Page 6 of Bleeding Hearts

“Hey, big brother.” I smile at Kaden. “Asher.” I look over at him, finding his eyes locked on mine.

I feel heat rising to my face and internally scold myself for allowing him to have that sort of effect on me. I can friend-zone him all I want, but the truth of the matter is that Asher is really fucking hot.

His dark-brown hair is just long enough to run your hands through, and it constantly looks like he has just the right number of times for it to look perfectly messy.

His eyes are the type of golden brown that seem like they sparkle each time the sun hits them, like swirls of caramel you can’t help but get lost in.

He’s tall enough that I have to tilt my head up to meet his eyes, and he’s built lean while also being packed with tight muscle.

The most mesmerizing part about Asher though is his smile. It’s contagious. One look at his straight white, sparkling teeth surrounded by lips that I imagine would feel like pillows pressed against my own, and he’s got me under his spell.

He could make a girl fall in love with him with a smile like his.

“And who is this you're hiding behind?” I pull myself out of the Asher-induced haze and nod toward the little girl he seems to still be using as his armor.

Asher sets her on the ground in front of him and she turns to look up at me.

“I’m Willow Kate King,” she says sassily, putting her hands on her hips for good measure. “Who are you people?” She looks between me and Lo, and I can’t help smiling down at the little fireball.

“I’m Demi, his little sister.” I point over to Kaden. “And this is Logan.” I nudge my best friend, who still hasn’t said a word but keeps sneaking glances at my brother when she thinks he isn’t looking.

News flash, he’s always looking.

“Logan’s a boy's name,” Willow says, looking up at Lo. I bite down on my lip to stop myself from laughing. Fuck, I like this kid already.

“Jesus, Willow,” the other man, who I’m assuming is her dad now that I get a closer look at him scolds her. “We don’t say those things to people.”

“Why, Dad? She has a boy’s name!” Willow shouts.

This is one of the reasons I love kids. They’re never scared to say what they think. I sure as fuck hope she never loses that.

“It’s okay.” Logan laughs softly, bending down to get close to Willow’s height. “All my friends call me Lo, so you can too.”

“Does that mean we’re friends?” Willow asks.

“Sure does, if that’s okay with you.” Lo smiles at her while Willow stays silent.

She looks like she’s considering Lo’s offer, debating the pros and cons before accepting. Then out of nowhere a smile adorns her face and it looks like she’s made her decision.

“Okay, we can be friends. Now come meet my sister.” Willow grabs Lo’s hand and yanks her away from the rest of us.

“Sorry,” her dad, whose name I still don’t know, yells after them, apologizing for Willow.

Logan just smiles up at him and shakes her head to show she doesn’t mind at all, and I know she means it. I’m sure she’s more than happy to be preoccupied with the kids than socializing with any adults. I don’t blame her; most kids are more fun anyway.

“I’m gonna go grab a drink,” I say, excusing myself from the said socializing to go do what I came here to do.

“Great idea. I’ll show you where the good stuff is,” Asher says, placing his hand on my lower back to guide me.

He leads me over to the corner of the backyard, where there are multiple coolers and a large table that’s covered in drinks.

“I’m gonna take a wild guess and assume you didn’t tell my brother that we were coming, and this is one of your matchmaking attempts again?” I step away from Asher and toward the table to look at the options, cold air chilling the spot where his hand just was.

“Hey, I happen to think I’m a fantastic matchmaker,” he says, looking proud of himself.

“We’ll see.” I roll my eyes.

“And while matchmaking was a part of tonight, I also just wanted to hang out with my favorite world-class chef.” He smiles down at me. “Who looks really fucking good, by the way.”

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