I only smile at him. I roll onto my side to face him and nod. I can feel how flushed my cheeks are, and I am out of breath. But I am completely relaxed at the same time.
“Yes,” I tell him.
We kiss and turn out the lights.
The next morning feels like I’m in a romance novel. I wake up to sunshine and birds. I’m aware that I’m still in Denver, and it is still as cold as fuck outside. But in my old little apartment, it’s nice and toasty.
I notice the bedside next to me is empty and I get up, wrapping myself in my robe to investigate. As I leave the room, I step over the wedding dress and almost smile at the irony of it all. As I near the living room, I smell coffee and bacon, and bagels.
“Are you for real right now?” I ask. Ash is in the kitchen in his underwear.
“I thought you might be hungry,” he says. I round the counter to stand next to him.
“I’m having some serious déjà vu,” I tell him as he hands me a steaming mug of dark roast.
“Is that a bad thing?” he asks.
“Not at all. I just expected you’d be gone. Walk of shame, isn’t that what they call it?”
“Only if I have something to be ashamed of,” he tosses back. “And I don’t.”
I narrow my eyes at him, not sure what to make of all this. “So, what were you thinking then?” I ask.
“Breakfast,” he says, motioning around to the obvious.
“I see,” I nod, liking where this is going. “Breakfast, huh? That sounds so domestic.”
“Well,” he says, taking my cup from me and setting it on the counter so he can pull me into his arms. “I was thinking we could make this more of a regular thing. You and I.”
“You mean like…dating for real?” I ask.
Asher answers my question by smiling down at me. “What do you think?”
I look up at him and answer his question by kissing him.
Hard.
Chapter 30
Asher
The only thing harder than pretending to be in a relationship at the wedding of your enemy is pretending not to be in a relationship in front of your best friend.
Pretending to be in a relationship with Harper isn’t hard. My feelings for her were already starting to show. Gloating in front of Daniel Colby was going to be an awesome way to spend a Saturday.
Saturday night was even better. I had no intention of taking advantage of her, and I like to think it was all led by Harper. She initiated everything, and once I was sure that she was sure, I took the lead.
Guessing by her smile the next morning when she joined me in the kitchen for bagels and coffee, I don’t think she felt a sliver of regret. I don’t love keeping our relationship from Jaylen, but it is kind of fun sneaking around.
“Ash, I need you to look at something,” Harper says as she walks into my office wearing a pencil skirt and a white button down. That shirt is doing its best to stay buttoned where her perky little tits are concerned. She has her hair in a high ponytail and is wearing glasses. I’ve noticed she only needs them whenshe’s reading or using her laptop. She looks like a librarian, and it’s sexy as fuck.
“Oh, trust me, I’ve been looking at it all day, and it looks great,” I tease. Harper is lost for a moment, looking up at me with her brows stitched together. Then she realizes what I’m saying and rolls her eyes while blushing.
“I’m talking about the social media post about the new speakeasy. There are a million comments from people wanting more information, and I’m wondering if we need to post some kind of teaser to keep them interested. Maybe some sneak peek cocktails and moody lighting, or a glimpse of the bar top? “We could do little things to show people that we have a new hot spot coming,” she paused mid-sentence before asking, “Why are you smiling like that?”
“Just looking at you,” I say, getting up from my chair.
“Are you even paying attention?” she asks with a hint of professional impatience in her voice, and I have to admit, I kind of love it. I love that she cares about my restaurants and that she is so easy to ruffle.
