Chapter 13 Asher
Asher
You. I want you
I’ve been hyper focused on how to help Bri tackle her list, but it’s been more difficult than I anticipated.
I couldn’t really ask Cas for suggestions with Max present.
There’s nothing more awkward than saying hey, your sister wants to fall in love with sex again, and I plan to help her with that. I think I’ll pass.
Which is why I invited Cas and my brother, Xander, to lunch.
About a year ago, I introduced the two, and they immediately hit it off.
Given their history with substance and alcohol abuse, I thought it would be nice for them to lean on each other.
I pull up to Porters Grille to see Cas and Xander chatting next to their cars.
“Aw, did y’all drive together? How cute,” I tease.
“Don’t be jealous,” Xander retorts back before leaning in for a bro hug.
It’s nice to see my big brother thriving.
His drinking nearly destroyed our relationship.
Growing up, he was my best friend, my idol.
But then he tried to find himself at the bottom of the bottle, and everything changed.
Xander is a few inches taller than me and is the spitting image of our father, Oliver, with dark brown hair and brown eyes.
I took after my mom, Melissa, with my blond hair and blue eyes.
Despite our differences and six year age gap, he’s always been my go to confidant.
I greet Cas with the same hug before we make our way inside.
We’re seated pretty quickly thanks to the reservation I made this morning.
I’m not much of a drinker, but when I’m around Xander and Cas, I’m mindful of my actions.
Last thing I want is to make either of them uncomfortable.
Xander has been sober for about six years now while Cas is still newly sober, but relapse is a sneaky bastard.
So, instead of ordering my usual Manhattan, I order water.
Xander, unsurprisingly, is the first to break the silence. “What gives? Why are we here and not with Max discussing whatever you want to talk about?”
It’s a valid question. I let out a sigh, knowing Xander is about to make fun of me.
“Well, it’s not something I feel comfortable talking to Max about. See, I need your advice about Bri.”
Xander grins and I just roll my eyes. Here we go. “Well, fucking finally. You’ve only been in love with her for years.”
“Told you,” Cas adds.
“Yeah, whatever. Anyways, she created this plan for regaining control over her life, and I need some help coming up with some ideas.”
“It’s like best friend boot camp 2.0,” Cas remarks. Huh. I didn’t think about it that way, but it makes sense.
“Yeah, I guess you could say that.”
“What’s on the list?” Xander asks.
Shit. I didn’t think this far out. I should have assumed they’d ask, but this is personal for Bri. Well, they’re about to get a vague ass answer.
“She just wants to feel like herself again…to feel beautiful again. The accident really affected her.”
“The fuck? Does she not own a mirror? She’s a fucking ten. I’d go after her if I wasn’t happily married.” Xander winks at me.
He’d never do anything with her, but jealousy doesn’t seem to know the difference between a joke and something serious.
“Fuck off,” I snarl, and out of the corner of my eye I see Cas smirk.
I turn to him and glare. “Just say it,” I huff out.
“I’ve got nothing to say. It’s just a strong reaction for someone claiming not to love someone is all.” Dick.
“What Cas said. So, you’ve taken this upon yourself to help her?” Xander asks.
“Um, not really. She asked for help, and I agreed.” We won’t talk about what I agreed to. Some things should remain private.
“And I bet you so willingly agreed.” Xander winks at me. I love my brother, but sometimes he can be ridiculous.
“Right. Well, now I have to figure out what to do to help her see how incredible she is.”
“Bri is a bold and daring woman. And just based off of conversations with Avery, she has always been proud of her sexuality. Maybe you can do things to remind her of that? She probably doesn’t feel good about herself, so show her what you love about her.
Convince her of her beauty.” Cas is wise beyond his years.
I guess childhood trauma will do that to a person, but I appreciate his wisdom because this is the type of advice I’m looking for.
“Take her lingerie shopping,” Xander adds.
Cas looks at him like he’s ridiculous, but honestly?
It’s not a bad idea. She struggles with her body image, so this might be a good lesson in helping her love and accept her body.
Plus, it’s a win for me, too, because I get to see her in said lingerie.
Will I tell him that, though? No, so I just roll my eyes and move forward.
“Yeah, sure. I’ll get right on that one, Xander. Moving on. She also wants to start taking more risks and finding hobbies that she loves. Any ideas on that?”
This time, it’s Xander who has the good ideas. “Well, you both love to read, so maybe you should do something like that? Honestly though, I think you might have to ask her what she wants, and then I think the ideas will come to you.”
“Right, that makes sense, thanks.” Our meals eventually come, and we spend the rest of our time catching up and giving each other a hard time. Xander ends up settling the bill, and I say my goodbyes before heading out to Aces for my shift.
The bar is busy when I walk in. There are not one, but two bachelorette parties…great. They are always a pain in the ass to deal with, but they tip well, so I just grin and bear it.
Gage is at one end of the bar flirting with who I assume is a bridesmaid from one of the parties since she’s wearing a pink sash.
He’s a walking sex ad, but chooses not to use it to his advantage.
To be honest, I don’t recall the man ever really dating much.
That didn’t stop him from flirting with Bri when she and Avery came into the bar that one time.
Granted, he was only doing it to get on my nerves.
And something tells me Bri was doing it just to get on mine.
I made him clean and mop the bathrooms as a punishment when we closed.
“Hey,” a woman purrs.
I glance in her direction and notice she’s practically leaning over the bar top.
Her perky tits are hanging out, and I swear she’s intentionally pushing them together.
She has strawberry blonde hair with tan skin and hazel eyes.
From what I can see, she appears thin, and her lips are full and plump. But she’s not her. She’s not Bri.
“What can I get ya?” I ask, purposefully leaning back and crossing my arms.
“Are you on the menu?” she asks. It takes everything in me not to gag on the spot. Desperation reeks from her side of the bar, and I’m not interested in participating.
“No. What can I get you?” I repeat, a little firmer this time, hoping she’ll take the hint.
“Playing hard to get, hmmm? I like it. I’ll take a drunken cherry martini. With extra cherries.” She attempts to reach across the counter to put her hand on mine, but I’m quicker than her.
I prepare the drink for her, ignoring her blatant attempts of catcalling me. She’s clearly already tipsy, so I hurry up and make the drink as quickly as I can. The faster she leaves, the better.
“That’ll be fifteen. Do you have a tab open?” I hand her the drink and ignore her checking me out.
“I have cash.” She rummages through her purse and pulls out a twenty. “Keep the change, handsome.” I offer her a stiff smile before moving on to one of our regular patrons. Out of the corner of my eye, I see her frown, but I don’t really give a shit.
Gage and I are working both ends of the bar, shouting out drink orders or asking for a specific bottle of liquor. We find our rhythm pretty quickly, and I’m grateful that I have Gage as my bar partner. He has zero tolerance for nonsense, and he knows what he’s doing.
I’m in the middle of cleaning a few glasses when I feel a prickle of awareness at the back of my neck. I know without looking who has walked into the bar. But my eyes scour the bar anyway, looking for her. The moment our eyes lock, my jaw drops and my dick throbs behind my jeans.
Bri is a goddamn smoke show in black leather pants that hug her curves and a bright red bralette with her tits all but spilling over the top.
She’s in a pair of black heels and her hair is down in her natural waves.
My mouth feels like I inhaled sawdust. My heart beats erratically in my chest and my hands are itching to touch her. Fuck, she’s hot.
The look on her face tells me she doesn’t believe it.
Her brows are furrowed with worry, and she’s nibbling on her lower lip.
Bri’s eyes ping pong around the bar until they land on mine.
The second she sees me, the tension in her shoulders deflates before offering me the most blinding smile.
Fuck, this woman will be the death of me.
She makes her way over to me, hips sway with each step. If I listen closely, I can hear the shattering sound of men’s hearts breaking. What baffles me the most is she doesn’t seem to notice all the men eye-fucking her as she walks past them.
Mine. Back off fuckers, this woman belongs to me.
Bri eventually stops in front of me and takes a seat.
I keep my eyes trained on her face, even though I want to scan her body and memorize every inch of her.
“Well, hello. What can I get ya?” I wink at her.
I hear the other girl from earlier scoff and attempt to whisper, “Seriously? Her?”
I feel Bri flinch, her shoulders hunching as she attempts to make herself small. I turn to the woman and glare at her before opening my mouth.
“Yup. If you have a problem with her, you can leave. Petty jealousy ain’t cute.”
My lip curls in disgust as I stare at the slack-jawed, insecure woman next to Bri. Something tells me she’s used to men fawning all over her. Not me, though.
My eyes have been locked and loaded on the bombshell before me. My heart has been hers since I was seventeen, long before I truly knew what all-consuming love meant.
The girl blinks at me before running off to her party and complaining about how big of a dick the bartender is. I honestly don’t give a fuck.
“Hey, Bri. Damn, you look hot. Let me know if you ever get tired of this tool, and I’ll take real good care of you.” Gage winks at her before shooting me a grin.
“You’re fired, Gage!” I shout at him. I don’t mean it. I even threatened to fire him when he flirted with Bri all those years ago. It’s something we do.
“You wish, Ace. You need my ass.” Gage turns to serve more customers while I bring my attention back to Bri.
“Y-You didn’t have to do that. With that woman, I mean.” She’s tracing the grooves of the bar top, refusing to meet my gaze.
I lift her chin with my fingers and force her to look at me. “No one gets to treat you like you're below them, bear. I won’t let anyone make you feel like you aren’t worthy. So, if I have to put some jealous woman in her place, I will. Always. Now, what can I get ya?”
Bri chews on her lower lip while nodding her head.
There’s a look of uncertainty that passes behind her eyes.
I open my mouth to ask her what she’s thinking, but then she crooks a finger, signaling me to lean in.
I’m hit with her vanilla and cinnamon scent, but what she says next renders me stupid.
Blood rushes to my cock and my body feels like I’m covered in hot lava.
Mental note, ask Bri what that look meant.
“You. I want you.”
Fuck. I’m screwed.