He hums in agreement, the sound rumbling low in his chest as he takes a sip from his own glass. ‘That’s the one with the giant tortoises, right?’
‘Mhmm,’ I say, leaning against the railing. ‘They live forever practically. Over a hundred years old. They’ve seen everything – storms, tourists, probably a few bad love stories – and they’re still just there. Living peacefully and completely unbothered.’ I let out a wistful sigh.
He grins. ‘You’re jealous of a tortoise.’
‘Maybe a little,’ I admit. ‘They’ve got it figured out.’
He laughs quietly, and the sound rolls through the warm air, easy and familiar. It’s impossible not to smile with him. Then my phone buzzes suddenly on the nearby table, pulling me out of the moment. I glance at it and instantly feel my stomach sink.
DAD.
My good mood dissolves in an instant.
I stare at the call then, without hesitation, I hitignore. The sound cuts off. Silence fills the air again.
Asher looks at me sideways. ‘You’re not going to answer?’
‘No.’ The word comes out colder than I intend. I exhale and try again. ‘I know what he wants.’
‘What’s that?’
‘He’s going to tell me it’s time,’ I say, staring out at the horizon. ‘That the merger’s moving ahead, that I need to stop stalling and agree to marry you.’
Asher glances away. After a moment, he says quietly, ‘Do you ever want to get married?’
I freeze. Of all the questions I thought he might ask to follow up, I wasn’t expecting that. The question lingers in the air. I take a breath and let the sound of the waves fill the silence before I answer. ‘I do,’ I say finally. ‘But I want it to be my choice. My terms. If we start like this, with them forcing it on us like this, it’ll always feel tainted.’
Asher hums in agreement, his lips twitching upwards into a wry smile. ‘Do you know what’s funny?’
I shake my head.
Asher takes a step closer towards me and braces his palmson either side of me against the railing, caging me in. I reflexively lean against him and let out a soft sigh. ‘If our fathers hadn’t forced this on us, I kind of think we might’ve got here on our own.’
‘You think so?’
Asher grins, then spins me round so we’re standing chest to chest. He tips my chin upwards so I can meet his gaze, and I can’t help but lean into his touch. ‘I do. There’s clearly something here. Something between us.’
I pretend to look confused. ‘Is there? Hadn’t noticed.’
He rolls his eyes. ‘I’d be happy to give you a repeat of this morning if you need something to jog your memory.’
My cheeks burn at the memory of Asher’s mouth on me, the slow, ruthless way he fucked me against the tangled sheets just hours ago. I can still feel the echo of him right where I’m aching for more. I lick my lips, and his eyes track the movement like a predator, lazy smile gone razor-sharp.
He moves in, crowding my space until I’m hemmed in by nothing but him and the ocean and the possibility that I might let him wreck me a dozen more times before this day is over. But then, all at once, his expression changes. The hunger is still there, but something else muscles its way to the surface. He looks almost… shy?
‘I have something to tell you,’ he says.
‘Something bad?’
He laughs softly. ‘No. Never. Something a little embarrassing.’
I tilt my head and wait.
Asher’s smile turns bashful. ‘We’ve met before. I don’t know if you remember.’
I frown, not quite understanding what he’s getting at, and then—‘Oh, yeah. At university, right? Like once at a party?’
He nods. ‘It was just the one time, but I guess you could say I had a thing for you.’
