“Right. Come on then,” Asher grunts out. I laugh, because even when he’s being sweet, he still has this edge to him.
Nothing seems out of place when I enter the house, until I see a little flash of orange in my periphery.
I have to look twice because it looks like Dick but … cleaner and more … fluffy. I look to Asher in search of answers.
“Still don’t like the fucker. But I know you do, and I want you here. So we made an arrangement, he and I.”
“An arrangement?” I raise an eyebrow.
“I took him to the vet and then the groomer this morning. He got a clean bill of health, so if you want to keep him inside more often, or all the time, he’s yours.”
My mouth falls open as Dick rubs against my legs. He’s so soft after being treated, such a handsome boy that looks so much like Biscuit the sight makes my heart squeeze in my chest.
I nuzzle into his freshly groomed fur before setting him down, and he wanders off, exploring his new home with cat-like curiosity.
I face Asher, tears brimming in my eyes, trying to understand how this man even wrangled Dick to get him to the vet.
“Animals really help with stress.” He says the words like it’s no big deal, but I see how much thought he put into making me happy. Something in me snaps.This fucking man.“But I draw the line at him sleeping in my—”
I jump into his arms, his words trailing off as I hug him tight. Asher hesitates not a moment before his strong arms come around me. I stay right here like I’ve been dying to all this time, allowing myself to breathe in and let his warmth surround me. Feeling how goodhefeels. Right now, our situation isn’t complicated because, in his arms, like this, I just want him. Even if I can’t have Asher forever, I want him now. Ineedhim now.
Pulling back, I finally look up and prepare to thank him again but, when I do, it’s as if time freezes. Because when Asher’s eyes meet mine they’re dark, and his hold tightens on my lower back, pulling me closer like he doesn’t want to let me go either. We drink each other in as the afternoon sunlight streams through the windows.
“Fuck, Liv …” His voice ripples through me as he tips his forehead to mine. We breathe the same air as I find bravery, moving my palm to his bearded jaw, my hand small against the wide angle of it.
I’m practically panting as I stand on my tiptoes, close my eyes, and kiss his cheek, my chest pressing to his as I linger there way longer than I probably should if I want to keep my heart intact through all of this.
A sound I can only compare to a low growl rumbles in his chest.
“I’m so fucking tired of trying to fight this …” he warns, but it’s not the tone of a man fighting. It’s the tone of a manbegging,and that alone makes me throw caution to the wind.
“Kiss me, Ash,” I whisper into his lips as I grip his face and pull it down to mine. The smell of spiced pine washes over me, igniting my entire body as he growls.
“Fuck.” Asher crushes himself to me and seals his mouth over mine. I go limp as his hands press hungrily into my lower back, squeezing me like he can’t get enough, and it’s clear, pact or no pact, neither of us has a shred of restraint anymore.
This kiss isn’t soft or gentle. This kiss is full of want. This kiss makes me feel completely breathless as his tongue meets mine, licking and tasting, toying with me like he’s been thinking about this as much as I have. Like he wants me the way I want him. Everything around us fades, and all I hear is our beating hearts.
The possessive greed Asher kisses me with is all-consuming. I’m lost in him, overwhelmed with the way he knows what I need without asking and the way his hard length is pressing against my abdomen.
“H-hear me out,” I start with a pant when we finally part, trying to gather a proposal because his thumb grazing under my shirt across the skin of my waist has me reeling. Either pregnancy or temporary insanity makes me bold and un-ashamed because I slide my hand down and press my palm to his solid cock through his jeans. He sucks in a breath and I moan when I remember his size.
“We’re pretending anyway, right? Half the town thinks you proposed to me … and the other half knows I’m carrying your baby.” I stroke him softly as my eyes find his, feeling him stiffen further under my touch. Lust makes his eyes dark and stormy in that way I’ve envisaged for weeks. “Being pregnant makes mea lotmore needy than usual and, the way I see it, this is all your fault.” I stroke him again, and this time he bites back a groan. “You kinda owe me, Reed.”
“Christ, woman.” His hands fly to either side of my face and he presses his lips to mine, kissing me deeply until I’m dizzy with my palm still stroking his cock. I pull in a breath when his lips move to my neck, then my shoulder.
“Maybe, just when absolutely necessary, we can be friends with benefits. You know, do each other a solid.” I smirk at my choice of words because he’ssosolid right now. “Unless of course you’d like me to reopen my eMatch profile instead?”
I’m bluffing as I back up and let go of his cock, tryinganythingto make him give in.
Asher’s fast, tight grip over my forearm stops me, then he’s tugging me back tight against him. My breath catches as his heavy chest presses against me and his deep gray eyes search mine, hungry and alive with need.
“I’m a man of my word,” he growls, his voice pure gravel. “If your needy little cunt is desperate to be touched, the man who touches you isme.”
Shit.
I look up at him through my lashes, the sun illuminating his broad silhouette as his chest heaves. “So touch me, Asher, Ineedyou.”
CHAPTER 38
