Page 90 of Forgotten Prejudice

“We have enough snacks already. Just get your ass in here—fuck,” I hissed after he tossed his duffle bag on my lap, the weight crashing my balls, then ran back to the house.

When did he become this organized?

With a grunt, I moved his bag to the seat beside me and rubbed my sore groin. At this rate, we’d never leave. Tapping the steering wheel with my fingers, I patiently waited for his return when Ash’s phone rang. The ring kept going, so I fished the phone out of his bag, ready to switch it to silent, when I saw the caller’s name on the screen.

Soren.

My heart paused, and I stared at the screen with a deep frown as unsettledness took over me, forming a knot in my gut. In a split second, my shock turned into anger. Why was this fucker calling Ash all of a sudden? I gripped the phone harder, gritting my teeth as it kept ringing. Finally, it stopped, but then came a text.

Hey, I know it’s been a while, but could we talk? There’s a lot I need to explain.

Fuck no, you can’t talk was what I wanted to type him in return but didn’t. This fucker really had the audacity to suddenly call Ash. But at least his text confirmed to me that Soren hadn’t tried contacting Ash before. Which made what I was about to do next a whole lot easier.

I quickly glanced up to see if Ash was on his way back. The coast was clear, so I typed in Ash’s code—his mom’s birthday—and unlocked his phone. I then went to his contact list, my finger hovering over the names until I spotted Soren’s. Without stopping to reconsider, I blocked the fucker’s number and then deleted his last call and text. I wasn’t about to stand by and watch this scum crawl back into Ash’s life, not when our relationship was finally going in the right direction.

After I was done, I carefully placed the phone inside Ash’s bag just as he came out of the house, his arms carrying snacks and whatnot. He looked so cute and beautiful that not a single bit of guilt burdened me over what I’d just done.

Quite the opposite.

I felt unbelievable satisfaction.

Ash opened the car door and moved his bag before sitting down.

“Got our snacks?” I asked with a teasing smile.

“Yeah.” He grinned back, already pulling out a bag of BBQ chips. “This is your favorite, right?”

Ignoring the chips, I focused on him. Moving my hand to the back of his nape, I squeezed him tight. “You’re damn right about that.”

Finding a spot isolated enough to set up our camp took some time, but after a long day of hiking, I couldn’t be more grateful for the effort. The two of us sitting by a lake while I was cooking dinner was what dreams were made of. I wasn’t about to let Ash eat canned food, so I went as far as bringing camping stoves, an iron pan, and one juicy T-bone we’d devour soon enough.

Now, waiting for the food to cook, we had some time to chill.

“I like the scruff.” My knuckle brushed against Ash’s soft stubble, his skin warm from sitting in the sun.

Ash placed his hand over where I’d just touched him, his cheeks red, and not because of the afternoon heat. “You do?” He chuckled. “It makes me feel shabby.”

“Not at all. It adds roughness to your face, and it’s sexy.”

He nudged my shoulder. “Shut up.”

Laughing, I flipped the steak, the hiss of the meat roasting like music to my ears. Satisfied, I picked up a soda from the cooler and opened it with my teeth before taking a long gulp. Checking out the bottle, I twisted my lips. It tasted good, but not as much as a cold beer would have.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” I shook my head and put the bottle on the ground beside me. “I just wish this was a beer.”

“Kai.” His face turned serious.

“Relax, Ashy. It’s only a joke.” I poked his cute nose.

Brushing me off, he frowned. “There’s a sliver of truth behind every joke.”

“You sound like Aiden now,” I pointed out, and his brows pulled close.

“Don’t change the subject.”

Ah, I forgot how determined he could get when he wanted something.