Page 19 of Asher's Assignment

He had to tread carefully here. Leaving her unprotected wasn’t an option, but he wanted to give her space too. She was more easy-going than Edie, but she still had a stubborn streak. If he pushed too hard, she’d balk. “I’d like to stay here with you. Just so I’m close,” he added when her eyebrows dipped and her mouth opened with the beginnings of a protest. “The nearest hotel is over a mile away. And while I sprang for the roomier SUV when I rented a car, I’d rather not sleep in it. It is October in the Pacific Northwest.”

Those dark red eyebrows of hers dipped even lower. “Fine. You can have the guest room.”

“And here’s the part you might not like. I hacked my way into the Oregon education system and entered a substitute teaching license for myself. I also put myself on the district secretary’s schedule for an interview with the superintendent tomorrow to become a sub for the district.” He’d had a rather productive layover in Los Angeles.

Again, she opened her mouth to protest, but he held up a hand. “Being in the same building with you will be less conspicuous than me sitting outside in a car all day.”

Her lips slammed shut. “You’re bordering on a shadow, Asher.”

“I know, but I need to be close by. I won’t be in your classroom, but I’ll be around if you need me. I’m also going to follow you to your tutoring job.”

“Oh, uh-uh.” She stood up, waving a finger at him. “That is shadowing.”

Asher rose and moved around the coffee table to stand in front of her. “Essy, that part is non-negotiable. You saw the hoodie man outside their house. It’s a rough neighborhood. Honestly, I don’t know why the district sent a young woman there to tutor the girl in the first place.”

“I volunteered.” Fists clenched, she glared up at him. “I need the money so I can fly down to visit Edie more than once a year.”

His jaw worked. “You should let me invest some of your savings. Then you won’t have to take dangerous assignments.”

“That would have been nice to know before, but what’s done is done. I’m not leaving that kid in the lurch because I got a little freaked out.”

“Then you’ll just have to put up with me following you there. I’m not saying you can’t go to the store or out to eat without me. But for the most part, I want to be around. Just until I get a handle on what’s going on here.”

“You—” She raised a finger, pointing it at his face. “Ugh! You’re lucky I love my sister and that she’s pregnant. If it weren’t for that, I’d tell you to go home.”

A grin slashed over his face. “I know.”

“You’re not endearing yourself to me by being a cocky bastard.”

Surprise pulled a quick laugh from him. “You’re more like Edie than I thought.”

Esther rolled her eyes and spun away, flopping back into her chair. “Good. Maybe it’ll help you remember I’m not a pushover. I might avoid conflict, but that doesn’t mean I do it at the expense of my mental health.”

A surge of pride filled him. He liked that she knew her own mind well enough to know her boundaries and wasn’t afraid to stick up for herself. He’d seen her with Edie and knew she could give as good as she got, but the week she was in Costa Rica, she’d been fairly reserved with everyone else.

“I’ll do my best to be unobtrusive. I just want to keep you safe, Essy.”

She huffed, raising her pizza slice. “I’m sorry. I know you do. I just—I don’t like this. Any of it.” She ripped off a chunk of crust, and shoved it between her teeth, chewing angrily.

Asher moved closer and crouched in front of her. He touched her knee. “I know you don’t. But keep in mind, my presence here will move things along faster than if I hadn’t come. I’m not constrained behind a wall of monitors.”

Esther swallowed her food, her gaze connecting with his. Warmth seeped into his fingers from her legging-covered skin as he stared into her bright blue eyes.

“I hope so. Because I don’t want to live like this.” A tremor started in her chin. “I don’t like being afraid when I step outside my house.”

Asher moved his hand up to cradle the side of her face. “I won’t let anything happen to you, Esther. You have my word.”

Just like that, Asher knew he wasn’t leaving until he was a hundred percent certain she was safe. It had nothing to do with reducing Edie’s stress level or figuring out the puzzle of who was hanging around, and everything to do with the woman staring back at him with watery blue eyes.

Eight

The shower on the other side of Esther’s bedroom wall kicked on. She glanced over, then rolled her eyes. “Ignore it, Essy. Don’t think about what he’s doing.” Spreading the pages of her book wider, she focused on the words.

She made it through a paragraph before her mind wandered. An image of Asher in swim trunks flashed through her mind. On her trip to Costa Rica, she’d spent some time at Edie’s friend Max’s house. He had a private beach and had a volleyball net set up, so they’d all gone down to play. Asher had walked down the stairs to the beach wearing a t-shirt and flip-flops. He’d ditched both before the action started. It was the first time she’d seen him without a shirt. She hadn’t known a computer geek could look so good. He was all rippling muscle and hard planes, topped by a megawatt smile, great hair, and a sexy beard. It wasn’t right that any man could look so good. Men like him were supposed to be reserved for Hollywood, where they were unattainable to mere mortals like her.

Esther snorted. He wasn’t attainable for her, either. If he ever did settle down, it would probably be with some exotic, dark-haired beauty he met in Costa Rica. A woman as worthy of a magazine cover as himself. Not a freckled redhead who burned in the shade.

Her phone rang, thankfully pulling her from the hole her thoughts had descended into. She snatched it off the nightstand and saw her sister’s face on the screen. Swiping to answer, she lifted it to her ear.

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