The Arrangement (15 page)

Sighing, she collapsed beneath him.
Asher followed her down. He rained kisses on her neck and shoulder. “I love you, Ari. Love you so much.”

Chapter Ten

“We’ve got
to get our wives back together,” Asher said without preamble the second Ted joined him in the booth at the burger restaurant. He didn’t waste time with pleasantries. He’d called Ted that morning and asked him to meet him for lunch. The situation was getting dire. His wife was unhappy and he couldn’t have that.

Ted ran a hand over
the top of his bald scalp. “You’re not kidding me. Erika is miserable and she’s sharing the misery. I love my wife, but I swear some of the shit girls talk about, I just don’t want to know. Since she’s not talking to Ari, I’m the one who gets to hear about her manicure and I get to help her decide if she should get a keratin treatment at the salon. I mean, what the fuck is that anyway?”

Asher shrugged his shoulders.
“Look, they go back to work in a week. We need to get this resolved before then.”

“I agree, but what can we do?”

“You get Erika to apologize.”

“Uh, yeah, you might not know this, but my wife is stubborn.”

Asher closed his mouth as their waitress came over to take their orders. When she left, he leaned forward.
“Well, my wife is in the right so I can’t very well ask her to apologize. It’s your wife who’s being unreasonable. She’s got to accept that Ari and I are together now. Can’t you knock her up or something so that she has something else to focus on?”

“We’re working on it. Or we were until you started fucking her best friend.”

Asher sighed. “I’m not going to apologize for finally getting the woman I’ve wanted since before she was legal.”

“How is that going?”

“It’
s going great,” he said and tried to sound enthusiastic. There was only one thing marring his joy. He didn’t say it, but he could tell from Ted’s expression that he hadn’t hidden his feelings well.

“Okay, you’ve fucked up a friendship that’s lasted since elementary school. What the hell is wrong? And if you tell me that you’re tired of her-”

“No. I love her. I tell her every day.”

“So what’s wrong?”

Asher drove his fingers through his hair. “She hasn’t told me back.” And it was driving him crazy.

“You don’t think she feels the same?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. We don’t argue anymore since neither of us is picking a fight.” But that could be because they were both mellow from all the sex.
“She seems happy. She doesn’t even get angry when we run into my exes.”

Ted snorted. “The woman is a saint.”

Asher nodded. “Yeah, she’s too good for me. She’s mostly angry with Erika on my behalf.”

Their drinks arrived and Ted picked up his glass and drained half the contents. “I love Erika, but she’s not the most reasonable woman. I keep hoping she’ll wake up and let go of this shit.”

Asher winced. “I’m sorry man.”

“Don’t give me that look. It’s not like she’s calling out your name during sex.”

He grinned. “I don’t know why the hell not. I’m so good sometimes I call out my name.”

“Are you sure it’s not your ego that’s keeping Ari from telling you that she loves you?”

He laughed. Their waitress had just stopped by their table with their food.
She moaned and bit her lip. “Is something wrong?” He glanced down at the steaming plates that she still held. “Did you burn yourself?”

“No, um, I…”

Ted grinned and shook his head. “I thought Ari told you about that laugh.”

He glanced at his friend and then back at the waitress. Her face was red as she placed their food in front of them. Arms crossed over her chest, she made a hasty escape. “Shit,” he said, incredulous. “I thought she was joking.
Damn. I mean, I thought it was just
her
. Now I’m going to be self-conscious.”

Ted lifted his burger. “Forget about it. You’ve lived this long with that laugh, no need to change it
at this point. So what are we going to do about our wives?” He took a big bite out of his hamburger.

Asher picked up a thick fry and dipped it in
ketchup. “Hell, I don’t know. Suppose we get them to ‘accidentally’ meet up somewhere? Then they can work it out themselves. They love and miss each other. Maybe they’re ready to make up.”

“I don’t know,” Ted said dubiously.

“Well, I’m at a loss for a better plan. Unless you have one, we stick with mine.”

***

Ariadne scanned the freezer in search of something for dinner. She grabbed a package of pork chops. The doorbell rang so she put the package in the sink and washed her hands quickly. She dried her hands on a towel as she walked to the door.

She was surprised to see Ted on the porch. “Hi, Ted. Weren’t you and Ash supposed to meet for lunch at the restaurant? He’s not here.”

Ted nodded as he stepped inside. “Yeah, I know. We already met. I came to see you.”

“Okay.” She led him to the den. “Have a seat. What’s up?” But she thought she knew. He was here to convince her to apologize to Erika.

“I want to talk to you about Ash.” He sat on the sofa. “You know that when you two first brought up the idea of getting married I was against it because I didn’t want to see either of you get hurt. I just knew the lines would get blurred.”

Her stomach twisted and her heartbeat sped up. Was he here to dump her on Asher’s behalf? He’d seemed happy when he left this morning, but she suspected when the end came it would be sudden and unexpected. “Yes, I recall your objections.” She joined him on the sofa but couldn’t bring herself to sit back. She perched on the edge of the cushion.

“Ash told me that he’s told you that he loves you.”

She nodded, wishing that he would just get on with it so that she could lose this sick feeling in the pit of her belly. “And he’s changed his mind?”

“What?
Hell, no
. I’m not here to discuss him hurting you. I’m here to try to keep you from hurting him. That was my concern from the very beginning.”

She was shocked and offended all at once. “How do you…Why would you think that
I
would hurt Ash?”

Ted leaned forward, his expression earnest. “You could hurt him without even trying. You’ve never noticed the effect that you have on him.
”

“I understand that he’s desired me for a long time. Finding that out was a shock, but other than asking me out once, he gave up.” She shrugged. “And this summer, he saw an opportunity. He says he loves me, but I don’t know how many other women have heard the same thing.”

“Probably none. Ash has always been commitment phobic. Do you know that he quit smoking because of you?”

She winced. “He told me it was that stupid cancer comment.”

“Yeah, but did you know he’d been trying to quit for years? He couldn’t kick the habit until you refused to ride in his car.”

She frowned. But they hadn’t even been getting along when she said that.
To learn that even an offhand comment of hers had had such a profound effect on Asher was astounding. “I didn’t realize.”

“So what’s wrong? What’s holding
you back? Ash is a great guy now. You couldn’t ask for a better husband.”

She sighed. “It’s his past. He’s used to much more exciting women than me.” She spread her arms. She wore a comfortable cardigan over a faded t-shirt and jeans. Though it was hot outside, she kept the air up on high inside and her rooms were chilly. “I mean, if he got tired of them, how can I hold his attention?”

“You should discuss that with Ash, but I strong
ly suspect his past isn’t as wild as he’d have you believe. Over the years, he’s tended to downplay his good traits.” Ted frowned and then he sighed. “I’m going to tell you something that no one knows besides me and Ash. Have you heard about the BMW he wrecked?”

“Sure. Everyone did. His dad had just given him that car. He crashed it in his back yard one night when he was drunk. It’s a good thing that he didn’t make it onto the road.”

“Well, that’s what we told everyone. The truth is I was the one who was driving. I was drunk, too, and we’d come up with some crazy idea of doing wheelies. I was right there in the hospital with Ash. I only had a few scrapes on me so they didn’t hold me
. When Ash’s dad arrived, he was livid. I’d never seen him so angry and still haven’t since. He really laid into Ash and I expected Ash to tell him the truth—that I was the one who’d wrecked the car. I would have been dead if he had. My dad was a cop, too and we couldn’t afford so much as the ‘B’ in BMW. But Ash didn’t tell. Not even when his dad told him that he wouldn’t be getting a new car. He’d be getting a used one and he’d have to work for his dad to pay for that. And let me tell you, Ash was pissed about that because he had plans to spend the rest of the summer break in Cancun. He spent that summer and the next running errands for his father, but he never breathed a word of the truth.”

Ariadne frowned. “You said he was drunk. I hate to ruin your story, but are you sure he even remembers?”

Ted scowled. “
Yes, he remembers. I felt guilty when I saw him driving around in that crappy old car without a working radio and no air conditioning. I told him I’d confess, but he told me not to bother. That night was a turning point for both me and Asher. I haven’t gotten drunk since and I’m pretty sure that he hasn’t either.”

Ariadne greeted Asher at the door with a hug.
He tilted her head back and kissed her. “I missed you, baby.”

She rubbed her thumb over his lips as she studied his face. He was at once familiar and foreign. He was so handsome.
She stared into his green eyes searching for the truth. “I missed you, too,” she whispered.

“Why are you looking at me like that? Did I do something wrong?”

“No, it’s, um…”
She viewed him differently after her discussion with Ted. Asher had been subtly changing over the years but she hadn’t noticed it. She’d been so busy ignoring and avoiding him. But now she was learning that he’d never been who she’d thought he was to begin with. It was time that she put the past behind her. Asher clearly had. “Ted stopped by to see me earlier.”

“Oh? What’d he want?”

“He came by to make sure that I wasn’t going to hurt you.”

Asher’s eyebrows rose and then he shook his head. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.”

“I love you, Asher.”

His smile, while slow in forming, was nothing short of brilliant. “What the hell did Ted say to you?”

She shook her head. “He just kind of made me realize how biased I’ve been against you. I’ve judged you on your past and Ted pointed out that even that wasn’t always what it seemed. I love you and I have for a while. But I kept thinking about how many women you’ve been with and how I’m so different and boring in comparison.”

Frowning, his hands closed over her hips. “No, baby, that’s not true.
Those women were nothing but diversions. I was never with anyone who could make me forget about you. I’ve tried so many times over the years to get over you. And the reason why there were so many women is because I couldn’t make the relationships last. When they realized I couldn’t offer them the type of commitment they wanted, things would fall apart. Marriage was out of the question. Hell, I couldn’t even tell them that I was in love with them-”

She didn’t need to hear anymore. She pulled him down for a kiss. Asher moaned and then he laughed. The sound rolled over her like a sensual wave. Would the man never learn? Well, at least now she could satisfy the urges his laugh
ter evoked. With that thought in mind, she tugged his shirt from his pants. She undid his belt and opened his pants. Asher groaned as she cupped his cock and stroked. He grew hard instantly. Yeah, she’d really grown to appreciate his lack of underwear. She dropped to her knees before him. He was a truly beautiful man, even here. His cock was long and thick.

She swirled her tongue around the tip before sucking. She took him deep. Asher thrust into her mouth a few times before he drew her to her feet.
“Not again,” he said. Then he added with a groan, “Okay, maybe after dinner.” He quickly divested her of her clothes, leaving her in her bra and panties. She wore a sensible black bra and a one of the lacy thongs that Sierra had suggested she buy. She hadn’t been quite bold enough to go around without a bra. Noticing the aroused expression on Asher’s face as he stared at the panties, she wished that she had. He insinuated a broad palm between her thighs. With one fingertip, he stroked between her folds, unerringly finding her clit.

She reached behind herself and removed the bra and then turned her attention to his clothes.
She began working his shirt up over his head. He quickly took over and shed the shirt. He kicked off his shoes and pants. Once he was naked, she led him to the den.

He bracketed her waist. Sliding one hand up her spine, he leaned her over the arm of the sofa. His mouth fastened onto a nipple before she had time to do more than gasp. “Oh, Asher,” she gasped, tunneling her fingers into his soft hair.
He sucked on her nipples until she was so wet and ready that she was willing to do whatever he wanted.

He stood, leaving her draped over the sofa. Gripping her panties, he yanked them down her hips.
He held them up to his face and inhaled. Emitting a half growl half groan that had her on the verge of orgasm, his eyes fluttered closed. When he opened them again the green was dark and dominated by his pupils. Clasping her hips, he spread her thighs and pushed one over his shoulder.