Shattered & Scarred: The Sacred Hearts MC by A. J. Downey Read Free Book Online Page A

asked.
    “Yeah.”  I took two more shots in rapid succession .
    “Good luck with that.” He commented sardonically and I snorted.
    I got up and staggered down the hall, back to my room. I leaned against the wall outside the door and slid to the floor. By no means was I passing out drunk. I just wasn’t ready to face Ashton’s soft lithe body tucked into my own. I let the shots blur out the sharp edges of my consciousness before I staggered to my feet. I opened the door and the light fell across Ashton’s sleeping face. She looked like an angel and I felt torn. She stirred and her golden eyes blinked up at me in confusion.
    “Ethan..?” her soft voice asked.
    “Yeah Sunshine, just me. Go back to sleep.” My voice was rough with tequila and a jumble of emotion.
    She reached out a small hand and patted the mattress beside her and I felt my lips curve into a smile.
    “You want me in there with you?” I asked, pulling my arm out of the sleeve of my jacket.
    “It’s your bed.” She sighed out.
    “Yeah.” I murmured, awkwardly toeing off my boots, stumbling as I did it. I almost missed it when she murmured…
    “You make everything safe.”
    I stopped and the taste of tequila suddenly went sour in my mouth. Me, make everything safe? Christ if only she knew how much I wanted to do some very unsafe things to her. I hung my head and ripped my belt angrily out of its buckle, unbuttoning and unzipping my jeans with more force than necessary. The proof of my desire for her springing free of my undone fly almost immediately.
    I tried thinking of anything to get it to go down and really all it took was catching sight of the bruises and swelling marring her cheek and jaw. I looked her over one last time before I shut the door and got into bed beside her. I turned onto my side and closed my eyes. Wishing there were just a little light in here for me to see her by.
    It wasn’t long before she shifted, scooting closer to me. I lay on my back and she snugged herself into my side. Her breathing deepening smoothing evenly back into sleep. I asked myself, not for the first time and probably not for the last just what it was I thought I was playing at but like all the times I had thought it before I came up empty on answers. Ashton twitched against me and I put my arms around her, gathering her close.  I sighed. I had a lot to do tomorrow…
    When I opened my eyes, for the second morning in a row, I found myself alone even though I hadn’t gone to sleep that way. I coughed and sat up, wondering where Ashton had gotten to now. I pulled on the pair of jeans from the night before over my boxers and leaving them undone, went for the bathroom. I needed to hydrate so my next stop was out to the common room for some water and like the day before, that’s where I found Ashton.
    I leaned a shoulder against the door jamb and watched her move, wraith like through the room. A giant black trash bag her only companion. Bottles clinked softly as she slid them in, cans rattled as she moved from table to table cleaning up the MC’s mess. Her expression was heart breaking. Withdrawn and solemn and I couldn’t fucking stand it.  I raked a hand through my hair and pulled it back. I fished in my pocket for a hair elastic and tied it off.
    “Ashton, B abe, stop.” I said and she froze.
    “It need s to be clean.” She said and looking lost she went back to picking up.
    “Yeah I get that but it doesn’ t need to be cleaned up by you Babe.” I strode to her and she backed up a step.
    “I need to do it.” she said plaintively.
    “Why?” I asked.
    “Because it’s normal, it’s the only thing I’m good for and its…”
    “It’s what? What’s expected?” I stooped to capture her far off golden gaze with my own. She looked at me and her shoulders slumped.
    “Yes.” She answered solemnly, “It’s what he would have expected.”
    “It’s okay Sunshine, ” I said pulling her into a hug. She was stiff in my arms.
    “You don’t