RUSH (Montgomery Men Book 1) (24 page)

KINSLEY

THE THOUGHT OF ASHTON BEING
so close to sleeping with another woman while I was falling apart nearly broke me all over again.

But did I have the right to be mad? After all, he had ended things with me before he met her. But if he felt about me the way he did, how could he move on so quickly?

“I’ve kept myself sheltered from the possibility of love. It was something I didn’t think I wanted. Sex was always just an escape, but even when I turned to that, hoping to rid myself of your memory, you were still there. Fuck, Kinsley, I was one drink away from alcohol poison and I shouldn’t even have been able to speak the word no, but I did.” Ashton brushed away the hair that had fallen in my face. “I told her I couldn’t do it, because even though I felt like you had betrayed me, you were still all I could fucking see.”

He leaned in and kissed the corner of my eye. “These eyes melt me, baby. I’ve never looked into another person’s eyes and felt the pull I feel when I look into yours.” He kissed my lips. “Your smile brightens my day and has ever since the first moment you gave it to me. And no matter how hard I tried to fight it, no matter how I tried to replace it, it never once faded.”

My vision blurred with the tears I tried so hard to fight. I didn’t want to let them fall, because once I did, I wasn’t sure I would be able to stop.

“I just need some distance,” I whispered as I focused on his jaw instead of looking him in the eyes. I knew if I did I would give in to him, and right now that was the last thing I wanted. This all just felt too familiar. I’d spent half my marriage to Jase being replaced by one woman after another. I couldn’t help but fear I had fallen into a repeat of that relationship, and I just needed time to think clearly. And to do that, I couldn’t be in his presence. Ashton Montgomery was to consuming.

“I can give you all the space you need, sweetheart, but I want you to stay here.” Ashton traced my jaw with his fingertip as I looked him in the eye, fully intending to argue. “I’ll sleep in one of the guest rooms.”

“I think I should go home,” I said once again.

“You are home, Kinsley,” he replied before his kissed me softly, cutting me off before I could protest.

When he pulled back, he rolled to the side, walked toward the door, and left the room without even a quick glance back.

I stood in the entryway of my apartment building watching as Ashton waved just before he got into the awaiting car at the curb. Murray closed the door behind him, and within moments the car eased away, leaving me immediately feeling alone without him near.

“Who’s your friend?” I jumped in surprise when the deep voice I’d hoped I’d never hear again spoke from behind me.

I spun around and came face-to-face with Jase.

“You look surprised to see me, babe.” He smirked.

“I, uh. . . .” My heart was racing so fast I felt as if it may beat out of my chest. My hands shook and my body trembled as I tried to back away.

“I think you and I have some lost time to make up for.” Jase grabbed my arm and dragged me through the door and toward the elevator. The halls were quiet, and the lack of security within my building left me little hope of escaping.

The trip up to my apartment felt like an out-of-body experience. My head was spinning and dizziness threatened to knock me off my feet.

Once we stepped inside my apartment, Jase backhanded me so hard across the cheek I felt like my jaw shifted upon impact. I fell to the floor at the side of the couch and hurried toward it for cover before the next strike came. Only it never did.

Instead Jase walk across the living room and took a seat in the chair that faced me. “Did you think it would be that easy to walk away from me?” His voice was eerily calm. He crossed his ankle over his leg and brought it to rest on his knee. “I’ve let you believe for months that you gained your freedom. I sat back and watched as you slowly came out of your shell. It was mesmerizing really, seeing you gain confidence and strength. It made me even happier to know I would get to break you all over again.”

Tears burned my eyes, but I refused to give this bastard even one of them. I fought against them, finding the woman inside me I knew was there.

“And then—” he chuckled sadistically “—you had to take things one step further and spread your legs for the first guy who showed you an ounce of attention.”

He lowered his leg to the floor and leaned over, placing his elbows against his knees. He didn’t smile and he didn’t glare, but the fierce look he gave me was nothing like I’d ever seen before. “It’s time I remind you of who you truly belong to.”

The tears I fought to hold back spilled free when he jerked up from the chair, grabbed my hair and yanked upward as he dragged me off toward my bedroom.

“Fucking you back into submission is going to be the highlight of my life, Kinsley.” He laughed.

Bile rose in my throat as I tried to free myself. I knew I would pay for it later, but I couldn’t let him take me without a fight.

“Fight me, baby,” he whispered as he lifted me from the floor and threw me on the bed. “You know I like the challenge.”

Jase began to undress, and with each movement of his hands I grew more terrified. This was it. He’d come to take everything and everyone I’d grown to love away.

ASHTON

AS SCREAMS ECHOED THROUGH THE
penthouse, I leaped up from the couch in my office and ran toward the sound. Terror filled my chest as Kinsley’s cries continued.

When I reached my bedroom, she was thrashing from side to side on the bed, fisting the comforter and kicking. The sight nearly brought me to my knees.

“Please no,” she begged.

I moved toward her, not caring if she struck me as she fought the demons in her mind.

“Baby,” I whispered as I reached out to touch her cheek.

“Stop, please, don’t do this,” she whimpered.

“Kinsley, it’s me, sweetheart. It’s Ashton.” As I touched her shoulder, she moved away and curled her body into the fetal position. Her legs were tucked up so tightly to her chest she looked more like a fearful child than the gorgeous woman I’d left only hours ago.

“No,” she cried, and I couldn’t take it any longer.

I moved in and did all I could to wake her from the nightmare. I didn’t retract when she pummeled my chest with her small fists. I didn’t pause when her foot came within inches of my balls. Instead I continued to say her name over and over, telling her that I was here and everything was okay.

“Wake up, baby. Come back to me, Kinsley,” I begged.

Her eyes shot open in panic, and she looked around the room, trying to assess her surroundings. When they focused on me, she lurched forward and wrapped her arms around my neck. Burying her face into the space that now belonged solely to her, she cried harder than I’d ever seen her cry. And it was pretty close to impossible to hold my own emotions at bay as the strong woman I’d fallen for so hard fell apart in my arms. Her body shook with each sob as she pressed her body to mine and dug her hands into my sides as if she feared I would let go.

But there was no way I was leaving her. No fucking way I was letting go. Ever.

“It all felt so real,” she whispered.

“What did?” I asked, holding her tight against me.

“He was there, and I swear I can still feel the ache in my jaw from the impact of his hand.” I tensed involuntarily as she went on. “He was waiting there at my apartment when you dropped me off. He said he’d been watching me and it was time I remembered who I belong to.”

“Me,” I whispered.

She pulled back just enough to look up, and the moment her gaze connected with mine, I insisted, “You belong to me, and I’ll never let him or any other person hurt you again.” I gripped her face with my palms against her jaws. “I need you to trust me when I say that I’m doing everything I can do to assure your safety.”

She looked back at me in silence, the blue of her eyes appearing even bluer against the bloodshot background.

“I meant what I said earlier; this is now your home.” She shook her head, but I didn’t pause to acknowledge her resistance. “This isn’t up for debate, Kinsley. I will keep you safe, and nothing is going to stop me from doing just that. Not even you.”

Her lip trembled, and something inside me broke as I leaned in and placed my forehead to hers. “I love you so much, sweetheart,” I whispered. “Please don’t fight me on this. Let me love you, let me protect you.” I didn’t pull back to look at her because I knew with how raw I was that a look from her would send my own emotions spilling out. “Trust me when I say I will never hurt you, and I will always do whatever it takes to assure you are taken care of. You have me completely, Kinsley, physically and emotionally.”

I held her tightly against me for hours. She was ridged and fearful at first but slowly relaxed as her body gave in to exhaustion. Her soft snoring and her gentle breaths fanning out over my chest helped me keep my cool for the time being. But inside I was a fucking raging bull, and I wanted nothing more than to make this sick fuck Jase pay for everything he’d ever put her through. No man should ever lay a hand a woman, and just knowing Kinsley had endured that kind of violence was torture.

But for now, I would hold her close and give her the security she so desperately needed.

Movement from the doorway caught my attention. I looked up and was met with curious looks from Knoxville and Beckett.

“We’ve got some things to talk about,” Beckett whispered.

“Just give me a few minutes and I’ll meet you in my office,” I assured them.

When the bedroom doorway was empty, I pulled Kinsley against me a little tighter and placed a kiss against her forehead. I didn’t want to leave her. Everything inside of me said I should tell my brothers we would talk another time, but I knew I couldn’t. If I wanted this shit to end, I had to work with them to make that happen.

My girl was so worn out she barely stirred when I slipped my arm from beneath her body. She also didn’t notice when I got up and placed the blanket over her. I took a few more minutes to look at her beautiful form tucked in securely before I turned away and left the room.

My brothers were waiting when I entered my office, both looking serious. “Just tell me, because from the looks on your faces I already know it’s ugly.”

“‘Ugly’ doesn’t even begin to explain it, brother,” Knox said. “This guy is dirty. Real fucking dirty.”

“How dirty?” I asked.

“Drugs, extortion,” Beckett began, “hell, he’s even been suspected of rape.”

My stomach tightened as they continued to tell me what kind of man Kinsley had been trapped in the clutches of.

“And as if all that isn’t bad enough, he’s been accused of being an accessory to murder too.” Knoxville tossed a file on the desk. “It’s all in there.”

Even though I wanted to grab for it, I couldn’t. I felt as if I’d be touching something toxic. “How the hell has this sick fuck gotten away with all this?” I asked. “How is he still free?”

“He and Daddy seem to have ninety percent of Miami on their payroll, and their reach doesn’t stop there.” I looked up from the file at Beckett. “But in light of all this shit, there are still a few good, trustworthy men out there.”