Tortured Duchess (Adair Legacy)

CHAPTER6

Hadley

It’s been an hour. An excruciatingly long hour.

My mother has finished making lunch—her famous sausage and chicken gumbo that's likely been simmering since this morning. Ryan has gone through about half of it, along with a whole baguette.

“You better hope you don’t have to fight nobody, or your stomach is going to protest on you.” He waves his hand at my word of caution as Mom pours him another glass of sweet tea. “I’m serious.”

“Hads,” Mom raises her voice a bit, and I think I must have missed her saying it more than once. “Have you figured out your plans for the fall yet?”

The fall.

Life.

My future.

I was offered three scholarships for college, and even though it’s the end of summer, I haven’t decided on anything.

For months, I’ve felt like I’ve been caught in this weird sort of limbo. Like I’m just floating through life. Part of it is because I don’t want to be on my own. Even though I explained to Ashton that I’m ashamed of the fact that something horrible has happened to my best friends, I’m also terrified of those same things befalling me.

And the simplest scenario for any of them to occur is if I leave home. But I haven’t a clue what I want to do with my life around here either.

“No.” I glance down at my still-full bowl of gumbo. I know that’s not what she wants to hear. “I’ve been having trouble.”

“With what?”

I glance up to notice Ryan watching me with keen interest. He’s probably going to report whatever I say back to Ashton.

I try to act glib. “Why would I ever want to part with this? Home-cooked meals, my own protection detail. Maybe I should travel the world.” I wink, but I don’t feel it.

I don’t want to stay home.

I don’t want to travel the world.

Gazing down the hallway, I keep waiting for that door to open because, lord knows, I’m not allowed to enter the room when it’s closed. I realize that what I want is behind those mahogany doors.

I want Ashton DeMarco.

A life with him.

And I’m not going to get it sitting here. Standing, Ryan is like my shadow doing the same. I see Mom smirk and know she started this conversation on purpose. I stride towards my dad’s office with a mission in mind.

For the first time since I was three, I turn the handle and barge in, not caring that my dad will be pissed I disobeyed him. Or that my uncles’ eyes widen with shock at my audacity. My cousins all stand like I’ve come in shooting.

“Figured since this little tête-à-tête is about me, I should at least be present.” Shrugging, I hear Ryan shut the doors behind me.

“Why’s he here?” Hendrix growls as he nods towards Ryan. I ignore him. I’m still not speaking to my brother.

“Lamb.” Ashton’s sexy drawl makes me shiver as he swaggers over to me. “What are you doing?” One hand slips into my hair, holding my head back so I can see into his midnight gaze while the other grasps my hip, holding me in place.

“Mama asked me about something I've been grappling with,” I respond, ignoring the other men in the room, even though I can hear Dad, Carver, and Luther muttering to each other.

“What’d she want to know?”

“If I have plans for the fall. Whether I’m going to Georgia U., Princeton, or Florida U.” His jaw hardens, and his eyes narrow.

“What’d you say?”

“She’s going to Princeton,” Bishop guesses.

“Nope,” I whisper.

“Well, Georgia doesn’t want her,” Nolan, Luther’s oldest son, jokes.

“Florida is the perfect party place for her wild ass,” Hendrix snorts. Ashton growls, and his jaw ticks.

“None of the above,” I say, and the dark gaze entrapping me in his stare softens. “I’m staying right here,” I whisper, leaning forward to place my lips over his. “With you.”

Ashton drags me closer to his body and commands control of the kiss as his tongue sweeps into my mouth, kickstarting my heart.

“Don’t even fucking think about it,” I hear Ryan snap as he moves to stand in front of us. Doing his job and showing everyone that when I’m not under their protection, I’m under Ashton’s, and his one-man team is good enough to take anyone on.

Ash's hold tightens, and I fight to breathe while getting lost in his impassioned touches.

“For fuck’s sake. Let her go!” I hear Dad’s gun cocking and try to ease back, but Ashton doesn't falter. He ignores the protests in the room until he’s ready.

Drawing back, he appears more relaxed than I’ve ever seen him, and I feel a sense of pride, knowing I did that to him.

“Shoot me if you like, Cas.” Our eyes don’t break contact. “But you’ll be doing it in my back because I won’t fight with you on this.” Ryan steps aside so Ashton can peer over his shoulder to the man he's speaking to. “For an hour, I’ve kept my mouth shut and allowed all of you to threaten and bluster. What you each fail to realize is that you don’t frighten me. Hadley is mine. And the only one who will ever tell me otherwise is her.”

A pin could drop a mile away, and you’d hear it for how quiet it is in here.

Uncle Carver is the first to speak. “I like him. Now, I’m outta here. Scotlyn will be home soon, and I miss that damn girl.” I can never tell if he’s mad about that or not. As he walks past us, he leans down to kiss my cheek, muttering, “Keep him on his toes.”

“Oh, I will.” Carver claps Ashton on the shoulder, and they have a second of eye contact before my uncle is gone.

“Fair enough.” Bishop and Nolan shrug their shoulders, ruffling my hair on their way out the door.

It’s a stand-off between Dad, Luther, and Hendrix. I know Luther will break first.