Take Me Down (Suits in Pursuit) Read Free Page A

Ashley for an immediate answer.
    “Your damn husband is rubbing off on you. I don’t think I can take time off from work. You know how busy work is with the McBride account. If I’m going to land that promotion, now isn’t the best time for me to take vacation.” Ashley replied.
    “Enough with the excuses, Ashley Ann Turner. Taking one or two weeks off won’t put A.C. Advertising out of business or jeopardize your promotion.”
    The fog that had dampened Ashley’s mood began to lift. “Fine. I’ll think about taking a trip, but I’m not making any promises. I’m doing the best I can.”
    “I know you are, Ash. I just want to see you happy again. Besides, it’s my turn to return the favor. Without you, I would have never moved to Atlanta or met Axel. Without you, I’d still be running from my man.”
    Ashley narrowed her eyes at Kerrigan, silent for minutes. “Okay. Okay.” She let out an exasperated sigh. “Do your thing. But just so you know, this trip is not about me finding romance. I like my arrangement. Sex without expectations works for me.” She twirled a stray hair around her finger as her chest tightened. Filled with anxiety, Ashley gasped for air, her constricted breaths made her lightheaded.
    Kerrigan rolled her eyes. She rose from the chair and then strolled across the stained-concrete floor to a built-in bookcase. “When are we going to take these down?” She held up a photo of Chris that sat on the shelf. “I like Dr. Martin’s idea about a memory box. Might help you move on.”
    “I’m not ready for that either.” Ashley’s frantic head nod forced Kerrigan to place the photo back on the shelf.
    “Okay. Baby steps. Whenever you’re ready, just call, and I’ll come over. We can take them down and create a memory box together.”
    “If I fall in love again, that’s when the photos come down.”
    Kerrigan’s heels clicking against the concrete floor, she walked toward Ashley and stretched her arms out wide.
    Ashley returned the hug. “Thank you, Kerri, for everything,” Her words poured out from twisted lips.
    “I’m going to make this easy for you. I’ll schedule a date, time, and location.”
    Ashley hoped her smile masked the fear. Kerrigan was right. The time to move on had come, but she had no idea how to let go of the man she had thought she would spend a lifetime loving. Her chin placed on Kerrigan’s shoulder, Ashley scanned the room. She met Chris’s ghostly gaze, peering at her from a large frame seated on the shelf. His memory delighted and tormented her. Then suddenly, she heard his voice.
    “Time to let go.”
    A chill ran up Ashley’s spine. She clutched Kerrigan tighter, determination to move on dissolving her fear.

Chapter Two
    Ashley paced the kitchen floor and then strutted to the large window. Her thumb twitched against her outer thigh as she scanned the street with a careful eye, watching for familiar car lights. She glanced at her cell phone. The time was five o’clock in the morning. Kerrigan and Axel would arrive at any moment. She was reeling inside. After all she had been through the past six years, Ashley wanted to move on, but guilt, like a hard knot, settled in her belly. Guilt bore down, hard and heavy, keeping any forward momentum stalled. How had Kerrigan talked her into going to Florida? When Kerrigan mentioned the trip two months ago, Ashley thought she had been bluffing, but Kerrigan followed through on her promise.
    Five minutes later, a knock at the door jolted her up from the sofa.
    “Come on in. I need to grab my suitcase,” Ashley said, nervous fingers clinging to the door’s edge refused to unloosen.
    Kerrigan reached out, swept Ashley into an embrace. “Hey, Ash. Axel is keeping the car warm for us. Do you have everything you need?”
    Ashley backed away and held up a small garment bag. “You know I do, including my lingerie and condoms.” She winked at Kerrigan.
    Kerrigan snatched the bag away and peeked inside. Her mouth