My brows lower over my eyes lids while I try to figure out this guy. “If I were, do you think I’d be all dressed up, ready for you to take me to dinner?”
He doesn’t miss a beat before answering. “Yes.”
I’m speechless but only for a second. “No. I’m not married.”
“Boyfriend?”
“Nope.”
“Kids?”
“No. But would it matter?”
“Only if you lied about having them.”
I feel like I’m on trial. I guess it’s normal to ask someone you’re about to go to dinner with if they’re already taken. Maybe I should reciprocate. I cross my arms over my chest. “What about you?”
Asher cocks his head to the side. “What about me?”
“Married?”
He balks as if the idea is ludicrous. “No.”
“Kids?”
“No.”
“Boyfriend?” I ask in attempt to lighten the mood.
At this, he lets out a laugh and releases his arms. “Never.”
I walk down the stairs until I am two steps above him, making me slightly taller. The perfect height to appraise. Leah says he’s hot but that’s not the word. Asher is the most perfectly created person I’ve even seen. His smooth skin is evident even in the darkness of the night, and the perfect structure of his face is outlined in the moonlight.
“You confuse the hell out of me.” It’s true. I thought he was mean but then he was nice. I thought he wanted to take me out and now he’s running away.
Asher looks into my eyes and I stand here, awaiting his response. Usually I’m not so brazen with men. I’m not shy. I just don’t have the time for games. I should go back to the room and take Leah out to dinner. But first, I need answers.
“What is it you want from me?”
“I’m trying to figure out if I can trust you.” His words are light, like a whisper.
“Trust me?” I let out a slight laugh. “You don’t even know me. And I don’t know you. How amIsupposed to trustyou?”
Asher lets out a deep breath. “That’s why you intrigue me.”
If I had a nickel for every time this guy baffled me I’d have . . . a quarter. Yeah, not so dramatic when I put it that way.
I take a step back and up, away from him. “Here’s the deal. I had a crap year. Like, a total crap year, so I don’t have any room for games. I got all dressed up, and I’m going out to dinner tonight, with or without you. And since I’m never going to see you again it really doesn’t matter to me either way.”
Asher places his hands in his pockets and leans back on his heels. His mouth widens in a smile. “Since you put it that way, it looks like I’m taking you out to dinner.”
“Now that we have that straightened out, where are we going?” I take my three steps down and walk past him on the staircase. Asher follows.
I spin my head around; he’s glancing at his watch. “Are you starving or do you want to walk a little?”
Leah and I did eat and drink a lot today on our escapade. We also did a lot of walking, but I’m not that hungry, yet. “I can stand to walk.”
Asher and I reach the bottom of the stairs and are at a street. If we keep going, we’ll land at the Marina. Instead, we make a right and start strolling through the streets.
