BOOK ONE
Ashley Wilson
There are those who say fate is something beyond our command. That destiny is not our own, but I know better. Our fate lives within us, you only have to be brave enough to see it. Marrying a stranger wasn't the best decision I...
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When I glanced in Ashley's old room and saw her fast asleep, with her pillow stained with her tears— a tiny bit of what's left of my heart ached.
The sight of Ashley hidden beneath her blanket, as if hiding from the world made me want to kill whoever upset her. And I have never thought that way before, never, and yet with Ashley, it makes perfect sense. I didn't think of what I was going to do next but I knew all I wanted was to make her smile again. I scoped her up in my arms when she steered awake again. "Kai," she murmured before she inhaled my scent.
"What time is it?" Ashley asked, two minutes later I placed her on my bed before I began to strip. "Time for sex apparently," Ashley said with a smile, I walked over to her, pushing her shoulders back down on the bed. "I need a shower again, and you need to sleep," I pulled over my black blankets to cover her body with a grin. "Sleep," I pressed a kiss against her forehead before heading into my bathroom.
After a longer shower than usual I returned to my bedroom to find Ashley fast asleep. I took note in the fact that she was asleep on the right side, my smile returned knowing I normally slept where she's laying right now. Turning off the lamps on either side, I joined Ashley on the bed. "You were like five hours in there," she mumbled as I rearranged us so that her back was to my chest. I slid an arm under her head as my other circled around her waist to keep her close.
"I was less than twenty minutes," I said with a small grin. I heard Ashley uttered something under her breath as she snuggled in closer to my body. "You're going to break my heart," she whispered in the dark. I paused, my whole body stilling at her words. I know why she confessed that, one reason would be due to her tiredness and the second was due to the dark. Unlike the sun, the dark comforts many, and with that comes the ability to confess secrets due to feeling safe of some sort. I hope that Ashley feels safe with me, that's all I've ever wanted.
I would save Ashley from anything— I would rescue her because without Ashley I would go insane. She is the calm to my storm. And I cannot afford to lose that, I cannot lose her no matter what happens.
"I'm not going to break your heart," I muttered against the back of her head. Ashley sighed as her body sagged into my chest, "yes you will, that's what my sister said." My fingers that were rubbing up and down her stomach pause at her words. "Your sister?" I asked, Ashley nodded at my question. "I listened to your advice earlier and called Em— I explained everything," slowly my heart ached because I knew what was coming next. "She knew who you were because of Kian, well," Ashley corrected, "she knew of your reputation."
I scoffed, my reputation. I'm not going to bullshit, before Em I would have been partying every night, getting drunk and taking part in consuming any form of drugs. I would have had sex with some women that I didn't care for, nor would I stay in the morning following. But that was all before Ashley, before I met her, and definitely before Vegas. The thoughts of doing all that now just doesn't make sense to me. Ashley's my future, she's my wife, and when I'm with her my thoughts on the whole family situation and relationships have change because of her.
