Nothing Left to Lose (Guarded Hearts 1)

“We’re still in LA, you know,” she giggled.

My body jerked. Does that mean what I think it means? “And?” I prompted, not wanting to get my hopes up.

“And, get your hot ass in this shower with me and make me think about something nice instead of what I’m thinking about right now.”

I stood so quickly that I almost stumbled as my hands went to the bottom of my T-shirt. She didn’t need to ask me twice. Once naked, I stepped into the shower and groaned because of how stunning she looked.

She smiled weakly. “That was fast,” she teased.

“Well, that was an offer I couldn’t refuse,” I answered, my voice husky and thick with lust. I watched as the water ran down her body, caressing every inch of her. She gave me a sexy smile and stepped back further into the spray, holding out one hand towards me. I gripped her trembling hand, vowing to take her mind off what happened even if it killed me.

The day passed incredibly fast. While she packed her clothes, I hung out with Nate in the lounge. Although we were playing a video game, I couldn’t keep my mind off the hot, little shower scene that had gone down hours before. I’d probably never be able to take a shower again without thinking of it. That was another thing she’d ruined for me.

Suddenly, Nate groaned and looked down at his watch. “I have to leave for work. Where’s that sexy ass of a girlfriend you have? I want to say goodbye.”

“Bedroom, packing.” I pushed myself up and he followed me into the bedroom, where she was still gathering stuff up. I noticed that she’d started packing my clothes for me too.

“Hey, Anna, I’ve got to go to work now. It was really good to meet you,” Nate said, walking up to her with his arms out. I stiffened, knowing that she wouldn’t want to be that close to him.

I saw her hold her breath as she hugged him. “Yeah, you too, Nate. Thanks for letting me stay in your bachelor pad.”

He grinned wolfishly. “You know what, you can come and stay anytime you want.” He turned back to me, slapping me on the arm. “Seriously, Taylor, bring her back here, she’s a lot of fun.” I could tell by the way he said it that he’d meant it, he genuinely liked Anna.

“I will,” I confirmed. I would certainly be working on her, trying to convince her to come back here with me in her next scheduled school break. Hopefully her father would go for it a second time, seeing as this trip was so successful.

He gave me a hug and slapped me hard on the back. “I’ll give you a call, we can arrange a time for playing,” he chirped excitedly. I grinned and nodded in agreement, thinking lovingly about my PS4 that I had waiting for me at our apartment.

“Yeah, definitely. I’ll call you.”

Anna smiled and waved as he left the room, closing the door behind him. “Nate’s a great guy. I can see why you like him.”

“Yeah, he’s cool, all the girls think so,” I replied, grinning at her.

“Hmm, that’s funny; he just doesn’t do it for me,” she winked at me, and we both laughed and packed up our belongings. Before we left the apartment, I took a few shots of the place. I already had the exact pictures that I wanted on here. There were at least fifteen good photos of me and Anna, and more than that of just her on her own, looking like a goddess.

On the way to the airport, we stopped by Denny’s to get another chilli cheese dog. That was another thing I would miss about LA. Before we boarded, I called Dean to make sure that he knew where and when to meet us on the other side of the flight. Once everything was set, we were ushered through and seated in first class. As soon as we were in the comfy chairs, she scooted closer to me and I wrapped my arm around her tightly. Within minutes, my eyes became heavy due to my lack of sleep the previous night. When I knew I couldn’t fight it anymore, I rested my head back on the chair and just let myself doze.

“Ashton, help me please!” she begs. I can hear that she’s crying, her breathing is hitching somewhere off in the darkness, but I can’t see her. I turn, running in the direction that I think she is, but I can’t find her. Doors and corridors stretch off into the distance, and her crying seems to echo from the walls so I can’t get a sense of direction. The place is like a maze. “Please, he’s coming. Please help me!” she screams.

Desperation makes me feel sick as I run and run, crashing through door after door, trying to get to her. “I can’t find you, Anna! Where are you?” I shout, spinning in a little circle as I grip my hands into my hair, totally panic stricken.

“Please help me,” her voice is a whisper and it breaks my heart as I start running aimlessly again.

A wicked laugh echoes down the corridor and my hair stands up on the back of my neck as I hear his voice. “Well hello, Princess, long time no see.”

I jerked up, gasping for breath as my hand shot straight down to my ankle, fumbling as I reached for my gun. But it wasn’t there, my holster was empty. I’d had to check it in, so it was locked in a little box in the cockpit with the pilot because of the standard air travel procedure. Sweat beaded on my brow as I looked around quickly, realising that I wasn’t in some darkened maze trying to find her; I was, in fact, still sitting in first class. Anna looked up at me worriedly, her sketchpad balanced on her knees.

“Ashton, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing, Baby Girl. I just had a bad dream.” As soon as I said it, I wished I hadn’t.

“Really, what about?” she asked, snuggling against me. Her touch made my panic fade marginally.