Chapter Three
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Ashleigh pulled into the driveway of her new house in record time, traffic on a Friday afternoon unusually light coming into Dallas. She was never one to enjoy driving, and she couldn’t say she was anxious to have to do that trip again, but at least she’d had some time to think and... sing. Although she was fairly certain what she was doing wasn’t in any way associated to singing. At least not in a good way.
She smiled.
Who cared.
Parking her Tahoe beside a big, black fancy truck that Ashleigh couldn’t place, she wondered who was there. The movers were, she could see them traipsing back and forth across her lawn hard at work. Her brother was there, his all too familiar ranch truck was parked near the street.
Curious, she grabbed her purse, opting to leave the rest of her things until she was certain she had a place for them. If she was right, her house would probably look like that moving truck had thrown up in the middle of her living room because there was no way they would know where to put anything.
She wasn’t halfway up the front walkway when Nathaniel – everyone called him Nate – came bounding out of the front door, a mischievous smile on his handsome face. The boy looked so much like his father, it was uncanny.
“Aunt Ash!” Her nephew exclaimed, coming right at her with his arms open wide like he was seven, not seventeen.
“Nate.” Bracing for the impact, Ashleigh laughed out loud when he stopped suddenly, standing right in front of her and waiting for her reaction.
Ashleigh walked right up to him, letting the much bigger boy embrace her.
“Ummm... Nate?” She smiled, taking a step back. “Did you know you aren’t a little boy anymore?”
Nate’s whiskey brown eyes danced with amusement. “Yep. No more boy. All man.” He said in a Tarzan-like imitation.
“Last time I saw you, I could’ve sworn you were shorter than me.”
“Doubtful.” Nate remarked, looking thoughtful. “I’m having a hard time coming up with anyone who is as short as you are.”
Slapping his arm lightly, Ashleigh laughed. At five feet eight, she was by no means on the short side. It wasn’t her fault that the men in her family seemed to steal all the inches, every one of them, including Nate as it turned out, stood over six feet tall.
“So, what do you think of my new digs?” She asked him, turning to look at her little house.
“Impressive. I’m gonna have to grab my fishing pole and come hang out sometime.”
Grinning, Ashleigh looked up at him. She wasn’t sure the little stock tank behind the house even had fish, but if anyone would find out, it would be Nate.
“Where’s your dad?” Hefting her purse up on her arm, she turned toward the house.
“Inside. He’s talking to Alex.”
His words had her stopping in her tracks, before glancing back at the black truck in her driveway. She should’ve known. Pretending she didn’t care, she forced a smile. “Have you been to your new school yet?”
“No.” Nate didn’t look at her, keeping his eyes on the expanse of water they could see from where they stood. “Dad’s taking me up there in a few minutes.”
“You excited?” She knew he wasn’t, if his expression was anything to go by.
“Anything will be better than where we came from.” He admitted, turning back to the house, but not moving.
Ashleigh knew from talking to her brother Dylan that Nate was having a hard time at school, and it had nothing to do with academics and everything to do with the cruelty of the kids.
Just last year, the Thomas family had been shocked by Nate’s revelation that he was gay. Although not a single one of them had any issues with it, including Xavier, her grandfather, which had surprised the hell out of damn near everyone, not everyone seemed to be as accepting as Nate’s family. Ashleigh wasn’t sure whether it was the small town, or just ignorance that had the kids being so cruel, but either way, Nate seemed to be dealing with it.
“At least the year is almost over, right?”
“I wouldn’t quite say that. We’ve still got the rest of this semester.”
“Oooh. A semester. That’s like what? Eighteen more weeks?” Ashleigh laughed.
“Fifteen, thank you. Don’t make it longer than it has to be.” Nate teased.
“Sorry. I’ll work on getting my facts straight next time.” God she missed her nephew. He’d always been the fun loving, exuberant child who had kept them all on their toes. Despite the difficulties and the challenges he seemed to be facing, it was good to see he hadn’t changed much.
“Well, I’ve put it off as long as I could.” She told him, turning back to the house. “Time to check out the chaos.”
Steeling herself for the chaos, better known as Alex McDermott – but she wouldn’t tell Nate that – Ashleigh followed her nephew up the steps to the house. The front door stood wide open, the screen door propped open with a small box – great, the box read “panties and bras”.
Lovely.
Every light in the house was on and the low sound of people talking filled the space. As soon as she was inside, Ashleigh remembered everything she had loved about the house the first time she saw it. Her realtor hadn’t seemed too excited about showing her the place, apparently it had been on the market for quite some time, and she hadn’t figured it would be what Ashleigh was looking for.
It had taken one trek through the house, and less than five minutes for Ashleigh to turn to the woman, telling her to draw up the papers. After seeing at least twenty other properties, Ashleigh had been sold almost the minute she stepped inside.
Open, airy, it was just what Ashleigh was looking for.
The back wall was nearly all glass which offered a serene view of the small pond and a handful of trees. The inside was warm and comforting, something that struck Ashleigh immediately. Dark wood floors and cream colored walls, along with stone accents on the fireplace, and the bar that separated the kitchen from the rest of the house, had caught her eye immediately. The rest was a bonus.
Speaking of bar. From where she stood, just inside the front door, Ashleigh could see her brother who was animatedly talking to the man she’d dedicated way too many thoughts to for the last decade. Alex’s back was to her, and she fought the urge to stand there and stare at him while he was unaware.
Right. As if anything ever got past him.
Alex McDermott and all of his sexy as hell goodness was a weak spot Ashleigh had never been comfortable with. The man was hot as sin, but Ashleigh had sworn off his type at a young age. Or maybe it was just him that she’d sworn off.
Not that he didn’t visit her in some of her hottest dreams. But during waking hours, she did her best to avoid him. Living so far away had made that easy, but apparently being this close, and the fact that he worked with her grandfather, Ashleigh would have to put forth some effort to keep him away.
Time to change the locks.
“What’s he doing here?” Ashleigh asked Nate, tilting her head in the direction of the kitchen, keeping her voice low, and trying to sound interested, but not interested.
The look Nate shot her way said he wasn’t buying it.
“He’s quoting the alarm system Pops is having put in.”
And why couldn’t her brother have done that? She didn’t ask the question out loud because she knew Nate wouldn’t be able to answer, and she was pretty certain her discomfort was obvious, no reason to sound defensive on top of it.
Apparently she was going to have to have a conversation with her grandfather. She was forever grateful for him, and his need to make sure she was taken care of, but when it came to Alex, Ashleigh would rather go without.
Dylan’s voice got louder, and then a deep, booming laugh echoed through the house, making Ashleigh turn to look at her brother. He was laughing. It was a rusty sound, but only because she knew he hadn’t been doing much of it over the years. It was the sweetest thing she’d heard in a long time.
Sitting her purse on the counter, she cleared her throat, getting Dylan’s attention. He smiled, his eyes locking on her, but the man whose back was still to her didn’t do more than tilt his head to the side, a mischievous grin tilting his beautiful mouth.
Damn that man.
She suddenly wished she had checked her face in the mirror before she came in. Not that it would matter much. Wearing yoga pants, an oversized sweatshirt, and her hair in a messy ponytail, she’d dressed for comfort, not to come face to face with the hottest man she’d ever laid eyes on. But she didn’t care what Alex thought. Or so she tried to convince herself.
Her appearance was the least of her worries anyway. Right now, she’d have to make every effort just to breathe.
“Hey, how was the drive?” Dylan asked, his dark eyes holding a hint of amusement. The mischievous grin on his face didn’t help either.
“Uneventful.” She said, stepping around the bar and into the kitchen, keeping her eyes trained on her brother and not the other man standing so easily against her counter, who appeared not to be giving her the time of day, although she knew better.
“You remember Alex, don’t you?” Dylan asked by way of introduction.
Did she ever.
“I do. Nice to see you again.” Ashleigh gave him a brief glance, then turned back to her brother. “What’s going on?”
“Pops asked Alex to stop by to install a security system.” Dylan restated what Ashleigh already knew. “Now that you’re here, I need to run Nate by his new school. We’ve got to pick up a schedule or something.”
Maybe she should offer to take Nate. The dead last thing she needed was to be left alone with Alex. Not if she was expected to keep her sanity.
She’d grown accustomed to her body’s unruly reaction to the man over the years, but that one night at the Christmas party just a few weeks before had nearly sent her hormones on strike.
“Why don’t you stay? I can run out and pick up dinner.” One last ditch effort to keep her brother close was worth a shot.
“Can’t. Maybe tomorrow.” Dylan replied as he nodded back to Alex, then turned toward the front door. “Oh, and Pops said he got held up, but he’d stop by tomorrow to see how things are going.”
Right. Held up her ass.
The old meddling man was interfering, that’s what he was doing. For the life of her, Ashleigh couldn’t fathom how Pops would think this was a good idea. Her and Alex?
“I’ll walk you out.” Alex offered, and Ashleigh shot him a glare. He graced her with that sexy, seductive smile that she had thought about way too many times.
Damn that man.
She fought the urge to watch him walk out the front door. Then she fought the urge to lock it and keep him on the other side where he belonged. One of the movers caught her attention as he headed toward the back of the house.
Great. They were setting up her bed.
That was clearly what she needed - more temptation. Couldn’t they have waited to get her bedroom set back up until after the cocky, arrogant alarm guy left?
Of course not.
Karma was a pushy bitch, trying to test every one of Ashleigh’s limits. And Alex McDermott was so far beyond off limits Ashleigh couldn’t even see the warning signs from where she stood.
Her body wasn’t heeding the warning signs anyway. And that was after only two minutes in his presence.
When he was around, her skin was too tight, her entire body felt flushed, and she would never have to worry about cold weather again because he heated her from the inside out.
Sex. That’s the first thing that came to mind when Alex was anywhere in the near vicinity. Hot, sweaty, rip-your-clothes-off-and-throw-them-around-the-room sex. And Ashleigh would be the first to admit she constantly had sex on the brain, but that was only because she was an erotic romance author. The only reason.
Well, that and because she’d been introduced to Alex McDermott all those years ago.
With a sigh of disgust, she dropped her head. She had to get over this freakish infatuation with the man.
She needed some air.
Ashleigh made her way to the back deck, her eyes eating up the spectacular view it afforded her. This was the reason she bought the house. The water looked like glass, reflecting the warm glow of the sun, the crystal blue sky, and the brilliant green tree line that reminded her entirely too much of Alex’s eyes.
Shit.
Mind. Gutter. Damn it.
Squeezing her eyes closed for a second, she fought off the image before once again opening them. Taking in the calm, smooth water, she remembered the real reason she bought the house. Inspiration.
Giving up the view from her Lake Whitney shoreline had been the hardest part about moving. When she’d glimpsed the pond through the plate glass windows, Ashleigh had been inspired. Being a writer, she took it where she could get it. Although the small pond wasn’t as elaborate as the lake, Ashleigh still felt at peace here.
A quick gust of wind blew across her skin, somewhat cooling her overheated libido, and once again reminding her of the reason for the unseasonal heat wave in her girl parts. Why in the world would Pops set her up with Alex McDermott? Didn’t he know how flustered the man made her?
Wait.
On second thought, she hoped not. She did not want either man knowing the affect Alex had on her. Ever.
For as long as she could remember, Ashleigh had been fighting her body’s reaction to the man and doing her best not to let on that she felt any sort of attraction to him. Except for that one night when she’d lost her mind, but she was almost certain Alex didn’t remember anything about that night. Copious amounts of alcohol tended to do that to a person.
She’d tried to drown the images out of her brain once or twice – obviously it didn’t work after the fact.
“Nice view.”
Ashleigh stilled. Alex’s deep voice resonated through every single one of her nerve endings, sending a shiver down her spine that had nothing to do with the crisp afternoon air.
“That was part of the appeal.” Ashleigh said, once again focusing on the water, not bothering to turn around.
“I can’t disagree there.” Alex’s voice grew closer as he made his way to the edge of the deck.
Against her better judgment, Ashleigh did look at him then. The gleam in those emerald green eyes told her that he wasn’t talking about the pond. “What are you doing here, Alex?”
“Putting in a security system.” He said flatly, pretending he was interested in the view.
“It’s a good thing you don’t get paid by the hour.” Ashleigh retorted. “You waste a lot of time.”
“I wouldn’t classify this as time wasted.” The growl in Alex’s rich, deep voice washed over Ashleigh’s senses, sending a warm shiver across her skin.
“I better go check on the movers.” Being close to him was too much.
To her dismay, Alex turned and followed her, reaching the back door and opening it before she had a chance. Ashleigh dared to look up into those glimmering green eyes and saw something sparkle there. With Alex, it was difficult to read him, but his smile was pure seduction and Ashleigh knew it was time to put some distance between them.
“When will you be finished installing the alarm and how much is it going to cost me?” Letting him hear the frustration in her voice wasn’t difficult. Too bad she was more frustrated with herself than him.
“I’ve got two guys working on it now, so it shouldn’t be much longer. And Xavier already paid.” Alex stated, closing the door behind them and then turning that mischievous gleam on her once again.
Maybe she should try that whole drinking herself stupid thing again. It had been years since the last time. At least then if she was going to do something stupid – like say, go all gaga for this guy – she wouldn’t remember it.
Two of the movers walked into the kitchen carrying her breakfast table, and thankfully interrupting the intimate situation that she suddenly found herself in. Being alone with Alex was not smart. No matter how much her body seemed to like the idea.
“How about dinner?” Alex asked, but Ashleigh pretended not to hear him. She’d perfected the art of pretending anytime he was around.
“What?” She turned to face him as though she needed him to clarify his statement. That was a mistake.
The man was so damn hot, Ashleigh’s internal thermostat notched up a degree or two just from looking at him.
Not only was he a massive chunk of eye candy, a man Ashleigh had compared nearly every man she’d ever met to, he was also tall. At five feet eight, she was on the tall side herself, and his size was one of the things she’d always been drawn to.
At least a head taller than her, Ashleigh liked that he made her feel small in comparison. In order to make eye contact, especially when he insisted on crowding her like he was now, she had to look up. Most of the time, although she was mesmerized by his eyes, they were the last thing she was looking at though.
No, she found herself eyeing his broad chest, or his thick, ropey arms, or... well, the rest of him was off limits where her eyes were concerned.
When Alex cleared his throat, Ashleigh realized she’d been doing just that. Ogling him. Again.
“I’ll be glad to go and pick something up for us if you’d prefer.”
Assuming he was again talking about dinner, Ashleigh contemplated the repercussions of having dinner with this man. Knowing her, and the fact that her body had already begun to ache for him, dinner could likely lead to something more. Much more. And quite frankly, her limited experience didn’t fare well for her when it came to taking on Alex McDermott.
No, dinner wasn’t a good idea. But then neither was him being in her house at all.
Not wanting to be rude, her grandfather had raised her better than that, Ashleigh came up with a compromise.
“Why don’t I order pizza? I’m sure your installers are hungry, as well as the movers.” At least if she ordered pizza, she wouldn’t risk being left alone with him.
“Pizza works.” Alex smirked, then turned and walked out of the kitchen.
Thankfully he didn’t look back, or he would have caught her sneaking a peek at another one of his exceptionally impressive features.