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Also, a complete gentleman well skilled at the subtle art of romance. He’d offered his arm out to the car, opened her door both in the driveway and at the restaurant, helped with her chair, and traced his finger back and forth across the back of her hand with the candlelight flickering between them as they finished their wine.
But most impressive by far, was the way he listened. She’d noticed it the other night while frosting the cake, too. His attention didn’t waver, his eyes lit with interest, and he even asked follow up questions.
The entire night confirmed he wasn’t just looking for an easy lay—he could’ve had that already. More than once. They’d both left their phones in the car, and with his undivided attention, she couldn’t remember the last time someone had gone out of their way to make sure she felt special.
If she were of the foolish sort to believe in love, she’d be in real danger.
For once, that voice in her head remained mute. Instead of relief, the silence left an uneasy feeling in her stomach as the waiter dropped off the check and Asher reached to sign. No, it wasn’t unease—it was the result of hyper-sensitivity to every single thing the man did in the low-lit, intimate atmosphere of the small dining room.
She’d warned him he’d pay for making her wait—and she’d had her moments of retaliation—but he’d upped the seduction level with each smoldering glance, the soft caress of his fingertips on her bare shoulder when she sat, and the side of her calf when he picked up her dropped napkin. Though, that one might have been as hard on him as it had been on her.
She took a final sip of her wine as Asher set aside the bill and lifted his warm gaze to hers. “All set to go.”
The low, seductive tone of his voice shortened her breath with anticipation as she moved her napkin from her lap to the table. He came around to the back of her chair and draped her shawl over her shoulders. The gentleman. One hand settled on her shoulder, while the other trailed from her collarbone to the back of her neck, pulling her hair back so he could bend down to press a kiss at the crook of her neck. Now the seducer.
Cool air replaced his lips, and she shivered as he pulled out her chair. He rested his hand at the small of her back on their way from the restaurant to the bar. Suddenly, she was warm all over again.
She absently glanced toward the large television in the far corner of the bar as she said, “I’m going to use the restroom before we go.”
“I’ll wait here.”
She felt the heat of his gaze until the door closed behind her. When she exited the stall, she took an extra minute after washing her hands to speed-brush her teeth and reapply her lip gloss. Back out in the bar, her gaze instinctively sought Asher.
He glanced her way, but then jerked his head back for a double take of the television. She noticed his entire body stiffen, and when she reached him, her pulse skipped at his ashen expression. He looked like he’d seen a ghost.
She moved closer, her heart pounding in trepidation as she followed his gaze to see a preview of the ten o’clock news playing on the TV. When she saw the image on the screen and read the headline below, her jaw went slack with shock.
CHAPTER 21
“ News at ten—Grayson Cole, the secret son Governor Diamond doesn’t want his voters or his wife to know about.”
Asher stared at the face plastered on the TV screen and kept staring even after the preview ended and some insipid reality dating show came back on.
What the ever-loving-fuck?
A soft touch on his arm made him flinch, and he looked down into Honor’s green eyes wide with concern.
“Who was that?”
He saw the man’s face in his mind’s eye. The image on the TV had looked like Loyal. And he’d even seen some of his other siblings in the features, too. But he’d never seen the guy before in his life.
Honor’s fingers squeezed his arm and he blinked to bring her face back into focus. He couldn’t think here, surrounded by people and noise and all the questions whirling around in his head.
“Let’s go.” He took her hand and tugged her toward the exit.
She pulled against his hold once they were outside in the parking lot. “Asher
.”
The apprehension in her voice hit him square in the gut. When he realized she’d been trotting in her heels to keep up, he immediately slowed his stride. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay.”
He shook his head. No, it wasn’t. This was supposed to be a perfect first date for him to lay the foundation for their future. Instead, he was reeling from a bombshell he never saw coming and had no clue how to handle. He felt like an ass, but everything felt unreal at the moment.
It’s not true.
And yet, he couldn’t erase the guy’s face from his memory.
