Page 59 of Moonlit Thorns

Lie.

Lie.

Lie.

“I’ll be counting the days until the next time.”

A small smile blossoms on her lips before she leaves the room. Leaving me with nothing but regrets that I’m not the kind of man who could ever be with someone as sweet and innocent as Anabelle Boudreaux.

Chapter

Twenty-Six

ANABELLE

For the first week after our night together in the sex club, Asher barely speaks to me in the office. But now that we’re in the middle of the week following, he seems to have unraveled some of the tension that wound him so tightly.

I wasn’t lying when I told him I liked it. Hell, my only regret is that I have to wait two and a half more weeks before we can do it again.

Every time I look at him, I wish he’d order me around and tell me to do something. Make me his submissive. But he’s been nothing but professional. Not cold per se, but not exactly warm either.

When he enters his office this morning, rather than heading over to his desk as he always does, he walks over to mine and stands on my right, leaning against the desk with his arms crossed. His eyes, the color of the deep blue ocean, take me in with what I think might be concern.

“Is everything okay?” I ask.

He sighs. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about, but I’ve refrained because I didn’t want to upset you. It’s about the night you met Preston.”

Not exactly something I want to relive, but we haven’t really spoken of it in much detail. In all honesty, there’s been so much going on in my life that I’ve managed to push that night away into the recesses of my mind. I know at some point I’ll have to deal with what almost happened, but I don’t feel equipped at the moment. There’s too much other stuff going on.

“What about it?” I move my hands away from the keyboard and lean back in my chair, my hands on the armrests.

“I always assumed, but didn’t actually ask you, and now I need to be sure. Did you consent to Preston drugging you?”

I whip up from my chair, hands fisted at my sides. “Of course not!”

Asher frowns and nods.

“You believe me, right?” Tears prick my eyes, but I refuse to let them fall.

He clasps my shoulders. “Of course I do. I just needed to be sure. I know others who are into somnophilia. I assure you, you’ll get no judgment from me if you are, but I needed to know if you had consented to that before Preston drugged you.”

“Somno what?” My forehead wrinkles.

“There’s no reason to be embarrassed if you are.”

“Asher, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

He pushes his hand through his hair, dislodging some of his perfectly swept back waves. “It’s when someone enjoys having sex with someone who is sleeping or unconscious. For some people, it’s important that their partner wants to participate. Others… aren’t as concerned about that.”

The look of horror I give him is probably answer enough. “Well, that’s not me.”

“I didn’t think so.” His voice sounds grave.

“Why? Why are you asking me this?”

“Because I’m going to ruin him. And there will be repercussions for my family and my business.”

That sounds… ominous. “Asher, you don’t have to do anything. You already beat the shit out of him.”

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