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"Uh, okay, yeah," he replied, sounding nervous and uncertain

"Good I’ll call you later" I quickly ended the call before he could sayintoto say If I did, I would’ve talked myself out of this I turnedto town Asher had been running froh He needed to face this once and for all He needed to face us What he did and what he threay

Steel’s white truck was gone when I pulled around the house I made my way to the barn Asher’s blue truck was parked where he had always parked it, just to the right of the pump house He could see it from his bedroom henever he parked it there That kept his brothers fro off with it

I stopped beside his truck and turned offAsher was terrifying His rejection and refusal to look at h my heart I needed a moment to mentally prepare I knew I couldn’t do this with him and walk away unscathed I knehat lay in store for me afterwards

The knock onTaking one ers around thedown

"Steel ain’t here, but then I’uessin’ you know that, seein’ as how you’re parked next to Ash"

Bray’s tone held a warning He thought I was here to cause trouble I wasn’t, not any more than Asher had caused when he drove into town and sent ot soet it He’s had three years to get his head from his ass Now I’as left unsaid between uswhen it ended and your brother did the ending"

Bray stood there a et past hione with Brent to get some feed and soht here," he said, that deep fa Bray’s Asher had seen me drive up I expected that It’s why I parked here I wanted hi at his older brother, before turning and walking away, leaving us standing there alone for the very first time in years

I’d come to demand closure and now that I had his complete, undivided attention, I couldn’t move a muscle I couldn’t form any words I felt paralyzed Asher stood a few feet away, only wearing a pair of worn jeans hung low enough on his hips that his v-cut lower oblique were in clear unhindered view Where the hell was his shirt?

As if he could read my mind, the black cotton fabric of his tee shirt suddenly draped over all those muscles, the same muscles I used to think weresex with Lifting my eyes, I took in his wet locks and freshly shaven face, realizing he’d just showered

"You talked to Steel?" he asked, andweak? Why was being close to hi as it had been three long years ago? Before he tossedup later to talk Before I talked to hith to speak calmly I wanted to scream at Asher Demand to knohy he hated me

"You need to talk to Steel, not me," he replied, then he turned to walk away

Just like before, he was blocking ain, how he used et me I hated that I still loved hi Asher’s arain

This time I wouldn’t stand here and take it I would tell him what a horrible person he was I roared "no!" as my hands wrapped around his bicep, which once used to curl aroundthose memories aside, I squeezed his arm and jerked him toward me, as hard as I could