lips. “I don’t
know you, man, yet you seem to have a problem with me.”
“You bet I do,” Baron snapped. “Stay away
from my cousin.”
“Hey,” Ashley protested.
“Your family has done enough to hurt her,”
Baron continued as though she hadn’t spoken.
A lethal expression settled on Ron’s
expression. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You know what I mean. Leave.” Baron jabbed a
finger toward the door. “If you ever come anywhere near her
again….”
“You’ll what?” Ron didn’t move, yet Ashley
had a distinct impression he was primed for action.
“Stop,” she yelled, and got their attention.
“Enough. Both of you.” She grabbed Ron’s arm and tugged. He scowled
down at her. “You’re leaving.” He didn’t budge, but his muscles
flexed underneath her hands. If it weren’t for her cousin and their
tiresome exchange, she would have savored the feel of him. “Now,
Noble.”
Amusement flickered in the depth of his eyes,
then disappeared. “We need to talk.”
“Saturday.” He still hesitated. What was
wrong with him? “Please go.”
He gave Baron one last heated glance, then
allowed her to lead him to the door. Once there, he lifted her chin
with his finger and said, “Until Saturday.”
“Good bye.”
His finger lingered on her chin, shifting
into a brief caress before he dropped his hand and walked away.
Ashley watched him, the imprint of his finger
on her chin still tingling. When he reached the elevator doors, she
nudged the door closed with her hip and turned to face her cousin.
“What was that about? I have never seen you treat anyone with so
much disrespect and—”
“Mother is going to have a fit when she finds
out you’re associating with a Noble. As for recovering your memory,
she’ll think you’ve lost your mind.”
She approached him, her anger increasing with
each step. “Why are you bringing Aunt Estelle into this? She
wouldn’t care one way or the other whether I recover my memory or
not. No, I take that back. She’d encourage me to go for it.”
Baron raised his hands in surrender. “Okay.
Forget about Mother. Tell me why you’d want to recover what your
mind chose to block. Have you forgotten the nightmares?”
She hadn’t forgotten waking up sweating,
heart pounding and echoes of her screams still in the air. The
worst part was always never remembering why. It was time she
stopped letting the fear cripple her. If that meant bearing her
darkest moments, so be it.
Ashley plopped on a stool beside Baron’s,
propped her elbow on the counter and rested her chin in her palm.
She eyed her cousin and sighed. “It’s time I faced what I saw that
night, Baron. I can’t stay afraid all my life.”
“What did that bastard tell you?” Baron
snapped.
“Whoa.” Ashley leaned back, her eyes
widening. “Enough already. What’s with you and the Nobles? Are you
forgetting I wouldn’t be alive if it weren’t for Ron’s father?”
“No, I haven’t.”
“Then what’s wrong with you? What did you
mean his family had hurt me enough?”
Baron studied her guardedly, hesitated as if
weighing his response. “There was a rumor that the fire was the
work of an arsonist.”
“I know that.” When he looked surprised, she
added, “Ron told me. He’s trying to find out the truth about what
happened. That’s why he was here.”
His lips curled derisively. “Did he tell you
the suspect was one of his relatives?”
Ashley eyes widened. “What? Who?” Why hadn’t
Ron mentioned it?
“I don’t know. We…Chase and I overheard our
parents discussing it. They even hired some guy, a private
detective, to look into it.”
“I know. I asked Aunt Estelle about it. She
said the man found nothing.”
Baron shrugged. “That doesn’t mean you can
trust a Noble. One of their own started that fire.”
“Rumored to have started it,” she corrected
him. “You can’t base your hatred on a rumor, Baron. I mean, do you
really think Ron would
know you, man, yet you seem to have a problem with me.”
“You bet I do,” Baron snapped. “Stay away
from my cousin.”
“Hey,” Ashley protested.
“Your family has done enough to hurt her,”
Baron continued as though she hadn’t spoken.
A lethal expression settled on Ron’s
expression. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You know what I mean. Leave.” Baron jabbed a
finger toward the door. “If you ever come anywhere near her
again….”
“You’ll what?” Ron didn’t move, yet Ashley
had a distinct impression he was primed for action.
“Stop,” she yelled, and got their attention.
“Enough. Both of you.” She grabbed Ron’s arm and tugged. He scowled
down at her. “You’re leaving.” He didn’t budge, but his muscles
flexed underneath her hands. If it weren’t for her cousin and their
tiresome exchange, she would have savored the feel of him. “Now,
Noble.”
Amusement flickered in the depth of his eyes,
then disappeared. “We need to talk.”
“Saturday.” He still hesitated. What was
wrong with him? “Please go.”
He gave Baron one last heated glance, then
allowed her to lead him to the door. Once there, he lifted her chin
with his finger and said, “Until Saturday.”
“Good bye.”
His finger lingered on her chin, shifting
into a brief caress before he dropped his hand and walked away.
Ashley watched him, the imprint of his finger
on her chin still tingling. When he reached the elevator doors, she
nudged the door closed with her hip and turned to face her cousin.
“What was that about? I have never seen you treat anyone with so
much disrespect and—”
“Mother is going to have a fit when she finds
out you’re associating with a Noble. As for recovering your memory,
she’ll think you’ve lost your mind.”
She approached him, her anger increasing with
each step. “Why are you bringing Aunt Estelle into this? She
wouldn’t care one way or the other whether I recover my memory or
not. No, I take that back. She’d encourage me to go for it.”
Baron raised his hands in surrender. “Okay.
Forget about Mother. Tell me why you’d want to recover what your
mind chose to block. Have you forgotten the nightmares?”
She hadn’t forgotten waking up sweating,
heart pounding and echoes of her screams still in the air. The
worst part was always never remembering why. It was time she
stopped letting the fear cripple her. If that meant bearing her
darkest moments, so be it.
Ashley plopped on a stool beside Baron’s,
propped her elbow on the counter and rested her chin in her palm.
She eyed her cousin and sighed. “It’s time I faced what I saw that
night, Baron. I can’t stay afraid all my life.”
“What did that bastard tell you?” Baron
snapped.
“Whoa.” Ashley leaned back, her eyes
widening. “Enough already. What’s with you and the Nobles? Are you
forgetting I wouldn’t be alive if it weren’t for Ron’s father?”
“No, I haven’t.”
“Then what’s wrong with you? What did you
mean his family had hurt me enough?”
Baron studied her guardedly, hesitated as if
weighing his response. “There was a rumor that the fire was the
work of an arsonist.”
“I know that.” When he looked surprised, she
added, “Ron told me. He’s trying to find out the truth about what
happened. That’s why he was here.”
His lips curled derisively. “Did he tell you
the suspect was one of his relatives?”
Ashley eyes widened. “What? Who?” Why hadn’t
Ron mentioned it?
“I don’t know. We…Chase and I overheard our
parents discussing it. They even hired some guy, a private
detective, to look into it.”
“I know. I asked Aunt Estelle about it. She
said the man found nothing.”
Baron shrugged. “That doesn’t mean you can
trust a Noble. One of their own started that fire.”
“Rumored to have started it,” she corrected
him. “You can’t base your hatred on a rumor, Baron. I mean, do you
really think Ron would
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