Chapter 24
24
SUMMER
“Can I borrow you from your adoring fans?”
I turned away from the men who’d been showering me with compliments and shivered when I caught sight of Asher’s dark expression. He looked like he was trying to devour me with his gaze.
He held out his hand, but I hesitated. He’d behaved strangely last time we were here for a party, and I had no idea whether he was leading me away to act on the slumberous promise in his eyes or if he was going to drop snarky comments about why I shouldn’t flirt with these men, as he had with Darcy and Blair.
“Who are you?” the shorter of my two companions demanded. I hadn’t been told either of their names yet, but it was nice to be flattered without expecting the other shoe to drop like with some people.
A muscle in Asher’s jaw twitched as he glanced at the man. “Someone who knows her better than you.”
He extended his hand an inch further, urging me to take it.
I placed my hand in his, my eyelids fluttering shut at the exquisite sensation of my palm sliding over his. He clasped my hand, his strong fingers holding me firmly. Butterflies erupted in my stomach. Was this it? Had he finally decided to do something about the connection between us?
He led me to the door I’d been heading to before I was interrupted and ushered me through. Out the back of the pub, he went straight to Dad’s office and, when I followed, he closed the door behind us.
“What is it?” I asked, standing in the center of the small space.
One of his hands twitched toward me, but then fell to his side.
“You were incredible,” he breathed, emotion burning in his deep brown eyes. “I knew you could sing, but I had no idea how talented you are. You’re fucking amazing, Summer.”
My heart swelled in my chest, and I smiled so widely my jaw ached.
“Thank you,” I whispered, hoping he didn’t notice the thickness of my voice.
His gaze flicked down my body and back up. He refocused on my face, and his tongue darted out to wet his lips. Hope twisted almost painfully in my gut. Was that desire in his eyes?
“Why didn’t you pursue singing more seriously?” he asked, stepping closer. “Surely, there’s a chance you’d be able to do it professionally.”
My breath caught. He really believed I was that good?
“It’s very competitive,” I said, doing my best to answer his question, but it was difficult to keep my thoughts in order with him looking at me like that. “I enjoy singing, but I don’t know if I would have continued to enjoy it if it had become my career.”
He frowned, but seemed to understand because he said, “It’s something that was only meant to be a hobby for you.”
“Exactly.” My pulse raced, and I could barely stand still. Everything inside me screamed that we were teetering on the brink of something that could change our lives. “Besides, if I’d taken up singing professionally, I’d probably have to leave Destiny Falls. My family is here. Even when I went away to study, I always intended to come back.”
One corner of his mouth hitched up. “You’re the glue that holds them together, you know?”
I shook my head. “The family has always been close.”
“Perhaps, but you’re the one who makes a point to keep in touch, and to help when people need it—even if they don’t appreciate your meddling at the time.”
“You think I meddle?” I pouted. “That’s not very nice, Ash.”
He laughed and rolled his eyes. “You’ll survive.” He was quiet for a moment, but then continued, “I’ve been feeling upside down when it comes to you recently.”
“Oh?” The sound escaped me in a breath of air. Unintentional, and somehow the more powerful for it.
He stepped forward again until only two inches separated us. I could practically feel the heat from his body.
“When you came back from university, I was thrown off by how beautiful you were. I honestly had never thought of you romantically before then, but all of a sudden, there you were, gorgeous and impossible to ignore.” He sighed. “I tried to tell you once. Do you remember that?”
The memory appeared, vivid as if it had happened yesterday. “You were drunk. I’d hoped you’d come back later, when you were sober, but you never did.”
He grimaced. “I assumed you no longer had feelings for me. You made a snarky comment—something about how you were a fine wine that had improved with age whereas I was more of a cheese on the verge of turning moldy.”
I felt a twinge of guilt. “I’m sorry.”
I’d been bitter at the time. Still hurting.
“It’s fine. I understood. But after that day, you didn’t seem to want anything to do with me, and anytime we talked, we ended up arguing.” He cupped my jaw with his strong, warm hands. “I’m tired of fighting with you.”
I gazed up into that face I’d admired so many times before. Rawness and vulnerability were carved into every line of his expression. “Then let’s not fight.”
“I’d like that.” His lips curved ever so slightly. “After tonight, there is absolutely no doubt left in my mind that I will never, ever see you as a surrogate sister again. I’m sorry for hurting you all those years ago. I wish I could take it back. I never meant to cause you pain.”
“You couldn’t know that your perspective would change,” I said, even though the voice in the back of my head was shouting that I’d spent endless stretches of time reliving that awful night and shouldn’t accept his apology. “The truth is, I thought I was an adult then, but I was still a teenager, and you were in your twenties. I understand why you reacted the way you did.”
He released a shuddering breath. “I’ll never forget how devastated you looked.”
I tilted my face toward him. “Perhaps not, but you can make new memories instead.”
Asher dipped his head toward me. His lips hovered, millimeters above mine, for what felt like an eternity before I stretched onto my toes and closed the distance between us. I rested my palms on his chest and shut my eyes, savoring the sensation of his soft mouth against mine.
He exhaled and took hold of my hips. I breathed in his air, giddy from the knowledge that something which had been inside him seconds ago was now inside me. There was an intimacy to exchanging breath that nothing else could rival.
Or so I thought until he groaned and pulled me flush against his body. My nerve endings danced everywhere we touched, and I could barely think straight as he tilted his head to access my mouth more fully.
A floorboard squeaked behind us, and I leapt out of Asher’s arms, scooting backward until we were at least six feet apart. I froze, expecting the door handle to turn any second, but it didn’t.
Across from me, Asher was breathing hard, his chest rising and falling rapidly. He didn’t pay any attention to the noise outside though. He was completely focused on me.
“Summer—”
“Hold on,” I said. “I need to check to make sure no one is listening.”
I couldn’t deal with someone overhearing our conversation, and I was eighty percent sure someone was lingering just beyond the door. I crossed the room, opened the door and slowly pushed it outward, careful so as not to ram it into anyone who might be on the other side.
The hallway was empty. I looked left and right, and for some ridiculous reason, even glanced up at the roof, but no one was there.
“Weird. I was so sure…” I trailed off.
“Are you okay?” he asked from directly behind me.
I flinched, startled by his proximity. “Fine. I just thought I heard something.”
“So did I. But whoever it was is gone. Come back inside. We need to finish this conversation.”
I returned to the office and shut the door. I walked as far from the door as possible, hoping to prevent anyone from listening in.
“What is this?” I asked, gesturing between us. “Are you going to say that kiss was a mistake?”
“No.” He rushed over and took my hand. “I would never say that. You could never be a mistake.”
I wanted to believe him. I wanted it badly. But I also knew that he could easily change his mind with a little time to think, so by going along with him now, I’d be opening myself up for a world of hurt.
I chose my words carefully. “I’d love for there to be something between us, but you’ve been very hot and cold with me lately. I need to be sure you’re serious before we go any further.”