Page 48 of Taming Her Temptations

“No?” Asher loosens his grip on me and looks down at me assessingly. “Fine, have it your way. But you’re coming with me.”

He laces his fingers through my hand and drags me in the direction of their house.

“What about the gutters?” I ask.

“I’m not going to do dirty things to your dad’s house without him being here.”

“See? It does sound dirty.”

“Do you want me to clean your gutters?” He wraps his arm around my shoulder and raises his eyebrows at me.

I smack him on the stomach in response. He doesn’t even flinch, but just pulls me in closer.

“Okay, okay.” He grins. “Still grumpy but I’ve got a plan for that.”

Once we get into their house, he leads me to a corner I’ve never even seen.

I gasp once we get in. The room is a relic of its era, a Victorian solarium. All three walls are glass, where they extend up in intricate detail to a domed glass ceiling. There are potted trees scattered throughout the space, with delicate white blossoms. They look like they might be citrus trees and they smell absolutely heavenly. But the space has one clear purpose, and it’s not the trees. Right in the middle of the sunny space is a huge, beautiful grand piano.

“Wow,” I whisper to myself.

“It’s an incredible space.” Asher nods. “It’s what convinced us to get this place.”

He heads toward the piano and pulls me by my hand. I feel like I’m entering another world as I step in. The sunlight dances all over me and makes me feel like we just time-traveled to a warm summer day.

“Do you play?” He asks, pulling me onto the bench next to him. He opens the fallboard to expose the white and black keys.

“A little bit,” I shrug. “My dad was a fan of the arts. He made sure we tried every single form of expression until we ruled out it wasn’t our passion.”

“I take it music wasn’t yours?”

“I love music. It’s an important part of our family. But I just wasn’t any good at it. How did you start playing?”

“My mom says I always showed interest. We couldn’t afford much growing up, but they made sure to get me music lessons. It’s the best gift anyone could have ever given me. When I’m having a shit day, playing is the only thing that will get me out of it.”

“Your parents sound amazing,” I smile, already feeling much better. It’s hard not to in a space like this. “I don’t really have anything like that, something that pulls me out of a mood.”

“Steal it from me.” He grins. “Here, I’ll show you how.”

He takes my hands and gently places them on the keys. He uses his hands to press my fingers down until we create a short melody. It’s nothing I’m familiar with but sounds pretty. He repeats it until I get the hang of it and I can do it on my own.

He nods his head, signaling for me to keep going. He places his fingers in front of him on the keys and begins to play. His playing fills the room and reverberates through me. His intensity swells all around me as I play my simple melody, which somehow doesn’t get lost even in his all-encompassing symphony.

The song is hauntingly beautiful. I risk a glance over at him. He’s utterly absorbed and completely connected with the piano. All of my senses are overwhelmed at once and goosebumps blossom down my skin.

I stop playing and just watch him. But as soon as I stop, he does too. He looks over at me, his intense eyes scanning me.

“Why did you stop?” His voice is low and calming, not upset, just curious.

“I-” I stutter, unsure myself why I stopped. “You’re a beautiful player. I just wanted to watch.”

“Is it making you feel better?” He asks with a gleam in his eye.

I nod. It’s true. This whole setting is magic.

But Asher is magic too. Always so relaxed and humble even though he’s this shining gem of a person who has no reason to even be humble. Everything about him is so unexpected.

“Good.” To my surprise, he grips my hips and pulls me into his lap. “Then you can get an even closer view.” He presses his lips on my shoulder as he begins to play again, starting where he left off. I feel safe in his arms like this. The emotional ache in me feels comforted and calmed by his embrace.

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