Ashton Scott

“This isn’t stuff you need to worry about, Jack. You’ve got enough to deal with at the moment.”

He rolls onto his back and scrubs his hand over his face. “I’ve got a head full of shit I don’t need to be thinking about, Ashton. Give me something to take my mind off it for a minute.”

Resting my elbows on my knees, I lean forward and push out a long breath. I’m running on fumes, and my thinking is beginning to suffer from lack of sleep. I’m not sure whether sharing my problems with Jack will be good for him or not, but I know him well enough to know he won’t let this go. And that he really does need a break from his thoughts.

“Cassia has caused issues for Lorelei and me, leaving Lorelei with the impression I’m going back to Cassia.”

Staring up at the ceiling, he says, “How bad is it?”

“Let’s just say I sat through five angry voicemails from Lorelei while she told me she hopes Cassia can give me what I’m looking for. She then refused to talk to me on the phone.”

He looks at me. “So, bad.”

I nod.

“When are you flying home to fix this with her?”

Frowning, I shake my head. “I’m not going home.”

He watches me silently for a few moments. “Don’t stay here on my account. I don’t want that shit on my conscience.” And here’s the moody bastard who always shows up in times like this. A little earlier than I’d expected.

A nurse interrupts us, and I leave the room so she can do what she needs to do. It’s perfect timing, because when he gets in this kind of mood, he goes looking for a fight. And as much as I try not to be provoked, Jack knows which buttons of mine to push.

I head down to the cafeteria and grab a coffee, trying to wake myself up. Lorelei’s on my mind, and although it’s barely nine in the morning in Sydney, I can’t stop myself from calling her. I need to have this conversation. I need her to know she’s misunderstood everything.

She answers on the third ring. “Ashton, it’s early.” Her tone is frosty, but I don’t blame her. I’d be furious if I was in her shoes.

However, I need to take charge of this conversation to ensure I get my point across. “I’m going to tell you what happened and you’re going to stay quiet and listen to every word I have to say. Are we clear?”

That gets her attention, and her frosty tone turns fiery. “You don’t get to boss me around anymore, so—”

“Lorelei,” I growl, “You need to stop fighting me and listen. There’s a hell of a lot more to this than you know.”

“I’ll tell you what I do know, Ashton. I know I’ve seen photos of you with Cassia. I know I’ve spoken with Cassia who you called while I was right there. And I also know your father announced his pleasure at the news. What could you possibly have to tell me that changes any of that?”

I’m both pissed off at what’s happened and turned on by her reaction to it. Lorelei has finally laid her cards on the table. She wants me and is willing to fight for me. And she’s jealous as hell over Cassia. While I don’t like the fact she’s hurt by that jealousy, it shows me she’s completely in this relationship with me. Now I just need to get her to listen to me.

“Jack has been admitted to hospital. I’ve flown to LA to be with him. That kiss you saw between Cassia and me? That was all her doing. I didn’t instigate it, and I sure as fuck didn’t want it. I have no idea who’s responsible for printing that story, but as soon as I find out, they won’t have a job. And as for me calling Cassia, that was bullshit. She was obviously trying to make you jealous.”

Silence. And then—“Oh… Oh God, I’m so sorry about Jack. Is he okay?”

This is one of the reasons why I love this woman. Although she’s upset and hurting, she’s more concerned about Jack than herself right now. I can’t name one woman I’ve dated who would have responded in this way.

“No, but we’re doing everything to help him be okay.”

She turns silent again, so I say, “I tried to call you before I left, and when I couldn’t get hold of you, I stopped by your place, but you weren’t home. I—”

“I dropped my phone in the toilet,” she blurts. “That’s why you couldn’t get hold of me. It wasn’t working. And I was at Sienna’s.” Her voice softens when she continues, “I’m sorry I left those voicemails. I honestly thought you’d chosen Cassia over me.”

“We need to get one thing straight, Lorelei. I will never choose Cassia again. Never. I love you. And if anything like this ever happens again, you need to wait until you’ve spoken with me before making any assumptions.”

“Well, you can see why I made those assumptions, right?” There’s the Lorelei I know—always arguing with me.

“Yes, but this could have all been avoided if you’d just waited for me to call.”

“I did wait. You didn’t call.”

“Are we going to sit here and spend the day arguing over this?”