Page 11 of Chasing Sophia

“Hey, where are you going?” I turn to face him as he takes the highway out of the city.

“This is going to be such a memorable night for you that you’ll ask me to take you out every evening.”

“Aren’t we ambitious?”

His rich laugh fills the car. “Don’t challenge me, firecracker. The more you play hard to get, the more irresistible you become to me.”

My breath hitches at his playful words. “Asher…”

“Yeah?” He pulls his gaze away from the street for a second.

“I might say big words sometimes, but… this is all new to me.” I gulp back the nervousness. “I don’t know what you think of me, but I’m not playing games.”

Like the other night, he holds my hand in his free one and places it over his thigh. “I think of you as a girl with a sassy mouth and a soft heart. My favorite combination.”

I freeze in the warm car when Asher parks in the vast, open parking lot of the Cherrywood Christmas Market. My heart squeezes in pain, and I’m unable to look around or get out of the car.

“You don’t want to be here.” He brings my cold hands to his lips. Even though it wasn’t a question, he waits for me to respond.

“My parents met here for their first date. It was tradition for us to visit the market every year on the twentieth of December, the anniversary of their first date.” Emotion fills my throat, choking my words. I can’t believe he brought me here, and on the twentieth, too. “Every year, my parents bought an ornament for our tree.”

Asher is quiet for several moments, until he places a finger under my chin. His eyes are soft, without a touch of his usual cockiness. “Do you want to go someplace else?”

I shake my head. This isn’t just a lucky coincidence; fate has brought us here tonight.

Asher doesn’t let go of my hand as we walk around the market. He’s been cocky, yes, but also considerate and thoughtful. We eat hot dogs, potato pancakes, and roasted almonds, while sipping mulled wine. Asher jokes with people around us in the food lines, but I always feel his sharp attention on me.

“How is it so far?” He squeezes my hand in his tight grip.

“Unexpectedly great.” I smirk.

“Did you doubt my abilities to take you on a great date, firecracker?” He brings my hand to his lips and kisses it, sending shivers through my body. “So, are you up for some more adventure?”

“Bring it on, big guy.”

He laughs and pulls me toward the exit.

But a few minutes later, I’m groaning loudly. “I’m really reconsidering why I said yes to this adventure.”

“It’s not far,” Asher says in that perfectly balanced voice, while I struggle to catch my breath as we hike up the hill.

“What’s in that?” I ask, pointing toward the basket he pulled from the trunk of his car before we started.

He throws me a wink and continues his walk. “Something you’ll thank me for later.”

“Mysterious.”

It doesn’t take me long to see another side of Asher as he spreads a blanket under the tree and lights a fire with the wood he brought along.

“Is that even allowed?” I ask, warming my hands around the orange flames.

“Don’t worry, we’re not breaking any rules. It’s open to the public. This place has the best view of the market.” He settlesbehind me, and when he pulls me closer to his chest, I go willingly.

“It does.” I let go of a sigh. “At the risk of inflating your ego, I didn’t think tonight would end like this.”

His grip tightens around my waist. “Our real date has just started, firecracker. At the risk of getting another slap from you, I want to kiss you. I’ve wanted to since I saw you outside your school.”

I turn around and meet Asher’s hot gaze locked on me. The shadow of red-hot flames on his face and the reflection of fire in his eyes are powerful, but nothing can compare to the inferno that unleashes inside me when his lips touch mine.

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