Saved by the Music (Saints & Sinners Book 2) (18 page)

“Sorry, Ian, but I’m quite satisfied with this one.”

Sam was about to add a smart-ass comment to Ashlee’s reply when a voice from the past hit him like a bullet. “Well, well, well. If it isn’t the prodigy child.” His hands closed into fists and he felt Ashlee’s whole body tense as she assessed the situation.

He looked at Ian, who was just as charged as he was. Within an instant, Ian was beside Ashlee as Sam turned around and faced his father. “What are you doing here?”

The man was so drunk he could barely stand up straight. People had stopped talking, and he caught a glimpse of security in the corner, ready to intervene at a moment’s notice. “A father can’t say hi to his son?”

He felt Ashlee’s hand cover his and some of the tension left his body. He wasn’t alone, didn’t have to do this alone. He had to remember that. “You’re not my father. You’re a poor excuse of a man.”

His dad looked between him and Ashlee, and the asshole fucking smiled. Sam wanted to kill him for even looking at her the way he was. “Aren’t you going to introduce your woman to your father?”

Sam took a step forward, covering her body with his. “Stay the hell away from her.”

“Does the lady not talk for herself, or are you keeping a tight leash on that fine ass.” His dad slurred the words, proving just how drunk he really was. Sam saw security approach from the corner of his eye, and he prayed like hell the situation didn’t get out of control.

Ashlee’s hands were on his back as she tried to keep him from doing something stupid. “Don’t… he’s trying to provoke you. Don’t let him.”

“Smart too. Let me give you a piece of advice, lady. Pack your shit and leave his sorry ass.” As his father spoke, Sam felt Ashlee tense up, the calmness that had surrounded her was gone in a blink of an eye.

She took a step forward, and when she spoke her voice was steady as a rock. “He’s twice the man you could ever dream to be, and I believe you are an unwanted guest.” Leave it to Ashlee to be diplomatic in telling someone to fuck off.

His dad took a few steps toward them then reached around his back, and Sam knew this wasn’t going to end up well. “Yeah, well, this gun gives me an open fucking invitation to do what I damn well please, so shut the fuck up before I shut you up.”

He waved the gun around, and Sam felt his whole world come to a stop at the thought of Ashlee being hurt. He motioned to Ian to keep her shielded no matter what. “Do not fucking touch her. Ashlee, stay behind me.” His heart lurched in his through while anger rode him hard.

“Look at you, still playing the goddamn hero. You think I won’t shoot you, son?” On the contrary, actually. He didn’t have any doubts that his dad would shoot him in a public space with a hundred witnesses, but if someone was taking a bullet tonight, it was going to be the old bastard and no one else.

“Take your best shot,” he told the sorry excuse of a man standing in front of him, waving a gun around like it made him untouchable.

“You’re just a scared little boy, but this time I’m the one holding a gun.”

Sam fought the memories of that night, focusing on Ashlee and getting her the hell out of there.

He saw the two security guards slowly making their way closer to his dad from behind. Sam took a few steps forward, looking at the barrel of a gun that was a little too close for comfort. “There’s one thing you’re forgetting.”

“And what would that be?” His dad tilted the gun to the side and Sam saw the perfect opening, silently thanking Ian for all the training he put him through.

“I ain’t a kid anymore.” He grabbed his father’s wrist and twisted it before grabbing the gun from his hand and emptying the clip. Sam threw a punch and hit his father straight in the jaw, knocking out a few of his teeth. The security guards jumped on the old man, immobilizing him.

By the time the cops arrived, most of the people had calmed, but the reporters were having a field day with the story. An officer took his and Ashlee’s statements separately, and all he wanted to do was be with her.

He was finishing his statement when Ashlee barged into the room and came straight for him. “Sam, are you okay?” She sat on his lap, and he held her as close as he could.

He ran his hand over every inch of her body and checked her face. “I’m fine, baby. Are you hurt?” he asked, desperate to know that she was really okay.

She leaned in to his body and whispered the best word he had heard all night. “No.”

He let out a breath he’d been holding ever since the cops had separated them and leaned his head against hers. “Thank you for not arguing with me.”

“Baby, I would never do something that could hurt you.”

He fucking loved this woman so much; it would kill him if something ever happened to her because of him.

Sam got up and pulled her close to him. “Let’s go home. I need to bury myself so deep in you that you’re all I can see.”

“I’ll give you whatever you need.”

All he needed was her. Any way he could have her, he just needed her.

ASHLEE

Lying in Sam’s bed, his naked and warm body pressed against hers, Ashlee replayed the night’s events in her head. So many emotions were circling around the surface, and as much as fear wanted to win, she couldn’t help but feel grateful that they were both safe.

The night could have gone so differently; it was hard to believe they were both unharmed. A gun had been pointed to her head, her life had been threatened, and in that moment, all she could think about was making sure Sam was safe because she couldn’t imagine her life without him.

She stirred and tightened her hold on his waist, desperate to feel their connection. It was crazy to think about how much the man sleeping next to her had come to mean to her, but he was quickly becoming her whole world. As much as she felt for the boy he once was, she couldn’t help but be so proud of the man he’d become.

“What are you thinking about so hard?”

She tilted her head when she heard his sleepy voice. “How lucky I am to have you in my life.” She pressed a soft kiss to his bare chest, smiling when he put a hand on her ass, pulling her closer to him.

“I could have lost you tonight, Ashlee. Just the thought makes me crazy.”

“But you didn’t.” She pressed another kiss to his warm skin. “I’m right here. I’m safe and I’m okay. You’re right here, safe and okay. That’s what matters.” And she meant every word. There was no way she was choosing to be scared; that would mean letting an evil man win, and she refused to do so.

“You’re pretty amazing, you know that.” He kissed the top of her head, and she shivered down to her toes. The man made her crazy with lust.

She braced herself against his chest and tilted her head to the side, so they were eye to eye. “You’re the amazing one, Sam. You should be proud of the man you’ve become, because I am so proud of you.” She leaned forward a little, bringing herself closer to his lips, and softly kissed him before pulling away.

Sam grabbed her by the back of the neck and pinned her inches away from his face. “I love you, Ashlee. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, and I promise I will never stop trying to make you happy and keep you safe.”

“I love you, too.” God, she never thought she would find the person with whom those words would truly resonate. In Sam’s arms, she fell asleep feeling every bit of his love around her.

Chapter Twelve

SAM

To say the past month had been some of the best days of Sam’s life would be an understatement. After the whole incident with his father, there had been a fraction of a second where he’d thought he was going to lose everything, but the exact opposite happened.

He and Ashlee had never been closer. After moving her mom to a hospital in Nashville, things finally fell into place. Ashlee was smiling every day, and he swore to himself every morning he woke up with her beside him that he would do whatever he could to keep her smiling.

As he set down a plate of pancakes on the kitchen table, he heard soft footsteps coming down the stairs. He turned around and leaned back against the counter. God, she was more beautiful every day. Her long brown hair spilled down her shoulders, looking messy from his hands, and she wore nothing but his shirt, showing off her long, lean legs.

“Good morning, beautiful.”

She smiled up at him, and in that moment he realized that nothing else compared. Not the roar of a crowd, not the flashes of a camera or an award—nothing was as good as having Ashlee smile at him like he was her whole world.

As she drew closer to him, the sweet scent of lavender in her hair intoxicated every cell in his body.

“Good morning, handsome. How did you sleep?” She went on her tiptoes and kissed him softly before pouring herself a cup of coffee.

If someone had told him that he would be spending the morning with the woman he loved more than life, he would never have believed it. He’d never thought he deserved that kind of happiness, but he was quickly coming to realize that he did.

He walked over to the fridge and pulled out the creamer. “Better than I have in years, thanks to you. How about you?” He handed Ashlee the creamer and pressed a kiss to her shoulder, bare from where his shirt was falling off.

“Like a baby, once my mind stopped turning. I’m nervous about this meeting with Jackson.”

He refilled his own cup with tea and smiled at her. They were finally presenting their proposal for the community centers to Jackson. Months of hard work came down to this, and as calm as he appeared, he was freaking out inside.

“Ashlee, you’ve done an amazing job putting this proposal together, and if I know Jackson, which I do, not only will he love the idea but he’ll probably try to marry you on the spot.” He laughed because that wasn’t far from the truth. He knew Jackson would love Ashlee; there was no doubt in his mind about that.

He looked up when she giggled, and they locked eyes. “Well, I’m a taken woman.”

Damn fucking right she was, and hearing her say it did funny things to him. He decided to play along with her. “Is that right?”

She nodded and crossed her legs, making his shirt rise on her thighs. “Yes. I am dating this gorgeous, kind, and generous man.”

“He sounds like a catch.” He put his cup on the counter beside him, taking a few slow steps toward her. He couldn’t keep his hands to himself when she was around, needing her close to him.

A small smile crawled on his face when he saw her hard nipples pressing against the thin material of his old T-shirt.

“He is. Plus, he’s an amazing musician.”

This was another reason why he loved Ashlee so much—she was fun to be around. There were times when she was so serious it unsettled him, but then there were those moments when she became funny and flirty.

“I like him already,” he managed to say through the cloud of lust quickly overtaking them.

She pressed her open palms against his bare chest, making him hiss. “Well, I love him.”

“He loves you, too.” He closed the distance between them and crushed his lips over hers. The moment their lips connected, the entire world stopped; there was nothing else that compared to kissing Ashlee. He closed his hand on the back of her neck and deepened the kiss, her legs locking around his waist.

“We’re going to be late for the meeting.” He grabbed her by the hips and lifted her so her ass was on the edge of the counter. He quickly yanked the shirt off her body and threw it on the floor. Slipping off his sweatpants and freeing his hard cock, he finally came home with one thrust.

On any other day, Sam would kick himself for being late to a meeting, but with Ashlee by his side, he couldn’t convince himself to be upset. When they pulled up to the community center though, his anxiety grew. He knew they had something solid to present, but they were literally talking about the lives of hundreds if not thousands of kids.

“Sam, it’s going to be fine. You’re doing something wonderful here, and Jackson knows that. The kids here know that, and deep down, you know that as well. Trust in what we’ve done, and everything will be fine.”

“You’re something else, you know that,” he told her as he helped her out of the car. She grabbed her briefcase from the backseat, and he growled when she bent over.

She turned around and laughed when her eyes landed on his face. “You just had me, Sam. You can’t want me again already.” Her voice was a little breathless, giving her need for him away.

“I never stop wanting you, Ashlee.”

“Let’s go, sweet talker. We’re already late.”

He squeezed her fingers as they walked hand in hand toward the front door.

They were barely inside the center when he saw Jackson heading toward them, looking exhausted.
God, I hope this plan works.

“Sam, it’s good to see you, son.”

Just like every other time he heard those words, a sense of accomplishment filled him that he had become a man Jackson could be proud of.

“It’s good to see you too, old man. How are you doing? You look tired.” He clasped Jackson’s hand tightly.

“I’m not getting any younger, and trying to keep this place afloat is taking a toll, but these kids need me.”

Sam nodded silently because no words were needed. “No one knows that better than me. We have an idea we want to run by you, if you have some time. Jackson, this is Ashlee. Ashlee, this is Jackson, the closest thing I have to a father.” He forced himself to keep some distance between her. As much as he wanted her close to him, he respected that this was work for her.

She stepped up to Jackson, who startled her by pulling her in for a hug. “It’s very nice to meet you. Sam speaks very highly of you.” He looked at Sam over Ashlee’s shoulder, smiling as he released her. “This one is too modest for his own good. The pleasure is all mine. He’s never brought a girl around before.”

“Never had the woman I wanted you to meet.” Sam swallowed through the emotions clogging up his throat. He had waited a long time to meet the woman he would introduce to his mother and to Jackson, and now that she was real, was a part of his life, he wanted to scream it from the rooftops.