Until Series: Box set (12 page)

“I fucking love your mouth, baby,” he said against my lips.

“I kind of like yours too,” I told him and laughed when he growled at me, grinding his hips into mine, making me whimper even more.

“Well, good thing I’ve got all night to make you love it.” Oh, crap. With everything that has happened, I forgot that I’m going to be sleeping at his house again.

“We need to talk about tonight,” I blurted out then bit my bottom lip. I mean, I’m okay with making out but sex…I wasn’t sure about that.

“Listen,” he said, grabbing my face while holding me up by his waist and the wall. “We don’t have to do anything. We can go slowly.”

“Okay,” I whispered, feeling the tension leave my body.

“Okay,” he whispered back then kissed me softly on my lips then my nose. My hands went to his shoulders and his to my ass then he slid me down and smiled. “I’ll see you at my house. The key will be on your car key ring and I’ll bring pizza back for dinner.” He kissed me quickly and was gone before I could get out of my Asher fog and remember that he’s a caveman and I should really question why the heck that turns me on.

After Asher left, the rest of my day was quiet. I packed a bag with enough stuff for a couple days. Dad and I hung around and I told him about the lawyer. He offered to take me if I wanted him to. I asked him how he felt about me and Asher and he said that he trusted him. It made me feel better that my dad approved. I was just going to have to try and take things slowly.

I spent the rest of the time begging him to teach me how to ride a motorcycle. Once he agreed, he had to go to bed so I decided to go into town. I wanted to look around at some of the antique shops to see if they had anything interesting.

I found a small side table that had a large round top with three legs that curved up and in. I couldn’t wait to get the old white paint off it to see what kind of wood was underneath.

After I stowed the table in my car, I wandered into a small boutique on the square in the center of town. The window display was what caught my eye. They had a cool metal mannequin that would look perfect in my dream closet. When I walked in the store, there was an older lady behind the counter talking on the phone.

As soon as she saw me come in, she gave me a smile and a wave then went back to her conversation. Looking around, they had large and small mannequin stands. They also had all kinds of cool handbags, scarves, socks, jewelry, and other odds and ends that women don’t really need but want anyway. I was in the back of the store looking at a mannequin stand. It was a metal frame painted pink with no head or arms. It was just the torso in the shape of a dress with a long pole out the bottom and three legs like a Christmas tree stand. I loved it. I could picture it in my dream closet or even just the corner of my bedroom.

“Can I help you?” I heard a small voice ask. I turned my head and a woman my age was standing next to me. She was about my height. Her long, blonde hair was pulled away from her face with a clip and she was very pretty, even without any makeup. She had on a pair of dark jeans and a green wrap shirt and cowboy boots.

“Yeah, how much for this stand?” I asked her, smiling.

“This is one hundred and twenty five,” she mumbled like she didn’t want to actually talk to me but was forced to because of her job.

“Really? Wow, I love it. Don’t you love it?” Her head flew up and she looked me in the eye for the first time. They were light green with a ring of dark green. She had the most beautiful eyes I had ever seen besides Asher’s.

“Yeah, it’s nice,” she said so quietly that I almost didn’t hear her.

“I’m November,” I said, sticking out my hand. She hesitantly shook it.

She looked a little surprised before she answered. “I’m Liz. Are you Mike’s daughter?”

“Yeah. You know my dad?”

“He and my dad were best friends,” she said quietly. I saw the look of sadness cross her face and I realized that she said were and not are.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Liz. This is an amazing store. I can see where my paychecks will be going,” I said, trying to change the subject and hating that she looked so lost. She laughed and the sadness was replaced with pride and her whole face became stunning.

“My mom and I own it. We just opened a few weeks ago. I grew up around here so if you ever want me to show you around, let me know,” she said. Then she froze when we heard laughing from behind us. Two women were there. One I recognized from the bar.

“Oh, how cute. Liz is trying to make a friend,” the taller of the two girls said.

“Some people never grow up,” I mumbled under my breath, shaking my head. Having dealt with my mother, who was just like these women, I did what I always do. I ignored them. “I don’t know many people in town. We should get together and have coffee sometime.”

She looked a little surprised but recovered quickly. For some reason, I was proud of her. I got the feeling that she usually let what people said get to her.

“Um…sure. That would be nice. I’ll give you my phone number when you finish shopping,” she said, turning and going through a curtain into the backroom of the store. I looked around for a few more minutes and the girls were still in the store. I heard them whispering and could make out Asher’s name a few times but I couldn’t be bothered with them so I went to check out. I found a very pretty scarf that had a bold paisley print in lots of bright colors and a pair of wide silver hoops with a cool design etched into them. I set my stuff on the counter and the woman looked up to me.

“Did you find everything okay, dear?”

“Yes. I would also like to buy that stand in the back. The pink one,” I told her with a smile, thinking about my new treasures.

“Sure. I’ll have Liz pull it out for you.”

“Thanks.” She gave me my total and when Liz came back out, we exchanged numbers. I told her that I would call. I went to my dad’s and dropped off my new stuff and packed up Beast. I quickly left my dad a note telling him to call me later and drove to Asher’s.

Now, I’m enjoying the sun that is slowly setting. There is a slight chill in the air but I put on my knit hat and giant wool sweater so I feel nice and toasty. My hair slides across my neck and then lips kiss the sensitive skin under my ear. I open my eyes to see Asher smiling down at me.

“Hey, baby. I’ve been looking for you,” he whispers.

“Hi.” I stretch, sitting up and looking around. “I guess I fell asleep,” I say quietly, realizing that I’m still sitting outside but it’s dusk and really cold.

“Yeah, I got worried when I couldn’t find you in the house. Where is your phone? Your dad and I tried calling you.”

“Oh, crap. I think it’s still in my bag. I wasn’t planning on being out here so long.”

“Let’s get you inside,” he says, picking me up. My arms go around his shoulders and I lay my head on his chest. His body is so warm and he smells so good.

“I can walk,” I mumble into his chest.

“I like carrying you. You’re so tiny,” he says and I feel him kiss my forehead.

“Ha! Only to you because you’re a giant,” he laughs and I can feel it rumble against my cheek as he carries me into the living room and sits with me in his lap. I curl into him for a few minutes just absorbing his warmth and the feel of his steady breathing. It should feel awkward to be with him like this but it feels completely normal. How creepy is that?

“What do you want on the pizza, baby?” he asks, rubbing my back. I feel like I could fall back asleep.

“Um, mushrooms, peppers, olives, and pepperoni, unless you want something else.”

“Nope, sounds good.” I feel him lift his hips and his hand leaves my back. I can hear the beeping of his phone before he places our order. After he hangs up the call, I hear the phone hit the coffee table.

“Did you have a good day?” I ask into his chest.

“No. The fire inspector wanted to close the site and Cash had to go to the hospital to get stitches.” The second the words are out of his mouth, I’m up, trying to pull out of his arms.

“Oh my God! What are you doing? You should be with him. Is he okay? Who’s taking care of him?” I yell, trying hard to pull away.

“He’s fine. Mom’s with him. He just cut his hand. Calm down.”

“How many stitches did he need?”

“Just three. Why are you so worried?” he asks, narrowing his eyes. Suddenly, he looks angry.

“He was hurt and he’s your brother,” I say slowly. “What do you mean, why am I worried?” I ask. I’m confused. He doesn’t say anything. He just stares at me then I realize why he’s asking that question and I want to kick him. “Seriously? Your own brother?” I ask, shaking my head in disbelief and again trying to pull away.

“Let me up,” I say but his arms only tighten. “I’m serious, Asher. Let me up right now. I cannot believe you would even think that I would be sitting here with you if I was even a little interested in your brother. I mean, obviously we don’t know each other very well but if you want to get to know me, you’re going to have to trust me. Otherwise, don’t waste my time.” I pull away and am finally able to stand. I leave him sitting on the couch and go into the bathroom. I hop up on the counter, wondering what the hell is wrong with him. First Nick, now his brother. I want to scream at the top of my lungs.

The door opens and I look up. He’s just standing there, looking at me, and not saying anything. I’m beginning to feel like I shouldn’t be here anymore and should risk respiratory failure and stay with my grandma.

“I think I should go stay with my grandma,” I say quietly.

He still doesn’t say anything and I start to squirm on the counter under his stare. Then I see him take a deep breath and he lunges at me his mouth crashes into mine. His hands go to my ass, pulling me to the edge of the counter.

I’m caught off guard but my body takes over and my hand goes to his back. My other hand digs into his hair as he bites my bottom lip, then lightly bites my chin and then comes back to my mouth where he devours me.

His tongue is in my mouth and playing with mine, nipping and biting my lips. I feel one of his hands leave my ass and travel around and up the front of my shirt, cupping my breast through my bra. I whimper into his mouth and try to press closer, knowing my panties are soaked. I don’t think I’ve ever been so turned on in my life. Then he pulls away, kissing me softer and setting his forehead to mine.

“You’re not going anywhere,” he rumbles and I feel the vibrations of his words straight between my legs.

“I don’t want to go anywhere,” I tell him truthfully, knowing that I should leave because this situation has heartache written all over it.

He presses his forehead to mine and takes a breath. “Almost every woman that I’ve fucked has also fucked one or more of my brothers,” he says quietly.

I can feel bile crawling up my throat and a horrible pain hits my chest at his words. He is actually opening up to me but I’m not sure I want to know this.

I don’t know why, but I feel like I need to share something about me to make us even, to make him understand that he isn’t the only one with baggage.

“I was engaged and found out that my mother had been sleeping with my fiancé during the whole time we were together,” I blurt out and immediately wonder why the hell I said it like that. Why can’t I just keep my damn mouth shut? “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have told you like that. It’s just…I know how you feel. Well, not that I have sisters but if I did I would tell them that it’s really gross. I mean who does that?”

I feel his body start shaking and I wonder what the hell could be funny about this conversation. “Are you laughing?” I feel his body still and he takes his face out of my neck. He gently wraps his hands around my neck, running his nose along mine.

“I’m not letting you go, November.” His eyebrows pull together and I can see something working behind his eyes. It looks like hope but I don’t know him well enough to be sure.

“Just try to trust me, okay,” I say, watching my finger travel across his bottom lip. He places his forehead against mine again and doesn’t say anything for a long time. What is he thinking?

“I’m gonna try,” he says softly, taking a deep breath.

“I’m going to try too, you know?” I say, trying to lighten the mood. “I feel like I have a lot of competition to deal with. All those women constantly throwing themselves at you.” He opens his eyes and looks at me seriously.

“I promise that it’s you, only you, for as long as this lasts. Now, we need to pick up the pizza so get your ass in the jeep.” And just like that, the conversation’s over and he’s pulling me off the sink and onto my feet. He kisses my nose and walks out of the bathroom, leaving me there with his words replaying in my head.

It’s you, only you.

I smile to myself in the mirror and walk out to the living room. I grab my bag then get my ass in his jeep.

*

I wake up
wrapped around Asher. My thigh is over his, my arm is across his waist and his arm is holding me close. Last night, after we got the pizza, we came back to his house, put in a movie and lounged on the couch while we ate. Then he moved the pizza box, got us both another beer, and stretched out with his bare feet up on the coffee table and dragged me by the hand until I was pressed into his side with my leg wrapped over his thigh and my arm around his waist, holding my beer and my head on his chest. After the movie, we got up and Asher pushed me toward the bedroom, telling me to get ready for bed and that he would let Beast out.