“Can you learn how to relax for once?” he retorted. “You worry about everything, even things you can't control. I fail to see how you can be happy like that.”
“I'd rather worry too much than not care enough.”
“I do care.” He threw his arm around me. “In fact, I have news that's gonna make your day.”
A mixture of hope and fear coursed through me. Had he found someone to marry without my help?
Why did I feel so sick about that?
“I told my sister Macy about my problem this morning, and guess what? She knows this girl, a Mexican, who's desperate to marry just about anybody for a green card.”
My stomach sank. I struggled to make sense of this awful feeling, the sensation of crushing disappointment.
Why should I be disappointed? Him finding a wife was the whole goal. That's what I was going to help him do.
“I haven't even met the woman yet, but she's ready to sign the paperwork at any time.” He grinned and squeezed me close. “Isn't this great? We'll both keep our stores. Problem solved. See, I told you everything would be fine.”
Being held by him felt so good, so right, no matter how wrong it might be. These past few days, my fantasies of him had run wild. I was so ready to end my years of celibacy, hop into bed with him, and simply have a good time.
But how could I do that, knowing he was about to marry another woman any day now?
“You're seriously going to marry a foreigner so she can become a citizen?”
He shrugged. “It's perfect, really. Everybody wins.”
“I'm pretty sure your dad wanted you to marry for love. This sounds more like a business deal.”
“And what exactly did you have in mind, hmm? Did you expect I was going to find a girl, fall for her, and get hitched with less than a month to go?”
What did I expect? He was right, wasn't he? I should have been thrilled and relieved. Grandma's store would be saved after all, and I could keep on paying Lana – for now, anyway.
“Besides,” he added, “she's got her own boyfriend back in Mexico. She won't care if I continue to play the field, and thank God for that. The very thought of sleeping with one woman forever terrifies me.”
I pushed him off as the anger built inside me. But was I angry at him – or myself?
My reaction seemed to puzzle him. “What's wrong, Sarah? I thought you'd be celebrating when I told you.”
“Celebrating.” I reached for my coat as I blinked back tears. “Yeah. I'm ecstatic.”
He sighed. “See, this is why I don't get too involved with women. They don't know what they want. Yes means no. It's maddening.”
A tear rolled down my cheek. Asher saw it before I could turn away. His scowl turned to a look of concern.
“Care to explain to me why you're crying?”
I did not care to explain. When I said nothing, he got off the couch and swung his arms around me from behind.
“W-what are you doing?”
“I think I know the problem,” he said softly, his breath tickling my collarbone. “You still want me, don't you? Well, I want you too. I wanna do naughty things to you all night long.”
His lips danced on my neck. I should have shoved him away. Couldn't. How could I when his kiss felt so damn good?
“Admit it, Sarah. You think I'm blind? I see the way you look at me. I've seen it for the past five years, ever since I picked you up out of the snow.”
I wouldn't deny it. I did want him. Ached for his hands, his mouth, his cock, all of him.
“This... isn't a good idea.”
“Seems like a very good idea to me.”
“You're getting married.”
“But I'm not married yet.” The warmth of his breath made me shiver. “It won't be real, besides. I'll still be free to have any woman I like. And right now, you're the one I want.”
I could have given in. Could've let him strip me down right here and bang me on top of the coffee table. But no matter how I tried, I couldn't shake the feeling something was wrong about this whole thing.
A knock on his office door broke us apart. The person on the other side didn't wait for an invitation to come in.
A Hispanic woman entered. Her olive skin was as flawless as her silky raven-black hair. She wore red lipstick and clothes that left nothing to the imagination, even in this frigid weather.
She smiled at Asher and completely ignored me. He stared at her, clearly dumbstruck by her beauty.
“So you must be Asher,” she gushed. “I know we had a date tonight, but Macy told me all about you, and I just couldn't wait to meet you.”
A date?
He glanced at me and started to say something, but she cut him off.
“Mm, not bad. You're even hotter than you look in pictures,” she purred. “I hope you like what you see too.”
My cheeks burned with humiliation. Every other woman in this city had slept with Asher, it seemed, and I refused to be next in line. If that was the kind of woman he liked, then he could have her.
“Sarah, wait!”
I didn't stop. He did not follow.
Across the street, I sat in my car and cried.
Chapter 6 - Asher
Watching Sarah run out of my office hurt like hell.
I should have gone after her, but Rosa had me cornered. She'd bombarded me with questions about tonight's “date;” that's what she called it. No idea where she got that idea from.
Then she hugged me goodbye and nearly smothered me with her sugar-sweet perfume. The whole time, alarm
