Page 67 of The Ruse

“Well, I’m glad to hear that you weren’t trying to avoid me.” He let his hand drop back down to his side.

Since he really seemed to need to hear it, I said, “I really do like hanging out with you, Asher.”

“You do?”

There was a vulnerability in his eyes that told me he wasn’t sure he believed me. So I added, “I know we just met a little over a week ago, and I still don’t really know a ton about you, but in a weird way, it kind of feels like I’ve known you for a really long time.”

“Really?” He dipped his head down before looking at me through his dark lashes.

“Yeah.” When our gazes locked, I felt breathless because gosh, he had the most beautiful eyes. They were dark brown with flecks of bright gold in the irises, and they seemed to hold secrets I very much wanted to know.

“It’s interesting that you’d say that.” His voice was so low and husky that it made my lower belly churn with heat. He pressed his lips together. “Because I’ve thought the same thing about you.”

What was happening to me?

Why was I suddenly feeling like my whole body was buzzing with electricity?

Why did I feel so warm and alive, and yet, that I might faint at the same time?

What was it about this guy that had me lowering all of my walls and saying these things that I’d never say to anyone else?

We were both quiet for a moment as we just looked at each other. And usually, I would feel so uncomfortable being scrutinized because I was always worried that people would be disappointed when they saw the real me. But for some reason, I didn’t feel any of that when Asher looked at me.

Instead, I felt safe and like I was at home.

Which was the strangest thing.

“Anyway,” he said, breaking the silence that had fallen over us. “I guess I better get back downstairs.”

“Do you have to?” I asked, another swell of nerves flooding me at the thought of sleeping alone in this unfamiliar place.

“Well, it’s getting late, and you were heading to bed, weren’t you?”

“Well, yeah…” I grabbed a lock of my hair and started mindlessly pulling it through my fingers. And since it was probably already obvious, I said, “I’m just a little on edge about sleeping alone tonight.”

Growing up, Ava and I had always shared a bedroom. We’d always been together at night. And if there was the off chance that one of us was away at a school activity, we either had our mom nearby to make us feel safe or were sharing a room with a friend on a school trip like with Cambrielle last night.

I knew it was probably dumb for me to be so dependent on having another human close by when I was almost an adult, but since I hadn’t ever needed to get used to sleeping on my own, I’d just never done it.

“What if someone sneaks into the cabin tonight and tries to kidnap me?” I whispered. “My mom is famous now. I could go for a high ransom.”

“You think some wacko is going to come all the way up here in a blizzard to steal you away?” Asher narrowed his eyes skeptically.

“Maybe…”

“Well,” he said, pushing away from the wall. “If you’re worried about that, I guess you can come sleep in the basement with me. There’s a bunch of extra beds. You could even sleep on the same bed Nash slept on last night.” He wiggled his eyebrows teasingly. “Sleep on the same pillow. Breathe in his pheromones. Wouldn’t that be fun?”

“This is serious,” I said, realizing I never should have let him know about my crush on Nash since apparently, teasing me about it was one of his favorite pastimes. “And there isn’t a lock on the basement door, so someone could still sneak down there.”

He glanced behind him. “There’s a lock on this door. So, if that’s what you need, you should be set.”

You’d think so.

I bit my lip, wanting to ask him something but not knowing how to say it.

He must be good at reading minds, though, because he said, “Are you trying to get up the nerve to ask me to stay up here with you? Is that why you were checking out my muscles earlier? Because you were hoping I could be your bodyguard for the night?”

“I wasn’t trying to check out your muscles,” I said. That part was accidental. “But yes.” I tugged on my hair. “If you wouldn’t mind, it would make me feel safer to have someone close by.”

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