Chapter 31

Kai

"C ome on, Ashy, hurry up. The engine's running," I called loudly, one arm lazily hanging out my Jeep's window as I waited for him to come so we could get on the road. The back of the car was already packed with everything we'd need for our little camping trip, yet Ash was still in the house, looking for who knew what.

I was the one who suggested we go camping after Ash mentioned he missed nature. He didn't hesitate before agreeing and even looked eager for the trip. Ash had been much more outgoing for the past couple of weeks, and I was confident it had to do with him being back in the water. Ever since that Saturday he'd surfed with Paris and me, Ash hardly left the ocean. He spent his days in the water, catching waves and riding tubes. Morning, noon, or evening, you name it. Ash was surfing around the clock, each surf bringing a bit of his old self back to life.

Finally, the man of the hour stumbled out the front door with more bags hanging around his arms.

"Sorry," he panted, dropping everything in the back seat. "I just thought we might need a few more things."

"A few ?" I glanced back. "You brought the whole house, Ashy. We're only going for two days."

"One can never be too prepared," he answered with a cute smile while opening the passenger door.

"Prepared for what? Seven years of drought?"

"Oh!" He stopped in his tracks. "I forgot the snacks!"

"We have enough snacks already. Just get your ass in here— fuck ," I hissed after he tossed his duffle bag on my lap, the weight crashing my balls, then ran back to the house.

When did he become this organized?

With a grunt, I moved his bag to the seat beside me and rubbed my sore groin. At this rate, we'd never leave. Tapping the steering wheel with my fingers, I patiently waited for his return when Ash's phone rang. The ring kept going, so I fished the phone out of his bag, ready to switch it to silent, when I saw the caller's name on the screen.

Soren.

My heart paused, and I stared at the screen with a deep frown as unsettledness took over me, forming a knot in my gut. In a split second, my shock turned into anger. Why was this fucker calling Ash all of a sudden? I gripped the phone harder, gritting my teeth as it kept ringing. Finally, it stopped, but then came a text.

Hey, I know it's been a while, but could we talk? There's a lot I need to explain.

Fuck no, you can't talk was what I wanted to type him in return but didn't. This fucker really had the audacity to suddenly call Ash. But at least his text confirmed to me that Soren hadn't tried contacting Ash before. Which made what I was about to do next a whole lot easier.

I quickly glanced up to see if Ash was on his way back. The coast was clear, so I typed in Ash's code—his mom's birthday—and unlocked his phone. I then went to his contact list, my finger hovering over the names until I spotted Soren's. Without stopping to reconsider, I blocked the fucker's number and then deleted his last call and text. I wasn't about to stand by and watch this scum crawl back into Ash's life, not when our relationship was finally going in the right direction.

After I was done, I carefully placed the phone inside Ash's bag just as he came out of the house, his arms carrying snacks and whatnot. He looked so cute and beautiful that not a single bit of guilt burdened me over what I'd just done.

Quite the opposite.

I felt unbelievable satisfaction.

Ash opened the car door and moved his bag before sitting down.

"Got our snacks?" I asked with a teasing smile.

"Yeah." He grinned back, already pulling out a bag of BBQ chips. "This is your favorite, right?"

Ignoring the chips, I focused on him. Moving my hand to the back of his nape, I squeezed him tight. "You're damn right about that."

Finding a spot isolated enough to set up our camp took some time, but after a long day of hiking, I couldn't be more grateful for the effort. The two of us sitting by a lake while I was cooking dinner was what dreams were made of. I wasn't about to let Ash eat canned food, so I went as far as bringing camping stoves, an iron pan, and one juicy T-bone we'd devour soon enough.

Now, waiting for the food to cook, we had some time to chill.

"I like the scruff." My knuckle brushed against Ash's soft stubble, his skin warm from sitting in the sun.

Ash placed his hand over where I'd just touched him, his cheeks red, and not because of the afternoon heat. "You do?" He chuckled. "It makes me feel shabby."

"Not at all. It adds roughness to your face, and it's sexy."

He nudged my shoulder. "Shut up."

Laughing, I flipped the steak, the hiss of the meat roasting like music to my ears. Satisfied, I picked up a soda from the cooler and opened it with my teeth before taking a long gulp. Checking out the bottle, I twisted my lips. It tasted good, but not as much as a cold beer would have.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing." I shook my head and put the bottle on the ground beside me. "I just wish this was a beer."

"Kai." His face turned serious.

"Relax, Ashy. It's only a joke." I poked his cute nose.

Brushing me off, he frowned. "There's a sliver of truth behind every joke."

"You sound like Aiden now," I pointed out, and his brows pulled close.

"Don't change the subject."

Ah, I forgot how determined he could get when he wanted something.

"Fine," I sighed. "I do miss drinking and getting high, but it's part of staying clean. You know? Sobriety is one heck of a bitch but totally worth it."

Ash pressed his lips together and nodded.

"What do you do when you feel like using again?"

"Remember why I got sober to begin with," I said, thinking about my kid.

"And if that doesn't work?"

I looked at him with raised brows. "What's up with all the questions?"

He shrugged. "I'm just curious."

Scratching my chin, I hummed. "Well, when that doesn't work, I find ways to distract myself."

"Such as?"

I snorted. He was being really curious today.

"Working out, surfing, fucking." I glanced at him with that last one. Our eyes met, and he quickly looked away. So damn cute . "Why? Wanna keep me distracted?"

"Fuck off." He shoved me again. "I was just being curious. That's all." He stood up. "I'm going to get us plates so we can eat."

Glancing back at our food, which seemed almost ready, I nodded. "Sounds like a good idea."

After we were done with dinner, Ash went for a short swim in the lake while I prepared the campfire for the night. It was already completely dark outside, and every once in a while, a wolf howled from afar. I regretted not bringing Pacha, Ash's pit bull, with us because those howls were scary as fuck. The park website clearly said it was safe, but in searching for an isolated spot, we did get off the road. Well, let's hope no one gets eaten by a wolf tonight.

"It's a shame you didn't join me." Ash smiled, walking toward me while drying his hair with a towel. "The water felt great."

I pushed another stick into the fire, and it crackled, sending sparks flying into the air while I enjoyed the sight of his naked torso. "Someone needed to build a campfire."

"I forgot how much I love the smell of burning wood." He smiled, then sat on the chair beside me. Rubbing his palms together, he brought them closer to the fire, letting out a soft groan of pleasure.

He didn't bother to put on clothes after his swim and instead kept the swim trunks on. Golden skin painted with warm colors, pouty lips, and flushed cheeks, with long eyelashes that brushed against them every time he blinked—Ash was fucking gorgeous, and my heart fluttered at his appearance.

"Want some s'mores?" I asked, and he moved his eyes to me.

"Yes, please."

I grabbed the marshmallow bag and tossed it at him. "Since I cooked dinner, dessert's on you."

Ash frowned, hardly catching the bag in time. "But I'll ruin them. You know I suck at cooking."

I laughed. "Nobody can fuck up s'mores."

Twenty minutes later, Ash proved me wrong.

"I told you I'd ruin them," he grunted while holding what was once a pillowy marshmallow and now turned into burned goo.

"Nah, it's not that bad." I tried seeing if there was a part that wasn't burned for me to taste.

"Really?"

He sounded so cute that I braced myself and my taste buds and took a bite.

"So, how is it?" he asked, eyes full of hope.

It tasted like shit, but I forced myself to swallow before giving him a fake smile. "G-Great." I coughed, clearing my throat.

He laughed. "Just admit that it tastes like crap."

"It's like bad sex. It's okay while you're at it, but the aftermath leaves you with an awful taste."

Ash gaped at me, amusement dancing in his eyes before looking away. "I wouldn't know. Never had bad sex in my life before."

Shocked by his statement, I nudged his shoulder. "Fuck off."

"I'm serious," he chuckled, putting his burned s'more away.

"Not even one lousy fuck?" I studied him with a skeptical brow.

"Nope." He licked his finger clean, then side-eyed me. The fucker was teasing me.

"Did that prick have some sort of a magic dick?"

Surprisingly, Ash didn't shut back into himself with my comment and instead snorted. "Not going to answer that."

"Bet my money I'm a better fuck than him," I muttered under my breath.

"So prove it," Ash said.

Unsure I heard right, I turned to look at him and was shocked to find him staring back at me, his face a mask of seriousness.

"What?" I breathed out the word, my heart rate increasing incredibly high.

"If you say you're a better fuck than he is, I say, prove it."

He sounded serious, but my brain still found it hard to believe. It was simply too good to be true, so I asked, "You're serious right now?"

Rather than answering me, Ash got up and walked back to our tent. He unzipped the bug net, but before getting in, he glanced at me over his shoulder.

"Join me, and you'll find out."