Igniting the Flame (Firebrand Series) Read Online Free PDF Page B

able to get him out of her mind. She’d thrown herself into her new job with a determination to put Ash DeHan out of her mind permanently. But when she went to bed at night, the memories of their times together played over and over in her mind, making it impossible to sleep.
    She’d picked up her phone many times to call him, but she never followed through. No matter how much she missed him, she still believed that ending things with him was the best choice in the long run. When Ash had told her about Firebrand, she’d known their relationship was doomed. She could see the excitement in his eyes when he talked about the covert operation. She’d heard it in his voice that night. It stood to reason he’d choose an exciting life with his friends rather than settling down in St. Claire. Better to get past the feelings he’d stirred in her, feelings that no one else had even come close to producing before.
    So when Sam called with the invitation to go to the concert in the park, she’d jumped at the chance. Anything to get out of the house. She’d always liked Sam but that was as far as it had gone when they were dating in college. No matter how hard she tried to break through his reserve, he’d always closed himself off to her. She never could see what lay hidden in his heart, and in the end she hadn’t cared.       
    She would never have suspected, though, that the evening with Sam would take such a dramatic turn when she came face to face with Ash. The look on his face when he saw her had stabbed her in the heart, and in that moment she knew he’d been hurting just as much as she had.
    The despair on his face when he realized she and Sam were together made her think that perhaps he’d been sincere when he said he didn’t want to leave her to join Firebrand. The thought made her want to throw her arms around him and beg him to forgive her for the things she’d said. Instead she’d stood rooted to the spot and watched as he’d stormed away toward the parking lot.
    Beside her, Sam had touched her arm. “Let’s go find a seat.”
    She glanced at Sam and then back to Ash’s retreating figure. In that moment she knew the rest of her life depended on the choice she made at that moment. If she didn’t find out the answer, she would always wonder what would have happened if she’d gone after him.
    “I’m sorry, Sam,” she said. “I have to go.”
    Before he could ask why, she had turned and was running in the direction that Ash had disappeared. She prayed she could catch him before he left. When she ran into the parking lot, she looked around in despair at the cars that filled the area. There was no way she could find him now.
    She scanned the area hoping to catch sight of him, but he was nowhere in sight. Tears filled her eyes, and she was about to turn away when she heard a strangled cry nearby. With her heart pounding, she ran toward the sound to find Ash slumped against his car and beating on the roof. When she touched his arm, he whirled around and stared at her as if he couldn’t believe she werethere.
    She took a big breath and inched closer until they were almost touching. “This is hard for me, Ash. I’ve never done anything like this in my life. So I need you to listen and let me get it all out before you say anything. Can you do that?”
    His lips parted, but he didn’t say anything as he stared down at her. Finally he nodded.
    “First of all,” she began, “I want to apologize for the thoughtless things I said to you the last time I saw you. You’ve been nothing but kind to me since we met, and I had no right to judge you based on how I remember you from years ago. I hope you can forgive me.”
    “Lainey. . .” he whispered.
    She held up her hand. “I’ve been alone a lot during my life. I lost my parents when I was young, and I felt like I’d been deserted. I loved my grandmother, but we never really connected. She wasn’t really a mother-figure to me. More like a nice lady who