team were doing in this town. The expression on Ashton’s face when he’d heard they were from Shale made her heart clench in her chest. Although she tried to be rational about it all—reminding herself that he doesn’t know her—she can’t help but feel like somehow he does.
She wanders down the main street of the town feeling a little captivated by this charming place. It seems like a kind of oasis in the midst of a busy world. People actually smile and say hello as they pass each other on the street. If that happened to her in DC, she would probably have figured they were crazy. With the rain still hammering down, it’s really not the kind of weather that encourages time outdoors, but she’s not ready to go back to the motel yet. She needs some more time to get whatever is going on with her out of her system. All of a sudden, she catches sight of the furniture store where she’d seen Ashton the first day they drove into town. She convinces herself that she’s only going inside because her ‘new’ apartment in Washington is virtually empty.
She rushes through the rain, managing to get soaked to the skin in the process. She yanks open the door and stands at the entrance, wishing that she’d chosen a t-shirt that didn’t leave so little to the imagination, especially when completely plastered against her slick, wet body. She looks up to see that there are only two other people in the shop, Ashton and another man, and they’re both staring at her like she’d just landed in a space ship.
“I come in peace,” she jokes weakly and then wonders when exactly it was that she became such a dork in social situations.
The way that the broad, dark-haired guy with Ashton looks at her makes her glad that looks can’t kill. There’s a sense of violence about him, as if he might spring into action at any moment. He and Ashton exchange a look that seems to be an entire conversation, and Ashton nods as if in agreement. His friend stalks towards the door that Sofie is still hovering around. As he stares at her pointedly, she steps to one side to allow him to pass.
Although he moves with the same easy grace as Ashton, there’s a ferocity about him that makes her take a step away from him as he passes her. She tries to avoid eye contact, not wanting to make this guy any angrier than he already seems to be, but she sees a flash, and she has to blink to make sure that she wasn’t dreaming. It looked there was a shine in his eyes, like they turned gold, but when she’d blinked they were back to dark brown.
As the door closes behind the angry-looking man, the silence between Ashton and Sofie stretches out. She scrambles around for something to say.
“Your friend seems...interesting,” she notes cautiously, running her fingers through her wet hair in a vain effort to dry it.
But, instead of replying, Ashton turns around and walks towards the back of the shop, disappearing through a door.
“Guess that means you’re not in the mood for small talk,” she says under her breath, as she prepares to go out into the unforgiving weather again.
“You’re dripping on the floor.” Ashton’s deep voice comes from behind her, and she spins around, wondering how he’d managed to move without her hearing him. He hands her a small hand towel. “It’s all I have,” he says simply, shrugging and looking mildly apologetic.
“Thanks.” Sofie takes the towel and starts patting her face and drying out her hair.
Ashton watches her with a hungry look that immediately makes her fumble and blush to the roots of her hair. “Don’t worry about Gus. He’s not so good around new people.” He nods in the direction that his friend left in.
“I’m getting the sense that might be a recurring theme round here.” Sofie hands the damp towel back to Ashton, collecting herself together and giving him a questioning glance.
His face immediately hardens. “We don’t like being played.”
His words hit their mark, and Sofie winces
She wanders down the main street of the town feeling a little captivated by this charming place. It seems like a kind of oasis in the midst of a busy world. People actually smile and say hello as they pass each other on the street. If that happened to her in DC, she would probably have figured they were crazy. With the rain still hammering down, it’s really not the kind of weather that encourages time outdoors, but she’s not ready to go back to the motel yet. She needs some more time to get whatever is going on with her out of her system. All of a sudden, she catches sight of the furniture store where she’d seen Ashton the first day they drove into town. She convinces herself that she’s only going inside because her ‘new’ apartment in Washington is virtually empty.
She rushes through the rain, managing to get soaked to the skin in the process. She yanks open the door and stands at the entrance, wishing that she’d chosen a t-shirt that didn’t leave so little to the imagination, especially when completely plastered against her slick, wet body. She looks up to see that there are only two other people in the shop, Ashton and another man, and they’re both staring at her like she’d just landed in a space ship.
“I come in peace,” she jokes weakly and then wonders when exactly it was that she became such a dork in social situations.
The way that the broad, dark-haired guy with Ashton looks at her makes her glad that looks can’t kill. There’s a sense of violence about him, as if he might spring into action at any moment. He and Ashton exchange a look that seems to be an entire conversation, and Ashton nods as if in agreement. His friend stalks towards the door that Sofie is still hovering around. As he stares at her pointedly, she steps to one side to allow him to pass.
Although he moves with the same easy grace as Ashton, there’s a ferocity about him that makes her take a step away from him as he passes her. She tries to avoid eye contact, not wanting to make this guy any angrier than he already seems to be, but she sees a flash, and she has to blink to make sure that she wasn’t dreaming. It looked there was a shine in his eyes, like they turned gold, but when she’d blinked they were back to dark brown.
As the door closes behind the angry-looking man, the silence between Ashton and Sofie stretches out. She scrambles around for something to say.
“Your friend seems...interesting,” she notes cautiously, running her fingers through her wet hair in a vain effort to dry it.
But, instead of replying, Ashton turns around and walks towards the back of the shop, disappearing through a door.
“Guess that means you’re not in the mood for small talk,” she says under her breath, as she prepares to go out into the unforgiving weather again.
“You’re dripping on the floor.” Ashton’s deep voice comes from behind her, and she spins around, wondering how he’d managed to move without her hearing him. He hands her a small hand towel. “It’s all I have,” he says simply, shrugging and looking mildly apologetic.
“Thanks.” Sofie takes the towel and starts patting her face and drying out her hair.
Ashton watches her with a hungry look that immediately makes her fumble and blush to the roots of her hair. “Don’t worry about Gus. He’s not so good around new people.” He nods in the direction that his friend left in.
“I’m getting the sense that might be a recurring theme round here.” Sofie hands the damp towel back to Ashton, collecting herself together and giving him a questioning glance.
His face immediately hardens. “We don’t like being played.”
His words hit their mark, and Sofie winces
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