Until Darkness Comes (25 page)

Nate’s hopeful look caused a tightening in Ashley’s gut. She and Nate had been friends since preschool. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt him, or ruin a perfectly good friendship. But she just wasn’t sure she felt the same way about him. She wanted to feel it. Life would be so much simpler with him. And maybe if she did have a boyfriend, Max would finally get the hint and leave her alone, but that was the wrong reason to say yes. Perhaps with a little time, she would feel something more for him. She just didn’t want to burn any bridges here, one way or the other.

Ashley sat motionless, staring down into the hands which held hers so tenderly. Nate’s thumb brushed across the top of her hand. It wasn’t fireworks, like she suspected it would be if Balen had gotten the nerve to touch her, but it was nice—comfortable. Maybe Nate
was
best for her, she decided, looking up into his hopeful eyes. She gave him an encouraging smile.

“Nate, I…” Ashley stopped mid-sentence when the sound of a loud bang came from the driveway. Nate’s car alarm rang shrilly, echoing throughout the neighborhood.

“What the hell?” he exclaimed, jumping up and jogging over to the driveway as he fished his keys out of his pocket to silence the alarm.

Secretly, she was thankful for the interruption, hoping the distraction would buy her some more time to think.
“You’re welcome.”
She jumped at the sound of a voice behind her.
“What are you doing here?” she gasped. “I thought I told you to leave me alone!”
“And I thought I told you that wasn’t going to happen.”
“Are you into rejection or something? Olivia didn’t want you, and I don’t want you either!”
“Olivia didn’t climb into my bed. And don’t tell me you didn’t enjoy it.”
“It was a mistake, Max! A horrible mistake!”
“Your ‘would be’ boyfriend will be back here in a minute, and if you care anything for him or his longevity, you’ll get rid of him,” Max warned as he walked around the corner of the house.
The last thing she wanted was for Nate to get caught up in this mess, or even worse, get hurt because of her.
“That’s odd,” Nate said, walking back up the steps to sit beside her. “I wonder what set that alarm off.”
She didn’t say anything. Her throat was too dry to speak.
“You okay? You don’t look good, well, I mean you
look
good, but you know what I mean,” he said, stumbling over himself.
“I’m actually not feeling very well,” she said flatly. “Do you think I can get a rain check on today?” She could see the disappointment on his face and felt terrible for hurting him.
“Sure,” he nodded, sounding slightly defeated. “I’m meeting Liv at Byers Lake at two. Let me know if you change your mind, and I’ll pick you up.”
“Thanks,” she said, standing up to head back into the house.
“Ash,” Nate said, catching her hand before she could reach the door.
She turned back around to find him standing closer to her than she expected. Nate slid his hand alongside her neck, cupping the side of her jaw. His fingertips brushed against the bottom of her ear and before she could register what was happening, he lowered his head and kissed her.
She gasped in surprise, and he took the opportunity to deepen the kiss. His tongue slid into her mouth, and Ashley’s mind went blank—right before all hell broke loose.
Everything happened so fast, it all seemed so surreal. She was about to pull away, to warn Nate that Max was here, but she hesitated a moment too long. A feral growl echoed through the yard. It sounded like a wild animal. She opened her eyes to see Balen come flying around the corner of the driveway and then stumble to an abrupt halt when he saw Nate kissing her. At the same time, Max came tearing across the yard, charging toward them with deadly intent.
“Ashley, look out!” Balen yelled, racing toward her to intercept Max.
Ashley and Nate turned in surprise to see Max moving toward them so fast that neither of them had a chance to get out of his way. Nate stepped in front of her, buffering her with his body, bracing for the impact.
A second before Max reached the porch, a blur of movement shot in from the left. Balen crashed into Max like a linebacker. The bone crushing thud made her stomach turn. She watched in horror as Balen’s arms circled around Max’s chest and he threw him to the side as they fell. The force of the hit was so immense, Max rolled several times before crashing up against the base of a tree.
Balen leapt to his feet, ready to dive toward Max again. He glanced toward her and Nate, and the vibrant amethyst glow of his eyes made her gasp. “Get her out of here!” he snarled, jarring Nate from his state of shock. He grabbed Ashley’s hand and quickly spun around, dragging her behind him as he ran toward his car. Ashley stumbled along behind him, unwilling to look away from Balen as Max pulled himself up off the ground like some horrible scene from
Terminator
.
He took a few staggering steps toward Balen, quickly regained his balance, and launched forward, driving his shoulder into Balen’s chest. He fell backward onto the grass and rolled up on his shoulders, using his legs to throw Max off of him.
Nate rounded the passenger side of his car and shoved Ashley inside. He was in the driver’s seat and peeling out of the driveway when she looked up to see Balen slam his fist into Max’s jaw. She heard the crack from inside the car, and her stomach lurched. “I think I’m going to be sick!” she cried, holding her hands over her mouth, hyperventilating.
Nate threw the car into drive, and the Escape flew down the street. “What are you doing? We can’t just leave him! Where are you going?”
“Away from Max! It looks like Liam’s friend can take care of himself, Ash. I need to get you out of here!”
“I can’t believe this is happening,” she cried as hot tears ran down her cheeks. “Max is insane!”
“It’s going to be okay. I’ll take you to Liv’s. You’ll be safe there.”
She nodded, unable to speak past the lump in her throat.
As they pulled into Olivia’s driveway, Ashley saw her sitting on the swing in her front yard. Her smile quickly fell as they approached.
“What’s wrong?” Olivia demanded.
“Max is what’s wrong!” Nate bit out. “He won’t leave Ashley alone. He’s scaring the shit out of her! He and Balen are going at it.”
“We have to go back and see if Balen’s okay,” Ashley cried.
“Don’t worry about Balen,” Olivia said, trying to reassure her. “He can take care of himself—trust me.”
“How can you say that?” she snapped, frustrated that her friends weren’t showing more concern for Balen’s welfare. “Max could really hurt him! He’s a lunatic!”
“Ash,” Olivia said, attempting to reason with her. “You’re talking about the same Balen that already kicked Max’s ass for coming into your bedroom, remember? He’s going to be fine.”
“What?” Nate turned to face her. “Max came into your room? When? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Cuz I didn’t want you to freak out,” she said flatly, as if his current reaction proved her point. “I’m already upset enough about it. Besides, nothing happened. Balen showed up and they got into it.”
“Ashley, this is totally
Fatal Attraction
! You’ve got to go to the police or something. If you owned a rabbit, it’d be boiling on the stove right now.”
“Thanks, Nate. You always know just what to say to make me feel better. What do you suppose I do? Go to the cops and tell them that I had sex with my best friend’s exboyfriend and now he’s stalking me? Cuz whatever I say to them is going to get back to my parents.”
“Yeah,” Nate said, as if it were that simple. “That’s exactly what you say.”
Ashley snorted. “Not likely, besides, what actual crime has he committed?”
“B & E for starters! Geeze, Ashley, I don’t think you’re fully appreciating the seriousness of the situation here!”
Olivia reached up, resting her hand on Nate’s shoulder. “Take it easy. Let’s just take a few minutes to breathe and then we’ll figure this mess out.”
***

Olivia, Nate and Ashley were all sitting in the swing outside her house when Balen pulled into her driveway with Liam’s black Camaro. He’d intended to bring it over to her this morning before he’d gotten sidetracked. As he parked the car, Ashley leapt out of the swing and came running toward him.

Balen stepped out of the car and took no more than two steps before Ashley crashed into him, wrapping her arms around his chest. Balen stumbled back as Ashley crushed herself against his body. A blast of energy surged into him. Instinctively, he wrapped an arm around her to steady them. Heat tore through his chest like an inferno ripping the air from his lungs.

“Ashley,” Balen ground out, torn between a mixture of pain and pleasure. A cool breeze blew against them, and her soft golden curls caressed the side of his neck, her face still buried into his chest as he stood there, towering over her. A cascade of emotions and desires, he’d never felt before, suddenly overwhelmed him. He tried to push her back, wanting to put some distance between them so he could think again, but his arm refused to cooperate. Instead, he held her tighter, folding his other arm around her.

“Are you all right?” he whispered against the top of her head, bringing his hand up to smooth down her defiant curls. Her hair felt like finely spun silk, so much softer than he’d imagined. He could feel the beat of her heart crashing up against his chest.

"Are
you
all right?" she asked, leaning back to study his face. "Your lip, it's bleeding," she exclaimed, reaching up to touch it. He caught her wrist before her fingers could graze his lip. It was bad enough she’d touched him. He didn’t want to even think about what would happen if she came in contact with his blood.

"It’s fine," he replied hastily, sliding his tongue over the corner of his lip, feeling for the split. He looked over Ashley’s head toward Olivia, whose eyes were locked on him intently. He shifted his gaze over to Nate, who sat stiffly beside her, clearly livid to see Ashley in his arms. Every word they spoke to each other carried over to him on the breeze. He knew he should let Ashley go, but his body wasn’t cooperating with his mind.

"I'm really sorry, Nate," Olivia said softly, placing her hand on Nate’s. "I know how you feel about her. She’s just worried about him, that’s all. Try not to read too much into it."

"I think I'm going to go, Liv. It looks like Ashley’s made it pretty clear who she wants."
Olivia frowned. "That’s not fair, Nate. She’s worried about him. He could have been hurt protecting her. It doesn’t have to mean anything.”
“If you believe that, then you’re in denial, Liv. Don’t you see the way she looks at him? She never looks at me like that.”
“That’s because you’re friends. It’s harder to make that transition sometimes. That doesn‘t mean you should stop trying. That doesn’t mean that you’re not the better choice for her.”
That one stung. He knew Olivia was right, but that didn’t make hearing her say those words hurt any less.
“I’ll see you later,” Nate said, standing up from the swing.
“See you at two, right? Kayaking…”
“Sure.” He shot Balen a glare as he walked past them.
“Thanks for taking care of her,” Balen said.
“I didn't do it for you,” Nate growled.
Guilt socked him in the gut. He felt sorry for the guy, but it was better this way—safer. He wouldn't be a target for Max anymore, and Ashley needed someone who could protect her—really protect her.
“Nate, wait,” Ashley called, wiggling out of his arms. He had to force himself to let her go, and watched as she jogged over to catch up with Nate. His driver’s door was open, and he stood on the other side of it when he finally turned to face her.
“Don’t go,” Ashley pleaded.
“Why do you care?” he challenged.
“That’s not fair, Nate. You know I care. You’re one of my best friends.” Ashley placed her hand on top of his, and he jerked it away.
Balen watched them closely. He could feel she was upset. His already turbulent emotions spiked another degree.
“It’s because of him, isn’t it? That’s why you won’t give us a chance?” Nate asked frankly, nodding his head toward Balen.
“I don’t know what it is. I have feelings for you, Nate, but I’m just not sure if they’re the same feelings you have for me.”
Balen stiffened. His expression must have darkened, because Olivia walked over to him and wrapped her hand around his bicep, keeping him from going over there. “He’s upsetting her. I can feel it.”
“Just give them a chance to work it out, Balen. Nate really likes her, and he’s hurt because he doesn’t think she feels the same way. He blames you.”
Balen turned to look at her. “I didn’t mean for that to happen,” he said. “And I didn’t expect her to touch me. This really complicates things now.”
“I know it does, but she can’t help it. She’s drawn to you. The connection you feel with her, she feels it too. It’s even more confusing for her, though, because she doesn’t understand any of it.” She was speaking to him from experience. “She doesn’t realize what you are, and you need to be strong enough for the both of you. If you don’t keep your distance from her, you’re going to break her heart.”
“Is that what you wish Liam would have done?” he asked pointedly.
Olivia paused. “I don’t know how to answer that. Liam and I have a bond that’s developed over eighteen years. He’s a part of my heart that I didn’t realize was missing until he came back. Now that he has, I can’t imagine my life without him.”
The car door shut. “Come on, Nate. Don’t be pissed,” Ashley said, as he began to pull away.
“He’ll be fine, Ash,” Olivia called to her. “I’ll talk to him when I see him this afternoon. He just needs to lick his wounds for a little while. You’ll see, he’ll be back to that same old Nate in no time.”
“Do you mind if I take Ashley to go get something to eat? I don’t think she’s had breakfast yet.”
“Sure, go ahead,” Olivia answered.
“How about you? Have you eaten? You’re more than welcome to come along.”
“Nah, I was just heading in to get cleaned up, but thanks for asking. Do you have any idea when Liam will be back?” she asked hopefully.
Balen shook his head. “I haven’t heard anything yet.”
“Will you let me know if you do? I thought you were him when I saw you pull up in his car. Got it out of the shop, huh? That was quick.”
“It’s a replacement. The other one was completely totaled. I’ll trade you keys and you can keep the Camaro here.” He didn’t want to frighten her by mentioning that Max would recognize the Mustang by now, and she’d be safer if she drove the Camaro.
Balen could feel Ashley’s emotions as if they were his very own. Since she touched him, their connection was so strong, he could easily mistake her feelings for his own. “You’re awfully quiet,” he said, glancing over at her in the passenger’s seat.
“I’ve got a lot on my mind. I hate to think about what would have happened today if you hadn’t shown up. That’s twice now you’ve saved me from Max. How are you always there when I need you?”
Ashley was quick. It wouldn’t take long before she started putting things together. How long before she figured out he wasn’t what she thought he was? “Just lucky, I guess.”
“You’re not afraid of him, are you? He scares most people. You know each other, don’t you?”
“I know him through Liam. They had a few run-ins when he was going out with Olivia. I’m sure she’s told you about that.” He offered simple explanations, hoping it would be enough to curb her curiosity. Ashley was silent. He felt her sadness and knew she blamed herself for getting mixed up with Max and for hurting Nate.
“It’s not your fault, Ashley. Max is manipulative and alluring. That’s part of what makes him so dangerous.”
“Nate’s angry with me,” she said, changing subjects. “He thinks I’ve chosen you over him.”
Her candidness caught him off guard. He took his foot off the accelerator and pulled the Mustang over to the side of the road. He turned toward her, giving her his full attention. “Is that what you’ve done? Chosen me over him?” Balen felt her uncertainty rise, and she hesitated before answering.
“I don’t know. Are you mine to choose? I’m sorry,” she immediately said before he could answer. “I shouldn’t have asked you that.”
Balen watched her closely, not sure what to say, but absolutely sure of what he shouldn’t.
I’m yours, Ashley, but you’ll never be mine.
“Balen, say something,” she prompted, looking more anxious with every passing second. Her hands fidgeted in her lap. He reached over and placed his hand over hers, stopping the repetitious motion, but touching her was too much to handle. He quickly pulled his hand back, needing the separation from her in order to think clearly.
“Ashley,” he said softly, not sure exactly what to say. “I like you—a lot. But my life is very…complicated,” he said, searching for the right words. “I’m not sure that if you knew everything about me that you
would
choose me. Nate’s a good guy, and he obviously cares for you a great deal. I’m afraid that I would only bring you heartache.”
“I don’t believe that,” she denied, shaking her head. “If this is your way of telling me that you’re not interested, then please, just say it, Balen.”
The hurt and confusion in her eyes cut through him like a knife, and he wanted nothing more at that moment than to stop her pain. “That’s not it,” he said, hoping the conviction in his eyes would convince her he spoke the truth. “I just have other commitments, unavoidable obligations that would come between us. Believe me, the last thing I want is to hurt you.”
“I can’t decide if you’re being extremely chivalrous, or just an ass,” she said skeptically.
Balen suppressed a smile. He loved her strong spirit, and suspected that was why Max was so drawn to her. “Probably both,” he replied, pulling the Mustang back into traffic.