At the deadpan expression Asher received, he assumed his attempt at humor had failed.
Reaching for the bottom of his sweater, he pulled the material over his head and held it out to Lexie.
Her gaze brushed over his bare chest before drawing to the sweater in his hand. “You’re giving me your sweater?”
He could tell she was trying to appear unaffected by his naked skin. The pink tinge to her cheeks, along with the slight widening of her eyes, told Asher she was anything but.
“I mean, if you don’t want it, I can just turn up the heat and you can remove your wet clothes?”
Yeah, there wasn’t a chance Asher would actually let that happen. He would have to kick the ass of every man who dared look at her. With the company he kept—his brothers and business partners—that would not be an easy task.
Asher chuckled at the angry huff from Lexie when she reluctantly took the material from his fingers. As she marched down the hall, Asher couldn’t tear his gaze from her perfect behind. “Call out if you need help in there.”
“You wish.” Lexie muttered the word under her breath, probably intending for no one to hear.
Chuckling again, Asher headed to the office, unable to wipe the smile from his face.
Unfortunately for Lexie, Asher had excellent hearing. Better than excellent; he could hear everything—including the way her heart had sped up at the sight of his bare skin a moment earlier.
Not only was his hearing unbelievable, Asher had strength and speed in spades—he was faster than almost any species on Earth—and he healed fast. And that was only a few of his abilities.
Grabbing a spare shirt from a cupboard, Asher threw it over his head.
Lexie knew nothing about Asher’s advanced abilities. Not a damn thing. Just like she didn’t know about Project Arma, the covert operation that had turned him and his brothers into the genetically altered soldiers they were. The operation that had gone into hiding when the government had discovered their true activity—testing experimental drugs on soldiers. Asher and his brothers had been hunting them ever since.
No. Lexie knew nothing about any of it. And that was how he intended to keep it.
The knowledge was dangerous. Too dangerous for Lexie. Keeping secrets from her wasn’t to save his ass, it was to save hers.
There was no way in hell Asher was going to expose Lexie to any of it. As far as he could tell, she had a perfect life. Perfectly normal.
Asher already worried about the danger Lexie could encounter from working at Marble Protection. He could only hope his enemies didn’t use his employees against him, but anything more personal was an exponentially larger risk.
“The group for your next class just arrived, Striker.”
Asher glanced up at hearing Mason in the doorway. His teammate, business partner, and brother. Not in blood, but in every other sense of the word. The man was family, just like the rest of the team. The best thing the Navy ever gave Asher was his brothers.
“Be right out.”
Mason walked farther into the room. “Who’s on to take the class with you?”
“Hunter. And if that asshole tries to pin my head again, he better be ready for a showdown.”
Mason chuckled as he headed to the desk. “I don’t know that you two are a good pair to run a class together.”
They were the best pairing. It didn’t get more realistic than what they demonstrated. “I’m the only one who can put up with the big brute. At least Shylah’s softened him a bit. Don’t need to worry about a broken rib whenever he loses his temper anymore.”
Eden, known as Hunter to his teammates, was a different man than he was a few months ago. Asher remembered too well what he had been like while Shylah had been missing. Angry didn’t begin to describe it.
Since she’d returned, the team had gotten the old Eden back. The guy still didn’t like to be beaten, even if it was only for a self-defense class, but neither did any of them. Asher included.
They had one rule during classes—no one was allowed to show their advanced strength and speed to civilians. Eden liked to bend that rule to save face. Today, Asher might just return the favor.
“Shylah put a stop to that. And the woman is very aware that if she goes anywhere ever again, the whole damn town will drag her ass back,” Mason said, only half joking as he dropped into a seat.
“I don’t think she’s going anywhere.” Hell, any fool could see how infatuated Shylah and Eden were with each other. “I’ll tell you what, though, I’m damn sick of the people behind Project Arma messing with our women. We need to hurry the fuck up in locating those assholes and putting them behind bars.”
Or under the ground.
First Evie, Luca’s girlfriend, was attacked by her ex, who happened to be part of Project Arma. Then Shylah, Eden’s woman, was set up by the new Marble Falls’ doctor, who was also linked to Project Arma.
Both women had almost lost their lives.
“Exactly why we’re working overtime to hunt those fuckers down,” Mason growled, running his hands through his hair. “Make sure you keep an eye on Lexie, just in case.”
Asher’s gaze flew to Mason’s. Even though he never spoke about his involvement with Lexie, the guys knew something was going on between them. Christ, there wasn’t much the team didn’t know about each other.
“That’s exactly why I can’t make a commitment to her.” Asher left off the part where she’d already decided he was no longer welcome to visit her at all. Not unless he made their involvement public.
About to leave, he stopped when Mason spoke again. “I’ve been meaning to ask, is she okay?” Asher turned to face his friend. “She’s seemed a bit off this last week.”
Asher’s brows pulled together. “You noticed?”
“That her face has been a shade lighter than the white counter she stands at? Yeah, I noticed.”
Running a hand through his hair, Asher felt a knot of unease in his gut. “I asked her about it a few days ago but she brushed me off.”
Brushed him off was an understatement. If his memory served him right, which it usually did, Lexie had lit into him in a way she’d never done before, telling him that if he didn’t want to share his shit, she wouldn’t be sharing hers. She’d then thrown in the whopper—that they were done.
Like hell they were done.
Mason nodded. “We’ll all keep an eye on her to make sure she’s okay. Just don’t do anything stupid.”
Stupid like what? Fall for a woman he couldn’t have because his life was a hotbed of danger? Too late for that.
Asher left the office to reenter the mat area. Marble Protection had one large open area at the front, which was positioned directly opposite the counter. The same counter where Lexie stood every day. Smaller rooms, used for private lessons and meetings, were off a long corridor.
Asher spared a glance at Lexie, who had returned to the front. She was drowning in his sweater, but the sight of her in his clothes made every territorial instinct in him scream “mine.”
Giving himself a mental shake, Asher looked away.
“Ready to get your ass beat?”
Asher narrowed his eyes as he turned to look at Eden. “You even try to cheat and your ass is mine.”
Eden chuckled. “You do what you need to do.”
Asher intended to do exactly that. Both in the class…and with the rest of his life.
* * *
Lexie tried not to stare at Asher as he flung Eden over his shoulder. The muscles in his back flexed through the tight shirt and his huge biceps rippled.
Good God, he could make a woman orgasm just from watching him.
Lexie dragged her gaze away to face the computer screen. It took much more willpower than it should have, but she’d rather be shot in the foot than have him catch her staring.
It was almost the end of the day, and this was the third class he’d taken. It was damn hard to get over the man when she saw his sexy body all day. He probably stayed out there t
o torture her. There were other jobs in the company that he could be doing. Office work, private classes in the back rooms, even classes off-site.
“It’s not fair. You get to watch Asher all day while Luca doesn’t take a single lesson.”
Drawing her head up to see Evie exiting the office, Lexie couldn’t stop the smile that stretched her lips.
Lexie had known Evie for less than a year but they’d clicked immediately. The other woman had a gentleness about her that Lexie couldn’t help but be drawn to.
After moving to Marble Falls, Evie had worked with Lexie at the front desk for a while. Now she spent most of her time working with one of the Marble Protection owners, Wyatt, on their computer system. On the side, Evie was also completing an online IT course. She’d failed to mention when they’d met that she was a genius.
“First of all, you can look at that hunky boyfriend of yours anytime you want. You live with the man.” Lexie crossed her arms and leaned her hip against the counter before she continued. “Secondly, that wannabe Hemsworth brother over there can get stuffed. He’s been taking group classes all day just to torment me, and I refuse to be affected.”
Evie’s brow lifted as a slight smile touched her lips. “You’re not affected?”
Shaking her head, she lied through her teeth. “Not in the least.”
Chuckling, Evie shook her head. “Don’t go saying that to any of them. They’re human lie detectors. They’ll see through you quicker than me.” Evie cocked her head to the side. “Want to come over for a wine and cake night this Saturday? I’ve already checked, Shylah’s free.”
Opening her mouth to say yes—heck yes—Lexie quickly stopped when she remembered her morning discovery.
She was pregnant.
Pregnancy meant no wine. No wine for nine months. Well, seven and a half now.
Holy moly, how would she hide it from Evie? Lexie herself had invented wine night.
Evie’s brows pulled together at her hesitation. Placing a hand on Lexie’s arm, she lowered her voice. “Hey, are you okay, Lex? You’ve gone a bit pale.”
Of course she was pale. There was the beginnings of a human being growing inside her body.
Glancing down at her friend, Lexie made a decision. She may not want to tell Asher and change his whole world just yet, but surely she could tell Evie. She needed a friend to share her earth-shattering news with.
“Actually, I was wondering if you wanted to grab a coffee with me. There’s something I was hoping to get your advice on.”
Evie’s brows shot up. “Of course. You can talk to me about anything, whenever you need to, Lex. Want to pop over when you finish work?”
And risk Luca walking in on their conversation? No, thank you.
“Could we go to the diner? Maybe tomorrow if you’re free?” At the concern on Evie’s face, Lexie attempted to downplay it. “It’s nothing too serious, I just need a girl’s opinion.”
Yeah, a girl’s opinion on whether to go with disposable or cloth diapers.
“Sure. Tomorrow morning at the diner sounds good.”
Releasing a sigh, Lexie tried to hide her relief, but dang did it feel good that someone other than her would know her secret.
At that moment, Luca circled the counter and snaked his arm around Evie’s middle. Evie’s cheeks colored a rosy-pink shade as Luca nuzzled her neck.
“Ready to go, sweetheart?”
Evie nodded, a gigantic grin on her lips.
Lexie pushed down the piercing jealousy. She was happy for her friend. A gigantic-super-crate worth of happy for her. Evie deserved every bit of joy and love that she had. Especially since she’d been in such a terrible relationship before Luca. Lexie just wished that her man loved her that open and fiercely.
Luca and Evie turned to leave, saying their goodbyes on the way out.
Packing up the desk, her eyes lifted to see Asher watching her from across the room. His gaze was heated. Intense. He could almost fool someone into believing he cared about her.
Almost.
Firming her expression, Lexie turned back to the desk, finishing her tidying.
Do not fall for that man’s charm, Lexie.
Thinking about the walk home, she cringed. She was tired. Why oh why had she walked to work today rather than driven? Maybe the early pregnancy was affecting her decision-making as well as zapping her energy.
Lifting her bag, Lexie turned—and stepped straight into Asher’s big body.
His arm shot out to wrap around Lexie’s back, stopping her from landing on the ground. The weak side of her wanted to sink into him. Let his arms of steel wrap around her body and hold her tight.
The strong side, the louder side, knew there was no way she was letting him think he could have her without any sort of commitment. He would take what he wanted, only for Lexie to wake up to cold sheets beside her.
Pushing at his chest, she huffed when Asher remained where he was, like a big old statue.
Lexie’s voice hardened as she spoke. “Let go of me, Asher, I’m going home.”
A grin stretched his mouth. “I’ll take you home.”
That was a big fat no. She couldn’t trust herself around him for five minutes. “I’ll walk, thanks.”
Asher lowered his head, his breath brushing against her chilled skin as he spoke. “You look tired. Let me drive you home, Lex.”
It was hard to ignore the fact that everyone else in the building had left. It was just her and Asher. Hence his affection.
“So now that everyone’s gone home it’s okay to touch me?”
She wanted her words to be firm. Angry. But they didn’t sound anywhere near that.
“Let me take you home,” he repeated, ignoring her words.
At the slight touch of his lips against her neck, a shiver coursed down Lexie’s spine. At the same time, his hand ran down her back.
Jeez, she was a goner.
Taking a breath, Lexie gathered her strength before speaking. “Fine, you can take me home under one condition. You remain in the car when we get there. And no touching.”
As she said the last word, Asher’s lips pressed to Lexie’s neck. Heat spiraled through her core. Holy ham on a cracker, she could light up in flames right then and there.
“Is that what you want?” Asher murmured, lips trailing down her neck.
No. “Yes.”
Her voice held less conviction than she would like, but still, Asher lifted his head and stepped back. Her body yearned for his lips to return to her skin. The sudden lack of Asher’s warmth caused her skin to chill.
“Let’s get going then,” Asher said with a hint of a smile.
Dammit, the man knew exactly what he’d done to her.
Stomping past Asher, she didn’t acknowledge him until they were in the car on the way to her house.
“Do you have to take every class in the big room at Marble?” Lexie asked, finally breaking the silence.
Humor shone in Asher’s eyes as he kept his gaze on the road. “Does it bother you?”
“Yes.” What was the point in lying? The man would see right through it, anyway. “Asher, we’re not together anymore. For that matter, we never really were. I wanted more, you didn’t. Now I need to be given a chance to get over you. I can’t do that while you’re right in front of me all day, every day. Isn’t there some paperwork in the back you can do?”
His gaze darted to Lexie then back to the road, all traces of humor gone. “Why does it have to be one way or the other, Lex? Can’t we meet in between?”
“Asher, your version of ‘in between’ is late-night booty calls and sneaking off before the sun comes up.”
“Not true,” Asher pushed. “We’ve had dinner together tons of times.”
“Yes, but always at home.” Swallowing the lump in her throat, Lexie watched the trees pass by. “I want someone who loves me enough to take me out places. To stay the night and wake up next to me. Someone who’ll share their life with me.”
Asher shook his
head. “I care about you.”
Sure didn’t feel that way.
The car came to a stop outside Lexie’s building. “If you care about me, then either give us a go at being something real or give me some space.”
Jeez, she hated the idea of space. It tore her up inside. But so did seeing him every second of every day and knowing he wasn’t hers.
“No.”
Disbelief coursed through Lexie at his response. “No? No to what?”
“I’m not giving you space to get over me, but I can’t share my whole life with you.”
Anger welled up inside her. He didn’t even look like he felt any guilt.
Lexie began unfastening her seat belt but stopped when she saw Asher’s hand go to his door handle. “Don’t even think about it, Asher,” Lexie said firmly, the anger snaking its way into her tone. “You said you wouldn’t get out. The least you can do is keep your word.”
Asher pulled his hand back.
Climbing out of the car, she ducked her head back in one final time. “And it’s not that you can’t let me into your life, it’s that you won’t. And that just doesn’t work for me.”
Slamming the door shut, Lexie walked to her apartment, ignoring the gaping hole in her heart.
3
Stepping into Joan’s Diner the next morning, Lexie scanned the tables but couldn’t see any signs of Evie.
She needed Evie’s support right now. Marble Falls was a small town, and Lexie had dedicated most of her time in the last year to Asher. She hadn’t gone out of her way to make new friends.
Lexie needed Evie to tell her everything would be okay. She couldn’t do this without a friend.
Moving to a spot in the back, Lexie took a seat away from other diners. She knew no one would be listening—in particular, Asher wasn’t here to listen—but the hypersensitive part of her kept picturing him popping out from under a table once the words left her mouth.
Sitting down, she clenched her hands into fists, for no reason other than to stop any nervous fidgeting.
“Coffee?”
Lifting her head, Lexie took one look at the pot of coffee the waitress was holding and reluctantly shook her head. She’d gone home last night and researched it. Apparently, coffee wasn’t recommended in the first trimester.
Asher: A steamy contemporary military romance (Project Arma Book 3) Page 2