Page 54 of Midnight Secrets

A giggle broke free at his expression. “Seriously?” I laughed. “Ash is helping me with my business. That’s why Jordan has drawn up contracts because I feel so guilty about taking up so much of his time.”

Jordan gave an ominous growl that would make most people run.

“What?” I asked him. “Do you think Ash is pinning me to the wall and ravishing me?” That was exactly what he did this morning in the shower. I was counting down the days to not having to carry condoms everywhere.

Ash glanced up from his phone, and his lips twitched. “Would that be before or after breakfast?”

“Before. One cannot be ravished on a full stomach.”

Xavier rolled his eyes at us and looked away. “I’m just trying to look out for you and keep you safe.”

“So is Ash,” I pointed out. “Without him I wouldn’t have any stones, or a goldsmith, and he was the one who got me a space at the IJS. Does that sound like someone who is taking advantage of me?”

“You don’t understand the real world,” Xavier replied.

My back straightened and my inner feminist reared her head. “No, I don’t. Unfortunately, because I was born with a vagina, I was deemed incapable of making decisions or being treated like an adult in this family. Who I have sex with is nothing to do with you, Xavier. Are you going to list all the unfortunate women you have taken advantage of on one-night stands?”

“Lucy!”

“Fuck off, Xavier!” I was so angry I could slap him. To save myself the pain in my hand since he was solid muscle, I stormed out of the room and down the corridor to the kitchen. They may not want tea, but the act of making it would calm me down.

Several minutes and raised voices later, I heard the door slam to the townhouse. Strong arms surrounded my waist and Ash propped his chin on top of my head. “Xavier is taking a walk.”

Papa would be ashamed of my behaviour, but today I refused to apologise.

“Do you know, this is the first time they’ve been here,” Ash continued in idle conversation. “I normally used this house to sit and contemplate life in.”

I turned in the cradle of his arms. “Did I overreact?”

He shrugged. “I’ve seen worse. Jay killed a man once for bleeding on his boots.”

“Blood can be difficult to get out of leather.”

“So I hear.”

It was such a random conversation that it dragged me out of my temper tantrum. I gave him a tentative smile. “Sorry, I’ve run out of nerves for being treated like a child.”

“Zee’s heart is in the right place. You and your sisters are the closest thing he has to a sibling.”

“Is us being together really that bad?” I asked.

He stared out the window. “I don’t think so, but then Zee knows the man I used to be.”

Every opportunity Ash got he tried to make himself look bad or push me away. I refused to go because I had seen the man behind the mask and he was worth the risk.

“People change,” I said. “A few months ago I was hiding in the safe room in Tuscany and making jewellery far from where the world could see me. Now I have a business and a partner who helps me.”

His arms tightened slightly.

“Ash, you make me a stronger person and I want to believe that I do the same for you.”

He let out a shaky breath. “I’m not a good person, Angel. Blood taints my hands and darkness pollutes my soul. You need someone who can give you the life you deserve, not a life looking over your shoulder.”

“Ash…”

“Hear me out, Lucrezia. Do you want your children hidden behind a high wall the same as you have been?”

No, I didn’t, but that also didn’t mean that Ash would be the same as Papa. The way he treated me now already proved that. Ash showed me a level of respect that I’d never experienced before.

---