I shook my head no. “I never want to be without you, Ash, especially not tonight.”

He didn’t wait another second. Smiling, he turned the key, killing the engine, and hopped out of the car. He raced around the front of the car to my door, where he opened it and in a silly accent said, “Madame, please allow me to escort you into your estate.”

I threw my head back in laughter at his antics, but placed my hand in his allowing him to help me from the car. Upon entering the apartment, Max was nowhere to be seen so I assumed he was hiding in his room, and quite honestly, I couldn’t blame him. He and I really needed to have a Chocolate Bar session soon, but there was only one thing on my mind at that moment.

Ash and I headed straight for my bedroom, and closed the door behind us. Wasting no time, I slipped my shoes off and pulled my shirt over my head. He stood there staring at me, and I wasn’t sure if he was just watching me or was uncertain about what exactly I had in mind. I walked up to him, standing in my bra and jeans, and grabbed the hem of his shirt and raised it up and over his head. Once he was shirtless, a mischievous grin spread across his face and he reached down to unbutton and unzip my jeans. Biting my lip as the anticipation began to grow inside of me, I followed suit and unfastened his belt and pants, never once tearing our gaze from one another’s. He kicked of his shoes and allowed his pants to fall to the floor, then stepped out of them, as I shimmied out of mine.

We stood there nearly naked for several minutes, never speaking a word, but saying so much to one another. Finally, he brought his hands up to cup my face and leaned down until his face was so close to mine that I could feel his breath on my lips. “I’m so glad you’re home, Butterfly,” he whispered, ever so softly. Then he pressed his lips to mine, firmly and with purpose, taking control of my entire body and soul.

Quickly we stripped out of the minimal clothing we still had on, and found our way into my bed. Beginning with my mouth, Ash took his time kissing every inch of my body. His tender lips caressed my delicate skin as I melted into a pool of lust under this lean, muscular frame. The minute his mouth hit my throbbing clit, I could no longer control myself. As good as it felt when he licked and sucked on me, I needed to feel him inside me. My whimpering turned into begging as I tugged on his hair. “Ash… please… you… me… inside… now.” Those were the only words I could manage to form in between the moans that kept escaping my lips.

Needing to feel me as badly as I needed him, he didn’t torture me long. Moments later he slid his way back up my body until he was eye level with me. Hovering over me, the warmth of his love filling my heart, he brushed a strand of my hair off of my face and tucked it behind my ear as he lowered his mouth to mine. Gently, he pulled my bottom lip in between his, sucking slightly, at the same time that he slid his hard cock into my drenched slit satisfying the ache deep inside me.

Completely captivated by the passion, it didn’t take me long to reach my peak and to take the ecstasy-filled tumble down. Feeling and hearing my orgasm sent Ash over the edge right behind me. My walls clenched tight around him as I felt his body go rigid and then as he released himself inside of me. He collapsed on top of me, gasping for breath, as I locked my arms and legs tightly around his body holding him close. We were a mess of sweaty perfection, and I was glad to be home.

CHAPTER FIVE

Stay Close, Don’t Go ~ Secondhand Serenade

Three Little Birds ~ Bob Marley

The Last Time ~ Taylor Swift/ Gary Lightbody

MASON

Watching Scarlett walk out of my hotel suite was even harder than watching her leave me at the wedding. At the wedding I had been angry and raw, a bit out of control, but in the hotel I was just completely devastated. I walked back into the bedroom and sat down on the bed, lost in what to do next. The previous couple of months my life had gone to shit. Ever since I had moved to Austin, in what was supposed to be my huge step towards the life I had always wanted, everything had just fallen apart. I had lost sight of the things that were supposed to be important in my life ~ Scarlett, my music, and my brother, and traded them in for cheap fixes in alcohol, drugs, and groupies. I had apparently almost died, but I honestly didn’t feel any different physically just days later, so I wasn’t convinced it was as serious as they had all made it out to be. The worst part of it all was thinking that Scarlett had come back, that we were going to give it another shot, only to be shattered when she walked away again.

I understood what she said about so much happening between us, but I didn’t agree that it was more than we could handle. I was willing to forgive her for all that she had done wrong, but seemingly she couldn’t do the same. I believed that she loved me; regardless of her fuck ups, her heart was pure and her intentions were good. I always knew that Ash had some sort of hold on her, but I had truly believed that our love was true and we could overcome that. Obviously I had been wrong.

Sighing, I looked at the side of the bed that she had laid on the night before, where for a few short minutes I had tasted her sweet flesh against my lips once again. I didn’t want to accept that it would be the last time I would hold her so intimately, despite the reality that it most likely was. I had wanted so badly to go after her, to beg her one last time, but in spite of my complete mental and physical breakdown, I still held some semblance of pride. A few minutes after she left, I thought I heard crying in the hallway, but I resisted the urge to see if it was her. It absolutely killed me to see her cry, even knowing that it was her decision to walk away, I still hated that she was distraught.

A knock on my door pulled me from my depressing thoughts. Both Marcus and Cruz were standing there with concerned looks on their face as I threw the door open.

"Come on in to the suite of despair," I said with a forced laugh. I motioned them in with my hand and walked towards the kitchenette. "Can I grab y'all a drink?"

I reached for the bottle of Jack Daniels and three rocks glasses without waiting for an answer. I poured three double shots and slid them each a glass.

"No," Marcus said firmly as he slammed his hand on the countertop.

I looked up at him confused. "No? What's your deal, dude? You've been nothing but a dick since you've gotten here."

"Are you serious, Rat? I just flew halfway across the country, on Christmas no less, to see my baby brother lying in a coma in a hospital bed because he overdosed!! And you're going to ask me what my fucking problem is?!" His face was beet red as he lectured me. "You really need to take a step back and reevaluate your situation. You've had your head so far up that girl's ass you don't know what the hell's going on. Ever since she came into your life you've completely lost all sense of reality. And yet today she has fucked you over once again because here you sit wallowing in your sorrows while she just skipped out of the lobby kissing emo boy."

"Shut up! Just shut the fuck up!!" I screamed at him. "Ever since the day she walked into Empty's, my life has finally made sense. I was doing all this shit before she was around and none of you seemed to care then... She makes me want to be a better person; can't you see that?"

He slid the still full glass back towards me and turned around to leave. "You need help little brother," he said as he walked to the door. "And I hate to break it to you, but your precious little angel can't fix this. As a matter of fact, she's really no angel at all."

I looked up at Cruz who had been silent throughout. I was so livid I could barely speak. I assumed it was his turn to pile on, but instead he just followed Marcus out the door without saying a word.

I looked down at the three glasses in front of me. I knew I had a problem, I knew I needed to push them away, but I couldn't do it alone. A mixture of emotions coursed through my body- rage, despair, sadness, frustration, and most of all loneliness. There I stood all alone, and yet once again, my old friend Jack was there to pick me up. I hurriedly downed all three drinks, allowing the warmth of the whiskey to flow freely through my veins and numb the cold, empty feeling away.

As I slammed the final glass onto the countertop, I mumbled to myself, "She is too an angel. She's my angel."

SCARLETT

Ash and I spent the rest of the afternoon and night in my bed, only getting up to use the bathroom and get food. We made love several times around watching some old movies, but neither of us ventured into deep conversation. Several times I found myself wondering how Mase was doing or when he was coming home, but each time that I did, I consciously pulled my thoughts back to my surroundings. I didn't think that Ash noticed anything wrong or off, but each time my mind began to wander, I would curl up into Ash and kiss him to remind me of why I'd made the decision I had.

The next morning I awoke early as the sun came streaming through the window. I tried lying there, willing myself back to sleep, but to no avail. I decided to get up and cook breakfast for the boys... a little way of showing gratitude for them coming to get me. I threw on some yoga pants and a thermal top, put my ear buds in, and quietly made my way to the kitchen.

My cooking skills were mediocre at best, but breakfast was something that I could actually do which was most likely why Max and I ate breakfast for dinner pretty regularly. Luckily we had all of the ingredients for what I wanted to prepare, and after I got out all of the bowls and skillets that I needed, I got right to work.

I put my iPod on random and allowed the tunes to set the pace for my cooking. Bob Marley's unmistakable voice was the first to flow through my speakers, and I couldn't help but dance around with a goofy grin on my face as his infectious lyrics reminded me to not worry because every little thing was going to be alright. I quickly lost myself in the task at hand, cracking open eggs and frying up bacon, while I tried to stay somewhat quiet as Ash and Max continued to sleep. I was getting close to finishing everything when a song came on that I didn't even realize I had in my music library. About halfway through it, I stopped and looked at my phone to see who and what it was ~ The Last Time by Taylor Swift and Gary Lightbody. I restarted it so that I could really focus on the lyrics, and I couldn't help but think how relevant it was to mine and Ash's situation, except I should've been singing the guy's part. I realized that this really was the last time he was going to take me back if I walked away from him or put someone else in front of him, this was the last time I had to prove to him that I chose him. I had to figure out a way to get over Mase, and focus on Ash. When I sat down and thought about it logically, there really never was a choice. I knew from the moment I laid eyes on Ash that he was destined to be in my life. Even if I didn't believe in fate and all of that, Ash had so much to offer me. He was incredibly smart and working towards a promising career in astrophysics, he was unarguably good looking, we had common interests in music and art, and most importantly, he was in love with me and treated me like the most precious thing in the world. He was undoubtedly the most logical choice, the only problem was convincing the part of my heart that still loved Mase of that.

I was so lost in thought that I didn't even hear Ash get up and join me in the kitchen. He slid his arms around my waist from behind as I stood at the stovetop, and then softly kissed his way up my neck to my earlobe as he greeted me.