“Winston,” I mutter as I glance at my dad. “It’s fine. As long as they leave me alone, it’s fine.”
Dad’s eyes narrow. Lying to him as a kid was something I couldn’t do. He always saw through it. Like now. I don’t even have to tell him what happened, and he knows. His jaw clenches, and then he drains his wineglass.
“Well then,” Winston says, rising to his feet. “Seems like you all have it worked out. Ash, I’ll see you in the morning at the office. I’ll take your car home and have it brought back at dawn.” He ducks down and plants a kiss on my forehead before striding to the front door.
“Let me walk you out.” Dad follows him out the door and closes it shut behind them.
Silence fills the air as I wait for Manda to explode. Based on the way the vein on her forehead pulsates, I imagine it’ll be soon.
“Filling that man’s head with lies,” she hisses. “To embarrass me—us. This won’t just affect me and my sons, it’ll affect your father too.”
The threat has me clenching my fists. “They’re not lies. The triplets are cruel to me.”
“Toughen up, Ash,” Manda snaps. “You’ll never make it in that man’s world if you don’t.”
How does one toughen up against assault and threats to their reputation? She’s deluded if she thinks I’ll just get over what Scout and his brothers did to me. Smashing their cars feels like victory, even if I am a little sore from the impact. Completely worth it.
“I’m going to bed,” I say as I rise to my feet.
Manda stands as well and walks over to me, a sneer on her perfectly made-up face. “If you can’t toughen up enough to earn that spot beside a Constantine, another woman will.”
I narrow my eyes at her. Surely she doesn’t mean her. She’s married to my dad. “You’re up for that job?”
She lets out a derisive snort. “Don’t be silly, Ash, I’m a married woman.” She waves me off as though I’m trash. “He’s better suited for Meredith Baldridge.”
“Who’s also a married woman,” I throw back, remembering what I’d learned last night. Anger and jealousy race through my veins like electricity.
“But young enough to end a marriage that isn’t working to seek out one that will.”
With those words, she leaves me gaping after her. I may not be the best match for Winston, but I’ll be damned if I let someone like Meredith Baldridge waltz back into his life and hurt him again.
Winston belongs with someone who actually cares about him.
He belongs with me.
We may have our fucked-up games we play, but this thing between us keeps growing at an exponential rate. Soon, no matter how much he tries to deny his feelings for me, he won’t be able to. I won’t let him.
He can take his stupid whore apartment and shove it.
I’m not his whore.
I’m just his.
11
Winston
I drum my fingers on my desk, staring at my brother as he talks to someone on the phone. My mind is anywhere but at work. Mainly, I can’t stop thinking about last night. The way the fuckwits lurked in the living room, desperate to take Ash and shred her once more. I could see the dark, overwhelming thirst in their eyes. Just waiting for me to leave so they could pounce. But, later, I’d checked in with her and she was safely locked away in her room. It drives me insane that she’s unsafe in her own home and I don’t have any control.
Liar.
You have all the control.
All you have to do is make that call.
The thought of demanding Ash stay with me all the time, not just when I need her, is tempting. I’d love to have her at my fingertips all hours of every day and night. I crave to devour every part of her.
But what happens when I’ve had enough?
The thought sours my stomach, making the coffee Deborah brought me when I walked in churn in my gut. Unfortunately, as with everything, eventually I’ll grow tired of what we’re doing. It’ll be too difficult to end things cleanly if she’s moved in with me.
Which is why giving her an apartment would be ideal. The stubborn brat, though, refuses to even acknowledge the idea. I know she’d rather me invite her to live with me, but that just isn’t going to happen. End of story.
Plus, Mother would shit bricks if she knew I let my terrible maid live with me. She’d see it as weakness—because it fucking is—and do everything in her power to peel apart Ash’s life. Just like she did with Meredith. But, with Meredith, she deserved to be exposed for the traitorous witch she was. Ash, however, will not fare so well if Mother gets her talons in her life, because a lot of what she would find involves me and could be especially humiliating to me and Ash.