Page 40 of Hiding In the Dark (The Righteous 4)
It’s nothing. Just go back to bed, Ashley.
He tried to will her with his thoughts, but unfortunately, he still hadn’t been granted that superpower. Like a horror movie, he watched Ashley reach out and pull on the bottom of the window with her fingertips. The top stayed hinged allowed for a perfect doggie-style entrance.
Her hand was shaking as she sat the glass of water down and grabbed her small purse off of the island. She dumped the contents, a small whimper escaping her mouth as she moved the stuff around like a bunch of mahjong tiles.
Shit.
Kes stopped his staring and leaned up against the hallway wall, trying to decide the best way to handle the situation.
“Who’s there?” she called out. “I know someone is in here, and I’m calling the cops right now, so you better fucking run while you have the chance,” she said a little louder, but her voice shook.
Kes didn’t want to be found, but he hated that he was scaring her more. He’d scared her enough already to last a lifetime—he’d take whatever punishment she doled out. As he stepped around the corner into the door frame, Ashley let out a small scream.
Her eyes were wide, her complexion that of a ghost as her body trembled. It was easy to see the terror in her eyes, and he hated to see that. He wanted her heat and her passion as he took her anger and swallowed it down, but he no longer wanted her fear. The part of him that craved that died a long time ago.
She wasn’t holding her phone as he expected but instead had a hold of a large knife from the wooden block of knives on the counter. Her hand wavered back and forth as she held it in front of her body.
“Hi, Ashley,” he said, trying hard not to sound like the crazy stalker guy he must seem like.
“Kes? What are you doing in my home?”
He dared to take a step into the kitchen and pushed back his hood so she could clearly see his face. He could hear her intake of breath, and it wasn’t fear that made her body shiver. He slowly moved toward her like he was approaching a wild animal.
“I wanted to see you,” he said, taking another small step.
“So, you break into my home?” Her eyebrows shot up, and it was the most adorable look. Fuck, he wanted her. He could smell her sweet strawberry scent, and his head felt light.
He glanced at the knife still tightly grasped in her hand and took another small step. Ashley matched his movement and backed up until she was pressed against the counter.
“Do you want to stab me?” He looked at the knife again, and she followed his stare. “I wouldn’t blame you if you did.” He stepped close enough that the sharp tip of the blade was pressing into his gut. “I certainly deserve it,” he said, his voice coming out strangled with need from being that close to her. He would fucking impale himself on the knife if she asked him to.
“I…I…I should.” She lifted her chin at him, her blue eyes glittering in the moonlight that was filtering into the kitchen.
“I wouldn’t blame you.” He reached out and trailed the back of his knuckles down the side of her face. Her hand shook more, and he gently grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand away from his body so he could step in closer. “I don’t think that’s what you want to do to me.”
“Oh yeah?” she said, her jaw locked as she glared at him, but her shaky voice gave her away.
“Yeah.” Kes stepped in close enough that their chests were almost touching, and he could feel the soft vibration coming off her body. “Drop the knife, Ashley.”
Her eyes flicked to the knife that was now being held harmlessly over the counter. She blinked like she wasn’t sure when that had happened, but he could feel her fingers relax as she released the blade with a clatter. “Oh, fuck, you should’ve kept the knife.” Her eyes went wide a moment before he cupped her face and crashed their lips together.
Ashley was stiff under his touch, but he wanted her to melt. He nibbled at her bottom lip and groaned as she opened her mouth for him. How had he stayed away from her for so long? He was frantic to be closer, to feel more, to slide into her heat and claim her. He knew she’d let her final guard down when she moaned and mimicked his position, her fingers pressed into his neck right over his pounding pulse.
Kes released her face and traced the outline of her body. He loved the small whimpers she made with every touch. Reaching for her waist, he traveled lower until he could grip the perky ass that he fucking loved. Her body pressed harder into his own, and his kissing amped up as frantic need coursed through his body. Lifting her so she could sit on the counter, his fingers slipped up the legs of the temptingly flimsy boxer shorts she was wearing. Her skin was so soft that there was nothing he could think to compare it to, but he greedily caressed her skin as he stepped between her legs. He pulled her so that she was on the edge of the counter. The heat of her pussy seared through the layers of clothes he was wearing. Ashley shivered and let out a little moan as he pressed himself into her harder. He fucking wanted these clothes out of the way. The temptation to unzip himself and shove the material aside was a choir in his head.
He had to stop kissing her or he was going to climb on top of her and fuck her on her counter. But he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t make himself let go of her ass or stop the voracious kiss that was consuming him. The only thing that had ever come close to what he was feeling was his first glass of water after spending a month on the run in hell.
Luckily, Ashley pulled back with a small gasp and touched their foreheads together, both of them breathing like they’d just run a marathon. Kes ran his fingertips up her arms and smirked as goosebumps rose from the simple touch.
“You’ve always made me stupid, Kes, and I hate you for it,” Ashley mumbled.
He couldn’t help but chuckle and then stood straight as he smiled wide at her. “That is the best compliment you could ever give me.” He placed his hands on the counter and leaned in, tempted to kiss her again as she licked her swollen lips. “Do you really hate me, Ashley?”
Ashley could never keep what she was thinking off her face, and that hadn’t changed. Her eyes, which seemed to glow in the dim light, looked away from his as she sucked on her bottom lip. Using the tip of his finger on her chin, he made her look at him once more, the eyelashes that always reminded him of butterfly wings slowly opening and closing as she tried her best not to look away.
“I should hate you.” Closing her eyes, she sighed, and he could feel her composing herself, trying to stuff her emotions away. “You’ve hurt me so much. I waited for you like an idiot in my prom dress until the hall emptied out and I was the last one left. I was the laughingstock once again, a final emotional teardown by the great Kes Reynolds. I was so furious that I went to your house to give you a piece of my mind and your father said you were out on a date. You played me for a fool, Kes. Over and over, you tortured the shit out of me and enjoyed my pain, and then, just when I thought you might’ve changed, you—,” she stopped talking, and this time, when she tried to look away, he let her.
“I know what it seems like, but it wasn’t like that,” he said, his voice soft. “And I wasn’t out on a date.”
