that she would like to hash out with him.
He must love torturing me, she inwardly groans as she presses her hand to her forehead to check and see if she’s as flushed as she feels.
“Now don’t get me wrong.” He presses on, oblivious to her growing discomfort. “There was quite a lot about that scene that I enjoyed, but there was just something off about it.”
She glances over at him, surprised to see him actually mulling it over. “How so?”
He taps his chin before speaking. “This is marketed as a love book, but it seems more like a smut book. They meet, they shag like rabbits, and she moves on to the next guy. That’s not love.”
Ashlyn finds herself leaning toward him. “Go on.”
“Well…” He clears his throat. He averts his gaze and she wonders if this topic might not only be uncomfortable for her. “When I was growing up, my dad skipped out on us. He said, ‘I’m going out for a paper,’ and never came home. I watched my mom cry for months after that.”
His begins to tap his fingers against the book cover in his lap. “I used to lie awake at night wondering where he was, what he might be doing. It never dawned on me that he wasn’t coming back. Then, a few years later, we got word that Dad had filed for divorce so he could shack up with another lady and her kids. I don’t think Mum ever forgave him for it. I know I sure didn’t.”
“That’s awful,” Ashlyn whispers. She didn’t exactly have the best childhood either, but at least she never had a guy in her life to start with.
Slade’s fingers stop tapping as he grips the binding. “Before Dad left, I knew what real love was like. It meant picnics on Sunday after church as a family or fishing down at the quarry. Dad used to chase Mum around the kitchen table, swatting at her with a dishtowel, while he washed up after dinner. She used to have this glow about her that lit up her entire face…” He trails off, no longer looking at her, but beyond her.
“My mum used to be happy and I had the chance to see that, even if it was only for a few years.” He turns his gaze back onto her and she’s rocked by the depths of pain in his eyes. “This book isn’t about love. It’s about greed and sex, nothing more.”
Ashlyn doesn’t know what to say to that as he bends over and replaces the book. When he sits up, he finds her still staring at him. “Have you ever been in love?”
She blinks, shocked by the question. “No.”
“Me either.” He slowly unravels the wires that connect his earbuds to his iPhone. “But when I do, I hope I can make her smile just like my old man used to.”
As he plugs in his headphones, Ashlyn bites her lip as she wonders if he fears commitment because of his father’s faults. Is that where the chip on his shoulder stems from? Is he too afraid to let anyone in for fear of having them walk right back out on him?
Eleven
Slade kicks up his feet and tucks his hands behind his head, lounging in the most beautiful suite he’s ever seen. The Egyptian cotton sheets feel like silk as he shifts to sink lower in the bed. The 65-inch TV before him blares loudly, giving him updates on yesterday’s football scores. Chelsea won 2-1 against Manchester United. Score!
From where he lies, he can see directly into the spacious bathroom. He was delighted to discover that the limestone floors are heated and the spa tub has a built-in TV so he can watch a game later.
“Now this is the dog’s bollocks.” He sighs, closing his eyes. How did he ever get so lucky?
He turns his head to look out onto the large private patio. The view of the canyon is spectacular from out there. A long, low fireplace runs along the edge of the patio, leading to a cluster of wicker outdoor chairs and loungers. To top it all off is the spa pool just for him, or Tamsin and a few friends.
Slade laughs and pushes up from the bed. He still can’t believe all of this is just for him. The space feels larger than his mother’s entire
He must love torturing me, she inwardly groans as she presses her hand to her forehead to check and see if she’s as flushed as she feels.
“Now don’t get me wrong.” He presses on, oblivious to her growing discomfort. “There was quite a lot about that scene that I enjoyed, but there was just something off about it.”
She glances over at him, surprised to see him actually mulling it over. “How so?”
He taps his chin before speaking. “This is marketed as a love book, but it seems more like a smut book. They meet, they shag like rabbits, and she moves on to the next guy. That’s not love.”
Ashlyn finds herself leaning toward him. “Go on.”
“Well…” He clears his throat. He averts his gaze and she wonders if this topic might not only be uncomfortable for her. “When I was growing up, my dad skipped out on us. He said, ‘I’m going out for a paper,’ and never came home. I watched my mom cry for months after that.”
His begins to tap his fingers against the book cover in his lap. “I used to lie awake at night wondering where he was, what he might be doing. It never dawned on me that he wasn’t coming back. Then, a few years later, we got word that Dad had filed for divorce so he could shack up with another lady and her kids. I don’t think Mum ever forgave him for it. I know I sure didn’t.”
“That’s awful,” Ashlyn whispers. She didn’t exactly have the best childhood either, but at least she never had a guy in her life to start with.
Slade’s fingers stop tapping as he grips the binding. “Before Dad left, I knew what real love was like. It meant picnics on Sunday after church as a family or fishing down at the quarry. Dad used to chase Mum around the kitchen table, swatting at her with a dishtowel, while he washed up after dinner. She used to have this glow about her that lit up her entire face…” He trails off, no longer looking at her, but beyond her.
“My mum used to be happy and I had the chance to see that, even if it was only for a few years.” He turns his gaze back onto her and she’s rocked by the depths of pain in his eyes. “This book isn’t about love. It’s about greed and sex, nothing more.”
Ashlyn doesn’t know what to say to that as he bends over and replaces the book. When he sits up, he finds her still staring at him. “Have you ever been in love?”
She blinks, shocked by the question. “No.”
“Me either.” He slowly unravels the wires that connect his earbuds to his iPhone. “But when I do, I hope I can make her smile just like my old man used to.”
As he plugs in his headphones, Ashlyn bites her lip as she wonders if he fears commitment because of his father’s faults. Is that where the chip on his shoulder stems from? Is he too afraid to let anyone in for fear of having them walk right back out on him?
Eleven
Slade kicks up his feet and tucks his hands behind his head, lounging in the most beautiful suite he’s ever seen. The Egyptian cotton sheets feel like silk as he shifts to sink lower in the bed. The 65-inch TV before him blares loudly, giving him updates on yesterday’s football scores. Chelsea won 2-1 against Manchester United. Score!
From where he lies, he can see directly into the spacious bathroom. He was delighted to discover that the limestone floors are heated and the spa tub has a built-in TV so he can watch a game later.
“Now this is the dog’s bollocks.” He sighs, closing his eyes. How did he ever get so lucky?
He turns his head to look out onto the large private patio. The view of the canyon is spectacular from out there. A long, low fireplace runs along the edge of the patio, leading to a cluster of wicker outdoor chairs and loungers. To top it all off is the spa pool just for him, or Tamsin and a few friends.
Slade laughs and pushes up from the bed. He still can’t believe all of this is just for him. The space feels larger than his mother’s entire
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