Ashton And Justice (3 page)

As he stepped into the bath he hissed, both from the pain from his injuries and because of the hot temperature. He gingerly eased himself in, knowing in the end the heat would soothe his back and stomach. Sure enough as soon as he eased in, some of the pain melted away.

A satisfied moan slipped past his battered lips as he sat back and closed his eyes. While he tried to keep his mind on other subjects, such as classes and midterms, his brain had other ideas. Despite the beating and his father's warning, all Justice could think about was Ashton.

Justice couldn't help but wonder how things would have gone differently if Craig hadn't interrupted. If not for that, Justice felt quite certain they would have at least kissed or, better yet, gone home together. It'd been so long since Justice had been with anyone, let alone someone as hot as Ashton.

His cell phone chirped, alerting him that he had a text message. Justice was tempted to ignore it, but decided he better check to make sure it wasn't from Craig. Picking it up, Justice cocked his head to the side in confusion when he didn't recognize the number. Opening the message so he could read it all the way, Justice stomach flipped in shock.

I hope you didn't get into too much trouble for talking to me tonight.

Justice frowned as he debated what to do. His father's warning echoed in his ears, yet all Justice had at this point to identify the messenger was a number. There was no name attached to the text. So it wasn't like he was totally disobeying, he reasoned. After all, he should make sure that the texter even had the right number.

With trembling fingers he replied,
Who is this?

The answer came seconds later,
Ashton.

Fear strummed through Justice as he stared at that name. At the same time a small dash of excitement filled him. Wow, who would have thought that an attractive guy like Ashton would ever take the time to track down little ol' him?

Justice darted a look at the bathroom door, almost as if he expected to see his father or Craig standing there, ready to dish out some punishment. When all he saw was his darkened living room, Justice chided himself. He was being crazy. There was no way that even somebody as connected as his father could find out about a simple text exchange.

So, did you get in trouble?
Ashton pressed. Justice smiled as much as his swollen lip would allow. It felt nice to have someone worry over him, even if it were only via cell phone.

Don't worry, it wasn't anything I couldn't handle,
Justice typed back.

Good, your brother seemed pretty angry.

He's always angry.
Justice should know, too, since his stomach probably had a permanent imprint of Craig's boot.

LOL. It sounds like some of my family members.

Justice just bet it did. He knew from his father that most of Ashton's family tree didn't exactly live a tame life. He knew it would be rude to respond that way so instead he typed,
How did you get my number?

I have my ways :-P

Laughter burst from Justice at the funny face at the end of Ashton sentence. So much for him being an evil, criminal mastermind. Somehow Justice didn't think most mobsters would finish a message that way.

Oh, mysterious. I like that in a guy.
Justice only hesitated a second before he shot back the flirtatious reply.

So does that mean I get to see you again?

Justice let out a gasp of surprise. He couldn't believe that even after the show Craig put on that Ashton would ever want to speak to him, let alone ask him out. Justice hesitated, torn. Part of him wanted to see Ashton so bad that his body hummed in anticipation. Yet another part of him was terrified to go against his father's wishes.

Are you worried about what our fathers will say?
Ashton asked, almost as if he could read Justice's mind.

Aren't you?
Justice challenged. Somehow he didn't think Ashton's father would be thrilled to find out his kid was dating the son of his biggest enemy.

Sure, but I still want to see you again. I think you're worth the risk.

"Oh, my God," Justice whispered. Could Ashton get any better?

At that moment he knew he had to see Ashton again.

I think you're worth it, too,
Justice confessed.

So when will I get to see you again?

Justice only hesitated a second.
I'll be at the library tomorrow around seven at night. Can you meet me there?

Yes, I can hardly wait.

He hesitated, his eyes darting to the doorway again. Even though his father didn't stand there, his presence still loomed. If he were found out, the ramifications would be huge. Then the small flicker of defiance that'd always existed bloomed to life.

Fuck Lloyd. Fuck Craig. Most of all, fuck their demands. For the first time in his life, Justice was going to go after something, consequences be damned. He typed one final message into the phone.

I can't wait, either.

Ashton had to resist the urge to run as he entered the library the next evening. All day he'd been able to think of nothing else but being able to see Justice again. Ashton didn't know how this guy managed to get under his skin so quickly, but for some reason, getting closer to Justice had become number one on his to-do list.

The library was frigging huge. Not only that, but there were three levels, so he had a lot of ground to cover. Ashton rushed through, his gaze scanning all the tables and down the rows of bookshelves. He'd just about given up on the first floor until he spotted Justice leaning over the second story railing.

"Justice," Ashton called, his voice a little too loud for the surroundings.

Several people jerked their heads in his direction, but Ashton disregarded them. The only one who mattered was Justice. There were even a couple of shushes
tossed Ashton's way, but he still didn't care. Not when he had Justice in his sights.

Ashton grinned in excitement. Yes! He hadn't lost his chance after all. Thanks to Bryce's connections and that text conversation last night, he had Justice within his grasp once again. This time nobody, not even a million Craigs, were going to get in his way.

Justice leaned over the railing and flashed a smile before putting his finger to his lips. The cutest blush spread out over his cheeks as he darted timid glances at the other occupants. As he had at the party, he wore casual clothes. A pair of worn jeans molded his legs perfectly and he had on a Columbus Blue Jackets sweatshirt.

"I was worried you wouldn't come," Ashton said still not moving.

Some small part of him didn't want to let Justice out of his sight, even long enough to go to the stairs leading to the next level. It was irrational and a bit crazy, but Ashton couldn't help it. It seemed that ever since he'd first seen Justice his mind remained locked on irrational, so why keep fighting it?

"Well, I'm here so you can stop yelling," Justice replied in a loud stage whisper. He darted another couple of glances side to side before jerking his head to the stairs.

When Ashton still didn't move, Justice gave another one of his heart-pounding grins. He then slowly walked to the side, leading Ashton into the right direction. The entire time he kept his gaze locked on Ashton. Now that Justice guided the way, Ashton couldn't stop his yap, however.

"You don't need to worry. Craig isn't here this time."

"Yes, but there are plenty of others who could tell," Justice hissed, although the smile remained in place.

"They won't tell on us," Ashton replied. After all, who could think of breaking up such a perfect reunion?

They continued to move toward the stairs, Ashton doing a somewhat awkward sideways walk, while Justice ran a hand over the railing. Several more people stopped to watch them, but if Ashton wasn't mistaken, a few of them appeared to be enjoying the show.

"How can you be so sure?" Justice cocked a brow.

"Because nobody else cares about who our families are. To them we're just another pair of college kids who want to get to know each other better."

"You mean a rose by any other name?" Justice quipped, his lips twitching with repressed laughter.

"Something like that, but this story is not going to end in tragedy like that one did."

At least Ashton hoped it didn't, be that physical or emotional. He already knew that Justice had the power to break his heart. That was a position Ashton had never allowed himself to be in before.

"How can you be so sure?" Justice challenged.

Yes, Ashton how could you be so certain?
An inner voice chimed in.

Ashton reached the bottom of the stairs and started to make his way up them. He had to go a little slower than he would have liked, since he couldn't tear his gaze from Justice, but it was a small price to pay. Especially since Justice stood there and waited for him, all the while looking at Ashton as if he were the best thing ever.

"Because all good stories have a happy ending," he replied, simply.

"And you think ours is going to be a good story?"

"Of course I do. It's going to be the best one ever."

All of Ashton's good humor faded once he stood in front of Justice. Up close he could now make out that Justice had a fat bottom lip and a good-sized bruise on one cheek. Ashton grabbed Justice by the hand and led him between a row bookshelves. Since that particular one dealt with heavy Russian literature, he felt pretty certain they wouldn't be disturbed for at least a few minutes.

"Did Craig do this to you?" Ashton demanded as he lightly ran the pad of his thumb over the bruise.

"No, my father did."

"Because we were talking to each other?"

Justice nodded, another blush coming over his face. "Yeah, he's pretty strict about who I hang out with."

Guilt slammed into Ashton at the thought of Justice being in any amount of pain on account of him. Even though Ashton had always had a protective streak, never before had it been this strong. At that moment he wanted to pound on the DA and Craig for harming Justice. Which just shocked Ashton because he wasn't the violent type at all.

"Let me guess, the son of Carter Garner is not on his approved list."

"No." Justice gave a rueful smile as the flush deepened over his cheeks, almost as if he was shamed by his father's biased behavior.

"Yet, you still came today," Ashton's voice hitched in shock.

Most of the guys he met usually shied away as soon as they found out who Ashton was. The knowledge that Justice not only didn't care about that, but risked another beating to meet him tugged at Ashton's chest. Why Justice obviously saw so much in him when the rest of the world found him lacking was a mystery to Ashton. Damned if that would stop Ashton from grabbing onto the opportunity and holding on tight, though.

"Yeah, I figured you were worth the risk," Justice said as he cast his gaze down shyly.

If Ashton hadn't already had it bad for Justice, that admission would have done it for sure. Ashton continued to rub his thumb over the injury, furious that somebody would raise their hand to such a sweet guy. Being as gentle as possible, he nudged Justice's chin until he lifted his gaze.

"Does he hit you often?" Ashton asked, getting lost in the other man's gray eyes.

Justice shrugged. "Only when I disappoint him or make him mad."

Ashton would be willing to bet that happened a lot. Yet, the press painted the DA as the good guy, while demonizing Carter. That just took the irony gold medal. While his dad may be many things, he'd never once struck Ashton.

"I could kill him for hurting you," Ashton whispered before he leaned forward and brushed the softest of kisses against Justice's cheek.

"But you could never do that, because that's not who you are," Justice whispered back.

Ashton jerked back, shock coursing through his body. "You're so certain of that, even though you know who my father is?"

Justice gave him a tender smile. "You're nothing like him."

"How can you know that? We've just met each other."

"I don't know. I just do," Justice said with a sheepish shrug.

The blind faith coming from Justice floored Ashton. He bent forward and delivered another kiss, this time to Justice's battered lip. All the while, he took extreme care to be as gentle as possible. While Ashton yearned to really lay one on Justice, he didn't want to hurt the man any more.

"Let's get out of here," Ashton suggested.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Justice hedged. "What if Craig spots us? The only reason I suggested us meeting here is because I know the last place he and any of his friends will be is the library."

"I've already thought of that. Bryce is waiting out back for us in his SUV. Its windows are tinted, so nobody will be able to see us inside."

"Where will we be going?"

The way Justice's eyes softened, told Ashton the guy was warming up to the idea. Good, now he just had to make sure that their plan went smoothly. That way Justice would continue to trust him on future dates.

"There's this small restaurant my uncle owns a few miles from here. He promised to let me use the back dining room, so we'll have complete privacy."

Justice hesitated for only a moment longer before nodding his head. "Sure, it sounds like fun and I missed dinner anyway."

"Great, let's get going," Ashton said.

He grabbed Justice's hand and led the way down the stairs and to the back door. When Justice simply accepted, even going so far as to thread their fingers together, a heady thrill went through Ashton.

They pushed through the door and walked outside. As anticipated, Bryce sat behind the wheel of his SUV. While the driver and front passenger windows were clear, the ones in the backseat were tinted. They were so dark there was no way Craig or anybody else would be able to spot Justice in the backseat. Ashton opened the door and ushered Justice inside.

Ashton slid in after him, a thrill going through him as their bodies briefly brushed against each other. In the closed confines of the car he could detect the crisp scent of the Justice's cologne. While Ashton recognized it as a knockoff brand, it didn't take away from its appeal. If anything, it made him want to bury his nose in Justice's neck so he could get a really good whiff. Since Ashton didn't think that would be good first-date behavior, he held back.