Page 33 of Love in the Storm

“I’ve never been good at that.” Lyric rubbed herpalms on her thighs, itching to get away from Asa and the game that had her lungs tied in knots.

“We don’t have to play. Or we don’t have to declare a winner. If you’re not having fun, let’s do something else.”

She rubbed her hands over her face. “I’m sorry. I’m not trying to be a sore loser.”

“You mean like I was when you kicked my tail at Clue?”

That eased the tension between them a little. So what if she had some weird hang-up with Monopoly? They could do something else.

But that was quitting–something she hadn’t been allowed or able to do since she started the uphill battle to sobriety.

Asa started picking up pieces and cards and stacking them back in the Monopoly box. “You hungry?”

She wasn’t really, but figuring out what they would eat and preparing it would take her mind off other things. “I think one of us owes the other dinner.”

Asa closed the box and laid it to the side before standing and offering her a hand.

Taking his offered hand wasn’t something that should make her think twice. In fact, she should welcome it. He was being a gentleman and helping her off the floor.

Still, taking it felt like a risk because she wantedso much more than a helping hand. Why did he have to be so good, handsome, kind, and all the things she desperately wanted but had no right to hope for in life?

And now she was being a vapid woman with mercurial feelings. Asa seemed to bring out the insecurities in her along with unfiltered joy.

She was a broken-down car. He was a steadfast ship.

As soon as she placed her hand in his, she felt it–the strength and warmth she craved down to her bones. It swallowed her up, and she was its willing prey.

With one solid movement, Asa pulled her to her feet, but she didn’t stop there. Momentum sent her toppling into his chest. Her hand splayed over the hard muscle beneath his shirt, and the rest of her body stopped flush against his.

If being this close bothered him, Asa didn’t show it. Her heart was pounding like hooves at the Kentucky Derby, but Asa didn’t step away from her. In fact, he leaned down and brushed his lips against her ear. His words were deep, but the wisp of his breath on her ear sent a chill down her spine.

“I fell asleep.”

This was a first. Her mind was short-circuiting, and she had no clue what those three words meant. Her skin was alive and humming at his proximity. Ifshe turned her head half an inch, her cheek would brush against his.

Still reeling, she couldn’t figure out what he was trying to say. “What?”

“I fell asleep. I lost the bet.”

Oh, the bet. She’d just brought it up herself, but the bet was the last thing on her mind when her body was pressed up against Asa’s.

When he pulled away from her, his movements were slow, like a magnet pushing against its opposite pole. “I’m going to check in at work and home. Take a look at our dinner options and let me know what you want.”

Before she could gather her wits to respond, he was walking away.

12

ASA

Every muscle in Asa’s body was coiled tight, strained to the breaking point with tension, as he walked away from Lyric. He wanted to turn back around, but if he did, he wouldn’t be able to fight the instinct to pull her in close and press his mouth to hers.

Watching her slowly pull away from him throughout the last few hours had been an eye-opener, and not in any of the ways he’d expected. He wanted her happy and playful the way she’d been when they’d played Clue. When her walls went up, Asa didn’t like it.

The realization? Lyric was going to bring him to his knees, whether he was ready or not.

Closing himself in the bathroom, he leaned against the door and pulled out his phone. There were a few emails from Jacob’s school monitoringthe closure, winter weather alerts, and breaking news headlines. Three texts waited.

Mom: You still okay?

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