22. One of the Best
ONE OF THE BEST
ASHER
T he only thing worse than being rejected by Lev was being rescued by him. Sharing a horse would have been punishment enough if Lev had held onto the saddle and kept a respectful distance the way a normal person would.
But no. Lev surrounded Asher like the tide had—only worse—wrapping himself around Asher, and holding the reins loosely in Asher’s lap, below the very tattoo that had scared him away.
“Are you sure you’re alright?” Lev asked for the hundredth time.
“No, because if you ask me again my head is going to explode,” Asher snapped, though his chattering teeth stole the bite from his bark.
In response, Lev hugged Asher tighter and rested his chest against Asher’s back, sharing his body heat.
Rebecca rounded a corner, and the fog-shrouded castle emerged from behind a veil of fog and twilight. Finally.
“Woah,” Asher hummed and tugged Rebecca’s reins before Lev could intercept.
“What’s wrong?” Lev asked.
Asher twisted in the saddle and nearly met Lev’s lips. Wet salt and ginger hair hung down over his forehead, dripping in rivulets Asher longed to lick so much his traitorous tongue tasted his own bottom lip. Lev’s gaze dipped. Asher’s breath hitched.
Anxiety washed over him again. Lev was too close, creeping up behind him like the waves had, drowning him in the oceans of his irises. After spending the last few hours running on terror and raw adrenaline, his nerves frayed, sparking at the slightest threat.
Severing eye contact broke the spell. Asher cleared his throat. “Rebecca must be exhausted.”
Lev blinked. “Sorry?”
“You should get her stabled. I can walk the rest of the way.”
“Are you sure you didn’t hit your head? If you think I’d actually let you out of my sight, you’ve lost the plot.”
“Me? You’re the one delusional enough to think you actually have any authority over me.”
“Spare me the rebel act. While you’re here, you remain under my care.”
“Okay, Dad.”
“Stop calling me that.”
“Stop treating me like a teenager out past curfew, and I will.”
Asher writhed in the saddle trying to break Lev’s hold.
“Keep that up and you’ll have to buy me a drink first.”
“You’re such an asshole,” Asher growled. How could he joke like that? “Let me down.”
“No. For all our talk of tide maps… Asher, you could have died!”
Claustrophobia curled around his chest. “If you don’t let me down now, I’m going to throw you off.”
“You wouldn’t dare. I could break a hip.”
Asher didn’t laugh.
Lev frowned. “Fine. I’ll get down, but you’re staying put.” Lev swung his leg over Rebecca’s rump and stepped down .
Asher followed suit. Pain tore through his shins when his frozen feet hit the ground.
“Asher…” Lev chided, hands hovering annoyingly close to Asher’s hips like he thought he was going to collapse again. “I would rather you ride and rest.”
“And I’d rather you fuck off. Guess we’re at an impasse.”
“Ah, there’s that waspish temperament I’ve missed.”
Asher lifted his middle finger and stalked off toward the castle, a chill sinking deeper into his bones with each step he put between them. He couldn’t look back. It would hurt too much.
“Asher, wait!” Lev called.
Lev and his stupidly long legs caught up quickly. “I told you to stay.”
“I’m not a dog.”
“I can’t help but worry you resent me for rescuing you.”
“You know that’s not why I’m upset.” Asher swung around and slammed into Lev’s chest with an oof before bouncing backward. “ Argh !”
Lev caught him by his bicep, rescuing him yet again, which only pissed Asher off more.
“Watch where you’re going, you giant ginger fuck.” Asher wrenched his arm free and dropped his gaze to the cobblestones. Looking at Lev hurt more than running into him had.
“Giant ginger what?” Lev laughed.
“Stay the fuck away from me.”
“Asher, that’s not what… I… What I mean to say is?—”
“Save it. I’m bored with the bumbling Brit shtick. None of this matters anyway. I’ll leave tomorrow, and we’ll never speak again.” Tears pricked his eyes. Thank fuck for the rain.
Rebecca nickered and nudged his shoulder. The emotional intelligence of horses… He stroked the bridge of her nose. She nudged him again, and he hugged her neck.
After he touched down in the States, he’d stop at the ranch and take Holstein for a ride under the wide Colorado sky before he returned to the depressing concrete box he lived inside. He released Rebecca to find Lev watching him with a strange expression that bordered on nausea.
“You’re a good girl, Rebecca.” Asher kissed the bridge of her nose. To Lev, he said, “You’d better go get her dried off. I’m not sure if you’re one of those rich pricks who don’t know how to care for their horses, but you shouldn’t put a horse to bed wet.”
“Perhaps you could help me?”
Asher shook his head. “I’m sure you can handle it.”
Lev said nothing for a beat too long and then nodded. “I told Luna to hold dinner until you returned. No one wanted to eat without you.”
Asher winced. He hadn’t meant to worry the others, and he hadn’t considered how embarrassing it would be to face them now.
“Please be there when I’m finished. You need to eat, and I need to know you’re safe.”
Asher didn’t answer.
“You can ask Luna for a pair of my clothes. With any luck, your bag will turn up tomorrow. Nothing stays buried in the ocean around Lichenmoor.”
Asher would rather go naked than wear Lev’s clothes over the tattoos he so despised. “I’ll borrow some from Theo. We’re much closer in size.”
The muscles in Lev’s throat shifted on a swallow. Asher waited for him to argue against it, but he didn’t. Fuck, that hurt. Lev’s jealousy couldn’t have faded that fast, could it? Had Asher’s tattoos flipped some switch?
“Speaking of clothes…” Asher unzipped Lev’s jacket and held it out. “You need it more than I do.”
Lev’s drenched collared shirt clung to his chest and abs. He’d missed a button and Asher’s fingers twitched with the urge to fix it.
“Please keep it.” Lev fidgeted with the reins. “Please wear my clothes too.”
Asher exhaled, some of the pain leaving with his breath. “I can’t. It hurts too much.”
The confession was a sacrifice, an olive branch, one last chance for Lev to apologize, to take it all back.
Say something. Please.
Lev opened his mouth. An eerie screech pealed across the moor as the iron door in the main entrance opened and light spilled into the gloom.
“He’s here!” Theo rushed out.
Asher looked back at Lev, still fussing with the reins, weighing his words.
Please say something.
But he didn’t. Asher shoved the jacket toward him and left.
This time, Lev didn’t follow.
“Asher!” Theo swept him into a hug. “We were so worried.” He wrapped his arm around Asher’s shoulders and steered him toward the house.
Asher glanced back. Lev and Rebecca had disappeared, swallowed by the fog.
“You’re trembling,” Theo said. “Let’s get you inside.”
Julian held the door open. “What happened? Are you hurt?”
Asher shook his head and passed into the warmth of the foyer.
“Here, sit.” Theo led him to a bench.
Shivers rattled his bones more violently than when he’d been outside. Maybe it was the adrenaline leaving him.
“Mr. Blakely. Thank God.” Luna appeared from the hall leading to the kitchen and wrapped a heavy tartan blanket around his shoulders so tightly that his shivers reduced to muffled vibrations. “Where’s Lev?”
“St-st-st-a…”
“That’s okay, dear. I have something that will help.”
She left and returned with a steaming mug that smelled of cinnamon .
“Try this.” She helped him wrap his trembling hands around the mug and lift it to his lips. “Drink.”
The warmth of the mug alone was heavenly, but the drink was divine—spicy hot cider with the faintest hint of alcohol hidden beneath cloves and cinnamon. He aimed for another sip and sloshed cider over the sides.
“I’m sorry,” he said, teeth chattering less. That cider was magic.
“Nothing to be sorry for.” She kneeled at his feet, tutting at his wet shoes. “You poor dear.”
He should insist on taking off his own shoes, but he wasn’t sure his numb fingers could untie his laces.
“Lev’s safe,” Asher said. He took another swig of cider.
She looked up. “Oh, I know he is, dear. Every time I’ve feared he’s used up his ninth life, he comes home with nine more.
” But the wrinkles around her eyes lessened, and her smile seemed more genuine, at least until she discovered his seawater-saturated socks and gasped in horror.
“Thank God Lev found you in time.” She peeled the first sock off and dropped it onto the floor with a squelch.
“What happened?” Julian asked again. “Where’s Lev? What were you doing out there?”
“Stables,” Asher said and hid behind his mug, taking another sip.
He must be going into shock, because all he wanted was Lev to answer his questions for him, and take him to bed. Not like that. Just bed.
Luna stood and pushed back his hoodie. “Your hair is soaking. Poor lad.” She clucked her tongue the same way Lev did. He must have learned it from her.
Theo murmured something to Julian, who pressed his lips into a tight line. Asher didn’t like being examined and discussed out of earshot as if he weren’t there. He downed the rest of the cider and set the mug on the bench beside him .
“Do you want help taking this off?” She gestured to his hoodie.
“No,” Asher rushed to say, then added, “Thank you.”
“A hot shower and a warm meal will set you to rights. Theo, why don’t you help him upstairs while I finish dinner?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Theo pushed off the wall, declining Julian’s offer to help.
Theo silently accompanied Asher on his very slow ascent up the stairs. At the landing, Asher confessed he didn’t have any clothes, and would have flushed if he had any remaining body heat.
“You want to borrow mine?” Theo asked.
Asher exhaled, grateful Theo had expected the question before he’d had to suffer the shame of asking. If only Asher had a thing for nice men, or men his age. “Just for tonight.”
“Of course. My room’s this way.”