“Fuck, baby, me too,” he says, letting out a long breath.
I look down at Beast, who is sitting at our feet, looking up at us and waiting to see if we’re still going for a walk or if I might have a treat. His head tilts when I start talking to him. “Looks like you’re gonna get a bath, boy.” He tilts his head in the other direction. “And when you’redone, I need to take one too,” I say then realize that I am, once again, talking to my dog. I look up at Asher and he’s smiling. I say the first thing that pops into my head.
“Do I look like Carrie?”
He bursts out laughing then kisses my forehead. “Yeah, you’re covered from having that damn dog sit on you while you hugged him. When my dad gets here and checks everything out, you can shower.”
“Oh my God,” I whisper, horrified when I remember that his dad is the sheriff. “Your dad’s coming?”
“Yeah, baby. He’s the sheriff.”
“Oh my God, your dad’s coming,” I repeat. Without thinking, I stick my hands up the front of his shirt and use it to wipe my face. “Is that better?” I ask.
“I can’t believe you just did that,” he says, sounding completely shocked.
“Oh, God. Your dad’s going to meet me looking like Carrie,” I cry out. I still have my hands up his shirt so I repeat the process of wiping my face. Then I use the inside to wipe my hands. I look up because he’s not saying anything.
“Okay! So, is most of the red off my face?” I ask.
“You owe me a new shirt,” he tells me.
“Fine, whatever. But is the red gone?”
“Yeah, baby. The red is mostly gone but now I don’t know if I should kiss you or spank you for that shit.” “Whatever,” I whisper and press my forehead against his chest to hide my huge smile. My belly is doing acrobatics at the thought of him kissing me. Two minutes later, red and blue lights flash up the driveway and two police cars pull in next to Asher’s jeep. Looking around Asher’s big body, I see a very tall man with grey hair mixed with dirty blond walking towards us. This must be his dad.
“Dad, this is November,” Asher says, taking a step back. Then, he pulls me from the seat. When my feet hit the ground, he puts his armaround me, dragging me into his body. His dad is smiling when he walks towards us.
“Hi, November. I’ve heard a lot about you visiting my mama with that dog of yours. She’s been bragging about you for a few weeks now. But I didn’t know you were Big Mike’s daughter. I don’t think anyone even knew he had a daughter,” he says with a kind smile on his face.
“Your mom is a very nice lady, Mr. Mayson. And, not a lot of people know about me,” I tell him as if he doesn’t already know it. “Please call me James. Mr. Mayson makes me feel old.”
“Okay,” I say laughing. “So what happened tonight? You said someone broke in?” Asher tells his dad about the red writing in my living room and Beast being covered in the same liquid that was used on the walls. And how all the lights were off in the house when we got here.
“Okay, darlin’, do you know of anyone who would want to hurt you?” he asks, looking at me.
“No, but the reason I moved here is because I was attacked in New York. Then, on the way here, I pulled into a rest stop to let Beast out and a car with New York plates pulled up a couple minutes later. The strange thing was that I was parked in the area for dogs and they never got out with a dog. I got spooked and ran back to my car but didn’t see them again. So I don’t know if it was just my imagination or if I was really in danger.”
“There’s no telling,” he says, looking more concerned. “Did you ever receive gifts or anything unusual before you were attacked?”
“No, nothing like that. Why? Do you think I have a stalker or something?” I ask, a chill sliding down my spine.
“Don’t know. I’m gonna do some checking around and see if we can find anything. Can you stay with someone else for the night? I don’t think you should be alone.”
“Um...I...uh...have to call my dad. I’m sure I can stay with my grandma or my uncle.”
“You’re staying with me,” Asher says, making my heart pound.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I say, looking up at him.
“Well, I don’t give a fuck. You’re not leaving my sight and I don’t think your grandma or uncle want me staying at either of their houses with you. So you’re staying with me.”
Rolling my eyes at Asher, I see his dad watching us. He looks smug for some reason.
“Your son is very annoying and bossy,” I tell him.
“I’m sure with you he is, darlin’,” he laughs. “But he’s a Mayson, so I also know that his bossy side is coming from a very safe place,” he says, looking at me. His smile is so warm that my stomach does a flip. “What did I tell you, son?” he says, looking at Asher. “When it happens— BOOM!” He makes a motion with his hands of an explosion.
“When what happens?” I ask.
