Rocked (Rock & Romance II.)

Chapter 15. - Stripped Bare

A/N: Trigger warning ;)

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I felt like a tremendous weight has been lifted off my shoulder after my talk with London's mother.

I accidentally spilled my uttermost secret to her, and instead of judging me, she seemed completely fine with the idea of Ash and I. In a remarkable turn of events, her acceptance reassured me that I wasn't going out of my mind.

After all, there were other twenty-something-year-olds facing the same struggles as I was. Granted, the guy they were 'hooking up with' probably wasn't the most known womanizer in the world, but still...

I was now able to mentally cut myself some slack.

By the time I finally made it back to my apartment, it was midafternoon, and I was officially behind on my coursework. I rushed up the stairs, nearly tripping twice as I opened the door to my little place.

Neuro let out an excited meow and rubbed up against my ankle. I sighed. The little bugger was really growing on me... And he was much more comfortable now. From the way he maneuvered between the furniture, no one would've been able to tell that he was, in fact, blind. He seemed at ease at the place now and even attempted to cuddle with me at night after I've fallen asleep.

I always woke up when the giant cat laid on my chest, but I never had the heart to shoo him off. Instead, I'd caress his soft head, and drift off to sleep.

"Hey there. How was your day?" I asked him because I was quickly becoming what the internet labeled as a crazy cat lady. Neuro purred a little reply, and I gave him a few strokes, before walking over to my kitchen counter and slapping open a few textbooks.

I lost myself in the material, and I only looked up when it was time to switch from tea to wine.

And that's when there was a knock on my door. The sound was so loud and insistent that Neuro jumped off the counter, and scurried off into the direction of my bedroom.

No, unlike my poor, blind cat, my heart sped up at the knocking – because I knew exactly who would be standing at the other side. I walked through the living room and into the foyer, staring at the dark, heavy door.

"I can hear you, you know." Ash's voice was low as if he was trying to whisper, but it came out like a growl. "I'm giving you ten seconds before I'm picking the lock again, Gia."

I rolled my eyes but moved to open it for him. No matter how many times I've met Ash, or how intimately we've gotten to know each other, the size of him always came as a shock. All six foot seven inches of him brushed past me, his shoulder so wide it only fit through my door sideways.

I held my breath, trying not to catch a whiff of his scent as he walked to the middle of my living room, completely owning the space around him. "To what do I owe this pleasure?" I asked, but my voice held no sweetness. He wasn't invited, and I wanted him to feel that.

"I didn't know they'd be there." He said, completely knocking me off balance with the sincerity of his tone. Ash turned his huge body to face me, his black eyes now blazing right into mine. "I promise."

I cleared my throat. "Sure." And because I could no longer stand his heated gaze, I turned my head away from him, letting my long, red locks do the blocking from my sight.

I started walking toward my kitchen, not having to look behind me to know that he was following. "I'm serious, Gia! I know how upset you were after that little incident at the pool..." He trailed off like he didn't just throw the understatement of the century my way. "I wouldn't do that to you again."