Figure Eight (Celtic Knot Book 2) (6 page)

“It’s ok, love. Don’t worry about it,” Rownan’s kind voice reassured me. I kept my head bowed so that he didn’t see my distress as I tried to make my way to my feet. Rownan extended his hand to assist me and I graciously accepted it feeling weaker than I did when I woke up this morning.

“Your painting is beautiful, Ashley, but that is not me,” he chuckled slightly as he looked at my work on the easel. I followed his gaze with my eyes to look at my creation on the canvas and nearly stumbled backwards. He was right, the painting wasn’t him. It was Dominic.

“I...I…” I faltered trying to find the right words to say. My cheeks once again flushed as all the blood rushed to my head.

“Either you are feeling extremely guilty about what happened, or you are a masochist and like to torture yourself,” he said playfully. I opened my mouth to respond, but nothing came out. I looked like a damned fish opening and closing my mouth underwater. Rownan saw my unease and smiled his gorgeous white teeth at me, which in turn made me smile. In fact, I think it was the first time I had really smiled since the whole incident with Dominic went down.

“Come on, I’ll escort you to your car. You look like you could go for a nap.”

“Ok, uh, just let me wash these,” I replied as I held up the paintbrush and palette I picked up from the floor. Making my way over to the sink, I turned on the taps and tried to regain my composure. How in the world did I paint a picture of Dominic while looking at the naked form of Rownan? Was my subconscious having me imagine Dominic while I was trying to paint the picture of another man?

I methodically washed the paintbrush and palette, being sure to strip them both of all of the acrylic before setting them aside to dry. Rownan was waiting for me near the door by the time that I had finished. I glanced around the studio to notice that we were alone all except for Ginny who was straightening items around the room.

“Ginny, love, I will talk to you later, yeah?” he asked her, his deep voice bellowing off the walls in the empty room.

“Yes, see you Wednesday. Ashley, I hope you feel better,” she said before returning to her task.

“Thanks.”

Rownan walked me to my car as he offered, although we remained silent the majority of the way. Once we made it to my car, he wrapped his hand around the keys I held in my hand and proceeded to unlock and open the car door for me.

“My mum would be disappointed in me if I did not open the door for a lady,” he shrugged nonchalantly. I smiled warmly at him as I slid into the seat of my older model Honda Civic, the only object I kept in my divorce from Jared.

“Thank you,” I said sweetly to him. His kindness today had gone a long way, even when I could have been completely mortified at my appearance and actions.

“Go home and drink some green tea, it will help.” I nodded my head in agreement and placed my keys into the ignition.

“Oh, and Ashley,” he said stopping me before I cranked the motor in the car, “if you want to talk about...you know...anything, I am here for you, love.” I once again nodded, not knowing what to say. I was so confused by Rownan’s demeanor. He seemed like such a sweet, caring guy. It was hard to believe that the same man was a master dominant at the club. He reached down and stroked the side of my cheek with the back of his knuckles and his brows furrowed together in concern.

“Ashley, you are burning up. Your eyes are glassy. Love, I think you need to see a doctor,” he stated firmly. I mustered all of the strength I could to look up at him and tell him I was fine, but as I did, a wave of dizziness overcame me and I had to grip the steering wheel to keep from falling out of the car.

“Whoa. That is it. I’m taking you to the clinic,” he said and I started to protest only to have him brushing me off as he bent down to lift me from the driver’s seat and carried me around to the other side of the car to plant me in the passenger seat. I didn’t have time to refuse as Rownan was already in the driver’s seat and starting the car. My body felt achy and heavy as I slumped further down into the seat, and soon my eyes were closing as sleep overtook me.

My visit to the doctor resulted in me finding out that I had a severe sinus infection. The doctor sent me away with a prescription for an antibiotic and to get some rest. Rownan waited for me the entire time I was at the doctor and even drove me home in my car before hopping in a cab to take him back to the art studio where his car was. I spent the entire rest of the day in bed and most of the next. Wednesday had rolled around and I was feeling much better. I stripped off the sheets on my bed so that I could wash all of the sickness off of them and tried to tidy up around the apartment.

Kelly and I were hardly home at the same time since I sent Dominic and Knox to jail and I wondered if it was deliberate. I missed her almost, if not more, than I missed Dominic. She was someone who had been through thick and thin with me ever since I moved to the greater Chicago area, and it felt like I was missing one of my limbs. I didn’t have any siblings, and with both of my parents having already passed, Kelly was the one person who I considered to be my family.

I sat at the kitchen table nursing my coffee as I reminisced about all the great times that Kelly and I had together. My heart physically ached in my chest at the loss I felt of not being close to her these last few days. My sister in every way other than blood, she was my rock, my foundation that I depended on more than anything, especially after my divorce. Now, the one person I needed the most, was avoiding me at every chance. I had heard through the grapevine, as well as on the news, that Dominic and Knox were out on bond. To think that either one of them had to spend even one second in jail, broke my heart, but I had to do it to protect them. Asher’s blackmail made sure that I did as instructed. He used my love for Dominic, Kelly, and Knox as a way to get back at them. It was his own fault that he was kicked out of the club the night he tried to attack me, and now he was using the blackmail as revenge against Dominic and me.

Taking another draw from my coffee, my mind wandered back to the last time that Dominic and I were together at his apartment. He had surprised me in the kitchen when I was making him breakfast before he had to catch his flight to New Orleans. I remembered how his strong hands lifted me on to the counter and how his eyes raked over me with heat and passion. His hands tried to find every naked span of my skin like an addict tried to find his next fix. I would never forget the blaze in his dark brown eyes as it looked like he had fire burning from his irises. My skin burned with even the slightest brush of his fingertips, and his need to be inside of me once more before he left for his trip nearly had me coming on the spot.

I nearly spilled my coffee all down my shirt when I jumped as someone knocked on my apartment door. Feeling embarrassed that anyone could have seen my lustful daydream, I tried to compose myself before I answered. If I thought I was flushed just before I opened the door, then that was like being in the cold frigid lands of the Arctic Circle because when I opened the door, I thought that my body had fallen into the fiery depths of hell. Spontaneous combustion was my only option as I came face to face with Dominic.

I made Knox leave me alone after he spent 2 days at my apartment driving me insane. If I hadn’t already been losing my mind over Ashley and the situation, I would have definitely lost it with him hovering over me like a mama hen. I knew he was afraid that I would do something desperate and was just trying to keep me in line, but I had had enough and booted him out this morning.

Knox went to meet up with Drake and the rest of the security team to inform them of what was going on, and to also seek their testimonies for when we went to trial. They knew for a fact exactly every single action that went down at the club, and also knew that the only thing we sold were memberships. If there were any exchange of money between Madams, Dominants and their subs, they would have known.

I had been alone in my apartment for several hours, and the silence in the room was deafening compared to all the noise going on in my head. I couldn’t even look around the room without thinking about Ashley. She was the first and only woman I had ever invited to my place and I swear I could smell her scent everywhere. It was haunting and did nothing to help me keep my thoughts away from her and the situation.

I walked into the kitchen thinking that food might help me keep my thoughts at bay, only to be stricken with heated memories of the morning I took Ashley on the island counter before my flight to New Orleans. Her responsiveness to my touch made my dick hard as I struggled to block the invading memory. Her skin, her breasts, and her gorgeous fucking pussy as it tightened around me just before she came.

I whipped my eyes open, placed my hands down on the counter and bowed my hands to try and gain control. I was slowly slipping into the realms of insanity and
I could not tell reality from a memory anymore. I could feel my arms start to shake from the pressure I was putting on the countertop as I tried to maintain my composure. I felt like a rubber band stretched to the max and at any moment, someone was going to let go and send me flying. My heart pounded in my chest, beating against my ribcage and I took deep breaths trying to calm down. How could I be feeling both lust and anger at the same time? Why is it that she had to invade every corner of my mind to where I was left with nothing but thoughts of her?

I wanted answers. I
needed
answers. Pushing off from the counter, I paced the floor in the kitchen. The more time that went by, the more the thoughts festered and I was driven mad. There was only one person who could explain why things happened like they did. All I needed to do was go to her. Enough was enough. I needed the truth from Ashley. Grabbing my keys, I stormed out of my apartment. I knew Knox wouldn’t approve and would be downright pissed off at what I was about to do, but it wasn’t his heart on the line.