Asher (A Wesley Brothers Novel Book 3)

by Michelle Smith

  “Everything! You told me you guys decided to keep seeing each other.”

  “Yes, we did,” I answer honestly. “He also introduced me as his girlfriend when we went to his parents’ house for the barbeque.”

  Kendra’s eyes widen in surprise. “He did? Wow, I don’t think I’ve ever heard him use that word before.” She grabs one of the shot glasses and holds it up, so I grab mine and do the same. We clink the glasses together, tap the glasses against the table, and shoot the Royal Fucks.

  “We talked about it afterwards too. We’re officially a couple.”

  Kendra squeals in her seat, a few of the nearby people giving us dirty looks. They shouldn’t be offended by the noise. The place is packed tonight and there are plenty of people noisier than us.

  “I’m so happy for you guys.”

  I am too. I tell her about all the time we’ve spent together over the last six weeks, only leaving out the mostly naughty parts. We share a lot with each other, but those are parts of my relationship with Ash I want to keep for myself.

  I’m in a real relationship with Ash.

  The feeling sends a rush of warmth over me.

  “So, what’s next for you two?”

  I let out a breath and take a moment to think. I asked myself that same question dozens of times before I ultimately decided to let things play out as they may. “I don’t know. I don’t want to rush anything. Right now, I’m happy to enjoy the ride, I guess. However long it lasts.” I shrug. It’s the best answer I can come up with and Kendra doesn’t question it. Instead, she picks up her second shot glass, waiting for me to do the same.

  When I tap mine against hers, she toasts—loudly. “To long, hard rides on Ash!”

  “Kendra!” My eyes go wide with embarrassment as the tables around us give us more dirty looks.

  “What?” She gives me her best innocent expression. “Girl, you’re having sex. You should shout that shit from the rooftops.”

  I tap my glass on the table and shoot the cinnamon whiskey, trying to avoid the surrounding stares.

  Yep. I need a new best friend.

  ***

  Ash: Hope you’re having fun with Kendra. I wish you were here with me. I’m hard, lonely, and I’ve forgotten what your pussy tastes like…

  A flush of heat sweeps over my body. One dirty text and it’s like Ash pushed an auto-start button on my libido. Between the Royal Fuck, the Fireball, and the Big O—another shot the bartender offered, though I’m not quite sure that’s the Big O he was referring to when he offered to give it to me—I’m feeling pretty good right now.

  Ash’s dirty words are the thing that puts me over the edge. I’m not drunk, but my inhibitions are gone, and his words set a plan in motion for me. I have every intention of seeing it through.

  “Excuse me,” I tell the Uber driver. “I’ve had a change of plans.” I rattle off Ash’s address and the driver takes a U-turn at the next light to head in the opposite direction.

  Grabbing my phone, I shoot off a quick text to Ash.

  Me: It was fun, but not as much fun as it would be to remind you what my pussy tastes like. What are you doing right now?

  Oh God, I can’t believe I typed that.

  His reply is almost instant.

  Ash: I was going to flip through the television channels but now, because of you, I’m about to jack off to the image of you reminding me. Why?

  He says it with no shame and I love that about him. He’s never been shy about telling me the intimate details of what he’s thinking. Hell, I bet the man has never been shy about anything in his whole life.

  Me: I can be there in ten minutes if you need a hand.

  The little bubbles appear, and I wait for his response to pop up. When it does, he has me smiling from ear to ear.

  Ash: You get here in ten minutes and I’m going to use a lot more than your hand, baby. Are you down with that?

  Me: Oh, I’m down with that. See you in ten.

  I put my phone away, taking my lip gloss out and applying a new coat over my lips. I sweep my tongue over the glossed flesh, a burst of cherry flavor exploding on my tongue. Ash is going to love it. He told me the other night cherry is his favorite flavor. When I saw the tube of gloss near the checkout counter at the makeup store yesterday, I grabbed it. I was sure it would be an impulse buy that would come in handy.

  The driver pulls up to the building and I quickly pay and climb out of the car. I jog up the step as best I can in heels and stop short when I see Ash standing inside the foyer door, a smirk on his delectable lips. He’s standing in a pair of sweat pants, the draw string tied loose enough that they hang low on his hips. He’s wearing a pair of sandals and his shirt is nowhere to be found.

  All that tanned, muscled chest on display along with arm porn for days.

  Damn. He looks good enough to eat.

  Or lick. I’m not picky.

  He holds the door open wide enough for me to squeeze through, our bodies pressing against each other as I do. His scent wafts across me, a delicious mix of Ash and whatever subtle body wash he uses. He always smells so good.

  Before passing by him, I stop to bury my nose into the crook of his neck, breathing in deeply. “You smell good.”

  His chest rumbles with a small laugh. “Are you drunk?”

  I slide on past, shaking my head. “No, but I am feeling mighty fine.” I give him a sweet smile and watch as he pulls the door closed and strolls over to where I’m standing by the elevator. He comes up next to me, tapping the arrowed elevator call button. When he’s within reach, I trace my fingers over the smooth skin around the waistband of his pants, slipping my fingers in far enough to tug him a little closer. He moves to me without resistance.

  I don’t know what’s come over me. I’m never one to initiate things between us, instead allowing Ash to take charge. I prefer it that way. Tonight—maybe it’s the shots, or maybe it’s simply the half-naked man in front of me—I can’t resist making the first move.

  “You look hot.” Okay, so they aren’t the most eloquent words, but they get my point across. And really, I’m easing into the good stuff, or at least that’s what my tipsy mind thinks.

  This time of night, the lobby is completely deserted, but still I lower my voice, almost conspiratorially, even though there’s no one around to hear me. “Did you get started without me?” My eyes roam over where my fingers stroke over the rigid abdominal muscles and up his chest until I meet his eyes.

  His eyes move over my face before they settle on my lips. The heat I see there is scorching. “You mean did I jack off without you?” My mouth drops open in mock horror, drawing a chuckle from his perfect lips. “No way, baby.”

  “Good.” The elevator doors open, and I drop my fingers from his waistband to walk in. Ash comes in behind me, one hand on the small of my back urging me through the open doors. I hear him press the button on the control panel quickly before spinning me around.

  He’s within inches of me, his hands coming to my face to pull me into a kiss. His lips on mine are hot, insistent, and brimming over with passion. By the intensity of the kiss, you would think he hasn't seen me in days as opposed to the mere hours it's been.

  Not that I'm complaining.

  Nor do I complain when the force of his body suddenly presses into mine causing me to stumble backwards against the elevator wall, his hands coming to my hips to settle me.

  He moves his mouth to my ear, nipping at the lobe. “What’s gotten into you?”

  “You, hopefully.”

  Ash groans in my ear at about the same time the elevator chimes, alerting us to our arrival to his floor. He breaks away, grabbing me by the hand and leading me out and down the hall to his apartment door. As soon as he gets the door open and us inside, he backs me up against it, his lips finding mine again.

  His hands fist the skirt of my dress before tugging it up over my head and my fingers tuck into his waistband again before sliding them down over his hips. Shoes come off, undergarments a
re shed, and few words are spoken.

  We don’t even make it into the bedroom.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Asher

  The past two weeks have been an adjustment.

  While it has been great to have Kendra back, I miss Kara. I miss seeing her around the office and I miss all the little kisses we shared when we had a moment to ourselves.

  I sound like a pussy.

  I know. And I don’t care.

  I’m crazy for this girl. More than I ever thought possible.

  The café around the corner from our office is finally starting to slow down from the frenetic lunch rush. Kara and I decided to meet here for lunch today since we aren’t seeing each other tonight. My brothers and I are having a guy’s night in, probably indulging in beer and pizza while watching whatever game is on and catching up on each other.

  “Are you sure you don’t want me to cancel? It’s beer and pizza with my brothers. I’d blow them off for you any day.”

  Kara laughs, but I’ve never been more serious.

  I mean, I love my brothers without a doubt, but if I had to choose between them or Kara to spend my time with, Kara would win easily. It’s a sobering thought for me. I could easily see myself loving this woman.

  Hell, I might already.

  But those thoughts are too deep to be dealing with in the middle of a crowded coffee shop, so I push them away to think about later.

  “No, go be with your brothers. You guys haven’t hung out together in weeks, and I’m not about to extend it longer. Besides, I told Kendra I’d watch Junior for a few hours tonight. She and Stan want to go out to dinner.” Kara stands from her chair. “Come on, I have to get back.”

  I pout—in the manliest way possible, of course—but follow anyway, gathering our trash and tossing it in the can near the door on our way out.

  She takes my hand and we walk down the sidewalk away from the café.

  “Besides, you’ll see me tomorrow night, right?”

  “Right.” I tug her to me and walk with her pressed into my side. Ben Chambers, one of my clients, is opening his new club tomorrow night and we're invited. It's the hottest ticket in town and Kara was excited when he extended the invitation to us. Clubbing really isn't my scene anymore, but Kara thought it would be fun, so we're going.

  Whatever my girl wants, she gets.

  We greet Mike and the rest of the valets at our building before walking in and making our way to the elevator. Once inside, I hit the buttons for both my floor and hers. Because we’re alone—and because I just want to—I pull her in for a quick kiss before the elevators ping our arrival.

  “I’ll call you later,” I tell her as I step out of the elevator.

  “Okay.” She gives me one of her beautiful smiles. “Bye.”

  She blows me a kiss as the doors shut, whisking her upward. An unexpected pang of longing hits me square in the chest at the realization I won’t see her again for the next twenty-four hours.

  Damn. I’ve got it bad.

  ***

  My brothers and I used to hang out together—just the four of us—at least once a month. With Cade expanding his business, Sloan taking over lead counsel for the Thrillers Baseball Organization, Nik finishing the last few months of college and getting ready to head off to play professional hockey, and me opening my own financial firm, finding time in our busy schedules to coordinate a night off together has been hard.

  This is the first night in several months we’ve been able to do it. Sure, we see each other with the rest of the family, but it’s not the same. We’ve always been close and it’s good to engage in some brotherly bonding. Or at least that’s what Sloan tells us. He’s right though, so we don’t give him too much grief over it.

  Tonight, we’re all meeting up at Sloan’s.

  I don’t even bother ringing the bell. I open the door, shouting my entry.

  “In here,” is the reply I get back, coming from the kitchen.

  “Hey,” I greet them, placing the take-out bag I’m carrying on the counter and giving my brothers hugs.

  “Pizza will be here in twenty.” Nik tells me, gesturing to the counter, he asks, “What’s in the bag?”

  “Oh, I stopped at the wing place by my house and got a few orders to go.”

  “Is that the place where you got those kick-ass spicy buffalo ones?”

  “The one and only.” Pulling the aluminum containers from the bag, I take them over to the oven and put them inside, pressing the button marked ‘warm’ to keep the wings hot while we wait for the pizza. When I’m done, I turn and face my brothers.

  “So, what did I miss? Anything good going on?”

  ‘Not really. I mean, you already know my news,” Cade says with a wide smile, placing a tray of cut vegetables and ranch dip on the counter.

  “How’s Nora feeling?” Sloan ask, setting beers in front of us, and unscrewing the cap on his own before taking a drink. “I know this week has been rough on her.”

  “She’s good. More tired than nauseous the last couple of days, but she’s feeling better. I figured you would have asked her earlier?”

  Sloan grabs a piece of broccoli off the veggie tray and dunks it in the dip. “I did. Your wife is stubborn, man. She won’t tell me anything. She’s afraid I’m going to treat her the way Ash treated Kendra when she started having false labor pains.”

  Cade lets out a sigh of frustration. “I’ll talk to her. And for the record, I want you to treat her the same way.” His face turns serious for a minute. “You’re my eyes and ears on her when I’m not around. It makes me feel better knowing I have someone I can trust to look after her.”

  “Of course. You know I’ll do whatever I can to help.”

  “Who knows?” Cade steps back to the counter and grabs a carrot from the tray. “Maybe one of these days I can return the favor,” he says, popping it in his mouth.

  Sloan doesn’t respond to Cade’s comment, instead turning to me and changing the subject. “What about you? How are things going?”

  “Good. Work is steady, and I signed three new accounts this week. Kendra came back Monday.”

  “How’s Kara liking her new job?” Nik finally jumps into the conversation. My brother is the strong, silent type. He’s so quiet. Sometimes I forget he’s in the room, which is surprising considering how big he is.

  “She's happy. She said it's a challenge, but everybody’s been really helpful and patient with her.” I turn my attention over to Sloan. “Hey, I don't think I ever told you, but thank you for putting in a good word for her. You don't know Kara that well, but she really is a great girl.”

  “You're dating her Ash. That's all the reason I need.” The doorbell rings, ending our talk as Sloan heads to answer it.

  “What about you Nik? Anything new?”

  My brother takes another swig of his beer. “The usual. I finished the last of my final projects for three classes this week and I’ve been keeping up with my trainer.” His face breaks into a wide grin. “Only a few more weeks to go.”

  “Sweet,” I clink the neck of my beer against his, a silent toast to the fact his educational journey is about to end, and his professional hockey career is about to begin.

  Sloan strolls through the doorway, a stack of pizza boxes in his hands. He places them down on the cabinet and Cade hands him a stack of paper plates while I take the wings out of the oven. “What's new with you?” Cade asks our older brother.

  “Nothing much. Work, work, and more work.”

  “Didn't you just get back from a road trip?” Now that Sloan works for the Thrillers, he occasionally travels with the team, mainly to get a few days away to spend with Elizabeth. She sometimes travels with her brother because she is his personal assistant.

  “Yeah. The Thrillers hit two teams on the West Coast first and then Lizzy and I met up with them for the last three games of the road trip in Vegas.”

  “Man, I haven’t been to Vegas in forever. How was it?” Nik asks.

  Slo
an turns away, grabbing a broccoli floret and dunking it into the ranch dip. “It was fine,” he says, popping it into his mouth.

  “Fine? Did you guys get to do anything while you were there? See a show or something? I know the players have things they have to do but surely Lizzy could get away and spend some alone time with you.” Cade follows Sloan’s lead, dunking a carrot in the creamy dip and shoving it in his mouth.

  Sloan finishes swallowing, a small smile tugging on his lips. “Yeah, we did.”

  “What’s with the smile?” Nik asks the question that’s sitting on the tip of my tongue. One thing about being so close to my brothers? We all can tell when something’s up with one of them. And I know that look. Sloan was never good at keeping secrets—and right now, his face is giving him away.

  “Nothing,” Sloan replies, turning away to avoid eye contact with us, the smile tipping his lips again. We all look at each other inquisitively and then glance back to Sloan, who must feel our eyes boring into him since he looks back at us and releases a sigh of resignation. We aren’t going to drop it. It’s rare we keep secrets from each other.

  This stare down could take hours, but Sloan spills in mere seconds.

  “Lizzy and I got married.”

  My jaw drops at the news. My eyes meet Nik’s, the expression on his face mirroring mine. Poor Cade is trying to catch his breath—coughing and sputtering as the beer he gulped seconds before Sloan spoke obviously went down the wrong way. I can’t fucking believe it. Our brother—the one who never does anything without planning it to death first—has eloped with his girlfriend.

  “You what?” Nik is the first to ask, probably thinking the same thing I am right now—I couldn’t have possibly heard him right.

  “Mom’s going to kill you.” Cade chimes in, finally composing himself. His comment causes Sloan to chuckle and roll his eyes.

  “Oh please. She’s not going to kill me. I’m a grown-ass man, for fuck’s sake.” He looks over at me, and I raise my eyebrow at him in question. He can’t possibly be that naive. The look on his face tells me he just came to the realization maybe Cade isn’t too far off the mark.