21. Asher
Asher
Ihadn’t slept last night after dropping Sutton back home. I’d thought about camping outside her apartment in case she needed me but I pushed that away. She said she was going to try not to worry, so she wouldn’t call me.
But I could worry.
I’d just found them and someone was threatening to take Sophie away.
Fuck no.
There was no way I was letting that happen.
I’d come to a realization since admitting to Knight and Quinn that I had feelings for her. They weren’t going anywhere; they were only getting more intense. I would stay in the friend zone as long as she needed but no one was taking them from me.
When Sutton had called me and I heard her voice, I instantly knew something was wrong. I’d run out of my meeting and broken every speed limit on my way to her office. I’d kept a lid on my anger, focusing instead on being what she needed.
Cool and collected.
While she was with me, focusing on her was easy. I made sure she was fed and had a safe place to land and a shoulder to cry on when she needed it.
But when I’d returned to my apartment, which I hadn’t done anything with yet because it was closer to her, I couldn’t settle. I’d spent a good chunk of the night poring over the internet for more information on Maya.
There were many articles about her, some describing her as a pitbull, as she’d said.
But overall she looked to have an excellent track record and the law firm she worked for had a solid reputation.
It eased my mind for the night. Jaxson would have no doubt been able to tell me all this, but I’d needed to do something.
After that I’d gone to the gym and beat on the heavy bag for an hour, then headed straight to the office just after five. If I could use this anxious energy for anything, it would be to get some work done.
Me
Morning sweetheart.
I’d sent Sutton that text when I’d sat down and as I got up to grab another coffee just before seven, she replied.
Sutton
Morning
Me
Did you sleep?
Sutton
Yep!
Me
So that means no.
Sutton
Don’t worry about me. Quinn said she has a big coffee with my name on it.
I’d had coffee delivered to the office for her and Quinn, so I knew that was taken care of.
Me
Can I drive you to work?
Sutton
No need Ash. I’m good, promise.
Iris has Sophie under control today and then we’re having dinner tonight.
I’ll call you later!
I let out a sigh and scratched my head. I’d intended to try and convince her to come over tonight. Guess there goes that plan.
Me
Are you and Soph free tomorrow?
Wasn’t going to risk her having plans again.
Sutton
Dinner?
Me
My place.
Sutton
How about my place?
And you, mister, will not argue with me. We’ll plan later.
Have a good day!
I shook my head, grabbed my coffee, and then headed to Jaxson’s office to wait for him to get in.
We all had fingerprint-activated locks on our doors thanks to Jaxson’s security technology obsession—he claimed he was just testing products.
This one was installed a few months back.
Thankfully, we were all programmed with access to each other’s offices.
I sat on his couch, looking over emails for only about twenty minutes before he walked in. If it was anyone else, I might have scared them, sitting there with the door closed and no light on, but Jaxson just looked over at me.
“Early start?” He went around his desk and started to get himself settled for the day. I moved from the couch to stand in front of him.
“Are you digging for anything on Sutton’s ex?” I crossed my arms over my chest.
Jaxson glanced up at me as he started firing up all the screens and monitors in the office. I honestly had no idea how he used them all or how he knew where to find anything. “I’ve given Maya full access to my top PI. They’ll have everything she needs.”
Glaring at him, I waited for him to look up. Finally, his serious face met mine. “British Intelligence wanted you for a reason.” I lifted my eyebrow. While I was sure a PI could find some dirt, Jaxson had no issues with playing in the gray. And he was the best there was.
The serious face disappeared and a smirk took its place as he leaned back. “You are a really good friend, Ashy-boy.”
“Jaxson,” I ground out through a tight jaw and narrowed eyes. Fucker’s smirk only grew. That friend joke was really sticking.
He shook his head, a devious smile on his face as he looked at his computer. “What do you want me to find?”
“Everything.”
Knocking on the door, I waited for Sutton to come let me in. I couldn’t believe she convinced me to have dinner at her place instead of mine.
Though I was pretty sure this woman could get me to do whatever she wanted.
She refused to let me bring anything and wouldn’t even take my card to buy the food. She just kept saying no.
The door swept open and Sutton stood there with a bright smile on her face. She was wearing a soft pink T-shirt that met the top of her wide-legged jeans, with slippers on her feet. Her hair was curled and down, tucked behind her ears.
I swallowed, clearing my throat. What would a friend say in this scenario?
You look fucking stunning.
You are the most gorgeous person I’ve ever seen.
How am I allowed to breathe the same air as you?
“Hi.”
Real smooth, Ash.
“Hey, Grizzly.” Her bright eyes landed on me, bouncing down to my hands before coming back to my face.
I cleared my throat again and then held out the bouquet of pink daisies. There were three different shades mixed in because I wasn’t sure if she liked one more than the other. “For you.”
I had a whole “friends can give friends flowers” speech ready but her smile only grew and her eyes brightened as she put her nose to them.
“How did you know I love daisies?” There was a look of wonder on her face.
“You mentioned it at the house.” When I was giving her a tour, we were looking at the yard from the kitchen and she mentioned how her favorite flowers were daisies, specifically pink ones because they made her happy.
“That’s really sweet of you.” She smiled down at them again. “Come on in.” She moved back inside the apartment and I followed behind.
Sophie was in a highchair in the kitchen. She let out a squeak when she saw me and started clapping her hands.
“Hey, sunshine.” I walked to her and gave her a kiss before letting her wrap her little hand around my finger. As she started to shake it, I smiled and looked over at Sutton.
She was carefully arranging the flowers in a vase, a smile on her face. If she was this surprised and happy about a measly bouquet of daisies then I would need to make sure she got used to this kind of treatment.
“What can I help with?” I asked.
She moved the flowers to the table and then came back into the kitchen. She had some pots on the stove and it smelled really fucking good in here.
“Nothing,” she said. “You can sit your butt right beside Soph and watch.” I opened my mouth to object but she shot me a look and then placed a glass of wine on the island. “Come on, Grizzly.”
I let out a sigh and then shoved myself onto the stool. My big frame didn’t exactly fit but Sophie seemed happy as she started slapping the counter and passing me the things that were sitting in front of her.
“I’m making chicken and veggies with noodles and a cheese sauce. I know it’s not fancy but it’s one of the things I’m best at making.” She smiled at me over her shoulder as she stirred the sauce.
“I don’t need fancy.” That wasn’t super convincing considering I was sitting here with a Rolex on my wrist and wearing a pair of jeans that cost more than they should.
“I know. I just—”
“I lived in a car, remember?”
Her face softened and her shoulders relaxed. “You’re right, sorry.”
“None of that.” I sent her a forceful look. “How are you feeling today?”
She let out a breath and shrugged. “There are moments when I forget that Ben even called and then other times it hits me in the chest and makes it hard to think of anything else.”
I clenched my fists, not wanting to say the wrong thing. “That makes sense.” That probably wasn’t it.
“Maya already sent me a bunch of questions and was impressed by my documentation so I know she’s on it.”
I would make fucking sure of it. “Now, tell me about your day.”
I kept her talking through her plating us dinner and kept Sophie happy while we ate at the little dining room table. When she scooped Sophie out of her chair to feed her, I stood, reaching for her plate.
“You don’t have to—” When she looked up to meet my eyes she stopped talking, clearly seeing that I was not going to accept that.
“You feed Soph, I’m cleaning up.” I left no room for argument as I cleared the table and headed into the kitchen.
The reason was twofold. One, I’d always planned to clean up since she hadn’t let me do a damn thing earlier and Jane raised me right.
And two, I couldn’t sit there and watch her breastfeed.
Mostly because it wasn’t her boobs that turned me on.
I mean, they were perfect and looked the exact right size for grabbing, but it was incredible how she was able to care for her child like that.
I was going to have to go home tonight and take care of myself because spending this much time around my “friend” was making me hard.
Constantly.
“If you’re cleaning, we’re at least joining you.” Sutton slid onto the stool I’d been on earlier. She lifted her shirt, slipped one arm out and started to adjust Sophie so I looked away and focused on the water filling the sink. “I forgot to tell you, I saw a lamp.”
I quirked my head to the side, turning off the water so I could hear her better. “A lamp?”
“Yeah, you said you needed one for your room, right?” When I glanced over at her, her eyes were on Sophie and she had a look on her face, almost flustered, or like she was embarrassed she brought it up.
“After I put Soph down the other day I was just poking around online and saw one I thought looked good. I’m not sure what your budget is but if it’s over that’s fine. ”
My lips twitched. I was thrilled she was thinking about me. And it was cute she thought I would have a budget. “Grab my phone.” I tilted my chin to where it sat face down on the counter in front of her.
“I can send you the link.”
I stood there blinking at her for a moment before she rolled her eyes and smiled at me. She grabbed it and then went to slide it toward me but I held up my soapy hands.
“Unlock it. Code is two-one-six, three-nine-four.” I went back to scrubbing the pot but after a moment of silence I looked over at her. She had a shocked look on her face, my phone still in her hand. “You can add your face to unlock it if you want.”
“You told me your code?”
I blinked a few times. “Yeah.”
“And you would add my face to your ID?”
“Yeah…”
“But then I’d have access to your whole phone.”
I frowned, not sure what I was missing. “Yeah, do you want my bank code too?”
Her eyes widened as she looked a little panicked. “That’s not funny, Asher.” I didn’t bother telling her I wasn’t kidding. She could take my codes, my cards, whatever the fuck she needed. “You don’t trust people.”
“That’s not true,” I argued as I went back to finishing the last few dishes. I wasn’t sure why this had freaked her out. I had nothing to hide from her; she could have full access to my phone.
“Yes, it is. You’ve said it.”
“There are people I don’t trust, but there are people I do.” I shot her a look over my shoulder.
“You trust me?” she asked in a soft voice.
“Yeah, sweetheart, anything on my phone is yours.”
I emptied the water, grabbed a towel to dry my hands, and then threw it over my shoulder and leaned on the counter. “Order the lamps, my card is linked.”
She glanced down at my forearms, her eyes tracking the tattoos, and I flexed them a little. Her eyes heated and I tamped down my smirk as she shook her head and looked back at me.
“Do you want to see them first? What if you hate them? You don’t even know how much they cost.”
“Do you like them?” Her eyes bounced between mine before she nodded hesitantly. “Then I’ll like them. And it’s almost offensive to ask me about the cost. There isn’t a price you could say that would make me say no.”
“A million dollars?”
I didn’t even flinch. Just stood there and quirked an eyebrow. If she had somehow found a lamp she liked that was a million dollars I would have bought it. But knowing her, the price was less than what any designer would have charged.
She let out a sigh as I smirked at her before grabbing the towel off my shoulder and starting to dry the dishes. “Fine, if you don’t like them they have a good return policy,” she mumbled as she put in my code and started searching.
No way in hell was I returning those lamps.