Page 9 of Wrecked
Chapter Four
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Payton
The way he staresat me sends a shockwave of desire deep down to my core. But, I don’t want a boyfriend. I don’t think Asher is the type of guy who evendoesgirlfriends.
Plus, he works for my father, plain and simple. And, I amnotgoing to be here long enough to even have time to get undressed. And is he actually interested in my life story?
“So, Miss ‘for now’, what do you plan on doing while you’re here?” he asks, a glint of something deep in his eyes. Hope? Desire? Probably neither.
“I don’t really know. I haven’t been here since I was a kid.”
“I can show you around one night, maybe.”
Is he asking me out? Like on a date? No, I don’t have time for dates. This has bad written all over it, but I’m intrigued. I find myself wanting to say yes.
“Um, it’s probably not a good idea.”
He appears dejected, but I’m sure he’s not. He has women surrounding him all the time. I know he does. I’ve seen it first hand.
“Are you afraid of me?” he asks, leaning in close to my ear.
“No.” I fidget. I’m afraid of a lot of things, but I’m not afraid of him. Maybe afraid of what I want to do to him. But, he doesn’t need to know that.
I put on a brave face, grab my plate of kabobs, and take a bite into a piece of chicken. I glance over and see Asher’s eyes watching me. He groans when I lick my lips.
“Let’s just watch the movie,” he says, turning the channel to a comedy.
At the end of the movie, I smile as Asher turns the television off. Somewhere throughout, our legs intertwined and his hand rests on my thigh. Not sure if I should move it, so I remain perfectly still while we sit quietly in the dark.
“Did you like the movie?” I ask, not really sure what else to say.
He looks over at me. “Yeah. I’d like to take you to a real movie, though. As friends, of course.”
“Oh, maybe,” I say, watching the way his eyes twinkle at my answer. His eyes are really something else. Light green, with specks of gold around the pupil. They hold you captive when he gazes at you.
“I’ll take that as a yes. And, your father won’t find out. I won’t let him.”
“Just friends,” I say, mainly to reassure myself.
“Just friends.”
I breathe a sigh of relief and lean back against the couch as his hand grips my thigh. His thumb traces circles on my heated skin. It feels good, and I don’t want him to stop.
“I like when you laugh. You did it the other day at work. It’s cute,” he says out of nowhere.
“Excuse me?” I ask.
“Your laugh.” He lunges over and both hands attack my ribcage. He tickles my sides, and my laughter fills his living room. I try to breathe, but it’s no use.
I can’t take it anymore, and I kick him square in the shoulder. “Stop,” I squeal, breathless.
He stops. “See, it’s that laugh. It’s cute.” He reaches up and tugs on my bottom lip.
The air sizzles, and I am once again feeling things I shouldn’t be feeling toward this man. An electrical current travels from his lips to mine, making me want to kiss him. But that’s crazy. I can’t kiss him.
No. I mean, I won’t.
