"Okay and don't forget next Saturday! Nine a.m. sharp!"
Ash gave him a staunch Roman salute. "Ever at your service, my lord and tormentor." He brushed his hand over Zack's hair. "You played unbelievably well today. Keep practicing, kiddo."
"Will do. Bye Ash."
"Bye guys."
Tory walked up to him as they left. "You are so not an asshole."
He glanced down at her, making her wish she could see his eyes through his dark sunglasses. "Trust me, I can be. But I have a height requirement before I break ass on someone."
Talon snorted as he walked past them. "Yeah, take it from someone who's had his ass broken by him. Ash ain't all fun and games."
Without thinking, Tory put her hands on Ash's hips and leaned against his back. The moment she did, she realized she'd made a mistake as a wave of desire hit her so forcefully, it was all she could do not to pull his lips down to hers. Oh dear heaven, the man was sweaty, but he didn't stink at all. Instead, he smelled so good she wanted to take a bite out of him.
And all she wanted to do was run her hands down that hard chest and nibble him until he begged her for more.
Ash couldn't breathe as he hardened to the point of pain. Thank the gods he wasn't wearing tight pants. And the thought of her hands only being a few inches away from his cock only made him ache more.
Clearing her throat, she stepped back. "How many more games do you have to referee?"
"Two."
"Okay, I'm going back to my seat to eat some oatcakes. Good luck with the kids . . . oh and my favorite has to be the little guy over there, picking his nose."
Ash didn't speak as she went to sit by Sunshine. It took every bit of his willpower not to pull her back to him.
Talon handed a ball to him. "You all right, T-Rex?"
"I'm fine, why?"
"Cause in all the centuries I've known you, I've never seen you do that with a woman before."
"Do what?"
Talon laughed. "Boy, I don't think you need me to tell you what that is." He cast an incredibly quick glance down to Ash's groin.
Ash went ramrod stiff as he discreetly looked down to make sure he wasn't standing at attention. Well, he was, he just wanted to make sure it wasn't obvious.
Thankfully, it wasn't.
Which begged the question . . . how did Talon know?
Out of nowhere a ball came at his head. Ash caught it. Picking up his whistle, he blew it to call the players to start the game.
Tory was still rattled by what had happened. By how badly she wanted a piece of that man . . .
Sunshine wiped at the crumbs on her skirt. "Are you sure the two of you are just friends?"
Tory tried to appear nonchalant. "What do you mean?"
"I have never seen Ash allow someone to touch him from behind before. He normally bolts across the room if someone even comes near his back. The fact he didn't even twitch . . . highly suspicious."
Tory frowned at that new disclosure. "I didn't know that bothered him. He rode me on the back of his motorcycle over here."
Sunshine gave her a wide-eyed stare. "Touch you, girl. You are special."
"You think?"
"Honey, trust me. What you just did was a freaking miracle and I really wish you could appreciate how amazing it was."
Tory took a sip of water as she watched Ash with a set of older kids. And as she watched him and pieced together what little she knew about his past, she had a really bad feeling about his childhood.
There was only one reason she could think of that it would bother him that much for someone to stand behind him. And the thought of it made her sick to her stomach.
"Every time I've ever made the mistake of trusting someone . . . it was a mistake that I regretted and paid for dearly. I'm really happy that no one has hurt you, but I haven't been so lucky, okay?"
His words rang ominously in her ears as she watched him calling a foul.
Please let me be wrong . . .
But the more she thought about it, the more sense it made. Someone had hurt him badly in the past. So much so that he couldn't even deal with it.
It was why he hid his eyes from the world. Why he pierced a face that was so perfectly handsome it beckoned to be touched . . . Why he dressed in those FU clothes. It was to keep everyone away from him.
Closing her eyes, it was all she could do not to go to him and just hold him. To promise him that he was safe. How stupid a thought was that? The man was huge and he was fierce. The last thing he needed was her protection.
But he hadn't always been a man . . .
Tory winced as she remembered what he'd said about his parents. What had they done to him?
She didn't speak much until the last game was over. Ash and Talon stayed on the opposite side to talk to Perry for a few minutes.
Sunshine was packing up as Talon came over. "Did you have fun, baby?" she asked her husband.
Talon grinned at her. "I'm thinking we ought to make a few of those small things for ourselves."
Sunshine laughed. "Anytime you're ready. My mother is more than willing to be a grandma."
Talon kissed her passionately. "Yeah, we definitely need to get home and practice . . ."
Sunshine pulled back with a smile before she handed him her purse. "Lead the way."
Talon sucked his breath in before he turned to Tory. "It was nice meeting you."
"You too."
Sunshine hooked her arm in his. "Don't forget what I told you. If you need us . . ."
"Will do."