CHAPTER3
Ashton
She’s a madwoman with a fucking death wish. My girl has no fucking fear as she swerves in and out of traffic down the highway and into the city. As soon as she parks, I pull up beside her, slam my car door shut behind me, and trap her between my frame and the vehicle's.
“Are you fucking insane?” I snap at her. People are watching us, and some guy even takes a step closer, as if to insinuate he’s about to protect her from me. “Do you always drive like a maniac, or are you trying to piss me off?”
Flattening her hands against my chest, she steps forward. Leaning into me, Hadley pushes up on her toes and rests her lips against mine, uttering, “Maybe a little bit of both.”
A naughty smile creeps across her lips before I react by knotting her hair in my fist and spinning us, slamming her back against my car this time. “Don’t fuck with me, Hads. I might seem like a nice guy, but I swear to fuck, if you hurt yourself trying to be a rebel for me, I’ll be fucking pissed.”
“Hey!” The good Samaritan makes his presence known as he steps closer. “Let her go.” I slowly turn my head towards him, and he shifts on his feet.
“If she wanted your fucking help, she’d have called for it.” This vixen girl of mine takes that moment to lean in and kiss the base of my throat, licking slowly up the column until she reaches my chin. “Are you looking to get fucked right here?” I bark, beyond frustrated at our lack of privacy.
“Would it shock you if I said yes?” she purrs in my ear, and my fucking surprise allows her to get away. Sauntering that tight ass all the way into the coffee shop before I swallow my damn tongue and follow her like a goddamned lap dog.
Hitting the lock button on my car, I stride after her, glaring at the dickhead who tried to get between us, and watch as she lines up for her drink. Seeing an empty table, I claim a seat and wait until she’s done and comes over.
“Cut the shit with me, Hadley. I'm not the cowardly type. But all the dicks from your past have been, haven’t they?” She sucks on the straw of her drink before nodding. “You rebel against me all you like, but I'm not going anywhere.” It’s new days yet, so I know she’ll continue to push my buttons, and that’s okay because it’ll give me the chance I need to prove to her I’ll stick around.
Relaxing a bit, I sense she needed that reassurance from me. “So, where do we go from here?”
“Wherever you want. Can I take you to dinner tonight?” It almost pains me to ask her.
When she opens her mouth to answer me, we’re interrupted. “Excuse me, sir. Is that your car?” Sighing at the uniform, I nod.
“I do something, officer?” Hadley just sits there and sips her drink, eyes darting back and forth.
“Got a complaint you were mistreating some girl.” He looks down at Hadley, who bats her fucking eyelashes like an innocent little lamb. Gazing around the man, I see that pissant who tried to get between us, and when he notices me watching him, he quickly walks away.
“Nope, just kissing my girl,” I say.
“Can we speak outside.” It’s an order, not a question. Not wanting to make a scene, I allow the man to follow me outside. “What’s your name?” he asks.
His partner has already run my plate, so they obviously know. “Ashton DeMarco.” I humor them anyways.
“Well, Mr. DeMarco, here’s the thing. We have video evidence of you tossing that girl around like a rag doll.” He holds up a phone, not showing me.
“Actually…” Hadley comes out to us. “That girl…me, I’m her…was basically begging him to do all kinds of filthy things to me. He probably looked rather angry because we’re in public, and he couldn’t.” I’m surprised as she cuddles into my side, wrapping both arms around my waist, and laying her head on my shoulder.
“What’s your name, young lady?” he asks without looking up from his notebook.
Her grin is killer. I swear she enjoys shocking people when she reveals her identity. “Hadley Adair.” There isn’t anyone in four states that doesn’t recognize that name.
As proven by the man’s tentative look up and paling face. “I see.”
She pulls her license out from her back pocket and hands it to him. Never have I wanted to laugh so badly in my life, but I keep my lips zipped. “See, that’s me.”
“Are you sure you aren’t hurt, ma’am?” he asks as he hands the plastic card back to her.
“Positive. My daddy wouldn’t let anyone hurt a hair on my head.” Jesus.
With an unapproving look between us, they leave, and everyone settles down and goes back about their business. “You, sweet little lamb, are going to get me in wicked shit with your antics,” I growl into her hair.
Completely ignoring me, she continues our conversation from the coffee shop as if we weren’t just interrupted. “Dinner, where are we going?” Guess that’s a yes.
“That depends.”
“On?”
“Whether you’re going to order a salad or off the real menu.”
She grimaces as she looks up at me, offering me the straw of her drink. I take a sip and don’t miss her sexy half-smile. “I like real food too much to try and satisfy myself with a salad.”
That sentence could be taken so many fucking ways. “Wear something red,” I tell her, and just when I think she’s going to argue with me, she nods. “Good. Now, let’s go.” I grab her hand, dragging her to the passenger side of my car.
“What about my SUV?” she asks.
“I’ll have one of my guys come get it and leave it at the club for you,” I answer, buckling her in and shutting the door. Her silence is somewhat worrisome as I drive to Peaches & Cream before the rest of the staff arrive to prepare to open for the night.
She doesn’t say anything as I hand her keys to Ryan, my head of security, to retrieve her vehicle and bring it back here. She watches as the man leaves and begins to slowly turn in the middle of the club, eyeing everything up. Like she’s seeing it for the first time.
“It sure looks different,” she comments. “Without the low lights, pounding music, and gyrating bodies, I mean.”