“We’re up, May,” Asher mumbled.
“Momma said you’ve got ten minutes.” She slammed the door on the way out, and if I hadn’t already been awake, I would be now.
“I smell coffee,” Asher hummed.
I chuckled and turned to spoon his back.
“Nooo, now I can’t leave.”
“Not even for coffee?” I asked and kissed the back of his neck.
“Hmm. Tough call.”
I bit his shoulder lightly and hugged him. “Come on. I don’t want your family thinking me a dirty old man by holding you prisoner in this bed.”
Asher’s hair stuck out in all directions when he sat up. He grinned, eyes barely open. “They like you. I don’t think they think of you as anything but mine.”
I kissed his nose. “Good.”
Everyone was still in their pajamas for breakfast. Patty made biscuits, and Ben made chocolate gravy. I nearly went into a sugar coma.
Afterward was the understated joy of learning how five kids and four adults shared two bathrooms. Of the whole experience,thatI could’ve done without. There was no lounging under the hot spray to fully wake up. No, showers were perfunctory and efficient.
When we rejoined the family downstairs, there were a few more faces.
“Look who decided to join us,” Patty said, waving to a slew of people meandering around the house, here for the duck hunt.
One of the new faces was Jamie. Thin like Asher, he was slightly shorter. His ice-blue eyes were captivating and gave his edgy style a gorgeous charm he would never be able to overshadow, no matter how much black he buried himself in.
Another addition was the dangerous-looking young man standing behind Jamie, who had to be his stepbrother. Asher didn’t talk much about Michael, but what he had said made it clear he was the type only an idiot would mess with. Having now seen him, I agreed. His hair was a light brown that nearly matched his golden eyes. He had a bulldog scowl that wasn’t necessarily unattractive on him. Mistrust and rage simmered in his narrowed eyes, forcing everyone to keep their distance.
Everyone but Asher.
“Hey,” Asher cheered and came in for a hug.
Michael flinched, even though the gesture wasn’t for him but for Jamie. Jesus, these two were intense.
“Hey.” Jamie returned the hug but eyed me over Asher’s shoulder. “Reckon you’re Luke.”
I nodded, staying where I was. For one thing, Michael probably wouldn’t let a virtual stranger near Jamie, but for another, Jamie’s tone implied I ranked pretty low on his list of brewing friendships. “I am, and it’s nice to meet you. Asher speaks of you often.”
Jamie cocked his head.
“Isn’t Luke so well-mannered,” Patty said as she came in and sat a tray of cookies on the coffee table between the four of us. “These were made by me.” Patty winked. “We feed May’s cookies to the dog,” she whispered and made a gesture that locked her lips and tossed the key before leaving us.
When only the four us remained in the room, Jamie moved his head to the other side. “So what’s your deal, man? You fuckin’ him around or what? Is this a phase for you? Get the nineteen-year-old dick out of your system before marryin’ some whore?”
I glanced at Asher, who grimaced.
“Sorry. I might have vented to them about your parents,” Asher said.
This, maybe not this blatant, was what I’d expected from Asher’s family. Why else would a man my age, a wealthy professional, be sniffing around Asher? He was basically my version of the trophy girlfriend.
Shockingly, it was Michael who came to my defense before I could. He reached around Jamie’s shoulder, locked a vise of a grip on his jaw, and tilted his stepbrother’s head back.
“What did I tell you about runnin’ that mouth? What Asher does is his business. You ain’t stickin’ your nose into his gay shit.”
Okay, what? I cleared my throat, readying to respond with … God only knew, but Asher circled my wrist in a tight hold, and I remained silent.
