“I was thinking about this place last night. I wanted to take you here.”
My head shoots up to look at him, almost causing me whiplash. “Takemehere?”
“Yes.” Those golden eyes bear down on mine. Damn, I wish I had pretty eyes too. When I look into these I am positively mesmerized.
“What about my sister?” My words almost a whisper.
“I was hoping she’d stay home, but I was willing to take her with us.”
“Why?”
His brows cave in. “Why would I care if your sister came?”
No. I know why someone would want to take Leah. She’s funny and pretty and spontaneous. The question is—“Whyme?”
Asher lowers his chin and holds my gaze in place, as if to make sure I absorb every word he says. “I wanted to get to know you. People intrigue me and when I am intrigued I want to know more. Watching you play yesterday. It made me want to know the woman behind the keys.”
My lips part on the inhale, and I grab hold of the railing to steady myself. I am so not worth getting to know. It wasn’t that long ago I was thrown out of bed by my sister, urging me to take a shower and end my months-long sleep. That’s all I’d been doing. Sleeping and crying and going to therapy. I want to get better. I want my hand to work. I want to play again. But my last scan showed too much scar tissue and a nerve whose damage is irreparable.
The woman behind the keys is a shell of who she used to be. For a brief moment I felt that power I craved. I played the music I love. But it’s lost on me now. And this woman he sees is not . . . me.
“We should go. I don’t want to leave my sister alone all day.” I walk around him and take my seat.
He stands for a moment, the muscles of his back rising and falling ever so slightly. The awesome thing about Asher is he doesn’t press the issue or ask questions. He just nods and does as he’s told. Maybe Devon did know what he was doing when he hired him.
And maybe he just doesn’t want to be stuck with me a moment longer.
The rumble of the anchor being drawn up echoes in the cavern, and he backs the boat up slowly until we are back in the bright sunshine. Turning the boat in the direction we were heading earlier, he raises the speed on the boat and drives again.
I’m surprised we’re still heading in the opposite direction of where we came. “I said I wanted to go back.”
Ignoring my request, he lowers his sunglasses over his eyes and pushes the throttle faster. My body jolts backwards for a second with the increase in speed, I have to reach my hands out in front of me to brace myself on the dashboard.
I take back what I said earlier. This guy doesn’t know how to follow orders.
“Slow down.”
His body stands tall, unaffected by the increased speed. I, on the other hand, am an unstable mess.
“I said, slow down!”
He drops the throttle down another level and the horsepower kicks up a notch, sending my ass into the seat behind me. Do these things come with seatbelts?
I’m trying to breathe, but the wind in front of me fills my chest and I think I’m going to have a panic attack. Asher, on the other hand, is stoic and calm, acting as if he’s taking a Sunday drive.
I raise my voice to him. “I want you to slow down, now!”
The engine is now growling a loud thunder. Chancing a look behind me, I see the island getting smaller as we head into the open waters. This is not the direction I want to go and not the speed I want us to drive.
“Sometimes you don’t always get what you want.” His deep voice echoes over the boom of the ocean.
I turn my head back to face him and see him for who he is. Asher may be Devon’s hand but he’s not a servant. He’s not a slave or a submissive. This is a man who does whatever the hell he wants and gives no apology. He doesn’t need someone to worry about him because he can take care of himself. Asher is in control.
I have no control. Everything in my life right now is way too slow. And it doesn’t matter how safe you are, you can still get hurt. I don’t know why but I find myself saying, “Faster.”
He looks over at me. “Are you sure?”
I nod. “Go as fast as you want.”
