Page 69 of Forgotten Prejudice

“Because it seemed like the right moment?”

“The right moment?” His eyes went wide, and his face turned red. “You know damn well I’m in a relationship.”

Hold on just a second.

“I don’t know what world you live in, where you fuck everything with a pulse, but I’m faithful to Soren.”

Ignoring that extremely judgmental first comment that made me sound like some sex addict, I stood up and faced him. “I thought you two had broken up.”

“What?” He nearly gasped the word, his face twisting with horror. “What on earth made you think that?”

“Jesus, Ash, I don’t know.” My voice was dripping with sarcasm. “Maybe it was you not going back home? Telling me how much fun you had today and that you missed me? Or maybe it’s because of how happy you were when I told you Zoe and I are over?”

He let out a fake laugh before shaking his head. “God, you’re unbelievable,” he sighed, then whistled for the dogs to come back from where they were playing.

“Why am I unbelievable?” I asked, angry, as he walked past me.

Ignoring me, he picked the two leashes off the ground.

“Hey, answer me!”

“I was being nice, okay?” he snapped. “I was happy to have you back in my life as a friend, Kai. A fucking friend.”

Why did hearing him say that word hurt so bad?

“Well, you sure didn’t make it seem like it with how you were all over me today.”

His jaw tensed before he once again turned his back to me and began walking away.

Swearing under my breath, I picked up his shoes, which he left behind.

“Ashy, hold on just a second,” I called after him, worrying he was going down those slippery rocks too fast.

“Stop calling me that!” he rasped back as I chased him down.

“At least put your shoes back on. The rocks are slippery.”

He tsked. “I can manage just fine—Ah!”

I nearly had a heart attack when he slipped, but luckily, I moved fast enough to catch him before he completely fell and crushed his head on the rocks. My pulse was still high as I held him close in my arms, and Ash wasted no time before trying to push me away. But the second he moved, he hissed in pain, and we both noticed the blood on his foot.

“Shit,” I said while examining the cut that seemed deep.

“It’s fine—”

“It’s not fine.” I took off my shirt. “It’s a nasty wound, and you’re bleeding.” Ignoring his protests, I wrapped my shirt around his foot, using it as a bandage to stop the bleeding. Once done, I looked at him.

“We didn’t bring any phones with us, so I’m going to carry you back home, okay?”

Grinding his jaw, he crossed his arms over his chest and diverted his gaze away from me. “Fine,” he said with a deep sigh.

Ash wasn’t exactly a small guy, but thanks to CrossFit and him being smaller than me, I’d manage. With him on my back, we began making our way home. The first ten minutes were dangerously quiet, and I assumed he was plotting ways to murder me, but then he spoke.

“I didn’t mean to snap like that. You just… took me by surprise.”

“That’s alright. I’m sorry I surprised you.”

“Yeah…” He wrapped his arms tighter around me. “I’m here ’cause Soren went to visit his parents without me,” he said, surprising me with his words.