Chapter 29 #2
Asher looks over my shoulder, his brows furrowing as the pilot rolls my suitcase across the blacktop. It’s not quite big enough to fit a body in it, but it’s close.
“Are you planning on moving in with me?” he asks, reaching out to take the case from the pilot. They shake hands and we turn, walking to the black town car that takes Asher everywhere when he’s in Manhattan. “Not that I’d mind,” he adds.
That makes my chest feel tight.
“Not unless you want me to move the entire Salinger clan in,” I say lightly. “I’m going to see my brothers, remember? For D-day. I thought I’d head straight to Virginia from here.”
Something flickers in his eyes, but he doesn’t say anything. Just loads my luggage into the trunk like it’s nothing, ignoring his driver’s protests.
Then he opens the car door for me, sliding in next to me as the driver starts the engine.
As we pull out of the lot, I glance over at him. He’s still wearing his suit, but he’s lost his tie. And he looks tired.
“How was your day?” I ask him.
“Long.” He sighs.
I nod, hating how exhausted he looks. “Any more news on the breach?”
He winces, like I’ve asked the wrong question. Then he drops his head back against the leather seat. “Can we talk about literally anything else?” he asks. He doesn’t sound annoyed, just weary. “I’ve spent the whole day swimming in paranoia. Right now I want to lose myself in you.”
I slide my hand into his and squeeze it. “Want me to distract you?” I ask him.
He glances at the driver. The screen is down.
“Not like that.” My lips twitch. I prefer to save my exhibitionism for when there are only cameras on me. “I mean, do you want to hear about the big thing that happened between Mylene and Eileen?”
“You found out why they don’t talk?” he asks, looking suddenly awake. Because everybody from Liberty wants to know why they’re estranged.
“No. But I was at the coffee shop today and Eileen stormed in. The two of them had a showdown right in front of my eyes.”
He tips his head while I tell him about the letter from the BBB and the complaint. And then his mouth curls into laughter when I tell him about the witch insult.
“God, I need this,” he says. “Keep going.”
“I wish I could, but Eileen stormed out and I’ve no idea what’s going to happen next. And now I’m here.”
He lets out a sigh.
I’m still grinning when my phone buzzes. But as I look down, I groan.
Autumn. Damn. I was supposed to call her and fill her in, but then this whole James Bond date distracted me.
I lift my brow and look at Asher. “It’s your sister.”
He gestures for me to go ahead.
“Hey,” I answer.
“Don’t hey me, where’s my call? I’ve been waiting on tenterhooks to find out if Eileen burned the whole island down.”
“It’s okay,” I tell her. “It’s still standing. And I’m sorry. I was writing a groveling scene. I got kind of hooked.”
“They’re the best,” she says excitedly. “Can you send it to me? I love seeing grown men reduced to bumbling idiots.”
Asher’s hand slides over my bare thigh, right under the hem of my dress. My breath hitches.
“What was that?” Autumn asks sharply. “Where are you?”
“At the lighthouse,” I lie. “I thought I saw another spider.”
Asher’s fingers inch higher. My thighs clench around his hand. I can see the smirk on his lips from the corner of my eye.
“Oh God, we should call an exterminator. Did I ever tell you about Parker and the bats we found?”
Bats? She never told me that. I frown, wondering if I’m scared of them too.
Asher’s fingers trace the edge of my panties. “Ah, yeah.” I can’t think straight. I shoot him a dirty look.
“Is there something wrong?” my best friend asks me. “You sound weird.”
Yes, yes I do. Because my very hot, very determined secret boyfriend is currently attempting to slide his finger inside my panties while his sister is chirping on about bats.
I grab his hand, stopping his movements. So he leans forward to kiss my neck instead.
Oh god. He knows all the places to make me sigh.
“Everything’s fine,” I manage. “My food is ready though. Microwave meal. It just pinged.”
Autumn sighs. “Okay, I’ll let you go. But I expect a full update later. Or else I’m sending my brothers after you.”
Asher’s smirk widens.
“I promise,” I manage. “Speak soon.” Then I hang up and turn to glare at him.
“Asher Fitzgerald, you’re an asshole.”
He brushes his lips against my ear, sending a shiver down my spine. “You could have told her the truth,” he murmurs. And it makes my heart do a weird flip.
“Not over the phone,” I say. “Not like that.”
He sits back, his head to the side, like he’s trying to read me. “She’s going to find out eventually. I’m pretty sure she suspects something where I’m concerned. She and the others were talking about me in their group chat. It’s only a matter of time before they put two and two together.”
I hear the silent implication beneath it. This isn’t going to end well. And it makes my heart race even more.
“I know. But I want to tell her properly. Face to face. Not while I’m a liar on the phone.” I roll my eyes at him.
He smiles, like he gets me. “We can do it together. When she and Parker get back from Europe.”
It hits me somewhere deep. Like he’s letting me see the man behind the armor, if only for a second. Not the CEO. Not the control freak. Just Asher.
And I’m not ready. Except I am. Maybe I’ve been ready since the moment he kissed me in the kitchen.
And for the next few minutes, we’re silent, my hand in his, as he keeps leaning over to kiss me. On the mouth, the neck, my jaw.
When we pull up outside the glittering lights of an uptown restaurant, he doesn’t wait for the driver to get out. He’s already opening the door, then holding his hand out for me.
“Ready for our first date?” he asks. And I smile because I’ve done almost everything with this man.
Except go out in public.
“Only if you promise not to touch me under the table.”
His smile is pure heat. “No promises.”