“He’s coming back in. I should let you go,” I said.
“Love you.”
“Love you, too.” And with that, the call ended just as he walked in, stomping his boots on the snow-covered mat at the door.
“It’s cold out there,” he said with a grin the moment his eyes touched mine. I smiled.
“Need help getting warmed up?” I offered. The salacious grin he gave me was answer enough. I pushed off the blankets he’d bundled me up in and walked towards him.
Trust your heart. Tabitha’s words floated through my head, and when I touched his hard flannel-covered chest, the material icy and wet from the elements, all so he would have peace of mind that we’d have enough wood to keep a fire blaring for me to stay warm, I silently peeled the flannel and then the cable knit sweater off his body.
“Ember?” he called, but I didn’t answer. I simply took his hand in mine as I led him to the master bedroom and straight to the bathroom. I opened the glass shower doors and started the water, setting it as hot as it would go.
“Princess, you okay?” he asked, but again, I didn’t answer.
Trust your heart.It was such a simple but risky idea. As I stared into his eyes, I knew it was going to be the best decision I ever made in my life. Carefully, I fell to my knees and glanced up at him. His gaze was intense and set on me as I slowly helped him out of his boots. First the left, then the right before working taking off his socks. His whole entire body felt ice cold to the touch.
And he’d done that for me.
Because Asher loved me.
Actions spoke louder than words, and as I kneeled in front of him, helping take his pants and boxers off, everything he’d done from the moment he’d stepped foot into the cabin collided inside my head.
He’d not just said he loved me, but he had shown me. With the way he took care of me. Because he loved me. Completely. It was crazy fast and maybe a little irrational, but it didn’t change the fact it was true. True love.
“Baby,” he rasped as I stood. Unable to keep my hands off him, they skimmed over his abs and chest. The lightly smattered dark hair tickled my palms, and when he was standing naked in front of me, I took off my own clothes, leaving the two of us in our birthday suits.
“Ember.” I took his hand, and we stepped inside the shower. The deep guttural sound he made echoed inside the stall. “Ember,” he called my name again, this time tipping my head up “What’s going on in that pretty head of yours?”
“I love you,” I whispered. “I’ve never said that to anyone… not like this. I’ve said it to my family and my friends, but never a man I wanted more from,” I confessed, impressed that my voice didn’t shake.
“Fuck,” he groaned, pressing his head against mine.
“I’m sorry I didn’t say it last night. I felt it. I’ve felt this… connection, this pull to you, from the moment we bumped into one another at the store, but… I got scared,” I admitted.
“You have nothing to be scared about or apologize for when it comes to me, do you understand?”
“You would think that, but… it feels like there is so much stacked against us.” The words slipped out, and I winced. This wasn’t the moment to say this, but he wasn’t letting me off the hook.
“Like what?” he asked as water fell on us and steam surrounded us. I loved the fact he wanted to tackle the issues headfirst.
“Where do you want me to start?” I shrugged.
“Whatever’s in your head.”
“Ash… we’re both workaholics. There is an eight-hour drive between us.”
“But you feel this?” He took my hand and pressed it against his chest. “You feel that?” he repeated, and I blinked through the water streaming down between us.
“Your heart?”
“Yeah, it beats for you. Only for you,” he said, and I believed him. How could I not when my own heart beat for him? “I know this isn’t what you want to hear, but we will figure it out.”
“Ash—“
“I promise you we will,” he said steadily. Honestly. Genuinely. And again, I let the hope inside of me not just bloom but thrive. “You have to believe that.”
“But what about?—“
