Page 82 of Asher

Then, I moved to the floor-length mirror that hung on the back of my bedroom door and took the finished product in.

Dang.

But there was just something about this particular color.

Smiling, I grabbed my clutch, opened my door, and in my three-inch patent leather pumps, I headed down the hall.

Asher was standing with his back to me, talking to my father.

And when he obviously heard me coming, he looked over his shoulder, stopped mid-conversation, and stared.

I had one thought on my mind, well, two really, one was that he looked incredible.

And two, I wanted him to look at me just like that when I walked down the aisle to him.

Because one day, I was totally marrying this man.

He walked to me as I stopped at the end of the hallway, and then he said, “You’re trying to send me to an early grave.”

I snickered, “Do you like it?” I asked as I held my arms out at my sides.

He nodded, then rubbed his bottom lip with his thumb, then he said, “Yeah. Fucking love it. But what I had planned for tonight just isn’t going to fucking do.”

I tilted my head to the side, “And why is that?”

“Doll Baby, you’ve met me. Right? You know how I am. You’ve seen how I react when someone looks at you too long. And seeing as this is our first official date as me your man, andyou my woman... god damned, Doll Baby. Fucking love you in that dress.”

My mother huffed at his language.

He blushed.

He actually blushed.

Then he held his hand out to me to help me down the last step, and once he had my hand in the crook of his arm, he looked at my mama and asked, “What can I do to redeem myself?”

My mama lifted a brow, “You’ve redeemed yourself for life where I am concerned, but be mindful. Yes?”

He nodded.

Then he shook his hand with my father, and only then did he lead me out the door and to his truck.

And I knew he got a kick out of helping me into it.

That was by placing his hand on my ass.

And he was right, he told me about his plans, and I knew that wouldn’t be good.

Even though the restaurant had great food, it wasn’t worth all the pretentious men who no doubt would be there and didn’t think anything about looking at other women when they were out with a woman.

However, he looked at me and winked, “Don’t think I won’t show you off, Doll Baby.”

And he did that in more ways than one.

He just had all the brothers at the marina form a barricade around us so no one could get a good look at me and to keep me safe.

For two hours, we wandered along the marina, eating and laughing, and it was as if the brothers weren’t even there.

Not even when we made it to one section, Asher at my back, my front pressed to the railing, fireworks going off in the night sky, my head turned to the side, his lips on mine.

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