Page 30 of Sloane

I should have known better than to get involved with Ashley, but it had almost felt like it was out of my control. As if it were bigger than me.

Yeah, bullshit.

My life was about overseeing everything. It’s how I kept my men alive. Too many people depended on me to even give the thought of something being out of my power an iota of consideration.

But if I was really calling the shots, how did I end up involved with Ashley? I specifically only hooked up with women who had zero long-term potential so I’d be free to leave on a mission without any complications.

Well, shit just got a lot more complicated.

Now what the hell was I going to do?

****

Ashley

Just a little after six, the doorbell rang, and my heart skipped a beat. He came back.

I mean, logically, I knew he would—his duffel bag was sitting in the corner of my living room. Not to mention the way he kissed me just before I got in the driver’s seat after taking him to the base.

He’d pulled away and grinned when he’d looked down at my kiss-drunk face. Then he’d touched my chin with a wink and murmured, “I’ll see you later, sweetness,” leaving me smiling like a fool the entire drive home.

I don’t even know how I had made it back to my apartment; I’d been so lost in daydreams of what it would be like if Sloane were really my boyfriend and lived in San Diego fulltime.

As soon as I allowed myself to embrace how wonderful it could be, middle-school Ashley reared her ugly head to remind me that he was way out of my league, and it wouldn’t be long before someone prettier came along and caught his eye.

I knew I wasn’t being fair to Sloane. He didn’t seem to be shallow like that. And when I analyzed it further, I realized that worry had nothing to do with him and everything to do with my insecurities.

I knew I needed to either get over it or do something about it.

I had good insurance now, so laser treatments weren’t cost prohibitive, and the downtime wouldn’t be bad, so I didn’t really know why I hadn’t already gotten it done.

I think in some way the birthmark had become a part of my identity, and having it removed would be like altering who I was.

Or maybe I was just scared I wouldn’t be able to use it as an excuse why I didn’t have a boyfriend, or didn’t get the promotion, or whatever else didn’t go my way. It’d become my scapegoat. What would I do if I no longer had it to blame?

It was time to put my big girl panties on and find out.

During my free afternoon, I researched dermatology offices that performed pulsed dye laser treatments and scheduled a consultation appointment with the one with the best reviews.

Of course, they were booked through the holidays and beyond, so I was unable to get in until the beginning of February.

Step One in my Ashley 2.0 plan.

Step Two was believing someone as gorgeous as Sloane could really fall for me. That was going to take some work.

I loved that he wasn’t just beautiful on the outside, but the inside, too. I got the feeling he didn’t show that to many people, and I felt honored I’d gotten to know that side of him.

And now he was back at my door.

Never doubted it for a minute.

Fake it ‘til you make it, right?

I flung the door open and couldn’t help but smile like a lunatic at the sight of Sloane standing on the other side of the threshold.

“Lucy… I’m home,” he said with a grin, along with a terrible Desi Arnaz accent.

“Hi!”