Tagged & Ashed (The Sterling Shore Series #2) (13 page)

“I’m fine,” I murmur while looking down at my hands.

“Is he bothering you again?”

Why did Melanie call him?

“It’s nothing I can’t handle,” I murmur while forcing a smile.  “So, are you sure you want me for this?  If so, we should work on some of the basics right now.”

***

Tag

She’s scared.  I can see it in her eyes how scared she is.  She’s trying to hide it from me, but it’s so obvious.

I’ve seen her in lust, happy, excited, and scared.  That day she told me about this creep, I saw the fear in her eyes.  Now, I see it again.

“Don’t lie to me.  What’s going on?”

She looks away before shrugging.  I can tell she doesn’t want to let me in, and it’s starting to piss me off.  She doesn’t have to do this alone, but she’s too fucking stubborn to see it.

“He called, sent a few notes, sent a few texts, and made a few more threats.  It’s nothing any different than last time.  I moved, changed my numbers, and now he’s not bothering me.  Don’t worry about it.  It’s not your place.”

Not my place? 
Someone has to do it, and apparently I'm the only one with balls big enough to do it.

“You shouldn’t be staying alone.  I’ve talked to a security company, and I’ve hired some bodyguards to come watch over you until this is resolved.”

Her eyes pop up, and then she shakes her head.

“Tag, you don’t need to do that.  I’m a big girl.  I can handle this.  You’ve got far more on your plate to worry about.  Just let me deal with this.”

I want to grab her by the shoulders and shake the hell out of her.  I don’t know if she doesn’t understand how dangerous this could be, or if she doesn’t want anyone to know how fucking terrified she is.

“It’s already done.  Sorry if you don’t like it, but Melanie will kick your ass if you don’t accept it.”

She chews on her bottom lip, and my cock pulsates all the more.  I remember that lip being between my teeth.  I remember those tits in my mouth.  I remember those perfect hips in my hands.

“Excuse me, Ms. Branderwood,” the waitress interrupts.  “These just came for you.”

As the lady places a dozen red roses on the table, all the color rushes from Ash’s face, making her pale enough to pass for the living dead.  She
is
terrified, and it’s obvious where these roses just came from.

“No,” she whispers to herself as the woman turns to me.

“Anything to drink, sir?” she asks with an oblivious tone.

“Not just yet.  Give us a minute, please.”

Ash stands up and walks briskly toward the restrooms without saying a word.  Obviously, this asshole has stalked her every move, and now I definitely can’t let her out of my sight.

I pick up a napkin and use it to lift the card from the roses without tainting the evidence.

Pretty girl with a pretty boy.  Too bad that pretty face will be gone before long.  Then I bet the pretty boy will leave the not so pretty girl all alone.  You deserve to suffer, bitch.

This is sick.  Whoever this is, they’re obsessed, and not the way I’m obsessed.

I slip the card in my pocket as I pull out my phone and head toward the waitress.

Handing her a fifty-dollar bill, I murmur, “This should cover Ms. Branderwood’s drink.  We’ll be leaving now.  Keep the change.”

She smiles, batting her lashes in a flirty manner, but I don’t give a damn about any woman but mine.

I head back and scoop up all her belongings before motioning to the bodyguard at the front entrance.  I brought him along to follow Ash home.  I'm glad I did.

“Take all this to my car.  We’re about to get out of here.”

“Do you need me to get the roses?” he asks.

“Yeah, but don’t leave your prints on them.  The police will need to see them.  Take them and this by there while I drive Ash home.”

I hand him the napkin-wrapped card, and he accepts it with worry in his eyes.

“Yes, sir.”

I head toward the restrooms, uncertain what to say or do.  She’s not going to go through this alone.

***

Ashiara

Right now I’m doing good not to throw up.  My arms wobble as I lean over the sink in the bathroom.  My whole body is burning up and freezing at the same time.  Now Tag will feel sorry for me, and I don’t need his pity.

I need him to leave me alone.  He has no idea how crazy about him I am, and he needs someone who can be more casual than I.

I can’t even read the card that sick bastard sent with the roses.  I'm sick of all the taunting terror he sends my way.  I’m tired of reading about the twisted things he threatens to do.

The door opens, and I rise up to dab away the black tears my mascara has forced me to cry.

“Hey,” Tag’s voice murmurs in a soothing tone, startling me.

Shit.

“I’m fine.  I’ll be back out in a minute.  I’m sure the roses were from Mr. Kent.  We just made a business deal, and he knew I would still be here.”

Please buy my lie.

He rounds the corner, and then he props up with his hands in his pockets as he stares at me.

“Ash, don’t lie.  I read the card.  I had Gary - your new bodyguard - carry the stuff to the police.  Come on.  I’m taking you home.”

I shake my head, more tears falling free, and then his eyes soften with that pity I was dreading.

“I’m fine, Tag.  Really,” I choke out.  “I drove.”

“Gary can come get your car with your other bodyguard - Leo - later.  I’m not leaving you alone.  It’s nonnegotiable.  Come on.”

He takes a step toward me, and more of my foolish tears fall free as the reality of the terrifying situation overwhelms me suddenly.  Before I know it, his lips are on mine as he pulls me against his glorious body.

“Damn,” he breathes into my mouth as he jerks me up and throws me on the counter.  “I forgot how good you fucking taste.”

Until this moment, I've felt so completely alone these past six weeks - looking over my shoulder.  Until this moment, I've been scared to frigging death.  Right now, in his arms, I finally feel safe, and it feels so good.

My needy hands tangle in his hair as my whole body throbs for his touch.  I need him right now, and I pray he doesn’t stop until I scream.

***

Tag

I can't stand seeing her cry, and I don't know any other way to make her stop.  I've never been good with this sort of thing.  I
really
wasn't expecting to be kissing her in the women's bathroom today.

Her breath is an aphrodisiac.  Her wet panties prove she wants me as badly as I want her.  My hard cock promises to burst too soon, and that can't happen.

I’d go down on her, but I’m worried that would make me blow my climax, too.  I haven’t ever gone this long without sex, and since my cock only works for her, then I’m going to fuck her right here and now.

I don’t have a condom, but I don’t care.  She’s the one girl I don’t mind risking things with.  She's Ash.

The moans she keeps releasing into my mouth make me want her all the more as my finger finally slips inside her tight, wet haven.

Damn she feels even better than I remember.

I can’t stand it any longer.  I jerk her hips toward me, and her panties tear as I shred them away.  With one hand, I drop my pants low enough to feel her perfect body as I sink inside her, bringing me back to the ecstasy I’ve been missing.

“Fucking perfect,” I breathe against her ear, and her legs tighten around me as I pull back to thrust in deeper, harder - the way she likes it.

“Tag,” she murmurs so softly as her head falls back, exposing her delicious neck.

My lips cover it as I squeeze her tighter.  Her muscles clench against my cock, and I let out a strangled moan as I feel myself about to explode inside her far too early.

“Shit,” I growl.  “ I’m not going to last long.”

“Me either,” she murmurs as her girly, adorable, and sexy moans quicken.

Jerking her harder against my thrusts, my breaths grow ragged, harsh, and more erratic.

Her hands tangle in my hair as her shrill pitch finds its way to her lips, and her body goes stiff before limp, making my exploding climax all the better as I fill her up.

My lips claim hers as we both gasp for air.  I don’t want to pull out of her.  I want to stay there, live there, spend forever in her warmth.

The door to the bathroom opens, and I scramble to pull my pants up as Ash jumps off the counter and rushes into a stall.

I laugh a little, and then a fair-haired elderly lady walks in until she startles to a stop just as I finish zipping up my pants.

“Oh dear.  I’m so sorry.  I thought this was the ladies' room.”

“It is,” I snicker, not really embarrassed the way I should be.  I've done worse in more public places.

Her cheeks flood red, and I walk over to knock on the stall door that hides Ash.

“I’ll wait for you outside,” I murmur teasingly.

“Okay,” she says, nervous embarrassment in her tone.

The old lady’s eyes grow all the wider, and she shakes her head disapprovingly as I walk by her to head outside.  If she thinks that was awkward, she would have died if she had walked in five minutes sooner.

I think that’s the quickest I’ve ever gotten off.

***

Ashiara

Oh shit.  Oh shit.  Oh shit.

I can’t believe I just fucked him again - in a bathroom!

I groan inwardly, wishing I could just slap myself.  He definitely made me stop crying - if that was what he was trying to do.

After the awkward encounter with the old lady in the bathroom, my cheeks are glowing red.  Now what?

Do I tell him I can’t do this project because he's confusing to be around?  Do I tell him he’s fucking with my head?  Or do I just grow a set and pretend like I can be an occasional fling while making a bunch of money?

I’ve never been touched by anyone the way he touches me.  It’s surreal, and I’m addicted to him.

He’s holding the door open for me when I reach the outside, and he ushers me into the passenger seat of his car.  He doesn’t look directly at me.  Instead, he kisses my forehead a little icier than the blistering encounter we just had.

I can’t do this project.

Chapter Seven

A Crazy World

Ashiara

“So he fucked you in the bathroom, brought you home, and hired you some bodyguards, but you haven’t talked to him in a couple of days?  What’s the deal?”
Shannon asks while helping me bring in the last box of my stuff to lock up in the storage room.

“I don’t know, but I’m sick of moving.  I’m just going to stay in the hotel until this psycho thing is resolved.  For now, Tag isn’t my focus - Mr. Crazy is.”

“You mean, Mr. Sadistic Bastard Asshole?”

“Yeah,” I huff out while pulling down the door and locking it shut with the thickest padlock I could find.

“So the bodyguards... how are they doing?”

I look toward Leo and Gary, both men waiting and watching as
Shannon loops her arm through mine.

“They’re doing okay.  It’s not like they have had to intercept anyone rushing me, but they’ve dealt with the flowers and notes.  I haven’t even seen what they've said these past several times, and that’s fine by me.”

Gary holds the door open to the Uhaul rental as I climb in the front.  Leo holds Shannon’s as she hops in beside me, and they both nod toward us before shutting the doors.

“Well, I might get me a piece of Leo,” she whispers.  “Damn, that man is built.”

I laugh a little, and then I shrug before pulling out into traffic.

“Sounds good.  Go crazy, lady.”

I get a little sick, dizzy even, and I pull over quickly to open my door and expel the contents of this morning’s meager breakfast.  That's the fifth time this week.

“Damn, girl.  What’s wrong?”
Shannon panics as I continue to heave.

“Fuck if I know,” I grumble while wiping my mouth.  Then a terrifying thought hits me, and I remember something that I've forgotten - or something that seems to have forgotten me. “I think I need to go to the drug store.”

***

Ashiara

“No.  It’s not fucking possible.  It was one once - well, twice, but the last time was just a couple of days ago.  There’s no way this happened after one time.”

My hands tremble as I stare at the line of taunting devices, all of them saying the same damn thing.

“Honey, I think you need to call him.  Ten tests said
yes
.  None of them said
no.
  I’m pretty sure they can’t all be faulty," Shannon murmurs shakily, her hand sliding up and down my back.

“They have to be.  We used condom almost every time that weekend.  Most people have to try for years before they get pregnant.  There’s no way I accidentally got knocked up the one day I had unprotected sex in my life.  It’s impossible.”

My whole body feels like it’s on fire as I continue staring at the multitudes of ways someone’s life can be pronounced
over
- two lines, pink dots, pink crosses, and a big fat
pregnant
on a couple.

There’s no way this is right.  It has to be wrong.  Tag isn’t ready to be a father.  He’s told me that himself.  I’m sure as hell not ready to be a mother.

Shannon seems distracted as she dials a number, and I panic a little when I worry she’s calling Tag.

“What are you doing?”

She looks at me like a nurturing momma hen.

“Calling a doctor.  You’re going to need to start seeing one.  I’ll handle this,” she says encouragingly before disappearing from the small bathroom.

I slump down, unsure of whether or not I should tell him.

No.  Definitely not.

He’d think I was trying to trap him, and he has a good life.  We shouldn’t both have to change everything for one stupid weekend’s mistake.  If this is real - if I’m actually pregnant - then I’ll deal with it on my own.

***

Tag

“So you fucked her, and then you just left?  What the hell?  You’ve been obsessing over this girl for six damn weeks, and then you bail the second you see her?” Dane Sterling scolds as he paces around in my office.

“I panicked.  I didn’t know what to say or do.  It’s like my damn brain doesn’t work around her, and honestly, I just want to forget about her.”

Dane gives me an incredulous look, his eyes scolding me before his tongue sets back in.

“Forget about her?  Dude, you can’t even stop thinking about her.  She’s all you’ve talked about since Wren's wedding.  You need to call her.  Isn’t she working on your newest business launch?”

She should be.  I don't know how anyone can turn down that much money.

“She backed out.  She said she had too many other projects right now, and she said this one would be too in-depth for her to devote the attention it needs.  She called me this morning.”

“You talked to her?” he asks curiously.

“No, Shane, my new assistant, talked to her.”

“Shane, yeah... I meant to ask about that.  What happened to the blond bombshell?”

My mind flashes back to the other day when my former assistant walked in with her high heels and lingerie to seduce me.  I tried so hard to fuck her, but the only way my cock would get hard was when Ash’s face flashed through my mind.

I couldn’t do it.  I wanted to, just so I could move past the girl who haunts my every fucking dream, but I couldn’t.

“Long story short, I decided it would be best if I hired a guy for a while.”

I almost scowl, furious with my own self.  This is screwed up.

“O…kay…”

“Anyway, I need to call
Gary and see if they’ve made any progress on the stalker shit.”

“Go ahead.  I’ll wait.”

It’s obvious Dane is going to continue to grill me.  I haven’t seen Ash for a few days, and I’m no closer to being over her now than I was then.

“Mr. Masters,”
Gary’s gruff voice murmurs into the phone.

“How’s it going?”

“Well, he’s sent more flowers, more threats, and today I’ve intercepted at least three phone calls.  She’s changed her both of numbers a dozen times, but he seems to keep finding out what they are.”

“I’m going down to the phone company today to see if they can help me out since the damn police are worthless.  I’ve also hired a private investigator.  I’ll send you a picture in case you see him scoping the place out.  What’s she doing now?”

“Um… she… um-”

“Spit it out,” I prompt impatiently.

“She’s seeing the doctor right now,” he murmurs uneasily.

My heart slaps my throat.

“What?  What the hell?  What happened?  Why the fuck didn’t you call me?”

“It’s not like that, sir.  She um… it’s a female appointment.  We’re at the um… gynecologist’s office.”

I almost want to laugh now.  Poor Gary.  I’m sure he feels sick to his stomach sitting in a waiting room full of women while he's forced to stared at diagrams of the female’s internal workings.

“Sorry,
Gary.  I’m just a little on edge right now.  How’s she handling things?”

“She’s fine for now, sir.  Her friend, Shannon, has been staying with her a great bit.”

“Shannon?” I ask curiously.

That’s a name I haven’t heard before.  Who the hell is he?

“Yes, sir.  Shannon Pierce.  They’re very close.  Billy Prize has been around, too.  He’s supposed to be at the hotel later today.  Should we be expecting a visit from you any time soon?”

I guess Billy got his foot back in the door.

“No.  I’ll check in with you in a couple of days, via phone.  Call me if anything happens.”

“Of course.”

As I hang up, my gaze turns to Dane briefly before dialing another number.  Wren answers on the third ring, and I opt to bypass the
hellos
.

“Call your brother.  I want to know who Shannon Pierce is.”

Dane smirks, seeming pleased with my sudden strike of jealously.  I need a drink.

***

Ashiara

I walk out of the doctor’s office with tears in my eyes.  This is ridiculous.  I don’t know what to say or do right now.  A gray and black blob of distorted imagery promises that my worst fears are true.  A tiny but fast heartbeat brought me to tears and caused an internal war between my emotions.  I'm still in shock.  It's real now.

Shannon is the only one who knows I’m pregnant, and now I’m once again staring at a black and gray, almost unreadable picture that proves my life is about to change forever.

My heart thuds up to my throat, and
Gary smiles as he walks over to hold the door open for me.  I quickly push the picture into my purse, while slipping into the backseat.  Gary takes the driver's seat and cranks the car, pulling away like he's my chauffeur.

Tomorrow, I’m supposed to go eat with the Prize family at Melanie's ocean home.  I pray Tag isn’t there.  Maybe he won’t be.  I never saw him any other time before when I went there.  Maybe it will just be Melanie, Billy, and me… like old times.

It was hard to forgive Billy,  but when you're freaking out about being pregnant, and a crazy psycho is stalking you, then you tend to forget about a simple spat.  I need my best friend right now.

Gary
’s phone rings, and he tilts his head while looking at the number curiously.

“Hello?”

He pauses for a minute, and then his furious tone rings out as he shouts, “You listen here, you sick son of a bitch, when I find you, I’m going to pull your intestines out through your throat, and then I’m going to drown you in your own blood.”

The very vivid image causes my queasy stomach to churn and I can’t hold back the chunks that spew to the floor. 
Gary’s eyes widen as he turns to see me - puce and stinking up the car.

He swerves over to the curb, and then he ends the call with my stalker as he rushes around to help me out.

I throw up again, my eyes tearing up, and my heaving worsens on the sidewalk.

“Should I call the doctor back?” he worries.

“No, and don’t tell Tag Masters about this either.”