CHAPTER 35
Asher
M y property is dark, aside from the lightning bugs that decorate my garden, when we pull up, and Duke is at our side the moment we come into the house. I’m sure he could tell I was stressed the fuck out when I left in a hurry earlier.
I crouch down to greet him and give him some love but the fucked-up thing is he doesn’t even seem to care about me. Instead, Duke goes straight to Olivia, sniffing her and brushing up against her leg with a whimper. She gets down to her knees and rubs him behind the ears.
“Uh huh. I get it,” I tell him as I toss my keys into the basket on my table. “Y’only met her once, but the pretty girl comes home and I’m chopped liver.”
I pull open the fridge to grab two waters. “I just feed you … take care of you …”
“I think if you were chopped liver, he’d be paying more attention to you than me.” Olivia flashes me a grin as she nuzzles him.
Duke is extremely smart, as most cane corsos are, and it hits me as I watch them together that he probably senses she’s pregnant. It could even be part of the reason why he instantly took a liking to her when she came here the first time. I pass Liv a water and she stands to take it from me.
“Come on, you must be wrecked,” I say. “I’ll show you my room.”
“Oh … I can just sleep here.” She gestures to the over-stuffed leather sofa in my living room. “It looks really cozy.”
“Fuck no.” My voice is almost a rumble. “Non-negotiable.”
She must know I mean it because she nods before giving Duke a final pat and turning to follow me through the house.
My dog doesn’t want to let her go and follows close to her heel.
I push my bedroom door open and give her the tour; as if I would ever let her sleep on my sofa while I slept in my California king like a total fucking asshole.
It makes me wonder exactly how men she’s been with in the past have treated her.
She looks around and smiles, shaking her head.
“What?” I ask her, setting her bag down on my bed.
“Nothing, I just … you have a Himalayan salt lamp … which is not what I expected when I met you is all.”
I look around my room, viewing it through her eyes.
The entire wall behind my bed is black-stained wood and, above it, is a laser-cut, multifaceted deer head made out of rare bird’s-eye maple.
My bed takes up a lot of the center space and is covered in thick, white bedding.
I don’t sleep well, so I sourced the most comfortable material I could find to get the most out of what little sleep I do get.
Floating shelves keep the space clean on either side of the bed, and a nine-foot patio door looks out onto my deck and the woods beyond.
“This will do then?” I ask her, patting my bed. She could never know she’s the first woman to ever see this space.
Olivia kicks her sandals off, stuffing her hands in the pocket of her big hoodie and wiggling her toes in the thick shag area rug.
“Mmmm …” she moans, her eyes fluttering closed, and the sound forces my cock to jump to attention, especially when she adds a throaty little “Yes, so good.”
I don’t know how I’m going to survive this pact with her in my space. Every single thing this woman does seems to turn me on.
In a bid to distract myself, I show Liv the attached bathroom—including where the soaps and shampoos live—and open an empty drawer for her to house her own things. When we’re done, we move back to my room and I hand her the remote control, showing her how to work the TV.
“I have streaming services but no cable,” I tell her.
“Perfect, I pretty much live off Netflix.” She takes another look around then brings her eyes back to mine. “If I’m going to be staying here, you’ll probably be watching a lot of Netflix too.”
I look at her questioningly.
“Rom-com-athons mostly,” she continues, as if I have the slightest clue what that is.
“The fuck is a rom-com-athon?”
She smiles at me like she knows something I don’t, though I’m sure as fuck I will find out soon enough. I expect a witty little retort but, instead, her blue eyes turn soft as she studies me.
“Thank you, Asher.”
I let myself stare at her. She’s so beautiful right now, not a stitch of makeup on her pretty face.
I understand exactly what she’s saying; she didn’t want to be alone, she was scared tonight, and just knowing I could offer her a safe space to land makes me remember Nash’s words: Just do everything you can to take as much off her plate as possible.
I brush a little copper curl from her forehead, letting the pads of my first two fingers trail down her cheek.
“It’s what I’m here for, Livi girl.”
She leans in, her eyes turning playful, that sugary scent stunning me.
“Don’t you mean kitten ?” she practically purrs.
It’s meant to be a joke—throwing the nickname I gave her on a whim back at me—but instead, with how close she’s standing and the soft rasp of her voice, the air between us turns electric when my gaze drops to her mouth.
I can’t fucking help but look at her juicy goddamn lips.
I swallow as they curve upward, then she starts laughing.
“How did you even come up with that?” She pushes my shoulder playfully, oblivious to the fact that my cock is stiffening by the second.
“Easy.” I muss her hair just to get some much-needed distance. “I’ve decided you were a fuckin’ cat in another life.”
“Is that so?” Her eyebrow shoots up. Even that is fucking sexy as hell.
“You keep to yourself. You’re always snacking and knocking things over. Yet, for some goddamn reason, you always manage to land on your feet.” I lean in closer. “Plus, I don’t know about most cats, but Dick has really long toes. Seemed like the easiest correlation.”
“All right, that’s it, Reed.” Olivia pushes her red hair off her shoulder and puts one hand on her hip. With the other, she makes a come-hither motion. “Let’s see your feet.”
“I don’t want to make your feet feel bad. Because mine are perfect, in every possible way.”
She scoffs. “No man has nice-looking feet.”
“I do,” I counter.
“Are you gonna make me throw down some cash for the privilege of seeing them?” Olivia glances down, and I’m happy that she’s distracted from what happened tonight. “Come on, off with the socks.”
Rising to the challenge, I pull off each of my socks—slowly, like a little striptease—before tossing them into the hamper in the corner of my room.
She takes her bottom lip between her teeth as she looks down at my perfectly shaped, model-worthy size thirteens and mutters the cutest little “fuck sakes” under her breath before she looks away.
“You were saying?” I gloat, folding my arms over my chest, feeling light and I think even happy for the first time I can remember.
Olivia narrows those baby blues at me. “You get pedicures.”
“ Fuck no.” I scoff into a laugh, then shrug. “Just naturally perfect. It’s my superpower.”
She pushes past me in a huff of defeat. I can’t help it as I tip my head back and laugh without any hesitation. Goddamn it feels good. Too good.
“Jealousy isn’t your strong suit,” I offer as she heads to her bag of belongings on my bed.
I reach out to grasp her arm, pulling her close to my chest. I’m flying through the gates of hell straight on now by keeping her here, which means there’s not a chance on earth she’s living in my home and I’m not touching her.
I kiss her forehead, pushing the limits of our own boundaries, but she doesn’t protest.
“Your feet are beautiful, Liv, just like the rest of you. I’ll love our little bear even if he or she gets your toes.”
Our.
That twisting feeling in my chest is back suddenly, but so is her fist pounding against me playfully.
“Jackass,” she mutters. But I saw it, if only for a moment. The same heat in her eyes as I harbor in mine. The air stills and the crickets outside grow louder as our laughter putters out. The pull to her is so strong I could really use that safe word I told her I didn’t need right about now.
“All right, well, I’ll leave you to it.” I back up. “I’m gonna hop in the shower, but I’ll check on you when I’m through.”
Because I want to see you again before I sleep.
“Okay,” she says. “I’m just gonna put on a girly movie and try to get some sleep.”
I bow out, grabbing my toiletries and heading to the guest bathroom upstairs, where I stand and soak in the hot water for a good, long time.
I let myself think of those perfect curves just a floor below, of every single time she’s touched me.
The jolt of electricity that shot up my leg when she gripped my thigh under the table at dinner.
The way my body begged for more as her nails dug in, and how I imagined them raking down my back as I fucked into her, slowly, taking all fucking night to worship every single part of her.
Claiming her the way I need to but know I shouldn’t.
I think of the tiniest whimper that escaped her lips without her even realizing when I kissed her gently in the hospital.
All three times.
I think of her eyes when she saw the barbell under the crown of my dick, and how they went from needy to desperate in one second flat.
At that image, I lose all control and the shameless side of me takes over as I spit into my palm, then grasp my solid cock.
It’s not the first time I’ve made myself come with her face in my head, but the fact that I’m doing this with her in my home means I’ve reached a whole new level of depraved.
A sort of desperate haze takes over with her so close, as I picture her tight, pink cunt stretching so well to accommodate me, coating me in her arousal with every deep, intentional thrust.
I imagine nothing but handfuls of that shining copper hair spilling through my fingers as she looks up at me from her knees, choking on my cock. In this second, she’s right here in this shower with me, her hair wet and heavy, her eyes lust-filled as she gags and drool drips down her chin.
I imagine her in my bedroom, in my bed, wearing nothing but those flimsy cotton panties I can’t forget. How wet she was, soaked, all for me, as she dripped through them.
How she tasted.
Christ, if I ever get the chance, I’ll feast on her sweet cunt for so long she’ll be begging for me to give her even a moment to breathe between the desperate cries of my name while she falls apart, again and again.
She’ll cry into my pillows as I spread her ass wide, watching my fat cock fuck into her tight, hot pussy.
As I stiffen further in my hand, my mind wanders to how she’ll look in a few weeks, a few months even, when her body has changed with my child.
How she’ll glow, how her tits will grow even fuller.
“Asher … please … I need you.”
I hear her screams in my mind as water hits my back and I press my free palm into the shower wall. My eyes screw shut as a sort of static lines my vision and fire licks up my spine and hips.
Giving myself a final tug, I picture those blue eyes on me.
“ Fuck, Liv, ” I grunt out as I come, hard. Spilling into the shower, I bite my lip to contain my groan, then try to catch my breath as my cock jerks in my hand.
I’ve reached a new level of fucked, jacking myself off just because she’s sleeping in my home. All my fucking control—the rules I’ve had my entire life—officially broken.
As I push my hair off my face, my heart rate slowly starts to come down. I have no idea how long I’ll make it like this with her here. Taking care of her while also wanting to strip every bit of clothing from her and get her between my sheets, is a balance I worry I won’t be able to find.
I towel off, tossing on my boxers, then my sweats, before making my way downstairs to check on her.
I search for Duke as I pass through the kitchen.
But he isn’t in his bed in front of my fireplace.
I continue my search for my suck of a dog until I find him curled up in my bed with Olivia, as if that has always been his home.
My patio door is open and a light breeze blows through the room.
The sounds of summer cicadas and tree frogs outside fill the air as I lean on my bedroom doorframe for a moment, allowing myself to watch her.
The glow of the TV—which I assume is playing one of her rom-coms—is the only light in the room, illuminating Olivia’s sleeping form.
Her copper hair is splayed around her, the red tones a stark contrast to my white bedding, and her full, pink lips are slightly parted as she breathes softly with one arm up over her head.
My duvet is untucked and messy—surrounding her in soft tufts—and her cow slippers peek out from just beneath the heavy throw.
Even those stupid things are growing on me. What is this woman doing to me?
I couldn’t tell you how long I stand here, just watching her, noticing the tiniest details I normally force myself to look away from.
I could easily forgo sleep to just look at her like this until the sun eventually rises.
I’ve watched her for years, but this is different.
She stirs with a soft moan, and it brings me out of my trance.
Tapping the side of my leg lightly, I signal for Duke to follow me.
He lifts his head up but makes no sign of movement, simply grunting and lowering his head back down beside her feet.
It seems he has zero interest in coming with me.
“Don’t blame you,” I mutter to him as I flick the TV off and cast one more glance at Olivia sleeping peacefully in my bed. And that’s when I hear it, another tiny moan that sends all the blood in my body rushing back to my cock.
“Asher …”
Yep. Fuck it. I’m keeping her.