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“When I closed up the shop, Lars was sitting on a bench outside and told me.” She glanced away and sipped her vodka and lime. A drink that was her go-to stressed-out drink. “Obviously, he had some part in that.”
Asher’s gut twisted at Lars being anywhere near Remy. He nodded, then gestured at Kinsley to bring him the same drink as Remy. “We’re assuming the same thing.”
She swallowed her drink, then glanced sideways at him. “I guess you know then that Damon was married to Lars’s sister?”
“Just learned that myself,” Asher said with a nod, when Kinsley placed the drink in front of him. Obviously aware of the tension, she hurried off again. He took a long sip of the drink, relishing the bite of the vodka. “While I wish he would stay away, we’ve got our answer now for why he was here.”
“Yeah, I guess we do,” she said, staring into her glass.
Asher took in her empty stare, her flat, monotone voice, realizing she wasn’t scared about Lars at all. “It’s okay to be sad about Damon’s death,” he told her gently.
“I don’t know what I am right now,” she said after a long moment.
“Sad but confused about being sad because he tried to steal your inheritance?” Asher offered.
She shrugged, still staring down into her drink. “Something like that, I guess.”
“You cared about Damon. Were with him for a year. You almost married him,” Asher said, tucking his finger under her chin to capture her gaze. He wished he could steal the sadness from her eyes. “That doesn’t go away in a day, no matter what he did to you. All this is confusing shit. But your feelings, what you felt with him, those are true and honest, and it’s okay to mourn the fact that the guy you cared about died today. You’ve got a big heart, Remy, feel what you need to feel.”
Her chin quivered and tears welled in her eyes.
Fuck Damon. Fuck Lars. Asher didn’t need to see more than that. He gathered Remy in his arms, pulling her in close, and let her cry against his chest, satisfied with knowing that tonight, nothing else could hurt her.
* * *
Another vodka and lime later, the bar was packed full. The opening act, which had been an up-and-coming blues singer, had wrapped up an hour ago, and the headline act was now belting out some dirty jazz that had the crowd on their feet. Most people were up on the dance floor. Boone and Peyton were up there, but Rhett, Asher, and Remy stayed back at the bar with Kinsley. Not that they saw much of her; she was busy tending the bar. And Rhett was busy hitting on the brunette next to Remy, which only made Kinsley stay far away. Remy hoped one day that Rhett noticed Kinsley in the way that Kinsley noticed Rhett. Even if nothing came of the relationship, because Rhett was such good buddies with Boone, at least Kinsley would be seen.
Remy glanced next to her at Asher, his gaze on the band on stage. She hadn’t lied to him earlier; she still didn’t know how she felt about Damon’s death. She was sad, yes, but confused by that sadness too. She supposed that maybe this would give her closure. She didn’t have to wonder where Damon was and if he was still in jail. But there was this little part of her that felt broken by his death. No matter what he’d done to her, he didn’t deserve that fate; no one did.
The crowd cheered and clapped at the end of the song, then quieted when the singer took to the microphone again. Remy looked Asher’s way again and found him looking at her. He stared for a long moment before the side of his mouth curved. She supposed if anything, Damon’s brutal death was a reminder of how short life was. Here one minute. Gone the next. Asher had been there lately in a way she never thought he’d be there for her again. And more and more, she was seeing his pain past hers…theirs to deal with together. She felt the pull to him like she always did, drawn to be closer, forgetting everyone else in the room. His blue T-shirt stretched against his chest and dark blue jeans fit his thick thighs to perfection, his hair falling free of the gel he must have put in this morning, and he looked lethal and sexy all at once. It occurred to her that she got where she was now by doing exactly what she wanted. And right now, lost in the building heat in his eyes, she wanted Asher.
She strode forward until she pressed herself against the strength of him. He dropped his chin and caressed her cheek before tucking her hair behind her ear. His mouth came to her ear then. “You want to get out of here?” he asked.
She nodded. “With you.”
His gaze flared with wicked promise as he cupped her face and then his mouth met hers, and there was no crowd, no music, just them. He kept the kiss sweet and pure until he tilted her head…then there was nothing gentle about it. He held her face tight in his grip, deepening the kiss until he left her breathless. She gripped his T-shirt, wanting more, and he chuckled and moved his mouth back to her ear. “Yeah, come on, let’s go.” He took her hand and led her toward the front door.
Remy had no doubt Rhett saw them together, maybe even Kinsley did too, but really, it didn’t matter anymore. She wanted to feel beautiful, sexy, and alive. Life was just so fucking short.
When they made it outside and headed down the alleyway to the back of the building, Remy noted the cruiser was gone. Asher had obviously taken over protective detail for the night, knowing he’d be in the bar with Remy. She pulled on Asher’s hand. Maybe it was the drinks giving her liquid courage, but after all he’d done for her, she couldn’t put it off any longer. “I never did properly thank you.”
He arched an eyebrow. “Thanked me for what?”
She stepped closer, pressing her hands on his chest, feeling the steady race of his heart. “For protecting me from Damon.”
Asher dropped his mouth close to hers. “That is not something I ever need to be thanked for, Remy.”
She cupped his face, relishing in the hard lines of his body against hers. “Actually, I think you do. You didn’t need to keep an eye out for me, and you did that. You always have protected me, even when I didn’t see it. So, thank you, Asher.”
He brought his mouth even closer. She felt his breath on her lips. “I’ve told you before, and I’ll say it again: I protect you, Remy. That’s what I do.” Then he kissed her, and that was really all she needed. She felt the wildly out of control emotion in every swipe of his lips across hers. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him back.
When his kiss turned hot and wicked, leaving her mouth to move to her neck, she slid her hands into his hair, desperate to get closer. He grasped her hips and turned her around until she was placed in the shadows at the back of the building. His mouth returned to hers and he kissed her harder, a low growl ruminating from his chest speaking to the feminine side of her. She felt safe and beautiful when Asher touched her and took control of the pleasure.
His kisses skimmed her jawline, then moved to her neck, and she slid her hand between them until she stroked his erection outside of his jeans. He groaned in her ear, making goose bumps rise along her arms. She played right there, using her fingers to trace his thick cock until she rubbed the tip. Asher finally brought his mouth back to hers. This time, he didn’t kiss her; he devoured her. She nearly let him until she wanted something more. She broke the kiss and switched the positions. His back was now against the wall. “Can the cameras see us in this corner?” she asked.
His eyes were dark, full of desire. “No.”
“Good.” She grinned and reached for his jeans. She freed his hardened cock, stroked him twice, and then squatted in front of him and took him into her mouth.
