Light My Fire: Cherish Cove, #1 582n1w

Table of Contents

Title Page

Light My Fire

Copyright

Thank You!

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Epilogue

About the Author

Books by Brynn Paulin

Light My Fire

Brynn Paulin

Supernova Indie Publishing Services, LLC www.supernovaindie.com Powered by Your Imagination

Light My Fire by

Brynn Paulin

Here’s a Brynn promise: Things in life aren’t always as they appear.

On the way to happily ever after, their world imploded.

Six months ago, Brooke and Asher were supposed to say, “I Do,” but minutes before the wedding, he broke their engagement and walked away. He had a good reason. Giving away her virginity to a stripper from her bachelorette party was hard to get over. She doesn’t it, has no idea how it happened but she woke up in bed with a stranger, her fiancé standing over them.

Brokenhearted, neither Brooke nor Asher can move on.

Humiliated, Brooke became a recluse in the house they were supposed to make a home, and Asher moves through life, more zombie than alive. Something has to give. Knowing it’s for the best, Brooke decides to leave the small town where everyone knows her secrets—even the ones she can’t . When Asher learns that she intends to move across country to teach in a dangerous area with a terrible reputation, all his resolve evaporates. Brooke is his, and despite what happened, he will keep her…now and forever.

If you’re a fan of over-the-top, somewhat obsessive “Mine Mine Mine” heroes and stories of love so strong you’ll believe that happily ever after exists, this is the perfect book for you. With a lot of steam and a little intrigue, Light My Fire will set you aflame. Light My Fire is a standalone story with an HEA. C’mon… would I lie to you? Never!

Copyright © 2019, Brynn Paulin Light My Fire Cover Art by Supernova Indie Publishing Services, LLC Formatting by Supernova Indie Publishing Services, LLC Published by: Supernova Indie Publishing Services, LLC

eBook format ISBN: 978-1-62344-270-5

Warning: All rights reserved. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and occurrences are a product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, places or occurrences, is purely coincidental.

Thank You! Hey you! Thanks for checking out Light My Fire. You’re the best! I love hearing from readers. If you want to hear from any of the other characters in this book, let me know. To keep in touch and follow my news, please visit me on my website at www.brynnpaulin.com.

Chapter One ~ Asher ~

I couldn’t breathe. Sweat coated my body as I shot upright in bed, panting heavily while my heart slammed against my chest, breaking a little more with each beat. For the past six months, I’d kept a stoic face, but only here, alone in the dark, did I let the pain emerge. Only here, did I cave under blinding despair.

Every night, the agonized distress on Brooke Hastings’ face haunted me and yanked me from sleep, just like it had now. That day, in the vestibule of the church where we were supposed to be married, I’d told her I couldn’t marry her. The grief-stricken pain in her amber-brown eyes still tore at me, though she’d seen it coming; she had to have sensed it. Just the day before, I’d found her asleep in bed with another man. After years with me, she’d given her virginity to him after her bachelorette party, given him what was supposed to be mine and remain only mine for the rest of our lives.

She belonged to me—deep inside, where my subconscious tortured me, she still did—yet…

I scrubbed a hand over my face, pushing away the last remnants of the nightmare. I wished I could drive away the memory of that horrifying moment when I’d entered the room, bearing coffee for her hangover. Nothing would ever erase the vision of her, mostly naked, beside the hulking stripper, his hand on her breast while they’d slept.

Sitting, I swung my legs out of bed and stood. A long, hot shower might drive

away the demons. Cold water wasn’t necessary. I hadn’t been aroused since that morning before I’d witnessed her cheating. No other woman turned me on, though God knew I’d tried. No dice.

Quietly, I stumbled through the shadowy room, careful not to wake my fellow firefighters from their few hours of precious sleep. July fourth and the ensuing fuckwittery of amateur fireworks had kept us busy until the wee hours of morning. All bets were off for more than a couple minutes of sleep at a time, and I was pretty sure the guys would lynch me if I accidentally woke them because of another bad dream.

In the communal shower area, the light seemed to sear into my head. My hands braced on the vanity, and I stared at my haggard image. Fuck, I looked awful. I needed some real sleep, but that wasn’t coming. I was pretty sure I hadn’t slept well for almost as long as I hadn’t been able to take a deep breath. Six horrible months.

Just five more hours and I’d be free to go wallow in my pain in the precious privacy of my own house, without the threat of one of the guys finding me mourning my loss again like some heartsick wuss. I’d have three days of solitude before I had to put on the plastic, happy face again.

“Can’t sleep?” my best friend, Nate Foster, asked in a voice barely above a whisper as he slipped into the bathroom.

I shrugged, not turning and just looking at him in the mirror. His near-black hair, blue eyes and muscular, tall frame were a reflection of me. We could be brothers, but we weren’t. Still, we were just as close as if the same blood flowed through us. Nate knew what I dealt with every night. He was the only one I’d let into my head. As my best friend, Nate was one of the only people who knew what had

actually gone down between Brooke and me.

“I still say you should talk to her,” he said, not bothering to confirm what was bothering me—as if it would be anything other than the usual.

“What fucking good will that do? She cheated on me.”

“She was drunk, and she doesn’t that night, getting to her house or even meeting the guy. You know she never drinks. I’m sure she’s been beating herself up over this—probably, even more than you’re suffering over it.”

I wanted to say “good”, but that would be pretty asshole-y. I didn’t want her to suffer; then again…I wanted her to feel every bit of the pain I felt, every bit of the betrayal.

God, I was so fucked up. Times like this, in the dead of the night, I considered taking her back.

“Are you taking her side?” I demanded, deflecting my feelings.

“I’m taking both your sides. You’ve both been my friends since I moved here sophomore year. Since our senior year, it’s been Asher and Brooke.” He blew out a breath. “Asher and Brooke forever. I didn’t think anything could drive you apart, but now, you’re walking around like a zombie and…” He lifted a shoulder. “Well, if Caeden didn’t assure me she’s alive but holed up in that big old house, I wouldn’t believe she even lives in town anymore.”

That house…the house that was supposed to be ours. I knew what Nate was talking about. I’d heard, too. Brooke was too humiliated to show her face and refused to leave the sanctuary of the sprawling farmhouse we’d purchased together weeks before the wedding. Her two brothers had confronted me—with their fists—last month and given me all the sordid details of what I’d done to their little sister. What I’d done? Jesus.

I shrugged. “Don’t care,” I lied.

“Sure you don’t.” He glanced at his watch. “That’s why you’re up at three AM. Again.”

“And what the fuck am I supposed to do?” I growled. “Ignore what happened? Decide it’s okay that she slept with someone because she was wasted out of her mind? That doesn’t make it okay. That makes her a cheater who will do it again if I forgive her—”

“She’s not like that.”

Wasn’t my best friend supposed to be on my side during this? Wasn’t he supposed to be railing against the woman who’d broken my heart?

I stared at him through the glass. “Right. Well, I didn’t think so. I don’t care if she was drunk or not. I don’t care if she re it or not—”

“Keep telling yourself that.”

“It’s. True. Whatever your stance on that, something must have been fundamentally wrong with our relationship if she was willing to sleep with that guy.” I didn’t tell him that she’d been a virgin, that she’d given that fucker what was mine. The possessive, medieval bastard in me wanted to scream to the hills about it, but the civil, modern man balked at the territorial animal inside me. The fight was tearing me apart from the inside out.

Nate leaned against the brick wall beside the door and crossed his arms over his chest. He shook his head, silently judging my assertions. “Caed says she’s leaving.”

“What?” Panic prickled over my skin, and I didn’t know why. I should be glad she planned to leave Collingsworth. Mutely, I stared at him through the reflection. I shook my head, letting that speak for me.

“Her brother told me she’s leaving town,” he repeated. “If I were you, I’d watch your back,” he advised. “He’s pissed. You don’t want another shiner.”

“Where’s she going?” I rasped, ignoring the reference to the beating her brothers had doled out. I hated myself for being weak enough to want to know, to…care. Fuck, I didn’t want to care.

“LA. She’s taking a job teaching art at some inner-city school.”

My blood ran cold. All my anger evaporated so quickly my knees buckled before I caught myself, barely preventing a hard landing on my ass on the cold tile. Why did it affect me like this, like a spear through my heart?

Shaking, I turned and stared at him.

Clear across the country…

Away from me…

To a dangerous area…

Where she could get killed…

Or worse.

“The fuck she is!”

Chapter Two ~ Brooke ~

Pounding…

My head throbbed, and the sound of pounding seemed to reverberate through it in lancing blasts.

“Make it stop,” I groaned, pushing my wavy, brown hair out of my face and pulling my pillow over my head. My next-door neighbors had been lighting M80s at three AM, and though they were a quarter mile away, they might as well have been in my bedroom for as loud as they were.

And now, the rapid-fire, bone-jarring bangs from somewhere nearby… If it was my neighbors again, I’d kill them. Enough was enough!

Grabbing the other pillow, I pressed it to my ear, as well. I might suffocate this way, but at the moment, I didn’t give a fuck. About anything, but certainly not about answering the door and facing…anyone. I hadn’t cared about much of anything for the last six months since my life had gone up in flames and left me in cinders.

My brother, Easton, wanted me to see one of his therapist colleagues, but I’d steadfastly refused. I knew what the problem was, and I’d earned the punishment doled out by my solitude. My siblings were worried about me and my apathy, but frankly, I liked the hell of my dark place—I fucking deserved it after I’d

destroyed my love and the man I was supposed to marry. I deserved the torture of ing the shocked pain on his face when he’d found me with another man. I deserved the loneliness I wore like a shroud.

The pounding finally stopped. Whoever it was had gotten the clue and gone the fuck away.

Fuck was apparently my word of choice this morning. I’d developed a bit of a potty mouth over the past half year, but didn’t really give a shit. Since the whole town seemed to think I was the Whore of Babylon, I might as well have the vocabulary to go with it. Okay, that wasn’t true. Fucking saint that he was, Asher hadn’t spread the word about what happened, allowing me to keep my dignity, though I assumed everyone still knew this was my fault.

God, I couldn’t wait to get out of here. I wasn’t as far gone in depression as Easton thought. I just needed to leave this town and start fresh someplace else, begin to heal somewhere with people who didn’t know how I’d screwed over my fiancé. Screwed over… Fuck.

Whatever. I was leaving here soon.

Last week, in a fit of pique, I’d told Caeden, my slightly older brother by eleven months, that I planned to move to inner-city LA—a total lie, but I’d just wanted him off my back about socializing here in our tiny town of Collingsworth, Michigan. I really did intend to leave. I’d found a tiny studio apartment down in Hannibal, Missouri and sent out some feelers. I could do my transcription job anywhere, and the city wouldn’t be so far off from the small-town feel of Collingsworth. With the deep history, it might be a great place to practice my art, too. The entire area was beautiful. I’d already sketched out some ideas for paintings.

“Brooke.”

I startled at my growled name and jolted, the pillows flying away from my face as I pushed up on my elbows and stared wide-eyed at my fiancé—no, my exfiancé.

“What do you want?” I demanded, pulling the blanket to my neck and covering the thin, spaghetti-strapped tank I’d worn to bed. “Never mind that. I don’t care what you want. Get the fuck out.”

“You look like shit, baby,” he said, ignoring my demand.

“Thanks. Get out.”

He, of course, looked like hunky, movie-star perfection, all sleek, flawlessly proportioned muscle and classic tall-dark-and-handsome features. His blackbrown hair needed a cut, probably a few weeks ago, and his blue eyes seemed to sear into me as he studied my reclined form. My own eyes burned, and my chest heaved, my momentary bravado on the verge of deteriorating.

“No,” he said, refusing my demand.

I closed my eyes, releasing an annoyed sound of disbelief, then turned away from him. If I looked like shit—and I had no doubt I did—he could just stare at my bony backside. Just yesterday, Caeden had been bitching at me about the

weight I’d lost. So what? I didn’t feel like eating. The thirty extra pounds I’d always carried had fallen off since I’d last seen Asher, but I wouldn’t recommend the method. “Just go away.”

“No.”

God damn it.

It was too fucking early for this crap. I barely slept anymore, and the little bit I’d had last night had been broken by fireworks. I couldn’t deal with Asher and my boatloads of regret this morning. To the deepest part of my soul, I loved him, but love didn’t matter. I couldn’t have him.

“I want to talk to you.”

“About?”

“I’m not talking to your back, Brooke. Turn around and look at me.”

“I can’t.” Fuck. Here they came. Damn. It.

I squeezed my eyes shut as tears blurred my vision. Turning my face deeper into my pillow, I tried to covertly wipe away the evidence of my weakness. It hurt too much to be close to him. This. This right here. This was the main reason I planned to move away. Why I had to.

My whole body tensed as the mattress depressed behind me. Asher’s firm grip clasped my shoulder, and fire seemed to light inside me, igniting long-dead nerve endings. Beneath the blankets, my thighs clenched, and I felt my nipples tighten. We’d never had full-on sex because I’d been saving that special moment for our wedding night, wanting my first time to be with my husband, but my body knew his touch. We’d done plenty of pleasuring of each other.

I couldn’t fight his strength as he forced me onto my back then grasped my chin and made me look at him. His jaw tightened when he saw my watery eyes. He hated to see me cry. Well, he should just leave then.

“Go,” I whispered. He ignored me.

“Nate told me about your plan to move. He heard it from Caeden.”

“So?”

“You can’t—”

“Why not?”

“It’s dangerous. You’ve got to know it’s not safe for you there.”

“Not safe?” What the fuck had Caed told Nate? Hannibal was perfectly safe. Oh wait. I’d told him about LA. “It’s not any of your business, Asher. Not anymore.”

“Yes, it is. Damn it, Brooke, I lo—”

“I swear to God, if you say you love me, I will find something sharp and throw it at you. After I stab you with it a few times.”

I’d been in a frozen, pain-filled state for a while after the canceled wedding, but as of late, anger was my default emotion.

“Baby—”

“Don’t call me that!” I scrambled from the bed, heedless of my cropped tank top and brief, lacy sleep shorts. He clambered right after me, scooping me into his arms. His teeth gritted with his irritation, and before I knew it, he’d flattened me to the bed. His large frame sprawled over mine. The familiar weight I’d missed so much nearly pulled a moan from me. Nearly. I barely managed to hold it back.

“Baby,” he repeated, anger gritting his tone. “I care about you.”

“Bull. Shit,” I countered in the same timbre, hating the arousal spiking through me. Why did my body have to respond to him? Only him? I shoved fruitlessly at his shoulders. “If you cared about me…”

I trailed off, unwilling to rehash those awful two days six months ago. Truth be told, I didn’t fault him for ditching me at the proverbial altar. A few yards and it would have been at the actual altar. I understood why he’d done it. That didn’t mean it hurt any less or that I felt less betrayed. I knew he felt betrayed, as well. And rightfully so. Honestly, I was to blame. I’d been beating myself up over it ever since.

“I do care about you,” he rasped, the words exactly the ones I’d wanted for so long, but I longed for him to mean it in such a different way. “And I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“I’m already hurt. And you know the shit of it? I don’t even it. I don’t losing what I held onto for so long. I don’t coming home. I don’t even meeting him. I don’t destroying everything I’ve always wanted. So excuse me if I don’t really give a rat’s ass about my wellbeing. Leaving here is probably the only way I can start to heal. Be honest. Having me here is hard for you, too.”

“Hard? Why would it be?” he scoffed. “You’ve become a hermit. No one sees you.”

“Everyone knows. I’m just a reminder—”

“Like none of them have ever fucked up? Please.” His warm fingers stroked down the side of my face. “I’ve missed you so much. I can’t take it anymore.”

“Asher—”

His lips squashed my protest, clamping over my mouth and possessing me as if I were his. Shock washed through me, and I gasped, and that little opening was all he needed. His tongue thrust inside, reclaiming me. All my walls and our problems slid away.

I moaned, arching into him, surrendering to his aggressive kiss. My arms circled his wide shoulders while I breathed in the clean smell of his pine-scented body wash and the essence of pure Asher. I tasted the coffee he’d had that morning and hoped I didn’t have heinous morning mouth. He didn’t seem at all deterred, groaning as he deepened the kiss. The sound vibrated through me, rumbling against my sensitive breasts. If he reached down and touched me, I knew he’d find me drenched for him. I knew what he could do to me. We’d dated a long time and found plenty of ways to bring each other pleasure without actual intercourse.

A whimper escaped me as he cupped my breast, his thumb sweeping back and forth over the firm tip. It took a moment to sort through the glorious sensations and realize his hand was beneath my shirt. He’d managed to wedge himself between my thighs while we kissed, and his hard length pressed against my needy core. He moved just slightly while he kissed me, his hips doing a slow grind against my center.

“Asher!” I cried, spirals of pleasure tumbling and tightening low in my belly. If he kept it up, I’d explode beneath him.

“Yes, baby. Give it to me. Give me what’s mine. I want it. I need it. I can’t breathe without you.” The pinch to my nipple, along with the hard thrust against my folds, managing to hit my clit even through our clothes, sent me careening

over the edge. I couldn’t contain my cries as I rediscovered bliss beneath him, bliss I’d so sorely missed.

“Yes. That’s right,” he murmured against my neck as he sucked and licked, no doubt leaving marks as he nibbled a path to my ear. “I’m done with this. I’m done with being without you. I don’t care about what happened. You’re mine, and letting you go, giving you up, is the stupidest thing I’ve done in my life. You’re mine, Brooke. Do you understand that?”

I stared at him, muddled by my climax. Did he just say…?

“But you…”

“I’m an idiot. I couldn’t handle it. I know you would never intentionally cheat on me.”

“No,” I agreed, still confused but starting to emerge from the orgasmic haze. “I wouldn’t.”

“I made a stupid mistake,” he repeated. “I want you back. What happened that night… It doesn’t matter. I… I can…handle it.”

I wasn’t sure about that. If he couldn’t handle the situation before, how could he now? Nothing had changed other than us living separate lives for six months.

“It matters,” I argued. “You broke off our engagement because of it. You hurt me about as publicly as we could get without actually being in the church in front of our families and guests.”

“My emotions and my pride overtook my common sense,” he said. “That doesn’t matter now. I’m not giving you up.”

“Well, you have to. It matters to me. I can’t go through that again. I can’t invest myself in you again. You hurt me too much.” I closed my eyes, my face squinching before I refocused on him. “I hurt you too much. I can’t trust you to actually trust me. What happened…that’s all on me. How you handled it, how you made me think you forgave me then you humiliated me… I can’t get past that.”

His jaw worked, and I knew he was digesting my pain and how I’d been affected and why I’d shut myself away.

“I’ll prove you can trust me. You’re mine, Brooke. And I’m taking back what’s mine.”

I shook my head. “No. I’m leaving Collingsworth.”

“We’ll see about that.”

Chapter Three ~ Asher ~

A dark mood overtook me as I stood in the kitchen, waiting for Brooke to get dressed while I brewed coffee. What the hell did she mean that she couldn’t invest herself in us again? I’d barely been able to get through the past few months, yet she wanted to just go on the way we’d been since the breakup? Was that other man still in her life? Was she fucking him?

Anger built inside of me as I considered the ramifications. Well, it didn’t really matter. If that guy was still around, I’d get rid of him. I wasn’t giving her up. Period.

Today, seeing her, being so close to her, it was as if I could suddenly breathe again. Every minute I was around her, my feelings for her sparked and rekindled. I’d tamped down my love and fought against it so hard since I’d last seen her. Now, it had clawed its way up from the pit where I’d tossed it. I didn’t think I could contain it again.

When I’d kissed her upstairs, I’d known. My suppressed emotions were what kept dragging me from sleep each night. It was my love for her. My love hadn’t died, even when I’d given into my pride, hurt and anger and broken up with her.

It was so fucked up. Anyone would agree I’d done the right thing, yet… My own heart bellowed in outrage—at me. So, so fucked up. When had I turned into such a damn girl?

On top of the affection and need, my proprietary feelings were back full-force, too. A beast inside me demanded I claim her and never let her go. Nothing could dilute the lingering sensation from her body pressed to mine after so long. In that moment, with her in my arms once more, everything that had pushed us apart had evaporated and nothing mattered more than being with her again.

I took a few deep breaths to get myself under control before I went upstairs and flattened her to the mattress once more—this time, without clothes between us. I’d always needed her with a burning intensity, but I’d respected her boundaries. She’d felt strongly about waiting, and as much as I hadn’t wanted to go along with it, I had because I loved her. Maybe, that was why finding her with that other guy had hurt so badly, straight to the deepest parts of me. He’d had her when I hadn’t. He’d had what was mine, stolen the treasure from right under my nose.

I had to get over that. It was only a facet of what we’d had together.

I shoved my hand through my hair and stared out the bay windows overlooking the backyard. The large breakfast nook was in a rounded out section of the kitchen, the surrounding glass allowing sunlight from three directions. That feature had sold us on the house. Brooke’s studio was directly above it, filled with natural sunlight most of the day. She’d fallen in love with that room when we’d looked at the place. She loved to paint, and though she hadn’t sold anything yet, she was good. Really good. We’d talked about her working parttime at her transcription job so she could do more of her art while making our home. God…we’d had such plans for our lives here…for filling the four bedrooms with our kids, rocking on the wraparound porch with our grandkids one day while we watched sunsets.

It isn’t too late. We can still move forward.

I just needed to convince her.

When I heard her coming downstairs, I prepared myself for another battle. My emotions roiled again, a dizzying mix of ion—both lust and anger. Fury at what we’d lost, what had happened between us, at her…at me. I had to set it aside. Negative emotions would destroy the reunion I sought. I needed her. I needed her more than I needed to nurture my rage. I’d wrestle my bitterness into submission, because I had bigger things to fight—and to fight for. The more we were together again, the more it would fade. Brooke and I were destined for each other, and I had to convince her of that, convince her she could trust my resolve and my love. She might want to argue, but this was a struggle for our lives.

“I thought you’d left,” she said, her tone sullen as she came into the kitchen. She headed straight for the coffeemaker. Her destination wasn’t a surprise. Brooke couldn’t live without her morning caffeine, so I’d been sure to start a pot the moment I’d come down here. She’d like my programmable maker when I brought it. I shoved away that thought, too. Don’t put the horse before the carriage, I reminded myself.

“Why would you think that? I don’t intend to leave anytime soon. I don’t intend to leave you ever again.”

She had her back to me, and I studied her stiff spine as she poured her cup of joe then grabbed creamer from the fridge. She was a lot thinner than I liked. A lot thinner than she’d been six months ago, that’s for sure. Irritation built inside me, as well as a big dose of self-loathing. Was this my fault? Or… Was it that other guy? Did he want her to be over-thin like this? Asshole. I could see her vertebrae through her shirt.

I’d see to it she regained her beautiful curves. She was still gorgeous. Just…

There was a hell of a lot less of her to hold onto.

“I’m not sure why you’d stick around,” she said. “You didn’t want me before. Why would you want me now?”

Regret filled me as I witnessed again how much I’d hurt her and saw the scars I’d left behind.

I sighed. “You don’t trust me.”

It wasn’t a question. It was obvious from the way she held herself away from me. Hell, I was still reeling from the three-sixty that had occurred the moment I’d heard she planned to leave Collingsworth. Despite what we’d shared upstairs just minutes ago, it was as if we were on different planets. Somehow, I had to get around this. Somehow, I’d regain her trust.

“What if…” I paused, carefully formulating my words as a plan materialized in my head. “We can’t go back to where we were. We can’t forget the time between then and now. But…what if we…date? I’ll show you I’m here for good, and maybe, I can regain your trust.”

When she turned to me, her mug cupped in her hands, she looked skeptical. Her eyes narrowed just a bit. “I don’t think that’s possible.”

“For us to date?” I asked, deliberately obtuse.

“For you to regain my trust.”

“I can, and I will.” It was a promise I’d keep. With every moment I spent with her, I knew with greater and greater clarity I couldn’t spend another day without her in my life. She was my air, and I’d been dead without her.

She made a face but looked as if she were considering my proposition. “I can’t give you my heart again,” she confessed.

We’ll see about that.

“Okay…” I agreed reluctantly. Knowing I meant anything but the word I spoke. I definitely didn’t agree.

“What about before?”

“What about before?” I echoed.

“You know,” she said. “The reason we broke up.”

Obviously, she didn’t want to say aloud that she’d slept with another man. I certainly didn’t want to it.

“I…” I swallowed. We’d entered dangerous territory again. Had we ever really left it? “I’m over it,” I said quickly.

“Over it?” she asked. Her tone said she didn’t believe me. Hell, I didn’t believe me. What was I saying? Over it? I’d never be over it, but I needed to squash my feelings about it. Her infidelity wasn’t something I could just…forget. But knowing the circumstances, knowing the regret that plagued us both, knowing the torment of a life without her, I had no choice. Call me an idiot, but I could not exist without her. It was killing me.

I took a deep breath.

“Okay… Truth. I’m not over it. But…I’m getting over it. I can deal with it. We can move forward. I don’t want to spend another day without you. The last six months have been sheer torment.” I didn’t care that she’d slept with another man. Well, I did care. I just didn’t care so much that I couldn’t forgive it, that I couldn’t pray every day to forget it.

Her head dropped forward, and she closed her eyes but not before I saw the pain there. “Yes, it has been. I’ve missed you so much.”

“So…let’s do this. Let’s do everything we can to put it behind us and move forward. Let’s find each other again. Brooke, you’re mine. I’m not giving you up.”

She leaned against the counter, regarding me over the top of her cup as she took a sip. I knew that stance. She was thinking, and that was a good thing. She wasn’t denying my request outright. That meant I, at least, had a chance of

convincing her to agree to my proposal.

When she spoke, her words both crushed me and gave me hope. “I don’t trust you enough to commit to you again,” she said haltingly. “I have no idea how you could trust me. Even if I agree to see you or date you…to try whatever this will be, I don’t know that I can forget the past. I was committed to you before, and you broke my heart. I know something horrible happened, that I did something horrible, and I wish I could it. I wish I could justify it. I wish…that it never happened because it’s not something I ever wanted. Not with someone else. I don’t understand what happened that night, but I know, in the end, it was my fault that you couldn’t marry me. I was the one who slept with someone else. But that doesn’t mean you didn’t break my heart the next day. You gave me hope that you could find it in yourself to forgive me then you ripped it away at the last moment.”

I was in a no-win situation. While my actions had been somewhat justified, what I’d done lay at the core of our problem. Still, I wanted her. I wanted her to be my wife. I wanted her to be mine and only mine. I would reclaim her. I’d get her to trust me again. I didn’t have a choice. Our lives since the breakup were proof of that. We’d always been destined for each other. And we both knew it. That was why we hadn’t been able to move on since the…incident.

Before I could offer further argument for “us”, she continued, “So this is my counteroffer. I’ll sleep with you—”

“What!” I exclaimed.

“I’ll have a physical relationship with you. Just physical,” she said calmly. “It’s not like I’m saving myself for anyone now,” she added bitterly. “We can go ahead and get each other out of our systems. Then maybe, we can move on.”

What. The. Fuck?

“And then, when I leave, you can move on with someone else.”

“You’re not leaving,” I growled.

“We’ll see,” she replied, echoing my words from earlier.

Her offer tasted sour in my mouth, but I wondered if it was the best I’d get right now. With much reluctance, I decided to agree to it, while going forward with my own agenda. I’d change her mind. I didn’t really have a choice. She thought I could move on, but there was no way. I’d woo her so hard she’d have no option but to fall in love with me again.

“Fine,” I replied, not very graciously.

“Fine,” she agreed, sealing the deal. “So when do you want to start this thing?”

I stepped closer and took the cup from her hand, setting it on the counter behind her. My fingers threaded into her dark, silky hair, cupping her face. I leaned forward until my lips were against hers. “Now.”

Chapter Four ~ Brooke ~

Asher’s lips against mine put me into an instant daze. Something about his kisses always made my brain fuzzy. When he nipped at my bottom lip then slid his tongue along it, I groaned and my knees wobbled. My body ramped up for more of what we’d shared earlier. Unbelievable relief lightened the weight I’d carried for the past six months, as if his acceptance of the deal relieved my constant burden of sorrow. He didn’t like the bargain I’d proposed; that was obvious. I didn’t care. I just wanted him, to feel the comfort and familiarity of his presence and his touch. But I couldn’t give him more. I couldn’t invest more than my body. My emotions were off-limits.

He made a sound of approval as I melted into him, drinking in his woodsy scent, the warmth of his powerful, muscular body, the sweet, minty taste of his lips. His large hand moved to flatten low on my spine while the other cupped the back of my head. His mouth turned aggressive as he hungrily ate at mine, and I willingly gave over whatever he demanded.

My fingers curled on his biceps, trying to hold myself steady but failing. Only his tight grip on me held me up.

“Asher…” I whimpered against him.

“Yes, baby,” he growled. “Give me everything.”

“I can’t,” I breathed. “I can’t yet.”

“But you will.” His certainty warmed me and gave me strength I’d been lacking for so long. I thought I’d been strong this past six months. After I’d pulled myself up off the floor, I’d made myself resume a semblance of life. At best, it had been a shadow of real living, but it hadn’t been complete surrender to oblivion.

Both his hands cupped my neck, and he stroked his thumbs along my jaw, the gesture so tender that tears filled my eyes.

“Don’t cry, baby,” he whispered. “It’ll be okay. We’ll make this work.”

“What do we do now?” I breathed.

“Breakfast.”

“What?” I hadn’t expected that.

“You need to eat. Seriously, Brooke, I think I can feel all your bones when I hold you. The first thing I want to do is feed you.”

I bit my lip. “All right…” Reluctantly pulling from his embrace, I went to the fridge. “I don’t think I have much to—”

“You have shit-all in there. I already looked. We’re going to Nan’s Café for breakfast then we’ll go shopping for food.” He looked around the near-empty room. “And maybe for some furniture, too.”

Terror filled me. I didn’t want to be seen in public. Not alone. Not with him. I didn’t want to face the judgment and speculation. “No—”

“Yes. We’re going to be together, and we’re going to show a united front. The busybodies need to realize that whatever they think they know isn’t true. It’s the fastest way to eliminate the gossip and liberate you from this house.”

Maybe, I didn’t want to be liberated. Still, I knew he was right. “It will only cause more gossip,” I argued.

“For about five minutes, then we’ll be old news. A happy couple who’s boring to talk about.”

“We’re not a couple.”

He stared at me, his determined expression disagreeing with my assertion. “Whatever you say, Brooke.”

“You’re not going to play nice, are you?”

“You’re mine, and I want you. I’m taking you, however you’ll let me have you, but that doesn’t mean I’m okay with it. It definitely doesn’t mean I won’t push for what I want.”

“And what do you want?” I snapped, though I was afraid to ask.

“Everything.”

* * * *

Everything… The word echoed in my head as I finished getting ready to go out, because apparently, “Brasher” was reemerging as a couple whether I thought it was a good idea or not. Asher was determined to take me to breakfast—and perhaps second breakfast, lunch, mid-afternoon lunch, dinner and late-night supper.

Despite my nerves, I laughed when I ed his growled mutterings about feeding me. Though he was in tiptop shape, without an ounce of extra fat on him, he was such a Hobbit sometimes. Food and meals were serious business for Asher Morgan.

His fingers were firm at the small of my back as he led me out to his enormous truck. He lifted me inside then circled to his side. Once behind the wheel, he took my hand and didn’t release it while we drove the fifteen minutes into town. He parked along the curb in front of the café, while I peered around. The place looked packed. Peachy. Within the hour, the whole town would know I’d been

out with Asher. And the rumors and speculation would fly.

“Ready?” he asked, perhaps sensing my trepidation.

I gave him a weak smile. “No.”

“It’ll be okay, baby. Just act natural.”

I lifted a brow at him. I didn’t even know what natural was anymore. The last months, being a sullen, heartbroken hermit had become normal to me.

He returned my smile, though it was a bit brighter than mine. With a last, quick squeeze to my hand, he hopped out of the truck then rounded the vehicle to my side before I could muster the courage to grab the door handle and get out myself. No problem there. Asher had always opened my door, and now wasn’t any different. I took off my seatbelt as he swung open the door. Before I could think, he lifted me out. Then I was flattened against the side of the truck, his lips on mine.

“Relax,” he whispered, gathering me closer against him.

Before I could protest, his mouth devoured mine. His fingers fisted in my hair, his other hand crushing my body to his. And then…I just forgot to protest. I groaned into his kiss, feeling my core go wet with need for him. One leg curled around him as he held me up, and I struggled to get closer to him. My hands speared into his thick, coarse locks, relishing the feel of the strands after so long.

“Fuck, I need you so much,” he muttered, before kissing me again.

“I need you, too,” I gasped when he let me up for air. We were both breathing heavily. I shook from my reaction to him, and I wasn’t sure I’d be able to walk once he stepped back. As if sensing my fear, he steadied me for a minute before he moved to the side. His arm remained firmly around my waist as he led me into the restaurant, his stance daring anyone to comment.

When we entered Nan’s, absolute silence greeted us. Surely, the people packing the place had seen us outside, practically making out on the curb. It seemed we’d stunned them. Asher’s fingers tightened on my side, and he led me farther into the building.

“Well, it’s about damn time,” someone called out, breaking the tension, and laughter erupted.

“Maybe, now, you’ll sleep, Morgan. And stop keeping us up all night,” another yelled. Two of his coworkers…

I looked up at Asher.

“Nightmares about leaving you,” he confessed.

My heart melted—just a little bit.

“Hey, guys,” Sadie Grant, the greeter, called as we approached. Her face was friendly as she flipped her long, blonde hair behind her shoulder and reached for menus. I’d gone to high school with her, and no sweeter girl existed. In fact, we’d been close friends until six months ago. She’d reached out to me repeatedly, but I’d shut out everyone. Guilt suddenly weighed heavily on me. Shrugging from Asher’s hold, I stepped closer to her.

“Thank you,” I said quietly. In the cacophony surrounding us, no one but Sadie would hear my words, but she was the only one who needed to. “I was pretty messed up, and you tried to be there for me. I really appreciate that.”

“I still am. So stop pushing me away.” She raised a brow. “Lunch on Friday in the city—and you’d better answer my call when I phone to firm up plans.”

“I will. Promise.”

This girl definitely deserved some happiness, but I knew she hadn’t found it, though, I didn’t know the reason for the shadows in her green eyes. Much as I’d tried, she’d never revealed her demons. She glanced at Asher as he crowded close to me again, reclaiming his grip around me. “Just the two of you, right?” she asked.

“Yes,” Asher replied, pulling me firmly to his side.

She nodded. “I have the perfect table. Lucky you,” she laughed. We followed her through the L-shaped restaurant, stares following us as we walked all the way to

the back. She stopped beside a booth that would offer us some protection from prying gazes and dropped the menus on opposite sides of the table.

I slid in with my back facing the room. Asher followed right beside me, reaching to pull over the menu that had been placed opposite us. His arm went around my shoulders. This man was making a clear statement. We were together and happy about it. I needed to get with that program—at least, for the public. I needed to show that face. A united front and all that. I leaned my head on his shoulder, the deed less of an act than I intended. Asher felt like home and comfort and safety.

“I’m so happy to see you two together,” Sadie gushed, her gaze shining with her pleasure. “I was so…” She trailed off as if thinking better of what she’d been about to say. With a shake of her head, she smiled again. “Tansy will be right over for your orders. You want coffee this morning?”

“God, yes,” I replied, almost groaning. Asher nodded, and Sadie departed to either get our waitress or to get our coffee—though I was pretty sure the former already knew we were here and seated in her section.

“Doing okay?” Asher asked. He pressed a kiss to the top of my head.

I turned enough to look up at him. “Yeah. I think so.”

“Good. …united front.”

“Why are you doing this?”

“I think I’ve already made that pretty clear—”

“No, I mean, I’m the one who screwed up.”

“We both made mistakes to varying degrees. No one knows what happened. As far as most everyone knows, I’m the one who fucked up and left you. You’re the benevolent one for giving my screwed-up ass another chance after leaving you at the altar.”

I bit the inside of my lip, even more of my heart melting. I hadn’t thought of that. I didn’t know why, but it hadn’t occurred to me that he’d taken the fall for what had happened between us in January. Rumors that I’d cheated on him hadn’t been spread around town. A few people knew about the circumstances, but none of them had spread around the truth. Everything had fallen squarely on Asher’s broad shoulders.

“Thank you,” I whispered, realizing for the first time that I owed him a whole lot of gratitude.

“I still love you. I don’t want anything but the best for you, baby.” He smirked. “And I’m the fucking best.”

A bark of laughter burst from me. Great. Way to stay lowkey…

As a flood of heat rushed up my neck, I buried my face in his shoulder. His

fingers trailed up and down my upper arm as he kissed the top of my head again.

“Well, well, well…”

We looked up to find Tansy Stewart standing at the end of our table. Her expression wasn’t nearly as friendly as Sadie’s had been. She glared briefly at Asher and made a face before giving a faint shake of her head and schooling her expression. She tossed her long ponytail of gorgeous ebony hair over her shoulder and pulled out her order pad and Montblanc pen.

I smiled at the dichotomy. Tansy had more money than most in this town, thanks to wealthy grandparents and a trust fund. It made no sense that she worked here several days a week. I figured it was for the gossip and because it pissed off her parents.

“Hi, Tansy,” Asher greeted, not letting her reaction get to him. I hadn’t seen her since my bachelorette party, and I briefly wondered if she could tell me what had happened, but truly, I didn’t want to bring up that horrid night to anyone. I wasn’t so close to Tansy that I’d trust her with my secrets or feel comfortable reminding her of something better forgotten.

“What can I get you?” she asked, without returning the greeting. Sadie returned and set our coffees in front of us before taking off to seat the sheriff and his wife, who’d just stepped into the café.

Asher glanced at me, his fingers still making lazy circles on my shoulder. “French toast breakfast?” he asked.

I nodded.

“Two French toast breakfasts,” he told the waitress. “Scrambled eggs. Fruit instead of meat. No powdered sugar on Brooke’s toast slices.”

Tansy nodded then walked away without another word.

“Ever pleasant,” Asher commented dryly.

“Well, you know Tansy. She’s never been your fan.”

He laughed. “Nope. Maybe if I had different gear downstairs and played for her team.”

“Stop it. She’s not gay.” I shoulder bumped him, amazed we’d fallen into such an easy pattern with each other again. Despite the potholes we still needed to navigate, it was as if we were still together. Wait…were we together? Asher’s assertions said that was what he wanted. The only hang up was me.

“I’m thinking I’ll pick you up around five tonight. We can do dinner, drive into Grand Haven and walk along the pier. Maybe stroll along the beach then head over to the Getty for a movie.”

“Dinner, Lake Michigan, then the drive-in? You’re deep in romance mode,” I quipped.

“I have some ground to recover. Plus…we can have alone time, without really being alone—to give you time. What do you say?”

I bit my lip. He certainly wasn’t diving into my offer to sleep with him. The more we were together, experiencing the easy camaraderie that had always been between us, the more I wanted to say screw his timeline. I just wanted him to take me to bed, but what he was doing… I was loath to it it, but I did want to date him and get close again. I’d missed our emotional intimacy.

“Sounds good.”

“Hey.”

I looked up to see my brother, Caeden, slipping into the booth across from us. There was no mistaking he was my family. Both my brothers shared the same amber-brown eye color I had. Their features were similar to mine, as well, though definitely on the masculine side. We all had different shades of hair, Caed light brown with sun streaks, Easton blond and me a dark brown, but there was no mistaking that we were from the same mom and dad. We all looked very much like our deceased parents.

Apparently, word had flown that Asher and I were here. Together. Someone must have put in a call to my brother. Small-town living…

Beside me, Asher stiffened but didn’t pull away his arm.

“Caed,” he greeted, his tone flat.

“Ash,” my brother replied, his demeanor stiff. I supposed it was because the last time they’d met, my brother had beaten the crap out of my former fiancé. I’d heard about it in great detail from Easton, who’d roughed up Asher, too.

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

He glanced around. “Best place to eat breakfast on Saturday—”

“The only place to eat in town on Saturday,” Sadie corrected, setting a menu in front of him. I guessed Caeden was ing us now.

“Thanks, hon,” Caeden said, smiling up at her. “East will be here in a sec. We’ll both want coffee.”

I glanced at Asher. “I guess we’re having breakfast with my brothers.”

He nuzzled my ear, speaking for my hearing only. “Good thing they can’t bust in on our date tonight.”

I chuckled. Similar plans hadn’t stopped Easton and Caeden from crashing our outings before. East had become my guardian after our parents had been killed in an accident when I was in eighth grade, and he’d had no problem horning in on my plans to be sure Asher was acting “up-to-snuff”. As much as I’d reminded him I was an adult now, he still couldn’t let go.

Of course, back when East had crashed my dates, Asher had been as close to my siblings as another brother. I hoped they could get that back after I left for Missouri. That thought sobered me. I wasn’t falling back into forever. This was just for right now. This was me sleeping with Asher before I went. I’d given away my virginity after that party. Now, I wanted to have sex with someone I actually loved—the only man I loved. The first experience with him would be my sole memory, since I had no recollection of that fateful night.

Caeden slung his arm along the back of the booth and regarded us, his narrowed eyes studying Asher for a long time, as if sizing up his intentions. Laughable. Asher’s intentions didn’t matter.

“I knew you’d come running,” Caed said finally.

“What?” I asked, and my brother’s gaze swung my way.

“I knew when I told Nate your plans he’d immediately tell asshat here and—”

“Don’t call him that,” I snapped.

“And he’d come running,” Caed continued, ignoring my onishment.

“Why?” I asked.

He shrugged. “I figured it was the best chance of keeping you here. Safe. I’d rather have you with this jerk than have you dead in LA.”

Asher’s arm tightened. “She’s not going to LA.”

My brother lifted a brow. “That was quick.”

Asher stared at him, not answering.

“Oh, look, the gang’s all here,” Tansy growled, stepping up to the table and slamming mugs onto it. Coffee sloshed over the edges of the new cups.

“Not quite, sweet cheeks,” Easton laughed, skirting behind her to slide in beside Caed. “But now…”

“Whatever. What do you two want?”

“Bacon. Lots of bacon,” Caed replied.

“I’m sorry, we don’t have a bacon-bacon platter,” she answered.

“Farmer’s breakfast,” Easton cut in, ordering the biggest meal on the menu. “One for both of us.”

She glanced at Caed, who nodded his agreement. Turning on her heel, she stalked away.

“Well,” Caeden said. “She’s working hard for her tip today, isn’t she?”

We all laughed. Tansy was notorious for her attitude, but it hadn’t seemed to affect her waitressing career. Today, she was extra prickly though.

“So…you two…?” Easton asked, letting us fill in the blanks on his question.

“We’re working it out,” Asher replied.

“Yes?” East asked with a glance at me.

“We’ll see what happens,” I replied noncommittally. Asher growled his disagreement; my brother smiled, taking it as assent.

“Good. I’m glad. I hated hating you, man.”

“I wasn’t so fond of that either,” Asher answered, running his fingers beneath his right eye. Caed and Asher had been close friends even before I’d started dating Ash. Though East was six years older, they’d been the three amigos for the longest time. In a way, it had been weird when I’d begun going out with one of my brothers’ closest friends my senior year. But I’d known him so well it had also seemed natural.

“Yeah, sorry about that, man,” Caed said. “But you’ve seen the state you put her in.”

Asher looked down at me. “Yeah.” He frowned then pressed his lips to my temple. I got the feeling, if I stuck around, he intended to “fix” me—of course, he didn’t know my plans hadn’t changed. I still couldn’t live in this town; I still couldn’t fall back into this relationship, as much as I might want to. He might be able to forgive and forget, but I’d never forget and I’d never forgive myself.

Maybe, Easton was right, and I did need therapy.

Chapter Five ~ Brooke ~

The guys fell into their old patterns of friendship over breakfast, chatting and picking at each other, while I’d just enjoyed the moment, letting the warmth surround me as surely and solidly as Asher’s arm around me. After breakfast, Caed and Easton had hugged us both before Asher had lifted me into his truck. Tears had pricked my eyes at their reunion. I’d known my separation with Asher had caused a rift between my brothers and their friend, but I hadn’t realized until this morning how wide the chasm had been and how deeply it had affected them all. If nothing else, my future aside, the knowledge of this good result gratified me.

After breakfast, Asher had dropped me at the house with a long, tender kiss and the promise of picking me up for dinner at five. My body had buzzed, and I’d wandered through the house, happy and free of the blinding fog I’d been in for months. It was as if I could see life and my surroundings for the first time since January. I’d left stasis and reentered the world.

And it was dusty.

Invigorated, I’d cleaned and cleaned, shining my house until late afternoon when I’d thrown myself into the shower and gotten ready for my date. I’d found myself…giddy. Giddy! The odd, ebullient sensation surprised me, taking me back to my first date with Asher, late in our senior year of high school. He’d been quite the player before then, and honestly, I hadn’t thought he’d stay with me once he’d found out sex was off the table, but I’d still been excited to go out with him, to experience Asher Morgan.

And then…he’d stayed. Despite his reputation and experience, he chose to be with me. The knowledge that I’d thrown away that devotion occasionally broke through my cheery emotions, plummeting me back to earth for a bit until I shoved it away and picked myself back up. I had him back, at least for the moment.

My warm feelings had continued the rest of the week. Every night he wasn’t working, Asher picked me up and took me out. We cuddled and kissed and got to know each other again, but he never pushed me for more. It was as if we’d never been apart. The intimacy between us had reemerged and, if anything, seemed even stronger—as if the break between us had created a scar that, while ugly and rough, was strong and fused us together in a way we hadn’t been before.

We weren’t the same, and we weren’t perfect, but somehow, we were better. Maybe, it was because we’d been too perfect before, we’d never faced adversity in our relationship. We hadn’t even bickered or had a faux, temporary break-up. I’d been subconsciously afraid of destroying that perfection. Now, with what had occurred, we’d moved beyond that, and my fear was gone.

Not that it mattered since I was still leaving.

But that was a bridge for another day.

Nervous butterflies slammed around my middle now, as six rolled around and Asher knocked again. Tonight, I’d dressed in a bright yellow sundress sprinkled with tiny white dots and trimmed with a white scallop on the top and bottom edges, the hem ending at mid-thigh. My long hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail and I wore the barest hint of makeup and gloss. I slipped on mid-height,

white wedge sandals just before answering the door.

“Jesus,” Asher breathed in compliment when I opened and stood on the threshold.

I smiled. “Thanks.”

He grabbed my hand and pulled me into him. I easily flattened to his chest, as if it were something we did every day and no time had ed.

“I’m going to mess up your lipstick,” he warned a second before his lips were on mine, devouring my mouth. His fingers clenched in the skirt over my ass and he pulled me even closer. Tingles prickled over my body, my core going immediately wet for him. Right then, if we’d decided to stay home, I would have been okay with it. Fuck the time I’d claimed to need. I just needed him.

“Do we have to go out?” I panted when he lifted his head, his mouth shiny with my gloss that was no doubt smeared on my lips now.

“Yes,” he whispered, the sound almost an agonized gasp. He swallowed hard and blinked a few times, and I knew he was fighting for control. “I’ll wait at the truck while you fix your makeup. I don’t think… Well, I shouldn’t come in and wait,” he said, without explanation. I knew though. His control was little more than a thin thread.

Nodding, I hurried inside and repaired my gloss then grabbed my sweater before

ing him at his big, black vehicle. Though it was July, the night air might cool while we were out. He leaned against the enger side of the truck, waiting for me, his arms crossed over his chest and one ankle over the other. He straightened as I approached.

“You look beautiful,” he said.

“Thank you.” I scanned his dark jeans, charcoal T-shirt and plaid button-down. He’d left the shirt untucked and rolled the sleeves to his elbows, revealing his powerful forearms and the black tattoo that covered his right arm. Six months ago, it hadn’t been complete, but it looked as if he’d had it finished since then. I wanted to explore it.

“You look pretty hot yourself,” I said, as if my ogling wasn’t clear enough. He tipped an imaginary hat at me then lifted me into the truck. I put on my seatbelt while he circled and got into the driver’s side. To my surprise, he reached over and unfastened the belt. I laughed as he pulled me into the middle and buckled me in.

“I want you close,” he explained.

Well, okay then.

Without argument, I relaxed against him, and he started the vehicle. I leaned my head against his shoulder as he drove. We weren’t eating in town since Nan’s was only open for breakfast and lunch, and Asher apparently didn’t want to take me for pizza or for a burger at the fast food place. He drove toward Grand Rapids and the plethora of restaurants there. I didn’t ask which one he’d chosen,

content to be with him wherever we ended up. Besides, he knew what I liked.

It had been like this all week. Saturday, we’d picked up a pizza and eaten it picnic-style before heading over to Lake Michigan. We walked along the sandy beach, hand-in-hand, not really talking and just enjoying being together, before heading over to the drive-in for a double feature. We’d decided on the latest Pixar film followed by a space-themed movie, featuring Tom Hiddleston. As a first date after a reunion went, I figured it was pretty good. Lowkey. Intimate but not too intimate.

On Sunday, we went to church, ignored a lot of stares, and then had an actual picnic in the park. We sat in the shade by the lattice-worked gazebo and a large maple while we watched the swans and geese fight for territory on the pond. The heat and humidity had kept many people indoors and away from the park that day, but we hadn’t minded either. Enjoying the slight breeze blowing over the water, Asher had pulled me to lean against his chest while we sat quietly on the bench. Again we’d simply enjoyed one another’s company.

Monday, it stormed and we’d gone through the fast-food drive-thru. He’d surprised me by driving to the edge of town and parking. I’d giggled when he’d pulled out a couple candles. We’d eaten our burgers by candlelight, cuddled together on the bench seat while we watched the lightning and rain rage around us.

It hadn’t escaped my attention that Asher was creating private havens for us, alone time without really being alone. He never invited me back to his apartment or suggested staying in at my house. Since we’d discussed finally having sex, but he knew I wasn’t really ready, he seemed to be trying to rebuild something between us while keeping us from falling into the nearest bed. I didn’t ask, and he didn’t say. Still, the tension was building between us, and we could barely keep our hands off each other. Pretty soon, we’d snap and a bed and privacy would be completely optional. Perhaps, he was trying to drive me mad.

He also seemed to be serious about his “Feed Brooke” agenda. Food was always a mainstay of our dates.

The past two days, though, he’d had to work. It’d been a long forty-eight hours, but we’d talked and texted as much as possible. He and Nate had indulged in “guy time” after work today, whatever that meant, so we’d planned to go out this evening. I couldn’t help but feeling we were racing toward the night when we’d finally hit the sheets. Maybe tonight? I hoped so and planned to throw out every signal I could.

I’d gotten a call on the studio apartment in Hannibal earlier today, and they’d let me know the place would be available in a couple weeks, at the beginning of August. It had been a reminder that our days were limited. It also made me feel guilty. Last Saturday, I’d told Asher I planned to move, but he’d been unwilling to accept that. I knew he thought things had evolved between us and that he’d change my mind. Our circumstances were different now, but I wasn’t sure they were altered enough for me to modify my path. I just didn’t know how to tell him, but I knew I had to, and soon. Before his parents got back in town. I couldn’t let them believe Asher and I were back on track for our future together, and then deliver the news this was actually temporary. I was sure they hated my ass already, though Asher assured me they didn’t. I couldn’t imagine why they wouldn’t. I’d thrown their only child, their baby boy, into a spin. I wasn’t sure what he’d told them, but it was unlikely they didn’t despise me. Whatever they felt about me, they needed to understand my position. Asher needed to understand it, too.

You can change your mind. You can change your direction, a little voice whispered inside me. Could I? I wasn’t so sure. Yes, I loved being with Asher. I loved the way he romanced me, even when he wasn’t particularly trying, but I wasn’t sure I trusted him, that I could move forward with “us.” Deeper still, I wasn’t sure I trusted me. Something had driven me into the arms of another man, and I didn’t know what. Yes, I’d been so drunk out of my mind that I didn’t

it, and if the guy hadn’t been in my bed that next morning, I never would have known it happened—until I slept with Asher and wasn’t a virgin. Still…what was it inside me—fear, desire, something else—that had made me cheat while in an altered state?

That disturbed me, niggling at me whenever I was with Asher. When I wasn’t with him, too. Everything seemed…perfect. But my doubt lingered under the surface. I doubted myself. Doubted the depth of his love for me. Doubted our ability to really move forward. The stripper incident aside, I couldn’t forget the pain of the betrayal I’d felt the morning of our wedding. Two major roadblocks to any future together…

“You’re awfully quiet,” he commented as he merged onto 131 and sped south toward the city.

I shrugged. “Just thinking.”

“About?” he prodded, and in that one word, I heard his concern. Perhaps…his own doubt. He knew what occupied my mind.

“How did you move past it? Forget?”

I didn’t need to elaborate. He knew. He tensed, his breathing sharp.

“Is there something I need to worry about?” he asked.

“What? No!” I exclaimed. He had no need to about another guy. That’s what he was asking. We’d been apart for two days…and I had been faithful to him. That he had to ask underlined my worries. “I don’t want anyone else,” I assured him. “I never did. I don’t understand what…” No, I wasn’t rehashing that. “Look, I don’t drink. I never did much before. Now, I don’t at all.”

He released a long breath. Both of us were silent for a few minutes. Lost in thoughts, lost in the tension, lost in the what-ifs…

“Life without you was hell,” he finally said. “I tried to move on—I did. But nothing was right. You were missing. I knew, before we even started dating in high school, that you were special. You clicked with a part of me no one else had ever touched. It’s like…you’re part of me. That I’m part of you. And separate, we’re just…broken.”

So much feeling…

Tears pricked my eyes. How would he react to find out I still planned to move away? This was temporary. I’d told him that. Now, didn’t seem the time to repeat it.

“Asher?”

“Hmm?”

“I want you tonight. Don’t make me wait anymore.”

He didn’t answer, but to my surprise, he pulled off the highway at the next exit. When he reentered, going the other direction, I leaned away from him slightly to look up at him. “What are you doing?”

He tugged me back to him and pressed his lips to my temple. “Exactly what you want.”

I grinned, happy nerves leaping in my belly. “Thank God.”

No matter what the future held, the immediate outlook appeared good.

Chapter Six ~ Asher ~

At Brooke’s words, my cock had gone rock-hard. I’d have her. Finally. But it was more than that. I loved this girl. When I’d stormed into her house on Saturday, I might have had my doubts still, but the past week had proved we were supposed to be together. I loved her. I desired her. I had to possess her. Because she was mine and no other’s. She made me complete, and I liked to think she felt that same way. That I was her other half and we needed one another to survive. The past was in the past and the future…

The future was ours to grab onto.

I wasn’t letting her go. Ever.

My skin fairly vibrated as I drove the fifteen minutes back up the highway toward home. Brooke’s hand rested on my thigh. She wasn’t stroking or squeezing, but the pressure of her small fingers was almost too much. I’d need to get myself under control or I’d go off the second my dick touched her pussy—if I could even last that long. Christ, I didn’t want to come before I even slid inside her. Wouldn’t that be a disaster? Though…I was pretty sure I’d be hard again within seconds. She had that kind of an effect on me. I wanted her so much I’d been in a constant state of arousal the past few days. Nate had joked that perhaps I needed to see a doctor for my blue balls. I’d told him to fuck the hell off.

“How was work?” Brooke asked suddenly, her voice strained. My brow wrinkled at her out-of-the-blue inquiry then I realized she was trying to distract

us both. Good luck with that.

“Fairly boring,” I replied. “Not even a cat in a tree. The most excitement was from Tansy accidentally setting off the alarm over at Nan’s. My team was closest for the emergency call. I think she just wanted to see Nate.”

“Maybe, I’ll light a fire in my backyard during your next shift so you have something to do and I can see you.”

I’d have a heart attack if the firehouse got a 9-1-1 from her address.

“Baby, you light my fire every day,” I murmured, pressing my lips to her temple again.

She giggled, and I felt her shiver. She snuggled closer to me and kissed my shoulder, and I felt it all the way to my cock. “Ditto.”

“I want to fuck you so bad,” I breathed.

“Good thing we’re heading there.”

“Mmm,” I growled. My entire being seemed knotted with my desire, drawn in, clenched. Did she have any idea how long it had been since I’d fucked someone? Years. Literally years. I’d pretty much screwed any willing girl who’d interested me back in high school. Then Brooke had come along… And I’d practically

become a fucking monk. I should have remedied my celibacy after we broke up, but I just…couldn’t.

Apparently, I was a fucking girl when it came to my emotions and attachments. I couldn’t just rebound and move on. I couldn’t even go through with a revenge fuck. Now, I was glad I hadn’t.

“I can’t wait to be inside you,” I said through tight lips. “To feel your pussy squeezing me, giving me everything.”

My cock jerked. Shit. Probably, I shouldn’t talk about this.

“I’ve thought about it so much. Dreamed about it. Sometimes, I woke up crying, so empty.” She buried her face in my shoulder, as if embarrassed.

“Hey,” I whispered. I caught her chin and quickly brushed my lips over hers before returning my eyes to the road. An accident now would kill me— metaphorically, if not literally. Not happening. “You never need to be alone again. I’m here and I’m never leaving you. Been there; done that. Biggest mistake of my life.”

“Asher,” she gasped. She swiped at her eyes. “But…I’m…I’m still…leaving.”

A rumble built in my chest. Like hell. Like hell she was leaving. If I had to tie her to my bed, lock her in some tower, chain her to my side, she was staying here in Collingsworth. I was sure her brothers wouldn’t protest, since I’d be keeping

their little sister safe.

“No. You’re not,” I replied and didn’t elaborate. I didn’t want to fight now.

“Asher—”

“You’re not,” I reasserted.

She sighed, dropping the conversation. Apparently, she didn’t want the argument either. Good. I wasn’t fooled into thinking we wouldn’t eventually have it out on the subject. It was necessary, and I’d damned well win.

My mind couldn’t even grasp losing her again. Just the idea made my chest tight and clenched all my muscles in a strange desperation that was far too close to a panic attack. My arousal abated slightly, but not my urgency. If anything, that had grown ten times stronger. I needed her. I had to prove she was mine, claim her, over and over and over, until she understood we could never be apart.

I screeched into her driveway, leapt from the truck then circled to her side. I had the door open before she’d even finished unfastening her seatbelt. I ripped it free then yanked her out, throwing her over my shoulder.

She laughed as I half-jogged to the front door. Her hand came into my line of vision as she reached back to give me the key. I let us inside but didn’t put her on her feet. I took her purse and dropped it on the table, locked the door and kicked off my shoes—all with her still over my shoulder. Then I headed for the stairs.

Brooke’s breathing grew choppy as I marched toward our bedroom—yes, our bedroom. I was moving in here as soon as possible. That bedroom had always been intended for us. Together.

Next to the bed, I finally put her on her feet. Despite the urgency throbbing through me, we just stood there, staring at each other. Her frantic pulse fluttered at the base of her neck. Her creamy skin seemed flushed as a tide of blood flowed up into her cheeks, her full, rosy lips slightly parted as she tried to catch her breath. Her chest rose and fell in rapid succession while our gazes remained locked.

Groaning, I reached for her, my arms going around her waist as I dragged her against me and gloried in the feel of her small, but still too-thin, body against me. It pained me to see and feel what had happened to her while we were separated. Thankfully, we were headed the right direction to heal us both. I’d love her whether she was underweight or well over. Her spirit, her personality… her love, those were what were most important. I just needed her.

I stroked her petal-soft cheek, and she tilted her head into my touch, her silky hair sweeping across the back of my hand.

“Tell me you want this,” I said.

“Yes,” she whispered. “Yes, Asher.”

“You’re mine, Brooke. Tell me your mine.”

“I’m yours,” she cried. “All yours. Only yours. Take me. Please.”

“Yes.”

Both hands cupped her face, my thumbs angling her chin. Her skin was so soft and her angelic features…beautiful. So beautiful. I ached with how precious she was. So delicate and perfect. I’d cherish her forever.

She moaned as I covered her lips with mine, the pliant flesh opening to receive me. Her sweet taste filled my senses as my tongue delved in, meeting hers. We’d kissed a lot the past week, but it was always like coming home. This time though…there was so much anticipation, like knowing you’d receive the gift of a lifetime on Christmas morning, and knowing you were giving one, too.

My hand skated along her back, following the curve down to her firm behind, and I almost wished she were wearing a separate top and bottom instead of the one-piece dress. I wanted to touch her bare skin, but not rush for the gold, so to speak.

Unable to stop myself, I bunched the skirt of her thin garment in my fist and cupped her ass in my other hand, drawing her closer. We both groaned at the of her barely clad pussy against the bulge of my cock through my jeans. Holy fuck, what was she wearing? I didn’t want to pull back and look at the silk and lace, but it wasn’t a thong… Not a full panty either. It was pure heaven against my hand and bared most of her cheeks to me, and I was sure I’d enjoy seeing it…later.

My thumb brushed up and down the firm buttock I held. Her skirt fell around my wrist as I let go of the fabric with my other hand so I could reach up to cup her breast. Her taut nipple was pliant beneath the stroke of my fingers as I circled and flicked over it.

“Asher!” she cried into my mouth. Her head dropped back as sensation overtook her. I took advantage and pressed my lips to her neck, nipping and sucking a path from her jaw to the pulse that throbbed at the base of the slim column.

She shook as I tipped her backward onto the mattress, my body coming over hers. Our legs tangled as we continued kissing. She pulled at my shirt, no doubt needing to feel my skin as much as I’d needed to feel hers. I shuddered when her fingers found the small of my back. Her soft palms skimmed upward, tracing my spine and the firm muscles of my shoulders. My workout regimen had increased since we’d parted, me needing to work off my anger and frustration. I’d always been in great shape—my job required it—but I knew she’d find harder ridges than I’d had the last time she’d touched me like this.

“You feel so good,” she breathed before our mouths reed.

“You feel like a dream. Am I dreaming?” I whispered.

“If you are, we’re in it together and I never want to wake up.”

“Not a dream,” I asserted as I nipped along the delicate line of her jaw. “Our new reality. Forever.”

For a few long moments, she didn’t reply, but her arms tightened. “I’d like that,” she said finally. “Asher… It’s really…We’re really…”

“Yes, baby. I was an idiot. Being without you was torture.”

“For me, too.”

Enough talking. Enough of the almost rehashing. I knelt up, pulling her to sitting as I went. Slowly, I skimmed my hands up her body, taking her sundress with them. Silently, she raised her arms so I could pull it completely off then she reclined back in just her pale-pink strapless bra and the brief panties that cut high on her hips and exposed most of her firm little ass. I traced a finger down the lacy edge running along her thigh.

“Pretty,” I commented.

“I bought the set for our honeymoon.” She bit her lip and made a face as if worried that she shouldn’t have mentioned that. “I thought tonight would be… appropriate.”

“Definitely,” I agreed then added, wanting to break the tension, “We’ll go away soon. Somewhere warm where we can be naked. A lot.”

She giggled. “Asher…”

“But I’m the only one who will see this hot little body, so no nude beaches or anything.”

She pushed at my shirt. “We can talk about that later.”

“A lot later,” I concurred and grabbed the back of my button-down at the neck. I yanked it off, along with the T-shirt beneath it, and tossed it over the side of the bed.

She traced my abs and the line of the cut curve leading into my jeans. “I don’t think I want anyone seeing your hot body, either.”

“Thanks for not saying little,” I joked.

“There’s nothing little about you.”

“Glad you realize that.”

Her fingers slipped just inside my waistband. “Oh, I do.”

I captured her hand and brought it to my mouth before she grazed the head of my cock. I was too near to going off. I didn’t need any help from her innocent touches. One glance from her fingertips and I’d end this far too soon.

Wrapping my fists around her wrists, I guided her to lie back again and trapped her hands on either side of her head. Holding her captive that way, I explored her torso with my mouth, tasting every inch of her sweet skin. She shifted restlessly as I trailed my kisses along the slope of her breast then gasped when I used my teeth to pull down the cup to expose her nipple to my questing tongue.

“Yes,” she hissed as my tongue laved the areola, circling ever closer to the engorged tip. Her sharp cry at my soft nip had my cock throbbing even harder and beating against the fly of my jeans. I lowered my hips, aligning with hers and ground against her as I continued my sucking and biting then licking to soothe the path of my teeth. Needing to taste her other breast, I pulled down the remaining cup with my mouth to fully expose her.

Her breaths bordered on whimpers as she drew closer and closer to release just from my lips on her and the pressure of my clothed hips gyrating against her panty-covered pussy. I wanted that first orgasm. I wanted her to experience that pleasure before my dick got anywhere near her opening. Once I got there, after such a long abstinence, who knew how fast things would go.

“Oh God…” she panted, starting to writhe.

“Yeah, baby, give it to me. Give me what’s mine.”

I drank in her cries, my belly clenching in reaction as she threw her head back and screamed out her climax, arching and thrusting into me in an imitation of what was to come.

Releasing her hands, I unfastened her bra then reached down and skimmed her

panties down her legs, her post-orgasmic body compliantly letting me maneuver her however I wanted. Straddling one of her parted legs, one of my knees between hers, I reached for the button of my jeans then quickly unfastened and pushed them down.

I couldn’t take my eyes off her damp folds, the pink lips of her inner labia peeking out at me. I needed to taste her. My hands slid up her thighs and pressed her even farther open for me. Her breath caught as she realized my intention. Holding her gaze, I leaned forward and parted her with my thumbs. Her slick cream dampened my skin, further arousing me. Leaning forward, I ran my tongue along her slit and lapped up the honey that was all mine.

“God, you taste good,” I groaned.

“Asher—”

Her words cut off on another gasp. I settled in to feast. I pulled her supple thighs over my shoulders, and her hips lifted off the mattress as she pushed into my questing mouth. My fingers and my tongue alternated between her clit and her opening, bringing Brooke back to the edge again. We’d done this before, and I couldn’t get enough of her, never enough. Her sharp cries and moans wrapped around my cock like a tight fist, and her flavor on my lips intoxicated me.

She chanted my name and “Oh God” as both hands buried in my hair, holding me to her pussy as I feasted. I wanted her to come again, wanted her sweet cream on my tongue before I finally buried my cock in her.

“Now,” Brooke begged. “I need you inside me now, Asher. All of you. Please.”

I licked and sucked a few more times, drawing hard on her clit until she pleaded and cried then screamed as she bowed off the mattress and flooded my mouth with her essence.

No more waiting. I needed to be inside now, too. I rose over her, looking down into her flushed face and bracing my arms as I took in the moment when we’d finally be one. I aligned the head of my cock with her opening and shudders worked through me at the sensation of her liquid heat flowing over my glans.

“Are you sure?” I asked.

She had to be. I’d die otherwise.

“Yes. Asher. Now.”

Slowly, I pushed forward, groaning loudly at the tight grip threatening to squeeze out my immediate climax. I gritted my teeth, fighting it back.

“More,” Brooke begged. “More, please, more.”

“I love you,” I bit out, struggling for control.

Her feet were planted on the mattress, and she pushed up into me. I stared down

into her eyes, feeling so much love for this woman, wanting every second of this to be perfect.

More, she mouthed.

Yes… Now!

“Mine,” I growled, complying with her demands, needing her just as much as she needed me. I surged forward, driving to the hilt. And felt the… What? Oh God. The sensation of tearing through her virginity accompanied Brooke’s scream.

“No,” I gasped on barely a whisper.

No no no no!

In that split second…my world was destroyed. My chest heaved as anguish pummeled me, anguish, denial, disbelief, sorrow…relief?

I shook my head, staring down at her, everything I thought I knew obliterated by the new reality before me. Around me. Squeezing me so tightly.

I should pull out. Leave. What had I done?

This girl, this wonderful girl. I’d destroyed her. I’d left her, broken her heart. Now, I’d hurt her. Her first time and it should have been perfect, not an animalistic fucking. Her. First. Time… Oh my God!

“No,” I breathed, the sound choked in my constricted throat. “No. No… Fuck, no.”

Moisture blurred my eyes, and I couldn’t breathe. My entire body shook as my shame destroyed me, cell by cell. I didn’t deserve to be here, loving this woman I’d wronged so badly.

I buried my face in her neck, unable to stop the emotions racking my body. Still lodged deep inside her, unable to move, to leave her, despite my humiliation, I held her tight. Damning recrimination clamped over me.

What had I done? Both six months ago and just now?

“I’m sorry,” I rasped brokenly, trying to get control of myself. “I’m so fucking sorry.”

“Shh,” Brooke whispered. Her soft hands ran up and down my back. Her knees still bracketed my hips, clasping tight and holding me and my still rock-hard dick in place, deep inside her. “Shh… It’s okay, Asher.”

She didn’t sound pissed or upset. She seemed…happy?

“I’m so sorry. I…” I gasped, almost unable to breathe through the tightness squeezing my chest. “I…left you.”

And I’d left her alone to let the grief of her supposed betrayal eat her alive. The evidence of her sorrow was all over her. And she’d been innocent. Of being with any man. I’d forced her into a downward spiral, and it could have… She could have hurt herself!

I wanted to hurt myself.

I started to pull from her and pushed up on my arms, unable to bear looking at her and facing my shame. She had to hate me.

“Asher, stop,” she begged. Her arms tightened with surprising strength. “You didn’t know. We didn’t know. Baby, look at me.”

I shook my head, needing better control over my roiling emotions. I’d man up and leave. Do the right thing. She didn’t have to kick me out.

“Please, I need you to look at me. Baby, please. Look at me. See what I want to say.”

That she despised me and never wanted to be near me again? That was no less than I deserved.

Expecting sadness, condemnation and anger, I lifted my face from her neck to look at her. And found Brooke…smiling at me. Smiling? Tears shone on her face, too, but she just appeared…happy. Deliriously happy. She reached up and swept her delicate fingers over my cheeks. Unable to help myself, I turned my head and pressed my lips to her palm.

God, I didn’t deserve her. This gift.

She really was mine.

“Why are you smiling?” I asked. She should be enraged. “Why aren’t you screaming at me and kicking me out of your bed.”

Though I knew I should leave, her body, her bed, this house and maybe even town, I couldn’t force myself from the warmth of her tight embrace. It was more than sex. It was her complete acceptance, a near unity, incomplete only because I couldn’t accept her forgiveness right now. I would spend my life earning it.

“Do you have any idea how happy I am to know I didn’t get drunk and cheat on you? To know I’m yours and only yours?”

“I don’t deserve—”

“Don’t say that,” she cut in quietly, pressing her palm over my mouth. “Who’s to say who deserves what? I’m yours.” Her luminous smile filtered into my soul, starting to illuminate the darkness overwhelming me. “I’m yours, and you’re

mine.”

I shook my head, the fullness of this gift starting to settle into me. I kissed the hand pressed over my lips. I grasped her wrist, holding her there as I nibbled and she giggled beneath me.

“You should hate me,” I muttered finally, though I didn’t feel nearly as dark. It was okay, all okay, and Brooke… Brooke was my destiny, my very future…my everything.

“I don’t hate you. I couldn’t ever. Asher, I love you.” Her hands bracketed my face, making me peer into her eyes. I saw the serious light in them as she studied me and seemed to look inside my soul in a way only Brooke could. Only ever her. She was such a good person. “I forgive you,” she whispered, saying the words I needed.

I didn’t deserve her. I never would. “Oh, baby…”

“But Asher?”

“Yes?” Oh God, here it came.

“If you don’t fuck me, I’m going to kill you.”

A bark of laughter burst from me. I shook my head. “I’m not going to fuck you.”

Her face fell. I dipped my forehead to hers, my eyes staring into hers, nose to nose. “I’m going to make love to you. I love you, so fucking much. I’m dead without you. I breathe because of you. I love you.”

Her breath caught. “I love you, Asher.” She shifted beneath me. “Please…”

Experimentally, I moved my hips just slightly, ever aware that she could be hurting. Brooke gasped, and I froze.

“No, don’t stop,” she begged. “It feels… I think… I think I’m okay. Go slow for a sec; let’s see. You feel…so good.”

“You have no idea,” I replied. “You’re squeezing me so hard. I want it to be perfect for you, but I don’t know… I don’t know how long I’ll last.”

“Just having you here like this is already perfect.”

This girl…

My hips pulled back, and I groaned at the sweet friction. Glancing down between us, I saw my cock slick with her arousal and tinged with the red proof of her innocence, as if I’d needed any proof at all. God, I was such an asshole!

An asshole who needed her more than my next breath.

“Still okay?” I asked.

She nodded, and her hands moved to my ass, pulling me in. She spread her thighs wider and pushed up into me. I thrust in, taking what she offered.

Brooke moaned, her face contorting with pleasure, her head pushing back into the pillow as she arched. Oh fuck yeah. My woman. She was mine, and I’d have this every day for the rest of our lives, if she let me. No… Not let. I might be remorseful from what I’d done, but I couldn’t ever consent to being apart from her. Not ever. Not again.

My eyes rolled back in my head as I sank into the sensation of her honeyed heat surrounding my cock. Heaven. She was heaven. The clamp of her pussy squeezing me, coupled with her unrestrained reaction to my slow, careful thrusts, undid my tenuous control. My measured thrusts picked up in speed, ever fed by Brooke’s cries of delight. Her legs moved up around my hips, her ankles locking behind my back, while her fingers clenched into my shoulders. We moved together in practiced perfection, as if we’d choreographed and rehearsed this carnal dance. So easy and right, like coming home, yet every moment was new, a discovery of who we were together, of how we were wholly made for each other.

Every breath, every drive, every thought held a single idea, a single determination. Mine, mine, mine…mine. Brooke was mine. I was hers. If she thought she was leaving me now, she was out of her ever-loving mind.

Her age tightened even more, and I knew her release loomed. “Yeah, baby, give it to me. Show me who owns you. Give me what’s mine,” I growled.

“Asher!”

“Give it to me. Squeeze me with that hot little pussy. Milk my cock. Cover me with your sweet honey. Take. My. Cum—”

The last word broke as she screamed, arching into a tableau of ion. Her pussy clamped around my dick, so tight I could hardly move, but I did, wanting to prolong her orgasm and completely fill her with my seed. That virgin womb was mine too, and I wanted my child in it. Now.

Black spots peppered my vision as I came so hard, I was sure I’d accomplished my brand-new goal of getting her pregnant.

“Fu-uck…” I groaned. Nothing. Nothing could ever be better than this.

Chapter Seven ~ Brooke ~

Um…what the fuck?

Don’t get me wrong. I was so monumentally happy right then, it would have taken an earth-shattering crisis to bring me down, but seriously… As the cloud of ion surrounding Asher and me incrementally abated, that thought pushed to the forefront. What the fuck? How the hell had I still been a virgin?

I felt as if some sort of life-destroying trick had been played on me six months ago, something to rob me of my happiness—to rob Asher, too. Both of us. Why? Was it a prank gone bad? Something someone had been afraid to come forward and claim? Something that had actually gone very right—for the culprit, anyway —and broken us up?

“Are you okay?” Asher asked. His hand ran over my body, trailing up and down from the valley between my breasts to the top of my cleft. He’d rolled off me after we’d stopped shaking from our climaxes, perhaps one of the best moments of my life, and he’d been holding me and stroking me like this ever since. The light touch feathered along my damp skin, almost tickling, but still soothing me with his presence.

“Yeah, I’m good. Great. Just confused.”

“Mmm,” he grunted. “Yeah. Me, too.”

“Do you think someone set us up?”

He shrugged, though it was by no means negligent. This bothered him at least as much as it did me. It might even have bothered him more. “I don’t know. Seems like it though.”

His hand moved down to my sex and lightly cupped the newly initiated flesh. A huge smile lit my face at the thought. I was his.

“But…are you okay?” he repeated.

“Perfect. Ready for next time.”

His body jerked with a single, silent laugh. “I doubt that.”

I felt the chill as he rolled away. “Asher?”

“I’ll be right back, baby. Don’t move.”

I watched as he headed into the bathroom. He rifled through a cupboard then water ran. A few minutes later, he returned with a wet washcloth in his hands.

“White?” I asked, not at all believing the choice was random.

He shrugged, his wicked smirk giving him away. Such a caveman. Pushing up on my elbows, I watched him gently clean my thighs and tender folds. The soreness didn’t stop my moan as my arousal rekindled at his touch. The sight of the pink stain of my blood mixed with our releases amplified the surprising need.

“Are you going to frame that?” I teased him.

His solemn gaze met mine. He might be remorseful, but his primal Neanderthal parts gloried in owning me. “Maybe.”

“You’re terrible,” I laughed.

He grinned, his expression rueful. “You’re mine. I’m a shit, and I know I don’t deserve you, but knowing you’re completely mine, that you’ve never belonged to anyone else…” His words trailed off into a pleased yet altogether possessive growl.

The need inside me shifted, answering his claim. It was as if my knowledge that I’d only ever belonged to him morphed into a molten lava, mixing with his essence and irrevocably uniting us in a way that could never be separated. He’d always be part of me, and I’d always be part of him. “We belong to each other.”

“We do.” He set aside the cloth, placing it on the side table almost reverently, and I raised a brow at him. He shrugged and pulled me back into his arms.

“You’re not keeping that like some kind of medieval proof,” I asserted.

Distracting me, he kissed my neck. His mouth worked its way up to my jaw then over to my lips. The tender sweep of his over mine left no doubt of his deep affection for me. It mirrored mine for him.

“I love you so much,” he said. His hand splayed over my belly, and I wondered where we’d go from here.

As his fingers flexed slightly, my eyes widened. “We didn’t use a condom!”

“I love you, too, Asher,” he said in a high voice, as if to mimic me.

I sighed. “I love you, too, Asher,” I echoed. “We didn’t use a condom.”

“Nope. And you’re not on the pill, are you?”

“No…”

“Hmm, darn,” he replied, his light tone seeming undisturbed by that reality. He rolled onto his back, pulling me to lie over his chest. “I guess we’ll need to get married sooner rather than later. Because,” he continued when I rested my arms on his chest, pushing up and staring down at him, “I intend to not use a condom

when I take you again in a little bit. And whenever we’re together after that. I want my baby in you. The first of several. Six maybe.”

I blinked at him, shaking my head. So many things… “Six?” I squeaked, addressing that first. “How about just two or three?”

“Okay.”

I narrowed my eyes, knowing he was placating me and would get whatever he wanted anyway.

“And I get no say in this?”

“Sure you do. How many kids do you want?”

“Three. But—”

“I’m leaning toward five or six, but we can discuss.”

“Asher!” I screeched. “You know that’s not what I meant. I’m talking about getting pregnant in the first place. I have no say?”

“You might already be now—if I’m real lucky.”

“You’re impossible.”

“Impossibly in love with you.”

My ire melted a little. The idea of getting pregnant didn’t really bother me, not now that I knew we’d truly be together. I wanted a family soon, too. Still, I’d have to build up some resistance to his words of love or he’d run all over me. In all the years we’d been together, I hadn’t developed any forbearance, so there was probably little hope now.

“And marrying you?” I added weakly. “Don’t you think we’re rushing things?”

“Rushing things?” He looked at me in disbelief. “We were together for five years before our unfortunate break. We knew each other for years before that. We’re perfect together, and we were ready to get married before. No. I do not think we’re rushing things.” He sighed. “I need to do this right.”

He slid from beneath me, careful to adjust me as he moved so I didn’t flop into the bedding. I took in his naked glory as he stood beside the bed and pulled me upright. Once I sat on the edge of the mattress, equally naked and strangely without the desire to cover myself, he dropped to one knee and took my hand. My eyes widened as I stared at him, almost unable to breathe. He’d proposed to me before, but these emotions… So much stronger.

“Brooke Ann Hastings, I love you. I have loved you for years, and I will always love you. Can you forgive me for being a complete fuck up and marry me? I

can’t ever apologize enough, but I can’t live without you. I need you. I exist for you. Please…be my wife and the mother of our many children. Be mine. Forever.”

Held in his gaze, I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t even breathe, almost as if he’d physically knocked the air from me. Any joking aside, could I? Could I trust him fully and marry him? Giving him my body was one thing, but giving him my life was a whole other thing. I’d trusted him before, and he’d decimated me. We’d both believed the false proof of my unfaithfulness, but still…

“Brooke, please,” he begged, his voice almost broken. He knew what he’d done. He’d suffered from it, too. No doubt he’d kick himself around for a long time, and I didn’t want that at all. I loved him. Completely.

Air filled my burning lungs, and I nodded. I would trust him. This wasn’t about feeling; this was about deliberate decision, a decision we’d make every day until it became ingrained nature once more. I knew without him saying so that he would never again take things at face value. “Yes, Asher Scott Morgan, I will marry you.”

“Today.”

I blinked at him. “What?”

“Today.”

I laughed. “We can’t today. We have to get a license, and there’s the waiting period, our families—”

“Today,” he reiterated. “I want you to be completely mine today. This is for us, and we don’t need everyone else there. We can have a reception or something later. But…today, let’s fly to Vegas.”

“You’re crazy.”

“Crazy in love with you, and unwilling to wait anymore. We should be married already—we would be if I wasn’t an idiot. You might already be pregnant with our baby, too. Please, Brooke. Let’s do it.”

“Just because I was still a virgin, that I didn’t cheat—”

“It’s not that. You know it’s not that. I’ve been telling you all week that I want you.” He kissed me quickly. “You’re mine, and I want to marry you and bind you to me as soon as possible.”

“Caveman,” I murmured, chiding him, but I loved that part of him and he knew it. I shook my head, unable to believe I was actually considering this. Of course, I’d marry him, but… “Today?” I repeated. At the idea, once I allowed it, joy blossomed inside me. Laughing, I shook my head again. “Okay. Let’s do it.”

Chapter Eight ~ Brooke ~

“Today” ended up being tomorrow, since the first available flight to Vegas was at eight the next morning, out of Grand Rapids. Asher was on a four-day work break—the firefighter’s schedule running in our favor this time—so the travel time still fell in with plan. We could spend two days in Vegas before jetting home to resume life…as a married couple.

Asher left for about an hour to whip together a bag. Clad in a silky robe, I spent the time packing, as well. We were going casual for the wedding, just finding a chapel and doing it. I still had the ring I’d bought for him in my jewelry box and I put that in my carryon along with my own rings. Despite the delay in our marriage, the love that surrounded those bands hadn’t abated or soured. They just had more of a story now.

We planned to go directly from the airport to the Strip, where we’d find a chapel and get hitched. Though we weren’t getting dressy, I refused to wear jeans to the ceremony. I picked out a white dress with tiny black polka dots peppered across the fabric. The skirt ended just below mid-thigh, and the sleeveless bodice contoured against my torso and showed off my shoulders. Modest, pretty, feminine yet with understated sexiness. I liked the choice as my wedding dress. I planned to pair it with strappy black wedges, comfortable enough for running around in the airport and on the Strip.

The jeans I didn’t want to wear to the ceremony went in my bag along with a chiffon blouse and silky cami for underneath. I packed some sexy lingerie and other essentials and was ready to go. I was getting married. Tomorrow. Wow!

When Asher got back, he took my bag and placed it beside his in the foyer. Then he lifted me into his arms and carried me back to our bed. Our bed. We were getting married, and this would be ours. Finally, we’d make this house into a home together. I melted into him as he covered me.

“How do you feel?” he asked.

“Excited.”

He growled happily. “How does your pussy feel?”

“Needy.”

“Sore?”

Maybe, a little, but not enough for me to turn down more sex with this wonderful man who was changing my life. Again. “I’m good,” I hedged, right as my stomach growled. His head dropped to my shoulder.

“Food. We need food.”

“I need you.”

“Uh-uh,” he replied, much to my frustration. “You’ve lost enough weight—too much. I’m feeding you. It’s my job to take care of my woman.”

I sighed, resigned to waiting for more of him. Was it possible to become an insatiable addict after just one taste of sex? That probably had more to do with him than to do with the act itself. “Can we order in? Maybe, get pizza?” I waggled my eyebrows, probably looking a bit as if I were having a seizure. “Have our cake and eat it, too?”

“Hmm…‘eating it, too’ sounds good to me,” he rasped, and we were now far from discussing food.

“Pervert,” I laughed, though his head had gone exactly where I’d wanted it to go and my body heated at the possibilities. His mouth and hands on me…

To my disappointment, he knelt upright and dug in his pocket for his phone. Minutes later, he’d ordered our double-cheese, Hawaiian pizza, breadsticks and a two-liter of Coke. Tossing the phone aside, he reached for me.

“We have forty-five minutes. Now…where were we?”

My hands slid down his chest then around to his back and pulled him down on me. “Right here,” I said against his mouth.

“Mmm, how could I forget?” Slowly, he kissed me, tracing the edge of my lips

with his tongue before delving deeper. I groaned as he sank inside, and we licked at each other, tasting and claiming. I drew him closer, running my fingers along his carved torso and arching under him to get more friction. My robe fell open as our legs tangled, the feel of the soft denim of his well-worn jeans erotic against my bare skin. Pushing aside the gaping fabric up top, he revealed my breasts. A moment later, my body jerked into a tighter arch as his lips descended on one nipple, sucking it deep into his mouth.

“Asher,” I cried, burying my fingers in his hair. Fire lit through me, burning pleasure igniting in my core, throbbing with renewed need, so much stronger than it had ever been before I’d known the feel of him deep inside me.

“So fucking responsive,” he murmured against my skin, kissing his way down the slope to the valley between my breasts. He nipped and left a small mark before making his way up to the other nipple. “So fucking perfect.”

He was the perfect one. My whole being clicked to him, my other half. I’d been only partially alive while we’d been apart. I hadn’t realized just how alone and broken I’d become until he’d brought me back to life again. And now, as we united, it sured everything I’d ever known.

Each suck tugged at my clit, as if a cord connected my breast and that needy little nub between my legs. I moaned and writhed beneath him. I craved even more. But I wanted to give him everything he desired, too.

“Tell me what to do…what you want,” I whispered as I kissed his strong neck.

“Exactly what you’re doing. Damn, you make me feel like a god, baby. You just

go wild when I touch you. Perfect, so perfect,” he repeated. His fingers worked at the belt of my robe, easily opening it and laying me bare. Not that I hadn’t been completely exposed moments before, but having it unfastened and shoved down my arms made me feel even more naked. Naked while he remained entirely dressed.

“Take off your clothes,” I urged while I pulled at the button of his jeans, ready to do the job myself. His shoes thumped to the floor then he left the bed.

“Don’t move,” he said as he stood over me, studying my body with a sensual gaze as he stripped. I licked my lips while inch by inch his skin was uncovered. A small gasp escaped me when he shoved down his jeans and boxer-briefs to reveal his fully hard erection…so hard for me.

My mouth watered to taste him, and despite his command to stay still, I turned and knelt on the bed, reaching for him. My fingers curled around his hip and pulled him closer. On hands and knees, I bent to his cock and dragged my tongue along the length. I had no idea exactly what to do, but I’d read enough to have a fairly good idea. His flavor was far better than I’d expected, his skin so smooth and soft beneath my tongue—softness over a length of rigid steel.

Grinning at his groan, I opened my mouth over his crown and sucked him inside. That heat I’d felt in my center, strengthened in reaction to what I did to him, and I discovered pleasing him aroused me with bliss I hadn’t imagined. Losing myself in him, I circled his shaft with one fist while I sucked and licked the rest of him, moving my head up and down as I orally fucked him.

“Fuck,” he swore, telling me I was doing this right. His fingers buried in my hair, and his other hand clasped on my shoulder. “Fuck, Brooke…fuck…”

My tongue lashed over the pre-cum forming at his tip. Oh God, his taste. A little salty, a little sweet, so smooth. I moaned as I sucked it down and searched for more. He’d addict me this way, too.

He huffed and puffed over me, and his fingers tightened. “Baby, I’m… We’ve gotta stop.”

“Don’t wanna,” I pulled off him long enough to say then dove back down for more. But that little bit off his cock was enough for him to maneuver me onto my back. In a flash, I was lying down and he was over me, kissing me furiously. I felt his tip at my opening and pushed my legs farther apart, lifting up to receive him. “Please, Asher, fuck me.”

“Oh, I’m going to fuck you, baby. I hope you’re ready because this will be hard and fast.”

“I’m ready. I need you,” I whined. My breath left me in gasps as he sank inside me in one long, slow stroke. His girth shoved open my tender walls, and it ached so good, but I must have winced.

“You okay?” he asked.

“So okay…” I moaned, moving a leg around his waist to pull him deeper. “So, so, so okay.”

“God, I love you.” Just as slowly as he’d entered, he pulled back, the retreat a sweet agony of loss.

“Love…you…” I gasped. “More. I need more. Asher!” My fingers dug into his shoulders as I fought to take him back inside me. “Yes,” I screamed as he surged in. There was no hesitancy now, no delay. Sure that I was ready, that I wanted him, that I needed him as much as he needed me, he started a steady pistoning that grew in speed and urgency as I met him drive for drive.

“You like that?” he muttered. “You like the feel of me claiming my woman?”

“Yes,” I cried. Was it possible for me to get wetter around him as he spoke?

“You’re so…fucking…tight,” he rasped between gritted teeth. “So fucking tight. The feel of you milking me… You want my cum, Brooke? You want my baby growing in you?”

“Yes. Give it to me.” His words triggered something within me, and I felt my body opening, ready to receive him as other parts of me tightened then exploded into myriad sensations of pure bliss. Colors flew before my eyes, and I arched, unable to breathe or even move as I clamped around him. Joy overcame me, escaping as tears streamed down my cheeks.

“Oh…God,” Asher gasped, his orgasm taking him. Warmth burst inside me, bathing my inner walls with his welcomed essence. I moaned in response, more tremors going off throughout my core. I loved this man so much.

“I love you,” I told him, echoing the thoughts thundering within every cell of my being. “Love you. Love you.”

“Baby,” he whispered, emotion breaking his voice. “I love you, too.”

Holding me close, he rolled so we could lie together on the mattress, still connected with our limbs entwined. He gently pushed back the hair sticking to my damp face. “You’re so beautiful.”

I bit my lip. He made me feel that way…beautiful. I ran my hands over his sweaty locks, this intimacy and peace so special after being alone for so long. In silence, we stayed there just holding each other and glorying in this gift of oneness we’d regained, while our breathing and pulses returned to normal.

Neither of us were ready to move when the doorbell rang.

Groaning, Asher pulled free then rolled to the side of the bed. “I’ll go get it.”

He yanked on his jeans then headed out into the hallway. Knowing he’d have an armful, I put on my robe and followed him, more slowly.

“What the fuck!” I heard him exclaim, and I moved into a run.

“Don’t punch me again!”

I entered the foyer to find the pizza delivery guy backing out the door, holding out our food as far from his body as he could. My eyes went wide. The delivery man was the stripper. My stripper, if we could call him that. The one I’d woken up with six months ago and who Asher had punched the shit out of after yanking him from the bed.

“Asher, don’t,” I cried, running forward as my once-again-fiancé stalked toward the other man. Obviously, things weren’t as they’d seemed, and this was the only person who could clear things up. Asher’s eyes were wild when they swung toward me. I curled my fingers around his forearm, hoping to calm him.

I looked at the guy who’d destroyed my life for some reason six months ago. I didn’t know why, but I wanted answers. Thank God, Asher and I had found our way back to each other, but this guy… He still had some explaining he could do. He knew it; I saw the remorse in his eyes.

“He won’t hit you,” I promised, my fingers tightening on Asher’s arm before I let go and beckoned the guy to come inside. I took the pizza and two-liter and handed it to my man. “Asher, take the food into the kitchen.”

“I’m not leaving you alone with him.”

“Asher!” I onished.

The delivery guy/stripper—Marshall, according to his nametag—held up his hands in surrender. “I’m not touching your girl, man. This whole thing…” He

trailed off, shaking his head on a sigh. “It’s messed up.”

Asher narrowed his eyes then practically stomped into the kitchen with the food. I was sure he’d be back before Marshall started explaining. Marshall shoved his hands into his pockets—good plan—and surveyed me with a hangdog expression.

“I’m sorry about what happened,” he started.

“You’re sorry?” Asher asked in disbelief, returning on cue.

“Hon…” I warned. I wasn’t thrilled about any of this, but I didn’t want to scare the guy away.

Marshall pushed a hand through his hair, his consternation vibrating from him. He stayed near the door he hadn’t quite closed. “Look,” he pleaded. “I’m not a bad person. Just hear me out.”

Asher raised a brow and crossed his arms, but didn’t say anything.

“I’m working three jobs—this one, bartending and, well, I’m an ant. That’s my day job.” Okay…so he wasn’t a stripper at all. “My little sister has cancer and her insurance pays shit-all for the actual medication she needs—the only one that’s working. I’m doing whatever I can to pay for it.”

“And?” Asher asked, his tone less murderous.

“And well…” He looked at me. “You should be more choosy about your friends. One of them paid me to,” he made air quotes, “play a joke on you. She said you guys played pranks like that on each other all the time. And until your guy here gave me a couple black eyes and a bloody nose, I believed her. Trust me…all I did was make sure you got home okay and stayed with you to make sure you’d be all right. I fell asleep because I’d been up since five the morning before. I didn’t take advantage of you and I sure as hell had nothing to do with the roofie she gave you, or whatever it was. She promised it was something over-thecounter and harmless that would just make you sleepy. She swore it wasn’t some illegal date-rape drug or something.”

“Who?” Asher demanded, enraged again, but this time, I could tell it wasn’t directed at Marshall. His arm went around me, pulling me stiffly close to his side.

“I don’t know her name. She was one of the girls with you. Longish, black hair. Tall. Expensive clothes. She gave me five thou to help her.”

“Tansy,” Asher and I said at the same time. It was the only person it could be, but…why?

“Why would she do that?” I wondered aloud. We’d never been besties or anything, but we’d gotten along well since the time, several years ago, when she’d dated Caed.

Marshall shrugged. “You’d have to ask her. All I can say is I’m sorry. When I

found out what happened and knew it was my fault…” He shook his head, not elaborating on his feelings. “Anyway… I’m sorry. I didn’t find out how things had blown up until a couple months afterward. When I left that day, I still thought it had been part of a joke and you’d laugh about it later. In retrospect, I should have realized, black eyes and all… I would have come and apologized sooner, but I honestly thought you’d moved away.”

“I understand,” I offered. “Thank you for the apology and the explanation. We appreciate it.” I looked up at Asher, and he nodded stiffly. He might not be as willing to forgive, but he’d play nice for me. It most likely pissed him off that I’d been drugged and betrayed. Another man might have taken advantage of my incapacitation. Thankfully, Marshall hadn’t. Still, it was time to be finished here, before Asher exploded.

“Let me get your tip,” I said. Asher had paid for the food with his card, but Marshall still needed his gratuity.

“No, I’ve got it,” Asher cut in. He pulled his wallet from the jeans he’d quickly yanked on earlier. To my surprise, he handed Marshall a pair of hundred bills. “I hope your sister does well, and…thanks for the information and for taking care of my girl that night.”

Marshall nodded, clearly uncomfortable with everything. After a few polite niceties, he was on his way and I was alone with Asher. We faced each other over slices of pizza we dished onto the hunter-green plates we’d picked out together last year. I plucked a piece of pineapple off the cheese while he mangled a breadstick.

“Any idea why Tansy would pull that shit?” he asked.

I shook my head slowly, equally perplexed. “We’ve always gotten along, even after her nasty breakup with Caed.”

Asher’s eyebrows pulled together, and he cocked his head. “I forgot she dated your brother. You don’t think…”

“Why would she mess with us because of what happened with him? That doesn’t make any sense,” I replied, answering his unspoken question.

“I don’t know, but none of it makes sense—screwing with us or her motives. I’m calling your brother to see what he thinks.”

“He doesn’t know why we broke up. I told him it was my fault, not yours, but I never gave him details.”

“We’ll have to tell him. At least, it’s not true, right?”

“I guess.” It still didn’t make confessing the particulars any easier, especially since we’d have to explain everything in hope of some answers.

Asher dialed Caed then put his phone on speaker and set it on the table between us.

“Hey, asshat,” my brother answered.

“Stop calling him that!” I exclaimed.

“Oh, hey, Brooke. Sorry, thought you were Asher. Why’re you calling from his phone?”

“I’m here, too,” Asher growled. “We need to talk to you about something, ask you a question.”

“Shoot.”

I huffed out a breath. “Just listen to everything before you blow up, okay?”

“What did you do, Ash?” he snapped.

“Nothing!” I cut in. “He didn’t do anything. Look… The day before our wedding, Asher came in and found me in bed with another guy—”

“What!”

“Listen to me,” I begged. “It was a setup. I didn’t do anything, but we didn’t know it then. I couldn’t anything, and it looked really bad.”

“I’m sure it did,” Caed muttered, and I wasn’t sure he believed I’d been a victim. Cold, heavy feelings of guilt sank over me again.

Asher grabbed my hand. I love you, he mouthed.

“That’s why Asher called off the wedding,” I confessed. “Things are on track now, and well…we just found out, kind of by accident, that it was a nasty trick pulled on us. Something meant to break us up. The whole thing was staged to make it look like I’d cheated.”

“Who would do that?” Caed’s voice was dead calm. My overprotective big brother sounded as if he wanted to kill someone. Suddenly, I worried what would happen when he learned more. Still, we had to tell him, so we could get his insight.

Asher squeezed my hand. “Tansy roofied your sister then paid the guy to pretend he’d slept with Brooke. It’s a long story, but he’s an idiot yet a somewhat innocent party here. Our question is: do you have any idea why Tansy would pull that shit?”

“I never thought she hated me that much,” I added.

“She doesn’t hate you,” Caed said quietly then didn’t say a word for a long while.

“Caed?” I asked when I began to think the call had been dropped.

“I’m here. I’m just… Christ,” he swore. “This has nothing to do with you.”

“We figured,” Asher replied.

“It’s revenge on me by hurting you. Guess that backfired since you never told me shit. Hell, Brooke, you should have told me.”

“I was too ashamed.” I glanced up at Asher, seeing the pain in his eyes. I stood and rounded the table, and he pushed back his chair enough for me to climb into his lap. “Besides, what good would it have done? You would have thought your sister was a whore or something, and I still would have been broken up with Asher.”

“Don’t call yourself that,” they both snapped. Yeah, two peas in a pod, just as they had been throughout all their friendship. I felt horrible for what they’d lost, even though it wasn’t my fault.

“I still don’t understand,” Asher went on, urging Caeden to explain, if he could.

“She thinks I cheated on her. I didn’t, but she wouldn’t see reason. Are you going to press charges?”

“No,” I replied as Asher said, “Yes.”

“No,” I repeated with more force, giving my man a hard look. “I want to talk to her, make it clear that I know, but that’s it.”

“You’re a lot nicer than I would ever be, sis.”

“Well, she failed. I’m with Asher again, and honestly, I don’t want the whole thing rehashed and speculated over by the town’s gossips any more than it already has been. Besides, the only proof is the poor guy who’s only trying to pay for his sister’s cancer drugs. I’d rather just leave him be.”

Caed was silent again for a bit. “So, does this mean you guys are going to get hitched?”

I grinned up at Asher. “We’re talking about it.”

“Good. Don’t wait too long. It’s been long enough, and you two belong together.”

“Okay,” I agreed happily.

“Sorry about the black eye, man,” he went on, “sort of. I’m still not so sure you didn’t deserve it. You should have known my sister better than that.”

“Yeah, probably,” Asher agreed. His arms tightened around me, and he kissed my neck. I sighed, tilting my head to give him more access.

“Are you guys making out?” my brother screeched—yes, screeched. “Oh my God!” He made a gagging sound and hung up.

“Bye, Caed,” I said to the dead phone then turned to straddle my soon-to-be husband. “I love you.”

“I love you, too, baby. Let’s eat. We need to get to bed soon. We have a plane to catch pretty early tomorrow.”

“It isn’t good to go to sleep right after eating,” I protested.

He nipped playfully at my collarbone. “Who said anything about sleeping?”

Epilogue ~ Brooke ~

Three months later…

“So?”

I glanced up at Sadie, who leaned in the doorway of my bedroom as I exited the en suite bathroom. After Asher and I had returned from Vegas, Sadie and I had spent time reconnecting. It was so good to have my best friend back in my life. She’d been horrified when I’d explained the truth of what had happened that weekend of my aborted wedding and she’d stood at my side when I’d confronted Tansy.

Despite my protests, Asher had spoken to a few people, both cops and lawyers, and discovered, as I’d suspected, that we’d be engaging in a steep uphill battle to pursue charges against Tansy. In court, it was unlikely we’d win with such thin evidence. Essentially, it all boiled down to hearsay. Right or wrong, we’d decided against filing a claim.

While he’d been at work the week after we’d returned from Vegas as husband and wife, I’d had lunch with Sadie and while she was on fire with rage, we’d confronted Tansy as she’d left Nan’s for the day. I was sure Asher would want to go with me, but frankly, I didn’t want him to land in jail. His anger still burned too hot to deal with Tansy and keep a level head. Apparently, I had some of the same in me because I’d gotten in a few good shoves before Sadie had held me back.

Sadie—bless that girl—was Nan’s granddaughter and had suggested that Tansy might want to consider looking for another job. Once Sadie had a talk with her Nana, Tansy would be on cleaning duty around the restaurant indefinitely. She also suggested Tansy might want to consider taking a one-way trip out of Collingsworth with all her money. I’d always known Sadie had some darkness haunting her, but she apparently had plenty of bulldog in her, too.

“Maybe, I should tell Asher first,” I laughed, pushing the small wand-like test behind my back.

She rolled her eyes. “You’re pregnant, bitch. Don’t hold out on me.”

“Don’t you have something you should be painting, wench?” Sadie had come over to help me paint the living room, but when she’d arrived and I’d been in the bathroom puking yet again, she’d insisted on a run to the drugstore, which brought us to now. She was well aware of Asher’s single-minded goal to knock me up.

“Whatever. Fine. Don’t tell me. You are, though, aren’t you? I mean you’ve been hurling your guts out all day.”

I made a face at her, steadfastly refusing to answer.

“Fine,” she repeated and pulled out her phone. “Hi,” she said after she dialed. “This is Sadie Grant. I’m over at Asher and Brooke Morgan’s place. There’s a bit of an emergency—”

Her eyes widened as the person on the other end cut her off, though by her smirk, I was sure she was getting exactly what she wanted.

“Well, thank you. See you in a moment.”

“That’s illegal,” I exclaimed as she disconnected and shoved her phone into her pocket. “Call them back and tell them it was a mistake. You can’t phone 9-1-1 with a fake emergency.”

Already, I heard sirens in the distance.

“Apparently, I’m good at breaking the law. Look at how quickly they responded,” she said when I glared at her. Looking pleased, she flipped her long blonde hair behind her shoulder then blew a bubble with her gum. “Besides, I didn’t call 9-1-1. I called Nate. And I am having an emergency. My closest friend won’t tell me if she’s pregnant or not. I’m having a…personal issue over it. And…this is a tiny little town where we’re all in each other’s pockets. What do you think they’re going to do?”

“Demand details.” I shook my head at her ridiculousness but also at the truth in her statement. And I had a feeling, especially now, that she and Nate had something going. She probably wanted to see him as much as I wanted to see Asher.

“Brooke!” Asher yelled, slamming into the house. He was already thudding up the steps, likely taking several at a time from the sound of it.

“She’s in here,” Sadie said, straightening from her position against the doorframe. She brushed her hands over her jeans. “I’ll just be downstairs… painting. Did Nate come along with you?”

“Yeah.” Asher rushed past her toward me.

“You okay?” he asked as Sadie shut the door behind him, closing the two of us in alone.

“I’m fine.” I gravitated toward him, needing to be near him like always. “Sadie’s just mad because I wouldn’t show her this.”

“Jesus! I just about had a heart attack. I—” He cut off suddenly as he realized what was in my hand. Slowly, he reached for it then peered at the small window and the unmistakable word shown there. Pregnant. “Really?” he breathed. “We’re having a baby?”

“Really. Don’t sound so surprised. You’ve been trying hard enough.”

“I wasn’t alone in that.”

“No…” I twisted the rings on my left hand, nervously waiting for what he’d say. We both wanted this, right? He’d been single-minded about it since we’d gotten back together. Hell, I needed him to go to work just to have a break from having his cock in me.

“Oh my God. Finally,” he breathed, dropping to his knees. His mouth pressed to my belly. “Hey, baby. Daddy is so happy you’re in there.” He kissed just below my navel, the tenderness bringing moisture to my eyes. My fingers threaded into his slightly shaggy hair. Every day, I was so damn happy that we’d found our way back to each other. That reminded me…

“You know I was never going to move to LA,” I confessed.

He looked up at me at a total loss at my leap in topic.

“What?”

“All this time, I never told you… In the scheme of things, it didn’t really matter, but now, I was just thinking how happy I am that we worked everything out. I just can’t forget that as part of it, that Nate told you I was moving to LA. I wasn’t. I was pissed at my brother for pushing me to be social again. I needed something to make him back off.” I gave Asher a nervous smile.

He laughed. “Well, thank goodness for you getting pissed, eh? Speaking of… I should probably go let everyone know everything is fine before you’ve got a crew of annoyed firemen in your kitchen.”

“Sadie’s probably already told them and is feeding them the coffee cake I made.”

“My coffee cake? I thought Sadie liked me. Now, she’s giving away your baked

goods to—”

“Shh…” I shushed him. “I’ll make you another and bring it to you at the firehouse later today. You should thank her, you know? I would have waited until after your shift ends tomorrow to tell you.” It would have been two days of hell, too.

“Now, I’ll just be aching to celebrate our news.” He stood and pressed my fingers to his thick, fully hard erection.

I moaned, going wet. Now, he’d lit the fire in me. Again. “Damn it,” I whispered.

“I love you,” he said against my lips. “Love you, love you, love you.”

“I love you, too, Asher. So very much, for always.”

About the Author When it comes to books and movies, I have one rule: there must be a happy ending. After that one requirement, anything else goes. And it just might in any of my books. Expect the unexpected.

I love hearing from readers! Please visit me on my website at www.brynnpaulin.com or me at [email protected].

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Books by Brynn Paulin Circle of Three Boy Toys Tempting Tamera

Daly Way Belonging to Them Plays Well With Others Fill Her Up One for the Team Briar’s Cowboys Roped by the Team His Old Kentucky Home Eye of Her Storm Santa Secret Mad About Her Cowboys (coming in 2019) Tradition Bound On Your Knees In His Chains (coming in 3/31/19) Taboo Wishes

Punished Kidnap and Kink Yuletide Greetings Mr. Smith’s Whip Dick Does Jane Sybil Disobedience Billionaire Club Blind Date Billionaire Auction (co-author Tia Fanning) Stranded With the Billionaire Billionaire and the Beast (coming 4/24/19) North Springs Stocking Full of Cole With Love, Alek Love Notes Standalone Books Light My Fire Truth or Dare Buried Secrets Ménage Two Plus One