Asher smirked. “More or less.”
“Cool!” Tyler hooted, his young voice pitched high and squeaky. “Can we see your fangs?”
“When you’re hungry, do people look like food to you?” Billy chimed in.
“Guys.” Michael waved his hands at the group of kids in a corralling gesture. “We’ve got a movie to watch, remember? Maybe Asher will let you hooligans interrogate him later.”
“Aw, man!” The protests came mainly from Billy and Tyler as Michael shooed them to the sectional.
“Sorry about that,” Naomi said, giving Asher a gentle look. “I doubt they’ve ever seen someone like you before.”
“It’s all right.”
“Hey, Nay,” Michael called from next to the sofa, remote in hand. “You mind handling the popcorn while I get things cooking with the movie?”
“Sure.” She glanced at Asher. “Want to help?”
He knew about as much about making popcorn as he did anything else when it came to a kitchen, but he nodded and followed her out of the room. As much as he wanted to pretend he could keep his distance from her, she drew him like a magnet. And if her pull was this strong without the tether of a blood bond, how bad would he have it for this female if she truly was his?
He didn’t allow the thought to linger. It was pointless imagining, anyway.
This was where she belonged. If he hadn’t seen it before, he did now.
He stood back, watching her open the cabinets by rote as she collected a big box of popcorn, napkins, and several large bowls. “You’re happy to be home.”
“I am.” The smile she turned on him was unguarded, filled with pure contentment. “Do you see how special they are? And those five in there are only a few of the ones who’ll likely be coming to stay tonight.”
He nodded. “They all seem like good kids.”
“They’re amazing,” Naomi said. “They all have so much potential, you know? All they need is one person to give them a break. Just one fucking person to show them they matter, that they’re loved.”
He stepped closer, barely able to resist touching her. “Then those kids in there are luckier than most. They’ve got two people offering them a chance. Two people who care.”
She bobbed her head tightly, holding his gaze. “Michael and I can’t save them all. We won’t be able to save them all, and when I think about that it kills me inside.”
“You’re doing what you can, Naomi. That’s more than a lot of other people would do. Including those kids’ parents.”
“I know. That’s the really awful part, isn’t it? Parents who won’t, or can’t, straighten themselves up even for the sake of their own children. As much as I love my mom, the fact that she chose someone like Leo Slater over me time and again hurts worse sometimes than losing her to death.”
She turned away, busying herself with a package of popcorn. Asher moved in close and reached out to stroke the side of her face. “Your mother wasn’t as strong as you are. You were stronger, braver than her even when you were that eight-year-old girl begging her to stay.”
Naomi swiveled her head toward him, hauntedness in her dark gold eyes. “I hate that you saw me like that.” She swallowed hard, then exhaled a soft curse. “I hate that you know how afraid and hurt I was. I’ve spent my whole life pushing that hurt down, trying to deny that deep inside I’m still that terrified, angry child. And now you . . . you’re the one person I can’t ever hide from, Asher. I can’t ever be strong around you because you’ve seen me at my weakest.”
“No.” He curved his fingers around her bare nape, her satiny black ponytail brushing the back of his hand. “You don’t have to hide or pretend to be anything. You can be weak or strong and it’s not going to make a difference to me. You’re always going to be the most extraordinary woman I’ve ever known.”
She drew in a breath. “Asher, what I said to you today, before we came here—”
“You were right,” he said, cutting her off at the pass. “You don’t belong to me. You belong here, with these kids. They need you, Naomi. Michael does too.”
For a long moment, she only stared at him, her gaze searching. “What about you? Tell me what you need.”
“I need to know you’re safe. That you’re happy.” He pulled his hand away from her before he gave in to the urge to hold on any tighter to something he didn’t deserve. “I need to know Slater and those who serve him can never hurt you.”
“That’s all?”
“It’s enough.” He stepped back from her, putting her out of his reach. “I promised to protect you until we’re certain Slater can’t hurt you. That’s what I intend to do. Then you can resume your life here and I’ll go back to mine.”
She went utterly still, silent. God help him, her gaze looked so bleak he felt as shamed as if he’d just struck her. For an endless stretch of time, neither one of them spoke or moved or even breathed.
