I slip my arm back around her shoulders, wishing I could just pull her in my lap and protect her from the world.

"No. They use the victim's weapons when the gun they brought jams."

"What?" I ask, again releasing my hold on Ash as I lean up to focus solely on what he said.

"We found the same gun that shot Ms. Branderwood in the street drain not far from the house. The gun hasn't ever been cleaned, and it looks to have jammed, which most likely led to the use the kitchen knife. We believe she dumped the gun when running away from the scene."

I shake my head in disbelief, and then my brow furrows as something he said halts my train of thought, forcing a shift in direction.

"She?"

"Yes, we found DNA at the scene suggesting the suspect is indeed a female. Right now, I need you to send me a list of any and all scorned women who might have a grudge against the two of you."

That's a long list just for me.

"First of all, a guy called me. He told me Ash would be dead before I got home."

Her breath hitches beside me, and I lean back and finally unclick her seat belt and pull her onto my lap, forcing her to snuggle against me.

"We found a phone dropped with the gun. Most likely, the suspect was ditching all the evidence. It took the techs a while, but they finally repaired the phone enough to turn it back on. There's an app that allows for voice change while talking. Furthermore, the DNA found residing in the phone's crevices matches the DNA found at your house."

What if this is my fault? What if some b.i.t.c.h I blew off is now after the woman I love as a form of revenge.

"I'll compile a list of any girls I can remember who might have a grudge."

Ash starts shaking her head, and then she tugs the phone from my ear so I'm forced to listen to her.

"No, this started before you-months before you. It's pointless for you to make a list. I'll do it. You can start with Rene."

s.h.i.t!

"Rene?" the detective muses, obviously overhearing Ash's declaration.

"Rene Ballinger. She's obsessed with Ash and me, but she knew Ash before I did."

"I'll get right on it," the detective adds before hanging up.

I lean back, uncertain of whether or not I should still keep Ash in my lap now that my c.o.c.k has awoken. I shouldn't be craving s.e.x right now. I should be focused on keeping her alive, but it's been so d.a.m.n long.

"Did you hear all that?" I ask curiously, my body shifting awkwardly to try to hide the d.a.m.n hard piece between my legs as her a.s.s slides around in my lap.

"I heard enough to piece it together. At least it makes sense why the guy was so short now - since it's no guy at all," she murmurs while leaning into me a little more, making my d.a.m.n c.o.c.k ache to be inside her.

If she'll kiss me once she isn't under the influence of the painkillers, I'm going to spend days in the bedroom with her.

Ashiara His erection is digging into me, and I want to free it and pull it inside me so badly that it hurts. I want to tell him I love him, and I want to tell him I'm sick of all this bulls.h.i.t.

"I always knew that b.i.t.c.h was crazy," he huffs, his breath falling down the side of my neck.

"I wish I had known. Ash, I'm so sorry," Billy chimes in with a double dose of guilt.

"Billy, it's not your fault some chick hates me. Besides, we don't know if it's even her."

Tag's neck is inches from my lips, and I know he can't resist me if I start kissing it right now.

My lips start moving toward it, but the car stops as it finds the entrance of a gate. I look up to see the ocean in view, and there's a man standing outside his car, getting frisked by security.

Tag's face is suddenly ashen as he stares at the man I'm worried is secretly a ghost, given the ghastly expression on Tag's face.

"You know him?" I ask curiously.

He hesitates to answer, seeming to pale all the more.

"Unfortunately," he says at last. "I hope you're ready to meet my father."

Tag My erection is completely gone now as my father's car follows behind us down the long driveway to my beach home. Ash's jaw drops as she stares at the house in disbelief.

I've been excited to show her this place, and now Damon has ruined that.

"Ash, take Trip and go on inside. I'll deal with my father, and I'll come check on you later."

She looks at me as if she's confused, but she doesn't have time to escape before the staggering fool meets us outside the house, his arms stretched wide, his breath reeking, and his clothes a wrinkled mess.

His suit looks to have been worn for days on end. One tail of the front of his shirt is tucked in, while the other wrinkles in front of his pants. His tie is as crooked as his f.u.c.ked-up head.

"What are you doing here, Damon?" I growl.

"Is that any way to greet your old man?" he says with stammering annunciation. "What do you think I'm doing here? I came to meet my grandson."

"How did you know about my son?"

Ash pulls Trip closer to her as she starts walking away, but Damon chases after her.

"I've been reading about you, kid. Since you rarely speak to me, it's the only way I can keep up."

Ash forces a smile, her eyes darting to mine for a second before falling on Damon's hand that is touching the cheek of our child. I want to rip his arm off and beat him with it, but I hold my breath.

Being a father now, I'm just hoping Damon is here for the right reasons. He smiles as he pulls out a stack of tabloids from his briefcase, all of them with mine and Ash's faces plastered on the fronts.

"See?" he says while showing them to us.

Ash gasps, and I sigh out loudly.

s.h.i.t.

Tag "How f.u.c.ked up are you right now?" I ask as I stand alone with Damon in the kitchen of my beach home.

"I'm clean right now," he lies.

He's on some random drug, I can tell. He's drunk as f.u.c.k, too - always is. He has never known how to do anything in moderation.

"How much do you want?" I ask with my chilling tone.

"I don't want anything, son. I just came to see my grandson and meet my son's girlfriend. Is that so much to ask?"

I wish this wasn't some elaborate act. I wish he wasn't here for all the wrong reasons. Just once, I'd love to sit down and eat dinner with my father and have a normal conversation. It'd be nice for Trip to have a grandfather from my side, but it'll never happen.

Ash's parents and Melanie are the only grandparents Trip will ever have. I'm fine with that, too, because I know my father isn't grandfather material.

"Fine. You can stay and eat dinner with us. Wren will be coming by shortly. You remember Wren, don't you?"

"Of course. Thank you."

He heads into the living area, and my eyes follow him as he sits down beside Ash to reach over for Trip. She very uneasily hands him over, but her eyes never leave him, nor do mine.

"Do you mind if I use your shower? I got caught up in a crazy storm. I could use a shower and a place to change," he murmurs while giving Trip back.

"Third door on the right," I say while pointing down the hallway, and he smiles before walking off.

Ashiara "Whatever you're cooking, it smells delicious," Tag gushes as he walks up behind me, leaning over me to inspect the stove as his hand rests on the small of my back.

He's been touching me all day. He can't stand close to me without touching me. It's confusing the s.h.i.t out of me, too.

"Your dad seems to be doing well with Trip," I say to shift the conversation, hoping his touch will move unless he really wants me.

I look over my shoulder as Damon does his best to make silly faces at Trip, hoping for a laugh.

He smiles as he looks, too, and then he reaches down and pulls a bean from the stir-fry to pop into his mouth.

"I'm surprised. This is the longest my father has hung around since I've been an adult."

That's pitiful. I wish I could kiss his smiling lips right now.

He looks down, his eyes meeting mine, and for a fleeting second, I think he's about to give in.

"So, Ash, your food is making my stomach growl," Damon says as he joins us, breaking our intense eye contact.

Tag turns to face him, his body leaning against the counter beside the stove as his side touches mine.

"Thanks," I say quickly.

"Ash is a great cook. I didn't know I had so many pots and pans until she moved in."

I laugh a little, feeling less like his child's mother and more like we're a couple. It's such an awkward setup.

"Need help setting the table?" Wren asks as he joins us.

"I've already done it," Tag says with a smile. "It's my only way to contribute, since she won't let me cook."

I smirk as I think back to his one time of trying to cook with me. It took forever to get all the smoke out of the house, and all he had to do was stir the food while I took a quick shower.

"Burn the kitchen up again, eh?" Wren pokes, making me laugh out loud.

"Just a little," Tag chuckles. "It wouldn't be fair if I was good at everything."

"So the two of you are living together, raising your child, but you're not together?" Damon asks curiously.

Tag swallows hard against a piece of bread he has hijacked from the oven, and I hold my silence, putting all the burden on him to answer that question.

"Right," he says shortly, making my heart break at the simplicity of the answer I wish he'd elaborate on.

"It's not uncommon for people not together to have a child and live in separate homes," Damon adds. "In fact, it's the norm."

"Most people don't have someone stalking and attempting to kill them," Tag says too casually, his hand sliding back around my waist as the reality of those words send a shiver over him.

"It looks like the two of you obviously care about each other. Why not at least try dating?"

I'd like to know the answer to that myself, and apparently everyone else would, too, since all eyes are on us.

"Um... I... Well-"

"Dinner is done," I say to relieve Tag of the awkward explanation he apparently doesn't want to give.

"Excellent," Damon chirps. "I'll take a seat by the lady of the house to hear stories about my grandson.

I force a smile as I take the pans over to the serving table, and everyone swarms the feast.

"I'll be right back," I murmur softly to Tag, and he tilts his head to the side.

"Are you okay?" he asks worriedly.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just need to check my makeup. Cooking makes me a little flushed."

"You look perfect to me."

I wish he wouldn't say s.h.i.t like that. My head is f.u.c.ked up enough.

"Thanks, but I'll only be gone a minute. Go ahead and start without me."

His lips tighten, and I escape before he interrogates me further. As soon as I'm alone in my room, I do something I haven't had the chance to do with so many people around. I take three deep breaths, trying to hold back some of the sobs, but it's no use.