Ash got to his feet, towering over the other man. He’d had about as much of this shit as he could handle. As usual, Claudia had spun her own brand of reality. He had no idea whether his mother had bothered to correct the misinformation or if Bart ignored everyone but his daughter. Probably a little of both. Bart gulped when Ash glared down at him. “Claudia and her friends were being bitches as usual. She didn’t simply send her drink back, she spit it all over Dana, then called her a fucking cow. When Zoe asked them to leave, Claudia refused and continued to show her poor manners. So she got what she deserved. I’d have instructed any of my employees to do the same thing. We don’t treat people like second-class citizens regardless of what family connections we have.”
Dana had just skimmed over the incident with Claudia, but Zoe had relayed it to Dylan, who’d filled Ash in as well. And he’d never felt like a bigger hypocrite than he did at that very moment. What about all the things you said to Dana over the past year? He pushed that thought aside in order to deal with Bart, but his gut churned with guilt. Apparently Zoe should have called security and had his ass carted out. He might not have spit on her, but he’d verbally abused her for a year. Fuck, he should be on his hands and knees begging her forgiveness, not trying to get into her pants. I’m such a bastard.
“I—er, that is, are you sure? Claudia didn’t mention any of that,” Bart mumbled.
Ash could tell by the expression on the other man’s face that he believed him. He might try to pretend like his little princess was an angel, but he wasn’t completely blind to what she was capable of. Ash didn’t bother to answer the question; instead, he said, “Talk to her and see that she understands that she’s to stay away from the resort and the coffee shop. Also, I don’t want her anywhere near Dana unless it’s a family meal and I’m present. Is that clear?”
“Sure, sure, Asher,” Bart replied quickly. “I’ll take care of it when she gets home. I’m sure it’s all some misunderstanding, but we’ll get it straightened out.”
Ash headed toward the door before turning back. “If there are any further ‘misunderstandings,’ I’ll have to ponder the family finances long and hard. I’ve been thinking about putting everyone on a budget for a while, but I simply haven’t had the heart to do it.”
Bart picked up on the threat to his livelihood immediately. “No need to waste time with that,” he said weakly. “Consider it handled, Asher.”
Ash flipped around on his heel and hurried out before he could throttle the older man. Despite what his mother had said the other night, he still couldn’t understand her staying with Bart all of these years. No amount of love or the need for companionship could force him to remain with someone like that. He was more convinced than ever that relationships were bullshit. What more did a person need in life besides great sex? Anything beyond that wasn’t for him. Maybe Dylan was right and it might be best to avoid taking things any further with Dana. She needed to remain firmly in the fake girlfriend category, where there was no room for confusion on either of their parts.
When someone tapped her on the shoulder, Dana swung around, then gaped in surprise as her ex-boyfriend, Paul, stared back at her. Before she could open her mouth to ask what he was doing there, he’d pulled her into an enthusiastic hug. “Hey, baby doll, you look amazing. I sure have missed you.”
Paul had been the closest thing to a long-term relationship Dana had ever had. Mainly because there had been no pressure there. He was very involved in running his gym, which meant he didn’t have a lot of free time to smother her. If the sex had been better, she might have stuck it out longer. And if Ash hadn’t come along. “Hey, Paul. It’s good to see you again. How’ve you been?”
He had always answered questions as if they pertained to his gym and not to him personally—and this time was no exception. “Things are going great with Ript. Membership is up twenty-five percent. I’ve had to hire a few more personal trainers and I’ve been able to purchase extra equipment. You should come by and check things out. You know there’s never any charge for you.”
“Aw, thanks. That’s really sweet.” Dana smiled. Paul was a nice guy. It wasn’t his fault that they simply had nothing at all in common. He was a serious health-food nut who scrutinized every bite he put in his mouth. Although he’d never criticized her, she’d still felt as if he noticed what she ate and wanted to comment on it at times. It wasn’t a welcome feeling to someone who struggled with body-image issues. “What are you doing at the Oceanix? I thought this place was too prickish for you.” Paul had never been comfortable around the crowd that frequented the upscale resort and had often commented on how he could never work in this type of atmosphere. To Dana, people were people. Money didn’t have that much to do with it. You could be just as much of an asshole when you were poor. She was certain that Claudia would still act the same way even if she didn’t live a privileged life.
He shifted on his feet, looking uncomfortable and out of place in his muscle shirt and spandex shorts. He was certainly a walking advertisement for the gym that he owned. She had to admit that she was temporarily distracted by the huge muscles flexing in his arms. There was no denying that he was nice to look at. “I came by to see you. I thought maybe we could have some coffee and catch up. I’ve kinda missed just having someone to talk to. When we broke up, I lost one of my best friends as well as my girl.”
Looking at his downcast head, Dana felt like a heartless bitch. She’d never given much thought to how Paul had taken her ending their relationship. He hadn’t seemed terribly torn up over it. But even she had to admit that she’d missed having the sort of companionship they had shared while they were dating. Especially after Zoe had started spending so much time with Dylan. Dana didn’t really have anyone else in her life that she hung out with on a regular basis. That had never been an issue when she’d been more active in her love life, but in the last year, that had seriously run dry. Thanks to Ash. “I’m sorry,” she murmured sincerely. “You never said anything. I assumed you’d moved on. I know you stay pretty busy, so I didn’t think you’d miss having me around. I figured it might actually be one less thing to juggle.”
He looked up at her in shock. “Are you kidding? I was crazy about you. I haven’t been out with another woman since you ended things. I mean, there are a few at the gym who have asked me out, but they’re not you. And believe it or not, it takes me a while to get comfortable with someone new.”
Now that he’d mentioned it, she did remember him being awkward at first. She felt even worse now about how she had ended things. She should have made the effort to check on him. Instead, she’d walked away like she always did when it was over and hadn’t given it that much thought. She’d already broken her rules by staying with him longer than she normally did. And now she could see that it had been a mistake. He’d formed an attachment to her, and dammit, she’d hurt him. Something she tried her best never to do. “Paul—why didn’t you say anything? I thought you were okay with the way we ended things. If I’d known . . .”
He gave her a sad smile before shrugging his shoulders. “You’d already checked out a while before you actually made it official. I couldn’t ask you to stay. I knew I’d been on borrowed time for months. The reason I didn’t seem upset was because I was expecting it. That’s not to say it didn’t suck all the same, but there was no element of surprise. If you remember, I did ask if we could remain friends and you agreed. But when I called you a few times and left messages, you never responded. I figured you wanted to cut all ties. You were never interested in taking things to the next level. You practically broke out into hives when I mentioned living together. If I’d have done something insane like pop the question, I figure you would have been on the first plane out of the country within an hour.”
Holy crap, I deserve to have the scarlet letter on my chest. I’m a horrible excuse for a person. Sighing, Dana put a hand on his arm. “I’d apologize again, but it wouldn’t be enough. Paul, you deserved better than you got from me. If it helps, it was never about you. You’re pretty much my longest relationship ever. I just have a ton of baggage from my earlier years that has given me a rather twisted view of people. It’s no excuse and I can’t believe you were even interested in seeing me again.”
Looking sheepish, he said, “Good friends are hard to find. If you have time to take a break, I’d like to buy you that drink now. We can talk about what an idiot you were for letting a catch like me get away.”
Dana couldn’t help herself; she giggled at his humor. Most of her attempts at jokes had flown right over his head. He took everything too literally. Another big difference between them. She couldn’t help thinking of Ash. He might be an ass at times, but he seemed to get her. “Give me a few minutes,” she replied before pointing toward a table in the back. “Still black coffee with Splenda?” He nodded, looking pleased that she remembered.
She was behind the counter fixing a latte for herself when Zoe walked in. She looked around, then her eyes widened as she spotted Paul. “Oh my God,” she hissed as she reached Dana. “What’s he doing here? Are you two together again? I thought you said he couldn’t—you know.”
“Shhh,” Dana hissed, “he’s going to hear you. I’ve been horrible enough to the poor man without him knowing I told you about his pecker issues. Do you realize what that could do to the guy? He already has confidence problems with women. He might never get that flag up the pole again. I mean, not that it was hanging high much anyway, but at least it happened sometimes.”
Zoe giggled, before sneaking a quick look over her shoulder. “Dylan had to stop by his office to pick up some papers so I told him I was going to wait here. Boy, I’m glad I did now. Tell me everything. I thought you two hadn’t talked since you dumped him.”
“We hadn’t. He showed up here a little while ago and said he’d missed me. Shocked the hell out of me. Then he proceeded to make me feel like an ass for not being a better friend to him.” Holding up a hand when Zoe opened her mouth, Dana added, “Don’t bother to defend me—I deserved it. I’m just not used to staying in touch when the sexual side of the relationship is over. Normally I’m not with anyone long enough to become buddies, but this time I slipped up.”
“I see,” Zoe said carefully. “You’re feeling guilty. I don’t want to add to it, but I did think it was a tad odd that you cut all ties with him after you guys had been going out for that long. I mean, you never had a big, ugly fight, nor was there any cheating going on. Usually that’s the big reason you don’t see someone anymore. I thought maybe there was more that I wasn’t aware of.”
“No, not really,” Dana murmured. “Paul is a good person. Things had just run their course. Actually they had a while before that; even he was aware of the fact. But I didn’t get restless until—”
Dana snapped her mouth shut, aware that she’d almost blurted out more than she’d intended to. But Zoe was too astute to have missed it and immediately picked up on her slip. “I believe that was right about the time that Ash moved here, wasn’t it? Was that the reason behind your decision to be free again?”
Picking up a nearby towel, Dana began wiping the already spotless counter down. “Um, of course not. I don’t even remember how long he’s lived in Pensacola. It was a mere coincidence, that’s all. Plus, you know that we’ve spent most of the time he’s been here arguing with each other. The man hates me.”
Zoe rolled her eyes. “You know what they say, there’s a thin line between love and hate. Or with you two, ‘lust’ may be a better word. The air practically sizzles with energy when you’re in the same room. I swear, there were times I expected to see you two rip your clothes off and go for it right here. The fact that I know you’re toying with the idea of having sex with him only confirms that for me. So with that thought in mind, what do you plan to do with Paul? Doesn’t that complicate things slightly?”
Dana glanced toward where her ex-boyfriend was patiently waiting and shrugged. “He just misses our friendship. There’s nothing else to it.”
“Don’t be naive,” Zoe scolded lightly. “A man doesn’t make the first move after being dumped because he wants a buddy. That might be his excuse to get his foot back in the door, but I’m betting he’s hoping for more. You need to be careful about encouraging him. You don’t want to risk hurting his feelings again.”
“That’s all I need,” Dana groaned. “I feel bad enough already. I really hope he isn’t thinking that we can go back to the way we were. That’s not happening.”
“Hey, ladies.” The seductive voice from behind them sent a shiver down Dana’s spine. They both whirled around to find Ash standing there looking good enough to eat. Did the man never have a bad hair day? Sure, Paul had most women drooling, but to Dana, there was simply no contest. Ash was hot, sweaty nights of amazingly dirty sex, while Paul was steroids and protein shakes. Each had his strong points, but she was more attracted to Ash than she’d ever been to anyone else. If she was a romantic, she’d say his soul called out to hers. She almost giggled out loud as she imagined Ash cringing should she ever utter those words.
“It’s a little late in the day for your usual coffee, isn’t it?” she asked.
He slid onto one of the barstools in front of them and propped his head on one hand. A lock of dark hair fell across his forehead, and Dana fought the urge to reach out and push it away. He looked tired, which brought out a tenderness in her that she hadn’t known existed. She wanted to find out what was wrong and make it better. You need to lock that down right now. He’s not the type that needs saving. “I just got back from having a chat with Bart.”
Forgetting all of her uncharacteristic thoughts, she moved closer and asked, “How’d that go? Was Claudia there?”
Shaking his head, he said, “No, she wasn’t. She was shopping to deal with all of her recent stress. So it was just Bart and me. Luckily it wasn’t a long conversation. He got the point and my threats pretty quickly. He’s promised to speak to his daughter and make certain that she understands the repercussions should she have another error in judgment where either you or Zoe is concerned.”
“Good for you,” Zoe sighed. “That couldn’t have been pleasant, but I appreciate you going to bat for us. Dylan wanted to go over there and raise holy hell. I asked him to at least wait a few days until he’d cooled off.”
“I don’t think that helps much,” Ash said dryly. “There’s something about Bart and Claudia that can push your buttons regardless of how relaxed you think you are. Hell, I’m not even including our mother in that. She’s an expert in that area herself, but she seems to make herself scarce when she knows the shit is going to hit the fan. She doesn’t like her stepdaughter regardless of how good a show she puts on for Bart’s benefit.”
“Thank you,” Dana said softly. “It’ll be nice not to have to look over my shoulder. Being spit on once was enough for a while.”
“Hey, babe, are you about ready for our coffee date?” Dana froze as Paul appeared next to Ash. Zoe suddenly looked very interested in her phone as she tried not to stare at the scene playing out in front of her.
“I—um—er,” was Dana’s incoherent reply as Ash slowly swiveled to look at Paul.
Zoe’s manners picked that moment to kick in as she blurted out, “Oh, Ash, this is Dana’s boyfriend, um, I mean ex-boyfriend, Paul. Well, actually I think they’re friends again now. Sort of reconnecting after not speaking for a year. I believe they were going to catch up. You know, talk about old times and such.”
Dana could only gape as her best friend continued to stick her foot in her mouth and ramble on. I’m so going to kill her. Finally, Dana decided to intervene before Zoe started talking about Paul’s erectile dysfunction and God knows what else. “Paul, this is Asher Jackson. He’s Zoe’s brother-in-law as well as a friend of mine. Ash, this is Paul Ward. He and I dated at one time.”
What happened next had Dana’s mouth dropping open. Ash got to his feet and leaned over the counter. Before she knew what was going on, he’d put one hand behind her head and pulled her closer to his chest before dropping his mouth onto hers. Sweet Jesus, he’s using tongue, Dana thought dreamily as Ash plundered her mouth. She feared she was moaning like a turned-on porn star as he leisurely explored every inch of her mouth before finally releasing her. When she stumbled backward, he made a quick grab for her. “You okay, baby?”
Once again she sounded like an idiot as she managed only to say, “I—what—you.”
Ash kept one arm around her while extending a hand to Paul. “I believe what Dana was trying to say is that I’m Ash—her boyfriend. We haven’t been dating for long and you know how independent our girl here is. She doesn’t like to put labels on relationships, am I right?”
Paul had gone a bit pale by this point, but managed to shake Ash’s hand while saying, “That does sound like her. We were together for a long time, but she never wanted to have anything serious. I would have married her in a minute if she’d been interested.”
Ash gave her an affectionate look that had her heart threatening to beat out of her chest. It’s not real. “Paul—really,” she protested before Ash cut her off.
“Munchkin, you know you have a tiny problem with commitment.” He gave the other man a pained expression before adding, “We’re working on some of those self-help exercises to curb her tendency to flee from anyone who shows her affection.” Ash appeared so sincere that even Dana found herself riveted. “It’s been tough, I’m not going to lie. The moment I saw her, I just knew that we were soulmates, but when I made the mistake of saying that, well . . . she laughed in my face. I’ve gotta say, man, it nearly broke my heart. I mean, look at our girl. She’s a freaking beauty, but she has no idea what she brings to the table. She has so much to offer as a potential life partner, but she won’t let anyone love her.”