Saved by the Music (Saints & Sinners Book 2) (20 page)

“What are you doing?” she asked him, a big smile on her face.

“Giving you the best view so you can admire me while I cook.” He gave her a quick kiss before lifting her from the floor and setting her on the kitchen island.

“You’re crazy, you know that?” She grabbed him by the edge of his shirt and pulled him closer, spreading her legs wide enough for him to settle in between. He groaned when her hands slipped underneath his shirt, caressing his skin. He was already burning for her, but seeing her like this, desire in her eyes, set him on fire.

“Ashlee, I only have so much control here.” He rested his forehead to hers and placed his hands on each of her thighs, squeezing tight enough to get his point across.

She moved her hands to his sides, and he smiled when she dropped them to his ass. He loved knowing that a part of his body pleased her. “You don’t need to be in control when it comes to me. I prefer it when you don’t have any.” She leaned forward and nipped his chin before soothing the sting with her lips. Fuck, she drove him crazy.

“Ashlee,” was all he managed to get out when she kissed his neck. He slid his hands higher on her thighs, teasing her with soft touches on the insides, never giving her the pressure he knew she liked.

When her nails dug into the skin of his ass, his restraint vanished. He kissed her like a depraved man, one who couldn’t get enough. He lifted one hand to frame her face, tilting her head to the side to deepen the kiss. The moment his tongue touched hers, they were out of control. He thrust his hips forward, hitting her right where he knew would make her moan his name. He grabbed the hem of the shirt she wore and started pulling it up, needing to see her, to touch all of her with nothing between them.

As he lifted the shirt off her shoulders, the doorbell rang.

“You have got to be fucking kidding me.” He sighed loudly and dropped the shirt back down to cover Ashlee up. The doorbell rang again and then came the knocking.

“Put some clothes on, Brooks, and open the freaking door,” Jarrod’s voice came from the other side.

Ashlee started laughing, and he couldn’t look away from her. “This is not funny, Ashlee.”

“It kind of is. This is exactly what happened the first day I arrived. It’s like he has a sixth sense or something.”

The knocking persisted, and Sam backed away from Ashlee slowly.

“Or something,” he mumbled as he walked toward the living room. When he opened the front door, the guys stood on his front porch with grins on their faces.

“Took you long enough,” Mike said, a giant smile on his face.

“Fuck off, I was fucking busy. What are you guys doing here anyway?” Sam asked, looking at Jarrod.

He shrugged. “Don’t look at me, man. They wanted to talk to Ashlee. I’m just tagging along to fuck with you.”

Before he could ask why they wanted to talk to her, the four of them barged inside his house, laughing. He didn’t know what they were up to, but he had a feeling this would be a day to remember.

ASHLEE

Ashlee’s face was still flushed when the guys walked into the kitchen. When Sam looked at her with hungry eyes, she realized she was still wearing his shirt and nothing else. She tugged at the hem, trying to cover more of her body, even though it wasn’t doing any good.

“Hey, guys,” she said shyly, feeling slightly vulnerable. Sam moved beside her and pulled her to his side, taking away some of the nervousness.

“We obviously interrupted something. We should apologize, but that would be lying.”

She smiled at Tyler’s words. She loved each and every one of the guys standing in front of her, but she would also love for them to leave so she and Sam could finish what they’d started.

Everything had been so hard for the past few weeks, and they had been out of sync. Finally, for the first time since her mother passed, Ashlee felt like her old self. With Sam’s hands on her body, his lips pressed against hers, it was like the world faded away. She smiled at them, because she knew they were just being themselves. “Nothing we can’t finish later when you guys leave. What brings you guys over?”

Sam squeezed her waist, and she leaned her head on his shoulder.

Ashlee watched as Jarrod grabbed a coffee cup. “We’ll make this quick. We wanted to talk to you about the charity project, and what happens when you’re done setting it up.”

She looked around nervously, not understanding what was happening. “We’ll find someone who’s the perfect fit to manage the foundation’s day-to-day activities.” Just saying the words pained her; she had grown so attached to this project it was hard to imagine someone else taking over.

Jarrod looked at Sam, and she saw something pass between them. “Actually, we found someone we think is perfect for the job. She’s passionate about the cause, and we all get along. She’s more than competent, and we trust her implicitly.”

The sting in her heart grew with every word Jarrod spoke. They had already found someone to take over. She knew the day was coming, but she didn’t think it would happen so fast. She put on her best smile because, as sad as she was, she was also happy they’d found the best match for them. “That’s great, guys. I’m so happy to hear that. Who is she?”

“Your left eye twitches when you lie, and you being happy that we found someone breaks your heart. The person we found is you, Ashlee. You’ve put your whole heart and soul into this project, and you’ve become a part of this family. We want you to run the foundation.”

For the first time in her life, she was speechless. She hadn’t seen that coming, not even close. She closed her eyes and took deep breaths, trying to reel herself in. Before this project had come about, she was at a crossroad in her career; this foundation had been her saving grace.

She turned in to Sam’s body, tears soaking his shirt. His hand rubbed circles on her back, trying to calm her.

“Baby, it’s okay. You’ve changed my life, Ashlee, and this foundation is going to change the lives of so many kids. I wouldn’t want anyone else running this foundation but you.” She smiled when she felt his fingers under her chin, tilting her head back so they were staring into each other’s eyes. “I want you in my life permanently. This is our future, baby.”

She looked at Sam for a few seconds, and then she glanced at the guys who were all smiling at them. “I would love to run the foundation,” she managed to say through the flow of tears that wouldn’t stop.

The next thing she knew, she was being crushed by five guys hugging her. Even if she knew the next few weeks and months would be some of the hardest in her life, she had everything she needed to get through it right in that kitchen.

Grief was a funny thing. It had a way of sneaking up on you so you never saw it coming. Ashlee was pressed against Sam’s naked body, warm water floating around them as he rubbed away the tension from her shoulders. She had no idea what she would do without him, knowing there was no way she could ever get through it by herself.

She was all alone now, no more family to be there for her. Her mom wouldn’t see her get married, or have children. All the things that seemed so petty before seemed so important now.

“They tell you that picturing your life without your loved ones is a good way to prepare to grieve. I never did that. I never imagined it would ever happen. I knew she was in a bad way, but you never think the worst scenario is actually the one you’re going to be faced with. She was my whole world.” She didn’t know how she managed to get through all that without choking up.

“Your mom was a spectacular woman, and I know she was proud of you,” Sam said from behind her, his hands still resting on her shoulders.

“I just think of all the things she’s going to miss. She’s not going to see me get married, or be there when I have kids. I always thought she would be there for all of that.” She could hear the tremor in her voice as she spoke.

Sam tightened his hold on her, and she let herself sink against him, needing him more than she cared to admit right then.

“She might not be there with you physically, but she’ll be there watching over you.” Deep down, she knew he was right, but it wasn’t the same. She wouldn’t be able to see her mom’s smile or hear her advice.

“I know, but it’s not the same thing.” She wrapped her fingers around his and brought his hand up to her mouth, pressing a kiss to the top.

“I know, baby. I’m here for whatever you need.”

“And I love you for that. I know things are difficult right now and I’m not the best company, but I love you, Sam, and I love you for being there for me. I couldn’t do this without you.” And she believed every single word.

“I’m always going to be here for you, always. It’s you and me against the world.” His words hit a sore spot and she couldn’t hold it in anymore; the tears rolled down her face, and she couldn’t prevent the sobs. When Sam’s arms circled her, anchoring her, she leaned in to him and let herself start grieving, one day at a time.

SAM

Sam rolled over in the middle of the night, the sound of his phone ringing waking him. He scrubbed his hand over his face and glanced at the clock—3:00 a.m.

Ashlee reached for him, her hand on his shoulder. “Who’s calling you in the middle of the night?”

He grabbed his phone from the bedside table and looked down at the screen. “It’s my mom.” He straightened himself in bed and leaned back against the headboard as he answered.

“Mom, what’s going on? Are you okay?” When he heard his mom sniffle on the other line, he knew something wasn’t right.

“He escaped, Sam. Your father escaped from custody.” The words hit him like a brick wall, and he was suddenly fighting to breathe. With everything else happening in their lives, this was the last thing they needed.

Ashlee’s hands brushed against his chest, her warm body sliding next to him. “Sam, breathe for me.” He took a deep breath, then another, and another.

He nodded to Ashlee then focused on the woman crying in his ear. “What happened, Mom?”

“I don’t know. All they told me was that he escaped and injured two officers in the process. Sam, he’s going to come after you.” He knew she was right, but unlike the little boy he once was, he wasn’t scared. He had something to protect, someone to keep safe, and he would not fail.

He wrapped his arm around Ashlee’s shoulders and pulled her in to his body. “It’s going to be okay, Mom. He can’t hurt me anymore. If he comes for me, I’ll be waiting for him. Ashlee and I are going to be fine. I’m going to drive over and collect you. I want you to stay here until they find him.”

“Okay. I love you, Sam.” His mom’s voice was shaky, and he could tell she was scared. Fuck, his dad still managed to evoke fear in her, and he fucking hated it.

“I love you, too, Mom. See you soon.” He ended the call and dropped the phone on the bed. Tightening his hold on Ashlee, he pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head. He inhaled her scent a few times, forcing the blood in his veins to stop boiling.

“Sam, what’s going on?” Her concern reminded him of just what he had to lose.

He sighed and leaned his head back on the headboard. “My dad managed to escape. We don’t know much except for the fact that he injured two officers while doing it. I can’t fucking escape him, Ashlee. It doesn’t matter what I do. He’s always there, waiting to blow in and screw up my life.”

“You listen to me, and you listen well, Sam Brooks. That man only has the power you give him. You have built an amazing life for yourself, and nothing he ever does will take that away from you. Whatever that man has planned for us, we’ll face it together. We’ll get through this together as a unit. He can’t hurt you anymore. I won’t let him.”

Of the million things she could have said, that was exactly what he needed to hear. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you, but I would do it again. I love you so fucking much, Ashlee.”

“I love you, too. I’m going to make up the guest bedroom for your mom. How about you make a pot of coffee and head out to collect your mom. I doubt we’ll be getting much sleep tonight.” She gave him a quick kiss and pulled herself out of bed, grabbing her yoga pants. He smiled when she shimmied into the pants, which he swore were made to torture him with a perfect view of her ass.

“Stop looking at my ass.” She glanced at him from over her shoulder, and he knew angels were smiling down on him.

“I can’t help it when you wear those pants. Your ass looks great.”

“You are incorrigible, and I love you for it. I know it looks like the world is against us, but I promise you everything will be okay.”

And he believed it. He believed in them.

Over an hour later, he pulled up to his driveway with his mom in the passenger seat. It had taken him almost an hour to calm her down and get her in the car. “It’s going to be all right, Mom. No matter what happens, it’s going to be all right.”

“I know, honey. I just hate that he still manages to weave himself into our lives.”

“It won’t be forever. One day, it’s going to end.” He had to believe that or else why the hell was he hanging on? He had to have faith that things would be okay.

ASHLEE

The day she had been dreading since that night at the hospital had finally arrived—they were officially saying good-bye to her mother. She had no idea how she had managed to get through the last week.

Actually no, that was a lie. Sam was the reason she was still standing, and he was the reason she could smile through all of this. He had been her rock, and she didn’t think it was possible to love a man more than she loved him.

There were some days where losing her mom felt like a nightmare she would wake up from at any moment, and other days the pain was so real it took everything she had to get out of bed. It was one of those days. She woke pressed against Sam’s body, her left leg draped over his with her arm around his chest. Ashlee didn’t want to leave the comfort of their bed, but her mother deserved her to be strong today. She deserved the best from her, and that meant getting out of bed and making it through the funeral.