Talon (Ashes & Embers Book 4) by Carian Cole Page A

the usual way, I'd be paying for everything. Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but I want to take care of my wife and kids. I love that you have your own business, but I do not in any way expect you to fork over a down payment or pay half the mortgage or the bills. That shit is not gonna fly with me."
    "I don't want a free ride. This is why I wanted to be with someone normal and not famous."
    "Why? So you could struggle financially together? That would have made you happier?"
    She lets out a strained little laugh. "Yeah, I guess in some ways, it would."
    "Well, instead, you got someone with a shit-ton of money who's willing to give you everything you want as long as you don't fuck me over."
    She shakes her head and looks me right in the eye. "I would never do something like that. I don't use people."
    "Come here."
    "What?" Her bottom lip quivers nervously.
    "Come here. You're too far away."
    She crosses the room tentatively and stops a few inches in front of me. Frowning, I grab her waist and pull her closer so her hips are resting against me.
    "That's better." I capture her gaze with mine and keep my hands on her waist. "I know this money stuff is going to be a hurdle for you, but you gotta let it go. I'm gonna try to trust you here and be honest, okay?" She nods slowly, her hands on my biceps, gently squeezing me. "Obviously, I have money. But it's more than just the band. A few years ago when my grandfather passed away, I inherited five million dollars. I really haven't spent any of it, except for the cars and guitars and stupid stuff. It's all in the bank, some of it invested. We can have a stable future, just like you wanted."
    She sucks in a quick, surprised breath. "That's a lot of zeroes," she whispers in awe.
    "Yeah, it fucking is. I can afford to get us a nice place to live and pay for everything, including a website for you. I have zero issue sharing with you, as long as you're good to me. We'll take things slow and figure the us part out. But I don't want you worrying about trying to find a place to live someday. If things don't work, I'll make sure you have a nice place to live. I will not ever let you live in a place like this again, no matter what. You have my word on that. I just can't deal with this 'what-if' shit every time we make a move. We can't be putting up speed bumps at every turn. That's not my style. If I want to do something, I do it."
    Her fingers dig into my biceps, her arms trembling. "I don't know what to say." Her voice shakes with emotion, and I don't like how hearing it makes my stomach feel funny. "Thank you doesn't seem like enough."
    "Well…I'm still open to sexual payments." I squeeze her waist tighter.
    Grinning, she leans back a little to look up into my face. "Are you always going to ruin every decent move you make with a sarcastic one?"
    "Probably."
    Her laughter fills the room. "The backwardness of this entire situation is going to take getting used to," she says. "This whole cart before the horse idea is much harder than I thought it would be."
    "Hopefully things will get easier when we get more comfortable around each other."
    "I hope so."
    Me too.

Chapter 12
Asia
    M y brain is spinning as I sit quietly in the passenger seat of the bouncy monster truck with Pixie's little carrier on my lap. Talon's been listening to music as he drives and seems lost in his own thoughts, as he's being unusually quiet.
    So much is happening in such a short amount of time. Leaving my apartment to go stay in his family guesthouse, going house shopping in the near future, and the fact that I just unknowingly married a millionaire rock star is all leaving me a little shocked and shaken.
    Talon's got me in a twist too. He's all over the place with the way he acts toward me. One minute he's acting like he doesn't like me, then the next he's coming on to me. And then telling me he's going to make sure I never live in a ghetto again, which is the sweetest, most generous thing anyone has ever said to me in my entire