“Have a drink, Drew, and tell me why you’re here.” Ash sipped his vodka and stared at him over the rim of his glass.
“No, thanks, I’m driving. But I do want to talk to you.” The man was a study in contrasts. Drew couldn’t think of a time he hadn’t seen Ash perfectly dressed, every hair in place, looking like he’d stepped out of a men’s fashion magazine.
Tonight however…well he looked off-kilter. Though he still had on his clothes from earlier, that white button down shirt and black slacks, the shirt was wrinkled and unbuttoned lower than he’d ever seen. Dark stubble shadowed along his jaw, and his hair lay unkempt and disheveled. Drew shifted on the sofa. “Look, I know this may sound stupid, but my grandmother was concerned about you, so she asked me to stop by and check up on you.”
“And of course you do everything your nana says.”
Drew’s face flamed. “Fuck you, Davis.”
A tiny smirk hit the corner of Ash’s lips. “What’s the matter, Doc? The truth hurts?”
The bastard. After all the nice things his grandmother had said about him, how she’d worried about him, this was his response? To act like the snide sarcastic son of a bitch he was at their first meeting? How dare he treat her concern as if it were nothing? And to think he’d actually thought they were friends. “What the hell do you know about the truth, huh? No one knows anything about you; you have no friends, no lover.” He stood, ready to leave. “No wonder you’re all alone. No one cares about you. You aren’t worth it.” Shit, he’d never spoken so cruelly to anyone. But then again, no one had ever gotten under his skin like Ash Davis.
Like a snake uncoiled, Ash jumped off the sofa and grabbed him by the shoulder. “Take that back.”
“What’s the matter, Davis? The truth hurts?” He mimicked Ash’s earlier words to him, and saw a flare of anger gleam in those colorless, glittering eyes.
“You fucking bastard. Who are you to say I’m not worth it, that no one cares about me? I have friends. People like me. Don’t you ever say I’m not worth it. I matter goddamn you. I fucking matter.”
Ash tried to grab onto him, but Drew wrenched away and took off for the door, speaking over his shoulder.
“People don’t like you, Ash, they want to fuck you because you’re beautiful. That’s not liking. That’s not a friendship. How many relationships have you ever had with another man? You’ve never even had a boyfriend or a permanent relationship have you, because you have to have a heart. You have to care about someone. How can you value someone else in your life when you don’t even value yourself?”
A Walk Through Fire by Felice Stevens
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
i’m sad to give only 4 stars to this book. but i think that’s really how i feel about it.
there was a LOT of angst in this book which probably lead to the 4 stars instead of 5. if you are expecting a happy feel good book like rescued, this is not it. felice’s writing is really good as is her character development. if you like really angsty books, this is probably a 5 star for you.
ash is a major jerk to most everyone and while i understand why it made him unlikeable for a bit of the book. once he reveals what a great man he is deep down, you really love him though. his life was absolute hell and he completely shuts himself off because of it. when he does finally open up and allows himself to care for drew, he is really sweet and caring.
drew is sweet but tends to let everyone else rule his life. it takes over half the book for him to realize it’s time to stand up for what he wants and live the life that makes him happy. there are a few times i really wanted to slap some sense into him!!
i don’t want to add a spoiler to this review but know that i am not happy with felice about a certain part of this book.
jason and ryder made quick appearances in the book which was neat.
i’m definitely anxious to read the next book with all the characters introduced in this book. i hope we see more of drew and ash as i’m sure they will make future stories fantastic.