Page 27 of Never Bed the Boss
My jaw nearly fell off when he snuck that one in last night. He visits their family villa each summer for his mother’s birthdayever since his father passed. And now he wants to take me with him. It’s a little spooky that I’ll meet his family soon, but I don’t mind moving at this pace with Asher.
I feel safe with him. Protected. He listens to me, makes me laugh, and most importantly, he loves me. He’s the first person I’ve ever pictured spending the rest of my life with.
And I can’t think of a better place than here in his arms. But… I need to peereallybad. So as much as I love the feeling of him holding me, I need to move because I don’t want to wet the bed on our first night together.
It takes some doing, and a little bit of grunting, but eventually, I disentangle myself from Asher and slip into the bathroom.
After finishing up, I take another look at Asher. He’s still fast asleep so I sneak over to the bed and lift the covers, taking one last peek at that tight ass.
I don’t know what it is about his ass, but I can’t get enough of it. I’d grab a handful of it, but I want to surprise him with breakfast in bed. Although, now that I think about it, he’ll probably shove it aside and have me for breakfast instead, which isn’t such a bad idea.
I let the sheet fall and then head for the kitchen. I can't help but smile at the sight of our clothes strewn on the ground. My skin erupts with goosebumps as I remember the way his hands felt, peeling my clothes off, and the way his tongue owned my mouth and the rest of my body.
I consider cooking him breakfast completely naked, but it’s too chilly so I slip into his dress shirt, which hangs down below my knees and then grab his jacket and slide it on too. I moan, savoring his scent as I hug myself. It’s a poor replacement for Asher, but I’ll make do with it until he wakes up and I can have the real thing.
As I make my way to the kitchen, something heavy in the inside pocket of his jacket keeps rubbing against my chest. I slide onto a stool at the kitchen island and then slip my hand inside the pocket, my entire body going cold once my fingers touch the surface.
I don’t want to believe it.
I can’t believe it.
But there’s no way that it’snot.
I pull the folded sheets from the pocket and set them in front of me. I stare at them. I keep staring at them. I stare at it until my eyes are painfully dry and when I finally blink, it burns. The tears come next. Hot and salty and silent as rivulets run down my cheeks.
How could he do this? Why would he do this?
I feel… so naked. Some of my most personal thoughts and dreams were on those pages. I thought the cleaning staff for the hotel had simply thrown it out when I returned to ask about it.
Asher kept it.
And as I flip through the pages, he’s been checking off the entries. Is he using it like an instruction manual to get closer to me? A step-by-step guide on how to win me over? The more I look, the more sick I get because there are things he’s checked off that I haven’t seen yet. He’s?—
“Morning, beautiful,” Asher rasps.
I can’t breathe. For a brief moment, my entire body locks up. I try to turn my head but it feels like there’s another force counteracting anything I do. I can only stare at the pages in front of me as my fingers tremble.
But when Asher places his hand on the nape of my neck and moves next to me, everything unlocks and all I feel is heat. That trembling in my fingers spreads as anger like I’ve never experienced rolls through me.
“Delilah…”
Asher’s fingers fall from me as I grab the pages from the counter and slide off the stool, squaring up to him. “Don’t call me that.”
Asher tries to reach for me but I step back. “Please, let me explain.”
His voice is rough and ragged and I feel his pain in each syllable, but he’s not the one who’s been violated. And as angry as I am, I feel a disproportionate sadness. Loss. I shake my head, tears blurring my vision as I stare at the man I’d fallen so hard for. A man I’m not sure I know anymore, or if I ever did.
“Was any of this real?” I wave my hand between us.
“All of it,” Asher gusts. “Every word. Every kiss. Everything I did for you.” He touches my cheek with his hand and I’m mad that I’m still affected by him so much. That I want him to touch me, even after this. But I need space. I need…
I snort softly, taking a step back as his hand falls. “I don’t know what to think. I don’t know what to do but I need to leave right now.”
“Anything. I’ll give you whatever you want.”
I shake my head. “That’s what you were trying to do with this, right? Hand over all my hopes and dreams and desires to me on a silver platter.”
I watch Asher’s throat bob as he swallows. He opens his mouth to say something but then he pauses.
