyes, and my hands began to shake. I clenched them together, trying to force the tremors to stop, but couldn’t. My lower lip quivered, and I quickly bit down on it, fighting back the tears, willing myself to hold it together.

“I always love it when you did that,” Chance said, coming up beside me.

I looked at him, his blue eyes boring into mine and mesmerizing, his smile instantly making me melt. If it were possible, he looked even better than when he had last been here, and his face seemed to shine. His eyes had a mischievous little glint in them, and I could see he was proud of what he had accomplished, happy that I was reacting to his surprise this way.

I fell in love with him right there and then. I quickly forgot about the lies he had fed me, the conviction I had that I could never be with him, the fact that I had been trying to get over him for almost four months now. All I felt now was a deep sense of longing, a wish that he would take me in his arms and press me to him, so that I could wrap my arms around his neck and tell him how much I had missed him.

“Chance, what is this?” I asked, already knowing the answer but scared to admit it to myself.

“It’s a flower shop,” Chance replied. “I thought that would be obvious.”

I laughed, and a tear ran down the side of my face. “I can see that,” I said. “I mean, why is my name above the door of the flower shop?”

“It has recently been brought to my attention that flowers are becoming the next big thing, and that with a proper store in the right place run by the right person, it could really be a flourishing business,” he said. “Pun not intended.”

I smacked his arm and folded mine across my chest, my entire body now shaking in excitement. The store looked absolutely beautiful, and I knew that if I stepped inside, it would be even more breathtaking. I was at a loss for words, my emotions racing through me like tidal waves, crashing against each other, making me wish for the briefest of moments that I had just ignored the knocking on my door.

And at the same time, I was extremely grateful I hadn’t.

“It’s beautiful,” I finally said.

“It’s yours,” Chance replied.

I glanced at him and met his gaze. “Why?”

“You wouldn’t come to Austin,” Chance said, “so I thought I’d come here to you.”

“What?” I gasped, refusing to believe what I was hearing.

“You wouldn’t answer my calls, or my texts, so I assumed you were still mad at me. I thought I needed an entrance if I wanted you to hear me out.”

“I am still mad at you,” I said. “It’s going to take a lot more than a flower shop to make me come around.”

“I can give you the limo,” Chance joked. “Call it a belated Christmas gift. Or a New Year’s Eve gift.

“Seriously, Chance.”

“I am serious,” he said. “I have two of them.”

I laughed and shook my head in disbelief. “I don’t want your money, you jackass.”

Chance laughed, took both my hands in his and turned me around so that I was looking right at him. “I know,” he said. “I’m not trying to buy you back into my life, Ashlyn. I’m here because I want to be a part of yours. I’ve wanted it since the moment I met you, but I had to go through a couple of lawsuits to realize it.”

“You’re a very strange man,” I smiled.

Chance shrugged. “One of my better traits.” He squeezed my hands softly, rubbing my knuckles with his thumbs. “I’m not going to lie to you. I do have a crazy life, and I won’t be able to leave my company after everything I’ve been through to build it. But I understand that it’s not all about me, and that I can’t expect you to do what I was unwilling to do myself. But I want to find a way. I want this to work. I need this to work.”

I looked at the shop, then back at him. My mind raced, and I tried to come to terms with what he was asking of me. I didn’t know if we could pull it off. I didn’t know if there could be an ‘us’ with all the complications that came with it. But I was definitely willing to give it a shot. I couldn’t deny it anymore, couldn’t kid myself otherwise; I wanted Chance Ridder in my life. I needed him just as much as he needed me, and it didn’t scare me to admit that.

“So what are you proposing, Mr. Ridder? A partnership?”

Chance laughed and shrugged. “I’m not sure,” he said, “but I’m here on a ‘break’ for a week or two, so I’m sure we’ll figure it out somehow.”

“Another sabbatical?” I asked.

He leaned down, pulling me to him and locking his lips with mine. The kiss was so passionate, so loving, I felt my knees threaten to buckle beneath me.

He broke away and cupped my chin, looking me straight in the eye. “This can be whatever we want it to be. Happy New Year, Ashlyn. I’ll do everything in my power to make this coming year amazing.”

Chapter 18: Chance

We spent most of the day in the store, with me walking her through everything we had done, each renovation made, and of course the sheer power of the software on her new computer that would allow her to grow the business and help her reach the potential I knew she could reach. All the time, I held her hand tight, keeping her close to me, not wanting to let her go.

It had been almost impossible to keep the opening of Ashlyn’s Flowers a secret. Hank had been responsible for that, and the man was craftier than I had expected. He had been involved in the purchase of the store in every way, making sure Polly was compensated well for it and wouldn’t need to worry about money for a very long time. Of course, the one condition as that she not mention anything about who was buying the store, or that she had sold it in the first place.

Even the team that had been sent to oversee the renovations had been handpicked by Alice herself, each promised a bonus if they could maintain the work’s secrecy. We received constant reports from them, each day bringing us one step closer to the opening. Since the investment into the store was coming from my personal pocket, it had been easy to keep our work under wraps and away from prying eyes.

I had hoped to have the place open by Christmas Eve, but that didn’t work out as planned (people took time off, vendors shut down), so New Year’s Eve was the target date to present the store to Ashlyn.

All the while, I had imagined the look on Ashlyn’s face when she would finally witness the unveiling. Just thinking about that had made me anxious, and a couple of times I had to stop myself from texting her all about my plans and spoiling the surprise. It had been hell not being able to talk to her, even worse when I had tried to contact her and she wouldn’t answer. But with every rejection came the resolve that when my project was finally done, she wouldn’t be able to ignore me anymore.

And it had worked. I had never seen her happier. She was like a child racing through a Toys R’ Us, high on the fact that every toy was theirs. She never stopped smiling, or crying for that matter, and by the time we were done and standing outside again, looking up at the new sign above the door, I felt like it was all worth the wait.

Ashlyn leaned against my arm and rested her head against my shoulder. “So, how long did you say this sabbatical was again?”

“Two weeks,” I replied, wrapping an arm around her and holding her tight.

“I’m glad this one’s longer,” she said.

“Well, no one’s trying to steal my company, and my truck didn’t break down on the interstate,” I smiled. “I actually planned this one.”

“How did you get all this done without anyone knowing?”

“Let’s just say a lot of bribery was involved, and threats, and of course I had to hold a few people’s children as hostages.”

“Sounds like something you might do.”

“Ouch,” I chuckled. “How can you still have that low of an opinion of me?”

“You have this uncanny ability of making people think the worst of you.”

“Must be the big city vibe,” I joked.

“Or the pretentiousness,” Ashlyn offered. I laughed and squeezed her closer. “The motel’s closed,” she said after a few seconds of silence.”

“I noticed. The boys tell me you were running it for a while.”

“Chuck and Martha needed a break.”

“Well, they left the place in good hands,” I said. “Are you going to open it up again so I can get a room?”

Ashlyn looked up at me and smiled mischievously. “I know a great bed and breakfast a few miles away. I hear the owner’s the best.”

I laughed and kissed her. “She most certainly is.”

* * *

We were barely through the door before our lips locked and her arms wrapped around my neck, breathing me in as she kissed me. I kicked the door closed, wrapped my hands around her hips, and lifted her up easily. She wrapped her legs around my waist, and I carried her into the living room to the couch, our lips never leaving each other.

We fell on top of each other. I kissed every inch of her, moving across her jaw to her neck, down to her collar, breathing her sweet scent and feeling my mind race with the excitement I was feeling for being here, with her, wrapped in her like this. I explored her body with my hands, finding my way under her sweater and up to her braless breasts, squeezing as we kissed more feverishly, hungrily.

Her fingers quickly found my belt and unbuckled me, working the button and zipper of my jeans as I pulled her sweater off. I hungrily took one of her nipples into my mouth, sucking hard, nibbling as I squeezed the other. She was gasping, moaning softly, rubbing her crotch against mine as she gave up on undressing me and clenched the cushions as I sucked.

She pushed my head down, maneuvering me to where she wanted my lips to go next. I undid her jeans, pulled them off her, and wasted no time in following them up with her panties. I looked at her, took her in, tried to memorize every inch of her. She met my gaze, her eyes half shut, her breathing heavy. She was absolutely gorgeous, and I felt like an idiot for ever having left her in the first place.

“Kiss me, Chance,” she said. “Kiss me down there.”

I bent down, running my lips across the inside of her thighs, feeling the heat of her wet pussy against my face. I grabbed her by the ass, blew softly against her pussy, and suddenly buried my face in her moist folds. Her moan came as one long and loud cry of pleasure, and immediately her fingers locked onto my hair and pushed me harder against her. I let my tongue explore her, licking every inch of her pussy, burying it deep inside her before licking my way to her clit. She was writhing in my arms, her legs pressed tightly against my head, her fingers threatening to tear the hair out of my scalp.

Her orgasm came quickly, erupting like a volcano, and I sucked hard on her clit and sent her into multiple smaller ones until she begged me to stop. I stood up, quickly pulling my jeans down as she looked up at me with the most satisfied look on her face. I bent down and kissed her, and her hand quickly found my cock, her fingers wrapping around it and pumping it gently as we kissed.

She pulled me towards her, and I didn’t even have the time to brace myself before she swallowed me inside her mouth. I almost collapsed just from the feel of it, her soft lips around me, her tongue swirling around my cock as she sucked. Her hand continued to pump, and when I felt I was getting close, I pulled out, grabbed her waist, and flipped her onto her hands and knees.

She was so wet, my cock slid inside her easily, her pussy enveloping me and sucking me inside hungrily. Her muscles clenched down on me, tightening herself around me, making me groan with pleasure as I began to move. I grabbed her by the hips, her ass smacking against my abdomen as I rocked against her, filling her as deep as I could, moving faster and harder with every thrust. She looked over her shoulder at me, her eyes meeting mine, and it only turned me on more, made me ram against her with more vigor, her moans quickly becoming screams. I reached around and found her clit, and within a few seconds had her shaking with another orgasm and pushing away from me to make me stop.

But I just couldn’t get enough. What had started as a desire to be together, a longing to touch and kiss and feel the closeness between us, quickly turned into an almost animalistic desire and need. I grabbed her by the ankles, pulled her back to me, and positioned myself between her legs.

She reached up and above her, her breasts on full display as I slid my cock back inside and fucked her. I bent down, sucked on one nipple, feeling every inch of myself push deeper inside her. I picked up my pace, her feet planted on both side of me as she lifted her hips up and moved against me, meeting each of my thrusts with one of her own. She screamed in pleasure, begged me to move faster, and I was more than eager to comply. Her breasts bounced in front of me, and it was all I could do not to let go of her hips so I could keep us positioned.

She pulled me down to her, bringing the weight of me on top of her as I fucked. Her legs wrapped around my waist, her heels digging into my ass and forcing me in deeper. I felt myself getting close, and I picked up the pace, burying my face in her neck. With her breasts pressed against my chest, her arms around my neck and her heels holding me down and forcing me in deeper, I groaned and exploded inside her.

I came hard, the force of my orgasm like a rush of blood to the head, forcing my eyes closed as she held me tight.

We stayed like that for a few minutes, our breathing heavy, the force of her beating heart strong against my own chest. I pushed up onto my hands looked at her, her eyes glazed over, tired and satisfied.

I bent down and kissed her.

“I missed you, Chance Ridder,” she breathed against my ear.

I managed to get up onto my feet, lift her into my arms and carry her upstairs.

* * *

“Do you think I’ll be able to pull it off?”

Ashlyn lay in my arms, her head on my chest. I stroked her golden hair, alternating between that and gently running my fingers up and down her arm. The feeling of having her so close made me feel like I had died and gone to heaven.

“What do you mean?”

“The shop,” she whispered.

“We just had one of the most intense sex sessions in a very long time, and you’re thinking about the shop?”

Ashlyn giggled. “Sex makes me happy, and when I’m happy, I think of nature and my greenhouse.” She paused. “Now the shop, too.”

“Your idea of happy is very strange,” I said.

“Don’t make fun of me, or that may very be the last time you get to have sex,” she said. “At least with me.”

I kissed her head and squeezed her tight. “I wouldn’t want to be with anyone else.”

“Says the playboy.”

I laughed and kissed her again. “Yes, I do,” I said.

“Do what?”

“Believe you can pull it off. It just needs a little work and planning, but you’ve got the heart, and that’s all that really matters.”

She looked at me and smiled, kissing me softly on the lips. “You know all the right things to say, Sabbatical. Such a charmer.”

“It’s the truth,” I replied.

“We’ll see,” she smiled, pushing herself closer against me. “And what about this?”

“Us?”

She nodded.

“I don’t know,” I said. “I just know I want to be with you, as much as possible, for as long as possible.”

“You really mean that, don’t you?” she asked, looking at me again.

I met her gaze, losing myself in the way her eyes seemed to shine in the moonlight coming in through the windows.

“I really do,” I said. “I’ve been going crazy these past months just thinking about it. Right now, I just want to enjoy it as much as I can.”

“You know you can’t pick up and leave Austin, right?” she asked. “And now that you actually bought me a store, I can’t leave Ludwig.”

“Yeah, didn’t really think that through properly.”

She laughed and playfully slapped my chest. “So what do we do, Sabbatical?”

“We go to sleep, wake up, have some more sex, make breakfast, then more sex,” I replied. “Then we think about it.”

She laughed and lay back against me. “I can get on board with that.”

“I’m glad.”

We spent a few more minutes in silence before I felt my eyes grow heavy and lids fall.

“Chance?”

“Yeah?” I mumbled.

She hesitated, then said, “Martha was talking to me a few weeks back, and she said something I never thought would register with me. Do you believe in fate?”

I smiled. “I believe my Chevy picked a really good place to break down in,” I said.

“So just coincidence?”

“Fate or coincidence, I don’t think it matters,” I said. “What matters is that we’re here. How it happened is a story we’ll tell our friends and family over dinner.”

She sighed and shifted to a more comfortable position. “You really fell for me, didn’t you, playboy.”

I didn’t reply, only squeezed her tighter and kissed the top of her head. But she was right. I did fall for her, and at that moment, I couldn’t imagine anything in the world that would have felt any better.

Epilog: Chance

“Okay, seriously, Chance, out!”

I couldn’t stop laughing. Her face was flushed, her hair tied back in a high ponytail, and her shirt caked with soil. She had just spent the last three hours moving plants around in the greenhouse, readying to transport a bulk to the shop, and I was obviously getting her way.

I had made my visits to Ludwig a ritual. Every weekend I would make the drive here, always in the Chevy, and every two months I’d free up my schedule so that I could spend at least a week with Ashlyn. For the past three months, that had worked perfectly fine until just a few days ago, when I couldn’t stand being in a different city anymore, and had come in hopes of swaying her to move back with me.

Ashlyn wasn’t easy to sway, though. Ever since I had bought her that shop, she had taken to the work like a pro. What she had once done all alone, she now had two full-time employees to help her with. She had even given the whole delivery idea a go, and business had boomed within weeks. She was taking orders from almost every surrounding town, and sometimes even on the outskirts of Houston itself.

I had set her up with some of the best tracking and operation software my company had created, and fortunately, it had helped. The only problem was, Ashlyn was so high on her recent success, I knew that the request she drop everything and move to Austin was going to be met with quite some resistance. Besides, the business part of me couldn’t even fathom why I would want to do this to her.

It didn’t stop me from constantly shadowing her for the past two days, and with a major order from Houston just days away, she was slowly losing her patience with me.

“This isn’t funny,” she said, glaring at me. “I have work to do. Some of us don’t own a multi-billion-dollar business with troops to run it when we’re not around.”

“Ouch,” I said, placing my hand over my heart in mock hurt. “That really hit home, Ashlyn.”

“Get out, Chance,” she said, holding a small spade up and pointing it at me. “Or so help me God.”

“Fine, fine,” I laughed. “I’ll wait in your house.”

“Hey, hang on,” she said. She came to me with her arms out and wrapped them around my neck. She kissed me softly on the lips and pressed her forehead to mine. “I love you, Chance Ridder. And thank you for everything.”

“You’re quite welcome,” I stared, staring into her eyes. “Anything else?”

“No, you can go,” she said, whispering in my ear “Just wait for me inside.”

* * *

I waited in the living room, opening and closing the little box I had brought with me from Austin. I toyed with the little blue box I had brought with me from Austin, opening and closing the lid as I waited. The ring inside had taken me forever to choose, mainly because I had had the dumb idea that Alice would actually be helpful with this kind of thing. The only problem was, when it came to Alice, her attention to detail knew no boundaries, and she had scouring the internet and every diamond shop in Austin for just the right one.

If Ashlyn says no, I’ll shoot myself.

I heard the front door open and close, and I quickly pocketed the box, flashing her a wide smile as she stopped at the living room threshold and glared at me.

“Welcome home,” I said cheerfully.

“Okay, Chance, let me try and say this as nicely as I possibly can,” she said, walking in and standing with her arms crossed over her chest, gazing down at me. “I love you. Very much. And the fact that you make the time to come all the way here and be with me is something I appreciate more than you can ever know. But –”

“There’s a ‘but’?”

She raised a hand to shut me up and sighed. “I have a lot of work to do this weekend. The order from Houston is driving us crazy, and we’re barely keeping up. I need to get stuff done, and I can’t do it if you’re going to keep getting in my way just because you’re bored.”

“I really am bored.”

“Chance, seriously.”

I slid off the couch and got down on one knee.

“What are you doing?” she asked, pinching the bridge of her nose, letting me know she was getting frustrated at my antics.

I pulled the box out of my pocket and opened it, looking up at her patiently. When she finally concentrated on what was on my hand, I smiled at the way her eyes slowly grew wide and her mouth dropped open.

“Chance?”

“Listen, I’m not known to be the kind of guy who settles down,” I said. “And quite honestly, I have no idea how to do what I’m doing right now.”

She smiled a little and I could see her eyes begin to water. “Timing is definitely not your strong point.”

I laughed. “No, it isn’t,” I said. “But what I am good at is knowing what I want, and what I want, Ashlyn Boone, is to spend the rest of my life with you.” I waited for a beat before I added, “And your flowers.”

She laughed, covering her mouth with her hands quickly as a tear rolled down one cheek. She shook her head slowly, as if in disbelief, and looked from me to the ring and back at me again.

“You’re insane,” she finally said.

“Is that a yes?”

She didn’t hesitate and fell to her knees in front of me, kissing me deeply. “Yes,” she whispered. “Yes, you idiot. A billion times yes!”

Bonus Scene: Chance

The feeling of hot water on my body was great. The feeling of Ashlyn’s naked skin pressed against mine made it even better.

I couldn’t get enough of her. The way her eyes bore into mine, the way she smiled at me, how her hair fell across her face in locks that bounced whenever she turned her head. Just being around her had my head spinning, and right now, with the both of us in the shower, naked except for the ring on her finger, I couldn’t help but want her even more.

Her kisses were passionate, a little wild even, like she had been waiting to do this all day and had just needed an excuse. The water mixed with the feel of her lips, and her tongue did little dances across my mouth, as if she wasn’t quite sure which part of me she wanted to taste the most. Her arms were wrapped tight around my neck, her breasts pushed against my chest, and although the water was hot, the heat coming from between her legs was like a furnace.

I pulled her closer, feeling the heat of her crotch against my thigh. My lips traced kissed from her jaw, down to her neck and across her shoulder. She pressed her hips against me, rubbing herself against my thigh, her breathing intensifying. I felt her arms tighten around me, and her nails dug into the skin of my back. Her lips found their way to my ear, nibbling on the lobe as her breaths turned into soft moans. And all the while, she kept her hips moving.

I squeezed her ass, locking my lips onto hers as I breathed her in. With the water falling around us, it was almost as if we were merging with one another, our hands exploring, our bodies intertwining. It felt incredible, and when I reached down between her legs, my fingers gently grazing the inside of her thighs before sliding in between her pussy lips, she clung to me for dear life as her body shuddered.

“Chance,” she moaned.

My fingers found her clit quickly, and I gently squeezed it, sending more shudders through her body. Her nails gently scratched my back, and with her mouth against my ear, her breaths warm and heavy, I slipped two fingers inside her.

“Oh God,” she moaned, lifting one leg up and wrapping it around mine, giving me better access. I held her tight, balancing her in my arms as my fingers slid in and out of her, slowly at first before picking up speed. She began to buck her hips against me, meeting every thrust of my hand with her own. She was using my fingers as her personal dildo, and I was loving the look on her face, with her head thrown back and her eyes closed, the water falling across her breasts in torrents.

She came quickly, her body wrapped around mine, and we stood there for a few seconds as she caught her breath. She suddenly began to giggle.

“What?”

“A ring and an orgasm,” she mumbled. “Must be my lucky day.”

I kissed her deeply, and she raked her nails across my chest softly, tracing a path downwards until her hand wrapped softly around my cock. She pumped it slowly, her eyes locked onto mine, a wicked grin on her face as she watched me.

“You do that so well,” I sighed.

“I can do other things, too,” she whispered against my lips.

She squeezed my cock, then slowly fell to her knees, her eyes never leaving mine, that smile on her face driving me absolutely crazy. She bit her lip, licked it, then flicked her tongue against the crown of my cock. I gasped at the touch, and that only made her smile wider.

“Someone’s excited to see me,” she said.

“Always.”

Ashlyn continued pumping me, driving me over the edge, then gently licked the underside of my cock from my balls to the tip, slowly. I felt the muscles in my legs shake a bit, and when she did it again, I had to hold onto the curtains for support. She giggled, her hand never stopping, and licked again. She was enjoying my reaction, and I silently wanted to kill her for teasing me.

A fourth lick and she had my cock in her mouth, her soft lips wrapped around my shaft as she swallowed me. I groaned I pleasure, the warmth of her mouth sending new waves of sweet delight through me. Her tongue swirled around me as she pulled me back out, then swallowed me again. I grabbed her by the hair as her head bobbed, my cock sliding easily in and out of her mouth. Her hands grabbed my ass, pulling me closer to her. She licked and sucked, and my hand tightened its grip on her hair as I felt myself come dangerously close to coming.

She must have felt it, too, because she pulled me out, grabbed my arms and pulled herself up to her feet, planting a wet and almost animalistic kiss on my lips.

“Take me, Chance,” she whispered.

I turned her around, pushing her against the ceramic wall, kissing her neck and shoulder blades while I rubbed my cock between her ass cheeks. She adjusted herself, her legs parting as she pushed back against me. She looked at me from over her shoulder, blue eyes boring into mine, begging me to fuck her right here, right now.

I didn’t hesitate. Positioning myself so we wouldn’t have to worry about slipping and falling, I pushed my cock inside her. Her moan was long and loud, her eyes closing and her head dropping. I pushed all the way inside her, her wetness making it so much easier for me, the warmth of her hugging my cock like a blanket. She squeezed down on me, coaxing me to get to it, and with both hands around her waist, I began to rock against her.

The sounds of our sex echoed against the bathroom walls. She felt so good, I didn’t want it to stop. My cock rammed inside her, moving I and out, digging deeper with every thrust until she was screaming in pleasure. I reached around her, found her clit, and began rubbing it vigorously as I fucked her. Within seconds, an orgasm hit her so hard, Ashlyn shook against me to the point where I had to hold her up to stop her from sliding to the ground. She wrapped her arms around me, gasping for breath, and smiled when I kissed her.

She pushed me away, grabbed me by the hand and led me out of from under the water and straight to her bed.

“Don’t you want to dry off first?” I asked as she turned me around and pushed me onto the bed.

“Shut up,” Ashlyn said as she climbed on top of me, straddling me and gently rubbing her pussy against my cock.

I reached up and grabbed her breasts, squeezing them gently. She leaned down, bringing them close enough for me to suck on her nipples as she moved, rubbing against my cock ferociously. Her hands scratched at my chest, and with one swift motion, she slid me back inside her.

Ashlyn sat up, throwing her head back as began to grind, giving me a view I couldn’t resist. She looked fucking incredible, her breasts bouncing, droplets of water across her soft skin, her wet hair matted against her shoulders. She rode me like a pro, and it was all I could do to keep up.

I sat up, pulled her to me and sucked hard on her nipples. Her moans intensified between my nibbles and pinches, her hips grinding with a speed I did not think possible. She came with a shudder, pushing my face down hard against her breasts, her pussy squeezing my cock as if begging for it to come already.

And I was close enough.

I turned her around and onto her back, her legs wrapping around my waits, the heels of her feet digging into my ass and pushing me deeper inside her. “Come on, Chance,” she moaned. “Give it to me, baby. Show me how much you want it.”

I didn’t need any more coaxing. I fucked her like never before, my hips moving like a piston, her breasts bouncing with every thrust. Her moans quickly turned into screams, deafening in the otherwise quiet room.

“Come on,” she gasped. “Come on!”

And I did. I came hard. My entire body froze, my muscles flexed, and I exploded inside her with such force that it shook my core and I felt a rush of blood to my head. My mind swam for a few seconds as I collapsed on top of her, her arms wrapped around me, both of us breathing so hard it felt like we had just run a marathon.

I rolled off of her, and pulled her into my arms, her beating heart like a drum against my side. I looked at her, smiled when I saw that she had fallen asleep almost immediately, and closed my eyes.

The last thing I saw was the glimmer of the diamond ring on her finger where her hand rested on my chest.