Ash: Jagged Edge Series #5 Read online

  Contents

  Title

  Copyright

  Acknowledgment

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  About the Author

  Releases

  Contact and Links

  ASH

  Jagged Edge Series #5

  A.L. Long

  Copyright © 2017 A.L.Long

  Ash: Jagged Edge Series #5

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior consent of the author

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or used fictionally, and any resemblance to any actual person, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Interior edited by H. Elaine Roughton

  Cover design by Laura Sanches

  ASIN:

  ISBN:

  This book is intended for mature audiences only

  Acknowledgment

  To my husband of many wonderful years, who has been so supportive of my writing. If it weren’t for him my dream of writing would have never been fulfilled. I love you, sweetheart. And to my family, whom I also love dearly. Through their love and support, I can continue my passion for writing.

  To the many readers, who took a chance on me and purchased my books. I hope that I can continue to fill your hearts with the passion I have grown to love.

  CHAPTER ONE

  Ash

  The best thing about having a day off is that I get to do what I love. Living out in the country has taught me how to really appreciate life and what I have. I know my grandparents didn’t have it easy when raising me. Losing the only daughter they had to some stupid disease that I can’t even pronounce couldn’t have been easy on them. I could only remember bits and pieces of my childhood with her. Gramps and Granny raised me from the age of five. I often asked them about her, but I think it may have been too hard on them. Mostly they just told me that I was loved. Never knew my dad. I guess Mom got pregnant young and he pretty much disappeared.

  Being their only grandson, they left this place to me. As much as I wanted to re-enlist after my eight-year term in the military, my home was here. This place meant a lot to them and I wasn’t about to let it go to shit. So here I was, chilling on the front patio, drinking my brew and enjoying life.

  At least I had my piece of solitude. Well, almost, until I recognized the black Camaro driving up the road. I could spot Peter’s car a mile away. Working for Jagged Edge Security was never boring. Never knew what was going to happen, even on your day off.

  I finished the last of my beer and began heading over to where Peter parked his car. I could see that Lou Gainer was riding shotgun. It was very rare that Peter would come all the way out here for just a friendly visit. I knew something must be up, and the minute he and Lou opened their doors, my suspicions were spot on. Their body movements couldn't have been more tense.

  Looking over to Peter and then to Lou, I asked curiously, “What brings you guys out here?” knowing something was up with the two of them.

  “Geez, Ash, you need to learn how to mellow out,” Lou said, placing his hand on my shoulder.

  “Normally when you guys pay a visit, you call first. Seeing how you didn’t, I get this funny feeling this isn’t a social call.”

  “Well, it is, sort of. How about a brew and we can discuss?” Peter asked.

  Heading back to the house, Peter and Lou took their seat at the breakfast bar, while I went to the fridge for the beer. Unable to contain my curiosity, I handed them each a brew and asked, “So what’s up?”

  “So, you know that Sly and Nikki bought that new house and are planning on getting married next month,” Peter pointed out.

  “Yeah, so?” I replied.

  “Well, me and the guys thought it would be nice to throw Sly a bachelor party,” Peter began. “It doesn’t have to be anything big or fancy. All of us, a few brews, not much.”

  “Okay, sounds good, but somehow I get the feeling that isn’t all,” I responded.

  “The thing is, we thought it would be nice to have it here. You have all this room and since your place is by far the biggest, if anyone drank too much they would be able to crash here,” Lou added.

  As I looked over to the guys, it seemed like having a bachelor party here at the ranch had to do with a lot more than the sleeping arrangements. “Why do I get the feeling that there is more to this than just the party? Spill.”

  “Okay, okay. Me and the guys thought that maybe you would be willing to let us hire a couple of strippers, and if need be, they could stay here as well,” Lou replied hesitantly, like he knew exactly what I was going to say.

  “You know what, I think the stripper thing would be fun, but instead of allowing them to stay here, how about I arrange for their transportation back to the city. I think the last thing we need is for the girls to stop by and find a couple of strippers sleeping in the house. Not to say that they would ever show up, but just to keep it safe for you guys.”

  After arguing back and forth with Lou, he finally agreed that my suggestion was a better one than what he had planned, thanks to Peter swaying his decision. I know that Lou had a good heart, but sometimes he had a tendency not to think things through. One thing I did have to say for him, I would trust him with my life.

  After we finished our beers, the guys left and I thought it would be nice to take a little walk. My grandpa and I use to take daily walks up the road when I was younger. He even coaxed me into going with him to the pond by convincing me that I needed to keep an eye out for snakes. His excuse was that his eyesight wasn’t what it used to be. I knew that was a bunch of BS. I think more than anything, it was for the company.

  Slipping on my shoes, I headed out the front door. The day couldn’t have been any better. The weather was perfect for walking. Not too warm and not too cold. There wasn’t even a cloud in the sky. It was strange how different the country was from the city. Everything was so much clearer. Even the birds singing could be heard crystal clear.

  Breathing in the clean air, I looked around, thinking how blessed I was to have all of this. The circumstances that got me to this point were not what I wanted to remember, but I think my grandparents would have been proud of me, knowing that their property was being well cared for.

  Lost in my thoughts, I heard a scream from up the road that sounded like a woman. Jogging in that direction, I spotted a young woman jumping up and dow
n while holding her hand close to her body. Based on the hammer on the ground, my guess was that she missed the nail and was fighting off the pain from hitting her finger instead.

  As I got closer to her, her eyes turned my way and I was hit with the most magnificent shade of green that I had ever seen. With her lips wrapped around her thumb, all I could think about was how gorgeous those lips were. My eyes were so completely fixed on her sucking away on her finger that I didn’t hear a word she said.

  “Can you hammer in a nail?” she asked softly as she pulled her thumb from her mouth, and my thoughts settled back to reality.

  Picking up the hammer from the ground, I looked down at it and then to her. “I’ve pounded a few nails in my day. Looks like you could use a hand.”

  “Could I ever. My mom warned me about this place, said that I was too much of a city girl,” she confessed.

  I couldn’t care less what kind of a girl she was; country, city, it didn’t matter. All I knew was she was gorgeous and I couldn’t keep my eyes off of her. The way her hair draped down her back like silk had me wanting to run my fingers through it. And, my God, those sassy shorts with the lace around the hem. Daisy Duke, watch out.

  Moving the ladder out of the way that she had to use, since she was at least a good eight inches shorter than me, I straightened out the crooked nail and began pounding on the head with the hammer until it was flush with the wood trim. Satisfied, I handed the hammer back to her. Looking down at her, I couldn’t help but stare at her. There was something in those eyes that kept me hypnotized. It was only after I heard her clear her throat that the spell was broken.

  “I’m Juliette, by the way, but you can call me Jules. Thanks for your help,” she said as I watched the words leave her mouth.

  Tucking my hands in my pockets, I looked over to the road. “So, you just moved into this place?” I questioned.

  “Yeah. Didn’t know what I was getting myself into, though. I’m afraid there’s a lot of work to be done. More than I realized,” she confessed.

  “Well, if you need help… I mean with this place, I only live a mile up the road.”

  “That’s really nice of you. I’ll keep that in mind. I should really get back to work. Thanks for the help,” she said, opening the screen door.

  Just like that she was out of sight. Turning on my heels, I stepped off the porch and headed back to my place. As I was walking a thought came to mind. I drove past this house at least twice a day and I never noticed that there was a for sale sign in the yard. The only thing that I could come up was that it must have been sold before the realtor had a chance to put a sign up. No matter, at least I now had a neighbor, and a gorgeous one at that. She was definitely someone that I would be borrowing a cup of sugar from.

  ~****~

  When I got back to the house, I decided to find out more about my new neighbor. One thing about being in the security business, I had ways of finding out information on a person that the average Joe didn’t. Walking to my office, just off of the kitchen, I took a seat at my desk and flipped up the top of my laptop and waited for it to come to life. Opening the search database, I plugged in the address of the house that was now occupied by the sexy green-eyed bombshell that had my dick rock-hard.

  One thing I did know about the place was that the old couple that had once owned it moved to Nebraska where their daughter lived. They were getting up in age and their daughter didn’t feel comfortable leaving them out here alone. They were the nicest couple, but a little on the strange side. I don’t think there was anything they got rid of. The property looked more like a junkyard than anything else. I could only imagine how their daughter felt when it came time to move them and all their stuff.

  Pulling up the property, I could see that the title to the property had changed over to Miss Juliette Daniels about a month ago. Not sure what her relationship was to the old couple. Maybe she was their granddaughter. or maybe just an interested buyer. It really didn’t matter; at least I had a last name to go with that pretty face.

  Switching applications, I typed in her name to see what would come up. There wasn’t much on her once the information began downloading. She was born in Mountain Brook, Alabama, with a population of around 20,000. The only living parent was Carol Daniels, who still lived in the small town. She was twenty-three and currently attending The City College. She seemed like she had everything together. She was a good girl. Not even so much as a parking ticket on her.

  Shutting down my computer, I gazed out the window across the road that led to her home. There was something about her that made me want to find out more. I had all the information I needed for now, at least what was on paper. Now, all I wanted was to really get to know her. Find out what she liked and what she didn’t. Really get to know her.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Juliette

  It was hard to believe that I was finally on my own and out of the city. Even though my mom warned me about this place, I couldn’t pass it up; it was a steal. At least that was what I thought until I started living here. The amount of work this place needed was way beyond anything I would be able to do myself. I was a girly girl, and doing handy work just wasn’t in my genes. Unfortunately, I needed to learn quickly. There was no way I could afford to hire a man to do the work. Going to college part-time and only working nights didn’t leave me with the cash flow I needed. Getting a degree was the most important thing to me. All I wanted to do was find a good job, a respectable one that my mom would be proud of.

  Making a list of what I thought I would need to get this place in shape, I decided that I had better get a move on if I was going to anything done. Grabbing my purse, I checked to make sure I had my I.D., cash, and my handy Visa card, even though I knew I was pretty close to maxing out the balance. Hopefully this new job would get me out of debt. I knew one thing for sure: being given this house was a godsend no matter the repairs that needed to be done. I would much rather put money into something that was mine than spend the money on rent.

  As I grabbed my purse, my cell began to ring. Looking down at the screen, I could see that it was my mom. “Hey, Mom,” I said.

  “Hey, sweetheart. I just wanted to check on you and see how the house was coming along,” she replied.

  “It’s getting there. Little by little,” I answered

  “So how about summer? You still planning on staying there?”

  “I have so much to do here, Mom. I really would love to come home for a bit, but this is really important to me,” I said, knowing that wasn’t the only reason.

  “Well, if you change your mind, let me know.”

  Ending the call, I headed out. Looking at the old house, I glanced up at the nail the hot guy, who I guess I could consider my next-door neighbor, was so kind to help me with and smiled. He would definitely be a neighbor I’d want to get to know better, if only I could. Right now there were too many things I needed to work out first, and having another distraction was not in the mix.

  Getting in my car, I turned the key, only the engine wouldn’t start. This was not what I needed. I knew I should have traded off my yellow bomb when I had the chance, but paying my tuition seemed like a better choice at the time. Opening the door, I walked to the front of the car and lifted the hood. It seemed like the most natural thing to do, even though I had no idea what I was even looking for. Looking down at the engine, I took in a deep breath and scratched my head. Closing the hood, I looked down the road and decided my best option was to see if Mr. Hot to Trot could figure out what was wrong with my car.

  Walking down the dirt road, I was thankful that at least it was a gorgeous day. The heat may have been a little much, but it didn’t matter. I just slipped off my button-up shirt and wrapped it around my waist. It was about a mile later, just like he said, when a beautiful house came into view. “Wow, this guy really takes care of this place,” I said to myself.

  Looking up at the large windows in the front that extended from the wood deck to almost the highest peak of the ho
use, I wondered who cleaned them when they got dirty. As magnificent as it was, it just didn’t seem practical, except maybe to showcase a fifteen-foot Christmas tree. I climbed the steps to where the front door was. The door was over-the-top gorgeous, with stained-glass windows and fancy brass handles on each side. Almost afraid to knock on the beautiful glass, I searched for the doorbell as an alternative. Every home should have one, I thought, but for some reason there wasn’t one to be found. Tapping lightly on the glass, I could only hope that the gorgeous guy inside would be able to hear me.

  When the door opened, he couldn’t have been more gorgeous. The green-blue of his eyes seemed even more mesmerizing with the sun hitting them just right. And with the dark of his eyelashes surrounding them, I knew they broke plenty of hearts. Smiling up at him, I was at a loss for words. With a little chuckle and the cutest smile ever, he said curiously, “I was just thinking about you.”

  Little did he know that I was thinking about him as well. “I’m sorry to bother you, but my car doesn’t seem to want to start, and I don’t know anything about cars except where to put the gas.”