Chapter 16
Marley
God, this man is so frustrating and unreasonable at times, but I can’t deny how turned on I am right now. And the smug bastard damn well knows it. How can I want to smack him and fuck him at the same time?
It’s terribly infuriating.
But then he has sweet moments like this, where I see the man he wants to be.
The man he is with me.
He grins against the skin of my hand, his eyes twinkling with that dark wickedness I’m starting to crave more and more.
After what happened in my office between us that day, I stopped seeing Asher as a patient. I had to. There was no way I could carry this on, whatever the hell this is, and continue to see him, and while we don’t see each other every day, there’s not a day that goes by when he doesn’t text or call to check in.
I’ve been careful about our interaction when Lyla is around. As far as she knows right now, Asher is just a really good friend. I don’t want to confuse her, especially if it doesn’t work out. God, I can’t believe I’m even saying these things. It’s crazy to think that I’ve let it go this far, but how can I turn back now when my heart cinches tight in my chest at the very thought of not being with him.
“What are you thinking about so hard over there?” Asher asks.
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Icontemplate whetherto say anything. This is only a week old and I’m not looking for anything serious, but what I feel for him has me questioning everything.
Including my sanity.
“What are we doing?”
“What do you mean what are we doing? I’m taking you home so I can ravage you.”
He drops another kiss to the back of my hand.
“No, I mean, what is happening between us?”
I look down at my lap. “I’ve never been one to be insecure but I have a daughter to think about, I need to know where this is going and while the sex is great—”
“Just great?”
“Okay, amazing.”
“Babe, it’s better than amazing. It’s the kind of fucking that leaves our souls soaked in the afterglow.”
I don’t know what to think when he says things like this. I want to believe I’m who he wants, who he needs, but I’m afraid to put too much trust in it but something tells me he’s scared, too.
He doesn’t say another word until we arrive back at my place and puts the truck in park. Leaning over, he presses the button to release the seatbelt then guides me over the seat to straddle his lap.
One hand moves to the side of my face, his rough calloused fingers grazing my skin and causing a shiver to ripple through my body. “From the second I walked into your office that day, I knew I had to have you. I won’t lie, at first it was physical, but after those first couple of sessions and revealing my past and all the bullshit I’ve carried around for so fucking long, I knew I wanted more. And once I had you, I knew I couldn’t let you go because I finally realized why I felt so empty before with all of those other women.”
“Why?”
“Because none of them were you.” He takes my hand and places it over his chest, right over his beating heart. “Whether we’re apart or you’re right fucking here, this beats the same way every time. Hard. Fast. Strong. And I’m slowly but surely finding that it only beats for you.” His lips latch onto mine in the possessive way I love. His hands roam my body, kneading the skin beneath my workout clothes, and it makes me squirm against him, desperate to be closer.
“Need to get you inside,” he says between kisses.
I somehow manage to open the door and climb out as he follows me inside. Lyla won’t be back from her dad’s until tomorrow night so we have the next twenty-four hours to ourselves, and I don’t plan on wasting a single second of it.
