Page 87 of Shadowed Hearts: Frost
Asher crosses the room in three strides, capturing my restless hands in his.
"Vanessa." He uses that voice that grounds my racing thoughts. "I've survived warlords and dictators. I can handle your family."
His certainty calms me momentarily before new anxieties surface. "But are you sure? Because they'll consider you mine after this. Permanently. That's how Filipino families work."
I search his face, looking for any sign of hesitation. "The moment I bring a man to Sunday dinner, my mom will startplanning our wedding. My aunties will ask when we're having babies. There's no casual dating in Filipino culture. You're either nothing or you're family."
Something darkens in his eyes as Asher pulls me closer. His thumb traces a small circle on my wrist where he held me during our self-defense lesson earlier.
"I like the sound of that."
His fingers trace the curve of my jaw, tilting my face up to his. "But Vanessa, you should know something."
The intensity in his gaze makes my breath catch. My heart pounds against my ribs as I wait for whatever comes next.
"I already consider you mine." His voice is low and certain. "Meeting your family just makes it official."
He lowers his mouth to mine, and I realize with startling clarity that I'm not just bringing a man to Sunday dinner. I'm bringing home the most dangerously possessive man I've ever known.
And the thought thrills me more than it should.
twenty-two
Vanessa
Ifidget in my chair inside the surveillance van, my fingers flying across multiple keyboards. We're parked between delivery trucks in a business lot next door to Vertex Models—close enough to watch, but not suspicious enough to draw attention.
Rain taps against the metal roof, creating a cozy cocoon despite the tension running through my body. Three screens glow in front of me while I adjust my earpiece connecting me to Cole at headquarters.
Asher sits beside me, his presence both calming and electrifying. He watches the modeling agency entrance through a special viewing port, his body completely still in a way mine never is.
"My system matches faces against DMV records." I point to faces being automatically highlighted on the screen. "It flags anyone on our watch list or who shows up repeatedly."
My knee bounces under the desk as I continue, words tumbling out. "I've set it up to predict movement patterns too, which should help us—"
"Movement at the east entrance." Cole's voice interrupts through our earpieces. "Two black SUVs approaching."
I instantly shift, fingers already adjusting camera angles. "Got it."
The center screen splits into four parts, showing different views of the east entrance. Two sleek black SUVs with dark windows pull up, and workers unload equipment.
"Let me zoom in." My fingers dance across the keyboard. "That looks like event equipment. Tables, stands, lighting stuff."
Asher moves closer, lifting special binoculars while I continue digital surveillance. His shoulder brushes mine in the tight space, sending a spark through my skin.
"That's the Winchester Charity Gala setup." I quickly pull up permit information. "Wait, isn't your team handling security for that?"
Asher's jaw tightens slightly. "Kade mentioned a request from Margaret Winchester's office."
"Well, that complicates things." I brush a strand of hair from my face, focusing on raindrops creating blurry halos around the people moving equipment.
"Change your settings," Asher instructs, his voice calm despite the problem. "Pay closer attention to employees entering and leaving."
I nod, making changes while monitoring multiple data streams simultaneously. The familiar rush of solving a complex problem floods my system.
"Asher, look at this feed." I suddenly point to the bottom right corner. "Those aren't just event workers. That woman in the gray coat just came from the modeling agency and is telling the setup crew what to do."
I zoom in on her, running facial recognition while tracking her movements. "She's visited both places three times in the past hour."
