Chapter 2
Harper
“What the hell do you think you’re doing!?” I yell as Asher puts the car in drive and speeds down the cobblestone path towards the main road. Meanwhile, the resort is growing smaller and smaller in the side mirror.
“Put your seatbelt on,” he demands as an answer. “People drive like maniacs here.”
Asher Levine has always been a bit on the rough and grumpy side. He’s my older brother’s best friend and business partner, and I’ve known him most of my life. He does what he wants, when he wants most of the time, but this is next level.
“I’m not putting on my seatbelt because I’m not staying in the car with you,” I snap.
Even though I am staring at him, Asher keeps his eyes on the road. Then, without warning, he hits the brakes. I fly forward, but before I hit the dash, his right arm swings in front of me, and I slam into that instead. Honestly, I don’t know if it’s much softer. It’s toned and hard and showcases a couple of his tattoos.
“You’re insane!” I cry out.
“I’m not the one without a seatbelt on,” he says calmly, but I’m not giving up that easily.
I toss him a smug smile and reach for my phone. But then I stop. I’m wearing a wedding dress. A pocketless wedding dress.
“Where is my purse?” I ask.
“In the back. Your phone’s in there too.”
“When did you–”
“I snagged it off the chair on the way up the aisle.”
“And my shoes?” I seethe.
“Forgot those. Sorry.”
With my mouth wide open, I shake my head in utter disbelief. A car sails past us, horn blaring, and I finally give in and put on my seatbelt.
“Jaylen didn’t send you?” I ask as we wind up the coast.
“Nope,” he answers dryly.
This man, I fucking swear to God. He’s always been a pain in my ass, my whole life. My brother is almost fifteen years older than me, and considering Ash and him graduated the same year, I assume the age gap is the same. He’s always been my brother’s smug, salty friend, and I’ve spent a lot of my life avoiding him. He’s a sarcastic jerk a lot of the time. But he’s also an incredibly good looking sarcastic jerk, and if I didn’t know any better, I’d say he knows I think that.
It’s why he’s smirking all the time.
“So where are we going then?” I ask with a frustrated sigh.
“Back to the States.”
I look around, my eyes narrowing suspiciously. “The airport is that way,” I thumb behind us.
“We aren’t going to the airport,” he says, turning down a winding road.
“Not going to the airport? What? You got a boat there, Captain?” I ask, and I swear there’s a hint of a smile on his face right next to those dimples and the freckle on his upper lip, right above his cupid’s bow.
Not that I’m looking or have looked before.
“Our flight is tomorrow,” he says, making another turn.
My mind is spinning right now. I want my phone. I want to call Daniel and tell him where we are so he’ll come rescue me. I want to yell at Jaylen and tell him to call off the dogs. Instead, I’m stuck with Silent Bob here, who’s giving me nothing more than caveman answers and ruining my destination wedding day.
“Tomorrow?” I ask. “You booked a flight…all the way to Costa Rica…”
