Free Forced: A Bad Boy Billionaire Romance (The Blackthorn Brothers Book 1) by Cali MacKay

clean. “I missed this so much, little bird.”
    She gave me a smile as she settled back in her seat. “I bet.”

 
     
     

     
    What the hell was I thinking? I had wanted to keep my distance, and instead I’d ended up blowing Ash while cruising down the highway at eighty miles an hour.
    I could blame it on how stressed out I was about seeing my dad—not to mention being around Ash—but it’d be nothing but an excuse. There was just something about Ash that made me crazy, so I couldn’t think straight.
    “You okay, love?” Dividing his attention between me and the road, Ash reached over and brushed my cheek, his fingers just a little rough against my skin. “We’re nearly there.”
    “Yeah…I’m fine.” Except that I wasn’t. My father was impossible to deal with under normal circumstances. Never mind now that he had his mind made up about me marrying Ash, in some asinine move to keep me safe from all his enemies.
    “It’ll be okay, Wren. I know things have been tense between you and your dad, especially since his diagnosis and your brother’s death, but I’ll be right there by your side.”
    The mention of Steven had my heart skittering and my stomach flipping.
    “ Step brother.” I fought back my sudden nausea, but as Ash pulled down my father’s drive and pressed the intercom at the gate, I nearly lost it. “I can’t do this, Ash. I can’t marry you. Believe me, this is for your own good.”
    I knew I was leaving him in the dark about far too much, but he could never know my secrets. And it sure as hell wouldn’t be fair to drag him into the middle of it all. He deserved someone who could make him happy, someone normal—not someone who was fucked in the head and had suffered years of abuse. Not a murderer .
    “Come on.” Ash parked in front of the home I grew up in, and I was immediately hit with an onslaught of memories, even as he took my hand and gave it a squeeze. “I’m sorry, little bird. But you know neither of us have any choice in the matter.”
    I squeezed my eyes shut against my stinging tears, and held onto my anger for protection, just like I’d done a million times before. Because in the end, my hurt and anger were the only things I had left. I got out of the car and slammed the door in frustration, ready to fight for my life once more. My father’s nurse—someone I’d never seen before—let us in and showed us to where he was sitting in the living room.
    “Wren…I’m so happy to see you.” Seeing my dad looking so gaunt and weak had my tears spilling over. And though some would say he looked good, given his condition, he was a shadow of his former self. “Don’t cry…not when we should be celebrating.”
    I sank down by his side as I hugged him, all my arguments dying on my lips, my anger silenced once more. How the hell was I supposed to argue with him? How the hell was I supposed to stand my ground and go against his wishes when it was clear that this was his dying wish?
    I shifted onto the sofa across from him, grateful for once that Ash was by my side as he pulled me into his arms to comfort me. And yet, I knew this was my one chance to protest against this marriage, even if I knew it was futile, and just so I could tell myself that at least I’d tried to put a stop to this. “You know I love you, Dad—but please…don’t make me do this. I can’t get married. It’s not fair.”
    “Life’s never fair, Wren. Certainly you know that by now.” His words sent a shard of panic through me, though I told myself he didn’t know. He couldn’t possibly . “If it were, I wouldn’t be dying of this horrible fucking disease.”
    “Can’t you just tell Ash who went after his family, so he can deal with whoever’s behind the attacks—without blackmailing him into marrying me? I don’t need him or anyone to keep me safe.” Yet even as I spoke the words, I knew they were falling on deaf ears and would make little difference.
    “Ash and I have an agreement,