The very sound of that word makes me feel like doubling over and heaving. This can't be happening right now.

My f.u.c.king father almost... It doesn't seem possible. I know he's f.u.c.ked up on all sorts of drugs, but this? I hope he finds the same justice in prison.

"h.e.l.l yes," I growl.

"Good. I'll see you in a little while. Maybe I'll have some news on Rene when she gets back from Vegas tomorrow. I'll let you know."

"Thanks," I sigh while walking back inside.

Ash is reading a tabloid beside Bity, both of them laughing as though she wasn't just attacked by the man who sp.a.w.ned me.

"d.a.m.n she's tough," Wren murmurs softly while walking up to me, keeping his voice quiet enough to escape Ash's ears. "Most girls would be hiding in their room right now. I would be hiding in my room right now if that had happened to me."

"She's not as tough as she wants everyone to think," I sigh. "She's just good at faking it."

Wren pats my back as I walk over to Ash, and she smiles up at me as she uncrosses her legs for me to sit down beside her. I don't sit right away though, I'm almost scared to get too close.

"Can we have a second?" I ask Bity, and he nods before kissing her forehead and walking away.

Everyone else disperses, and Shannon walks in holding Trip.

"I'll watch after him tonight. You two probably need to talk."

Ash looks a little distraught by the thought of losing her child for a whole night, but she nods and lets her walk away with the sleeping boy in tow.

I finally sit down beside her, and she turns so that her leg lightly rests atop mine. I'm surprised contact with me doesn't make her cringe.

"I'm so sorry, Ash," I murmur through a choking strain.

"Tag, it's not your fault. It's not like Damon's the first old sleaze to cop a feel either," she jokes, trying to downplay the severity of the situation.

"You know that's not all he was trying to do. I don't see how you can even look at me right now."

She takes my hand in hers, and she pulls it close to her lap as she stares at me without any fear tainting her perfect eyes.

"This was not your fault. You're not your father. You saved me... again. It seems to be a habit you've formed. I love that about you."

My heart almost flips up to my throat. I could have sworn she almost told me she loved me. It's almost impossible to catch my breath now.

"Let's get some sleep. We'll deal with all this s.h.i.t tomorrow," she says sweetly.

Without Trip in my room, I don't have any reason to ask her to sleep with me anymore.

"If you don't mind, I'll stay with you tonight. I sure as h.e.l.l don't want to be in the bed Damon was in until it's burned and replaced."

She says it with a jokingly light air, but the fear in her touch proves she needs someone tonight. I'm just glad it's me.

"With the way things have gone lately, I wouldn't sleep anywhere else."

She smiles lightly, and I tuck her under my arm as we walk into the room-together.

Ashiara His c.o.c.k is hard as a d.a.m.n rock right now, and I can see it trying to break out of his pants as he sleeps peacefully beside me. I can picture my lips on it, my hand on it, and me on it. This is torture!

"Good morning," he murmurs while turning over to hide his erection.

"Morning. I was about to go check on Trip. Anything in particular you want for breakfast?" I ask, hoping he didn't catch my spying eyes and reddened cheeks.

"Um," his cheeks flush for some reason, but he smirks and shakes his head. "I'll just have some fruit and go for a run."

"What?" I ask with a goofy grin.

"Nothing," he says smiling.

I climb out of bed and throw myself together as he walks through the house with his glorious upper body exposed for all to see.

"d.a.m.n," I groan to myself.

Tag Ash's lips are in a pouting motion when I walk in from a run on the beach, and my c.o.c.k instantly hardens, pulsating painfully.

"What's that look for?" I ask while walking toward her.

She looks up, and her cheeks stain red as she stares at my body, her eyes raking me over.

Hurry up and get off those f.u.c.king painkillers.

"Oh... I was reading the stuff about me."

"The gold digger stuff?" Wren chirps as he walks in guzzling a bottle, sweating just as much as me after our run.

Bity bursts out laughing as he overhears us, and Ash's lips exaggerate her s.e.xy pout. Does she not know what she's doing to me?

"I'm rich and you had my baby. There's going to be a lot of gossip for a while. Don't let it get to you," I murmur softly while grabbing the bottle of water Erica proffers on her way to the chair.

"It's not the gold digger stuff. I know I'm not a gold digger. It's the pictures they dug up of me in high school. They're terrible."

Amazing.

Those tabloids are trashing her and she's not the least bit fazed by it. d.a.m.n, I'm in love. I understand what Melanie meant now when she said Ash was the only one strong enough to be with me.

"Let me see," I say teasingly while walking toward her.

"h.e.l.l no," she laughs while tucking them under her body.

"Really? You think I can't lift you?"

"I know you can, but you won't because you don't want to see how terribly tragic your son's mother once looked."

"Let me see," Bity says while jerking one out from under her a.s.s.

She squeals when I try to peek, and he starts dying laughing as she jumps up to hold me back. Her hands on my body halts my attack as I pretend to be subdued by her.

As long as she's touching me, I don't want to move.

"d.a.m.n," he chuckles. "A gold digger makeover. That's what they're calling Ash's look," he says, laughing even harder. "Frizz to Fab. Dust to Ash... hey, that's pretty good."

She rolls her eyes, and I wrap my arms around her waist while lifting her up.

"Tag, please, please, please don't look."

"Why can Bity see but I can't?" I pout.

"Because he went to school with me. He knows what I looked like. I'd prefer it you never did."

"You've seen all the pictures they've put in there of me," I counter playfully.

"Yeah, and it's not fair that you've always looked good."

"You think I've always looked good?" I ask with my c.o.c.kiest tone while staring her in the eyes.

"Yes, and I haven't always looked good."

I smile bigger as I start toward Bity again, and she jumps up to wrap her legs around my waist while covering my eyes with her hand and giggling wildly.

s.h.i.t.

I'm worried everyone in the room will see my erection in these loose jogging shorts, so I flop down on the couch in forced surrender while she stays attached to me.

"We're going out for lunch. You guys joining?" Shannon asks with a smile.

"I've got some emails to send out," I sigh as the unfinished mounds of work I have to do cloud my brain.

Ash's body still straddling mine is very f.u.c.king distracting, and she turns to face the others, finally sliding out of my lap. I lean forward to hide my erection now that her body isn't covering it up.

"No. Trip just went down for a nap, and to be honest, I could use some more sleep."

"Okay, well, we'll see you later," Shannon chirps as they all start filtering out.

Wren throws a shirt on and offers me a devious wink before escaping through the door.

"Wow. It's so quiet in here now," she murmurs with an adorable giggle.

I can't help myself. I brush her hair free from her face as I stare into her eyes.

"How do you feel today?"

"Well, my side barely hurts."

I rein in a groan as I stare at her chest for a second too long.

"I want you to know I'm not like my dad. I'm going to be a good father to Trip. You won't regret putting my name on the birth certificate."

She lets an endearing grin free while staring down at her hands.

"That's the first time you've mentioned it."

"The birth certificate?" I ask in surprise. "Ash, I'm so sorry. That meant the world to me."

She looks up, smiling bigger, making me dissolve, and then she leans over to me.

"You're already a better father to Trip than Damon was to you. Don't ever, ever put yourself in the same low league as him. Trip's a lucky little boy."

I can't stop myself. I jerk her to me, pulling her astride my hips and crush my lips to hers. She moans into my mouth, and I d.a.m.n near come right then and there. d.a.m.n, it's been so long.

"f.u.c.k," I murmur while pulling her back. "I'm sorry."

She looks at me, frustrated, possibly p.i.s.sed-adorably so.

"What the h.e.l.l, Tag? I'm sick of your mixed signals," she gripes.

Ashiara "I'm sorry, it's just... painkillers."

I'm sick of his excuses, and I jerk him back to my lips, refusing to go silently into the night this time. His hands clutch my a.s.s as his erection digs in, and I slide my hand down the front of his shorts to feel that perfect piece of heaven that has evaded me for too d.a.m.n long.

"Ash, stop, please," he mumbles against my mouth, and I pull back with tears in my eyes.

"Why? Why do you keep f.u.c.king with me if you don't want me?"

"Ash, I want you more than you'll ever know, but right now you've been taking those d.a.m.n strong-a.s.s things that cloud your judgment. I don't want to f.u.c.k you on painkillers, and then worry I took advantage of you."

Oh no.

"Tag, I haven't taken a d.a.m.n painkiller since my second day in the hospital."

Suddenly his lips are on mine as he rips my shorts off and carries me to the bedroom on the far side of the house.

"Why the h.e.l.l didn't you say so sooner?" he murmurs against my lips, making me all the giddier as he carries me to a room I haven't even seen.

"Trip," I murmur softly, reminding him we're too far away.

"I've got it," he says with an incredibly salacious grin before jogging out of the room.

I quickly check my hair, and then I slip out of the rest of my clothes and slide between the sheets, ready to be ravaged-finally.