Chapter 4
ASHER
The more I try to understand Laura, the more obsessed I grow with her.
The emails she sends me are professional, the precise words written by someone who clearly understands what she’s doing.
Yet, I can’t get it out of my mind. She’s not made for this.
Her father wanted her to major in finance, so she did.
She only works for him because he wants it.
Who would she become if she allowed herself to break free?
I can’t stop thinking about this. Can’t stop picturing her growing more confident, more powerful. And crap, I want to be next to her when she spreads her wings. I need to see her fly.
After an uneventful shift at the fire station, I should go back home.
Should grab a shower, rest up, and hit the gym.
I told myself this pent-up desire for her would go away if I exercised enough.
It didn’t. The one thing that did was stalk her social media—then jerking off to her pictures.
Even when she’s always well-dressed, not an inch of her shoulder exposed, I can’t help but feel a burning lust for this woman.
The way her eyes twinkle makes me hard every time.
As soon as I’m done with the shift, I’m back at John’s office building.
Not to see him, but to see her. One problem—if I walk in, I’ll have to come up with an excuse to the secretary, and what am I going to tell John?
Fuck, I have no idea what to do. Before I’m aware, I’m mere steps from the entrance, and I have to stop myself.
Quickly making my way back, I stand next to the building, shoulder propped on the wall. It’s past five. Is Laura even here? John’s car is not parked in front. Did they already leave? The front door wasn’t locked.
I shift my weight between my feet and then prop my shoulder against the wall next to me.
This is ridiculous. I’m fifty, for fuck’s sake.
This should be simple. Get in there, ask her out, take her to dinner, and fuck her.
Get her out of my system. I’ve never fallen in love, and I’ve never had serious relationships because my job is dangerous.
When you’re a firefighter, dancing with death every day for the sake of others, you have to keep people at a distance. That’s a given.
Or I thought it was. I clearly haven’t learned.
Steps make me stop. I peer from around the corner at the entrance of the building to find Laura coming out. She closes the door and locks it. I scowl. Where is her father? Or her car? There are no others on the street. I can’t let her go back home alone.
My gaze slides down her body as I fight with myself. She’s in a pencil skirt that makes her full hips look even more delicious. The image of those thick thighs locked around my head tightens my pants. She could keep those heels. She looks damn sexy in them.
Laura turns around and raises her gaze just as I step out of the shadows. She doesn’t look scared when she sees me. I don’t know why. A man my size coming out from the shadows usually scares anyone. Her gaze finds mine as if there’s a magnetic field between us.
“Mr. Grant?” She cocks her head, black hair spilling down her shoulder. “I’m sorry, but Dad… Mr. Kim left a couple of hours ago.”
My feet take me closer to her as I shake my head. “I’m not here for John.”
Laura tilts her head up as I approach. Her eyes burn, black pools calling me in. “Did you need anything? You could have emailed me.”
“Not for this.”
My body moves on its own. I can only see her, think of her. My hands need to touch her again. I need to feel her warmth against my body once more. My mouth goes parched, and I ache for her, fucking everywhere. What the hell did she do to me?
Closing the space between us, I ignore that we’re in public. I forget we’re in front of her father’s building and that she’s much younger than me. All the reasons why this is wrong fly out of the window. My gaze fastens on her lips, and I see nothing else.
Burying my fingers in her silky hair, I tilt her head back and press my lips to hers. She gasps, hands shooting up, and I half-expect she’ll push me off. Instead, her fingers dig into my shirt, and she tugs me even closer. Laura parts her plump lips for me, and her taste explodes on my tongue.
Fuck. She’s so much sweeter than I expected. She tastes like herself, and nothing else. I become an addict immediately, sliding my tongue into her mouth and seeking more of it. Laura kisses me back, shy swirls of her tongue growing confident with every passing heartbeat.
I bend, covering her with my huge body. Her nails dig into my back, and I have to step slightly back so my raging erection won’t bury itself in her stomach.
In the back of my mind, what’s left of reason keeps telling me she’s much younger.
I can’t force her, can’t press her. Fuck, I would never do anything to hurt her.
Laura makes the softest noises against my lips, her body trembling against mine. She’s perfection. Shit, I don’t think I can have enough of her with one kiss. That’s not nearly enough. I want more. I want to taste her everywhere, hear more of her sounds...
She pulls back, air coming out of her mouth in gasps.
I let her breathe, let her fill her lungs for a few seconds, then I kiss her again.
Harder. I devour her lips, lick at them, and commit the way she feels to memory.
Then I let her go again so she can catch her breath, but I’m still not done. This is not enough...
Laura smiles. “Wow,” she murmurs against my mouth, her lips swollen and abused. The fact I’m the one who made them look like this makes my cock twitch in my pants. I imagine these pretty, plump lips wrapped around my cock, my hand in her hair, guiding her mouth up and down my length...
“You’re so beautiful,” I tell her, my voice rough with desire. “So fucking beautiful.”
Her cheeks burn a bright red, and this time I can only picture her spread on my bed, her pussy glistening with my saliva... Oh, how flustered she would look then.
“What are you doing here?” she asks, her smile growing. “Did you come here to see me?”
“Of course I did. I can’t stop thinking about you.”
“Really?” And her eyes sparkle like diamonds. All because I said the truth. I wonder what she would look like if I told her I’m obsessed with her. That I can only sleep after I jerk off to her pictures, looking at her pretty lips, imagining her sucking me off.
“Really,” I tell her, pulling back to take a good look at her face. “God, you’ve taken my mind completely. You’re beautiful and so smart and passionate. Passionate about music. I would spend my entire day listening you talk about it.”
“About music?” She cocks her head and chuckles. “Why?”
“Because you love it. And you shine when you talk about it. That makes you happy, Laura. And I want you to be happy. God, if I could get you out from under your father’s thumb.
You could do whatever you want with music.
I would watch you shine, and...” Shit, I can’t stop talking.
Why can’t I stop talking? My heart swells and thunders in my chest, and I should not be talking this much.
I stop and look at her, but something on her face tells me it’s too late.
She frowns. Pressing her lips together, she steps away from my hold. “I’m not under my father’s thumb.”
“I mean, you’re doing what he tells you, and...”
She shakes her head, the redness on her face slipping down her neck. “Look, Asher. You wouldn’t understand. You’re older than me, and maybe it’s different for you, but I can’t just walk away.”
“Why not?” Fuck, stop talking, man.
“Because I can’t. He paid for my studies, and not all women are lucky enough to go to school.
My mother couldn’t. That’s how it works.
” She shakes her head again, stepping away.
My body grows cold with the distance. Fuck, what have I done?
“You wouldn’t understand,” she repeats. “This shouldn’t have happened.
” Her voice fails as she touches her lower lip, but her eyes burn with determination.
“Excuse me.” And she turns and leaves, her heels clacking on the pavement.
As expected, she doesn’t go to a car. She walks down the street towards the main avenue. And even as my heart shatters in my chest and I curse myself over and over for having spoken like that... I follow her. From a distance, so she won’t notice me. I follow her home just to make sure she’s fine.
Because she might be right. We’re not meant for one another, no matter how obsessed I am. But I can’t bear the thought of her getting hurt, and I will allow no one to even try. I follow her home, even when I know I shouldn’t.
This is wrong, but at that moment, nothing else felt so fucking right.