Page 72 of Trusting Skulls

JD turns me to face him. “No limits. You’re always welcome here.” My cheeks heat at Ash’s bold admission, but JD pays him no mind. “We’ll let you get settled in.”

Elizabeth and JD leave me to it. Ash lingers in the doorway. “I should probably get going too, but I’ll be back for supper. JD put me in charge of the grill tonight.” He laughs, flashing me a bright smile.

“Yeah, I’ve got a lot of unpacking to do.”

He continues to stare at me like he’s waiting for something. He takes it to the point of awkwardness before he gives me a clue. “Are you going to come over here and give me a kiss goodbye?”

I glance over his shoulder. “You want me to kiss you here?” I ask quietly.

He taps his lips. “Right here to be exact.”

My stomach flutters with memories of his mouth on me. His warm, soft yet demanding lips …

His evil chuckle pulls me from the past with a promise of the future.

Hesitantly, I tiptoe around the boxes on the floor, stopping in front of him. His hand rubs against the side of my neck, instantly calming me. Then his fingers wrap around my chin, lifting my face, so he can convey how much he’s going to miss me. I echo every syllable.

A few seconds later, he pulls away. “I’ll see you after a bit.”

I nod like a fool in love as he backs away. As soon as he leaves the house, I rush to the window to watch him leave.

“Do you need help?” Elizabeth asks from behind me.

For some reason I jump, embarrassed to have been caught creeping on Ash.

She laughs lightly. “It looks like you two had a good weekend.”

“Yeah, it was nice. Um, sure, I could use some help.”

A short time later, I realize I don’t have room for all of this stuff. I don’t need much of it, nor do I really want it.

“Do you think I could borrow the truck?” I ask Elizabeth as she flips through my record collection.

“You’ve got some amazing music. You dabble in a little bit of everything, don’t you? But yeah, you can borrow the truck. Why do you need it?”

“I think I’m going to take most of this to town and donate it.”

She glances around the room. “I know there’s not much space, but we could store some of it in the basement.”

“That’s okay. I’m ready to simplify my life.”

“You sure? We can make it work. There’s plenty of room downstairs.”

A smile begins to tug at my cheeks because I believe her. Shewouldmake it work for me. “I’m positive. It’s time for me to start creating the life I want for myself.”

“That sounds like a plan. Let’s get started.”

The next few hours are some of the best of my life. I don’t know why I love it here so much. That’s not entirely true. I know why; it’s because of the people in it. Why I’ve become so attached to them is a mystery, but that’s okay. I don’t need to understand everything.

JD loads up the last box in the back of the truck for me.

“I’ll be right back. Thanks for letting me use your truck.”

“I’ll go with you.” He shuts the tailgate then heads to the passenger side. Elizabeth waves from the front porch as he opens the door, ushering me inside.

“You don’t trust my driving, do you?”

He chuckles but doesn’t disagree. When he gets in, he rests his arms over the steering wheel. “Are you sure about this because …”

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