Ash's fingers were locked around her wrist and she had no chance to break free from the hold as he pulled her up the stairs and down the corridor. He past many doors, bedrooms, offices, and closets with Lola tugging and cussing behind him.
Whenever she tried to press her heels into the carpet she was pulled forward and held up only by his brute strength.
Ash didn't stop, no matter how much of a fight she put up and he wouldn't tell her what the problem was either.
His father had come into the living room where they were all gathered and laid his eyes on Lola. He made a tasteless joke to which Mrs. Blackwood laughed and then he just looked at her, not saying another word but rather scanning her face and how every muscle moved when she smiled as politely as she could.
That quiet interaction had set something off in Ash and he sent his father away and took Lola from the others.
She cussed and slammed on his arm but Ash opened a door, pushed her inside, and slammed it shut behind them.
"You're insane!" She exclaimed and pulled her arm free when he loosened the hold.
Ash raised a finger in her face and erased any and all playful mannerisms.
"You stay here, if you set as much as a foot outside of this room I will drag your ass back in and lock the door." He threatened.
"I don't understand what's happening...it's been a long day and I want to shower and then sleep so please stop acting like a fucking lunatic." She pleaded.
Much of the hazy alcohol-induced fog had begun to evaporate but left was a sleepy daze.
Ash moved fast, he stood in front of her with his hands cupping her face and she looked up at him too startled to speak. Her lip hung out in a pressed pout and her eyes rounded when they gazed into Ash's.
"Please don't walk out of here until I tell you that it's clear. The less time you spend with my father the better. I'll send Melissa to you for company, stay here and call on the help if you need anything." His voice was soft and his hands gentle at the touch.
"Tell me with your words that you will stay, Lola," he asked in a whisper.
"I will stay," her voice was low. They spoke only to each other and feared anyone else hearing what they said but why?
He let her go, gently letting his hands grace her skin on the way down.
"Good girl." He smirked and turned around.
There was a difference to his stance and his walk when he left, it was clear that his father affected him in more ways than one. He was on edge, prepared for a fight at all times, like a soldier walking he was ready for anything.
***
Lola's snores softly sounded against the books around her. Jax walked up and stood over her, watching as she slept. Her eyes moved behind her lids and she had one hand tucked under her head and the other tucked between her knees.
He bent down and gently grabbed her shoulder, with a slow shake he woke her up and she stretched on the couch.
"What time is it?" She asked while rubbing her eyes.
Jax showed her the time and her eyes widened. It was two at night and she had slept for hours. Melissa never showed up and she didn't want to cause any trouble or make it harder for Ash by leaving the library so she laid down for some shuteye and fell asleep.
"Where is his dad?" She asked.
"He's in a guest room on the first floor. Come on, let's get you to bed,"
He helped her up and put his arm around her shoulder as he walked her out.
"Why are you being sweet?"
Jax looked straight ahead, his fingers pressed into her arm and he held her closer as they walked.
"Because something is wrong," he said and paused for a beat. "And it scares me that I can't figure out what it is."
Her mouth fell agape and a flutter took off in her chest.
Dark circles were forming under his eyes with bags as evidence of his lack of sleep.
Jax Blackwood had never shown himself vulnerable before but he dropped his mask for her and shared what he felt and feared.
The silence in the mansion was different during the night. It was heavier, more choking, and consuming, as though all of the secrets came to life to roam about the hallways when their humans slept in suffering and pain.
Every room in the mansion held secrets, some bigger than others, some were told to a confidant but most were squashed deep down in the mind where it began to eat at your soul.
Lola had shared hers, every single one...almost.
Jax guided her to the guest room and walked in with her. He picked out her pajamas, removed the cover on the bed, and strode over the floor to where she stood. He pulled at the hem of her shirt, tugging it up and Lola responded as she always had, her body more so than her because it knew, somehow it knew, who it still loved.
Despite the pain and the truths, the love was still there, she couldn't squash it like a lie or a secret- her love for Jax was the purest most honest thing she had.
He lifted the shirt over her head and graced her skin with the slowest touch.
Featherlike strokes down her arm and her stomach, he unbuttoned her jeans and pulled them down to her feet.
He unhooked her bra, his fingers going easy over her back and her chest, down her shoulder as he moved the straps.
He cupped her cheeks, flashes of Ash played games on her mind- they had stood the same way only hours ago- but her body never weekend like this with anyone else.
Despite the pain he had caused her, how her heart had shattered from his words, those same words had the power to glue her back.
He pressed his head against hers and breathed her in.
"Be patient with me, please." He asked.
She put her hands over his and squeezed her eyes shut. Lola didn't speak because words would only ruin what she felt bring life back into her soul.