“It has been a long day.” He sighed.
“Did I hear that you were having some difficulty?”
“Yeah, it would seem the attic is a bit of a problem. Lots of old wires, and some of the roof is a little unstable. Years of neglect will do that. At the moment it doesn’t leak, but I think it would only be a matter of time before it does.” He sighed. “I’m working on preventing that from happening.”
“I get it. This house is turning into a labor of love. Are you sure it’s worth it?” she asked.
“I’m sure. I have no plans to go anywhere.”
“But I’ve seen you looking at your bike,” Ashley said. “You’re not thinking about jumping on that thing and running away?”
“Never. I’m not running from you. Not now. Not ever.”
He was pretty sure he saw a smile dance across her lips. He didn’t point it out as he didn’t want her to feel self-conscious. In the past few weeks they had come a long way, but he didn’t want to spoil what they had built. Even though he wanted to go further. That kiss had been freaking … everything.
They made it out of the woods and were heading to her home. Neither of them spoke but he felt Ashley withdraw her arm in case they were seen. He needed to fix this.
Arriving at her parents’ home, he knew right away they were not there. Ashley let them in and called out to them.
“Mom? Dad?”
He closed and locked the door, seeing a note on the cabinet. “Here you go.”
It had both of their names on it, but seeing as this was Ashley’s parents’ home, he didn’t want to read it. She took the letter from him and flipped it open.
“Ah, they’ve gone out on date night. They’ve booked a room at some fancy restaurant. They do this from time to time when they want to be alone.” Ashley gazed back down at the letter. “They’ve left us some food in the oven, and they’ll see us tomorrow or the day after. I’m pretty sure they signed it off with a wink.”
“Your parents love each other very much.”
“Oh, yes. It became my childhood ambition to avoid them when they were … you know … having sex.”
“You caught them.”
“More times than I care to admit.” Ashley put the card down. “I’ll go and see what’s in the oven.”
They were alone in her home. He wasn’t going to point out the obvious, but they were.
“Ah, I should have known. Whenever they go out of town, Mom always makes her lasagna. It heats well and keeps for several days.”
Ashley pulled it out of the oven then placed it on a heat-proof mat. She pulled her hair back and inhaled. “Smells good. Now if I know my mom, then I know she also left a salad.” She went to the fridge and pulled out a large tub as well as a small bottle of sauce. “Ah-ha, see, I told you. Salad and dressing.”
“I’ll grab the plates.”
“I’ll dish up.”
Ashley carried the food into the dining room and he grabbed the plates and cutlery. She served them both a large portion of lasagna and salad. She drizzled on some dressing to her own salad, and then handed him the bottle. He did the same, and they dived right in.
He was so hungry. The sandwiches never lasted long, but with all the work they had to do, it was hard to leave to get more food. Also, he didn’t want to hurt Ashley’s feelings.
“You know, I think I need to start making more food,” Ashley said, lifting a hand to her mouth. “I’m so sorry. I don’t mean to be rude, speaking with a mouthful of food. I’m starving.”
“Agreed. I’ve thought about calling the diner to deliver burgers.”
Ashley snorted. “We’d have to buy them for the whole crew. They’re all starving.”
“It’s fine. I don’t mind.” So long as he got to feed his woman, he didn’t care.
Ashley licked her lips and Phoenix couldn’t contain his growl. Her eyes flashed amber.