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His body is still tight, but his thumb goes back to stroking my leg.
“Bastard needs to pay for hurting you,” he mutters darkly.
I turn my head and kiss his neck.
“I’m fine, Asher.” I try to soothe his apparent anger. “Really. I’m just relieved he did it before we got married.”
His eyes are still hard, but when he looks at me, they soften. He traces a finger down my nose before leaning in and kissing my lips. Pulling back, he tugs me back so I’m lying against him again facing forward. He’s once again relaxed, but I still feel the anger rolling off him.
We stay underneath the tree and watch nature for another half hour, before packing everything up, mounting our horses—Asher helps me this time—and riding for another couple hours. By the time we get back to the ranch, I’m tired and hungry. Asher teaches me how to unsaddle Nina. Once we’re done, Clint is standing by to put the horses back in their stalls. I feel oddly emotional when I say good-bye to Nina. She’s been such a gentle and sweet horse. Clint couldn’t have picked a more perfect horse for my first ride. After we settle up with Clint, we say our good-byes and head back to the waiting car. With a quick kiss, Asher opens my door and we both slip inside. I lean my head back against the headrest, and before I know it, the lull of the drive causes me to drift off to sleep.
Chapter Sixteen
Poppy
I sleep the whole way back to the hotel. Asher wakes me and carries me inside. I didn’t realize I was so tired. I groggily look up at him, seeing the dark scruff on his jaw, and murmur, “You can put me down.”
His smiling gaze drops to mine as he steps into the elevator. “I like you just where you are.”
I snuggle deeper into his chest, hiding my pleased smile. This is what I’ve always wanted, what I thought I had with Grant, but what Asher and I share is so much more. It’s also something I could have possibly had with Sterling. But then I’m starting to realize what Sterling and I had was a fantasy, just like Liv said. It was the mysteriousness of the situation that intrigued me. Yes, Sterling made my heart race and my body sing, but he wasn’t real. He wasn’t real because he wouldn’t let it be. He wouldn’t even show me his face or tell me his name. Although I realize this, a pang still hits my chest. I never answered him last night when he sent me that message, and he hasn’t messaged me since. I don’t know what that means. Does he know what happened between me and Asher and is letting me go? He seemed so adamant and sure of himself. It’s strange that he would give up so easily. But maybe it’s easier this way. I certainly don’t want to hurt him anymore than I know I will once I talk to him. I’ve decided to just enjoy my time here in Texas and call him when I get back home.
Back in the suite, I head to my room to freshen up and change, and Asher heads to his. I take a quick shower and walk out of the bathroom, wrapped in a towel. Asher said to wear something a little more flashy. He still hasn’t told me where we’re going, something he obviously likes to do. I decide on a loose black skirt that comes to mid-thigh and a quarter sleeve light gray shirt that hangs over my shoulder. I braid my hair in a loose braid, leaving out a few tendrils. Knowing my cowgirl boots will go good with my outfit, I pull them on before grabbing my phone and purse and walking out.
My breath catches when I see Asher standing at the window. He’s back in his usual black: black jeans that mold his ass perfectly, and a black button-down, which he leaves untucked. His forearms show off his multiple tattoos. His hair is still damp and looks as though he used his fingers to brush it. The man must not own a hairbrush, but he pulls the look off nicely. Very nicely, in fact. So nice that my mouth is watering just looking at him.
He turns when he hears my gasp and gives me a sexy smile as his smoldering eyes gaze appreciatively up and down my body.
“Come here, Beautiful,” he says huskily.
My body jerks. Sterling calls me beautiful. It sounds weird coming from Asher. I’m not sure if I like it or not. It’s a big fat reminder of what I did to Sterling. He watches me intently as I stand there and stare at him. There’s something in his eyes, but I can’t quite figure out what it is. It’s almost like he’s waiting for my reaction. His body is tense, and I can see a tic in his jaw.
That’s strange.
I push the odd feeling away and walk over to him. I’m confused when a look of relief briefly flashes across his features, just before he wipes it away. His body visibly relaxes as he waits for me to make it to him. I get a weird sense that something isn’t right here.
Before I can question him on it, he pulls me into his arms and slams his mouth down on mine. His tongue forcefully invades my mouth, and I accept him. My purse and phone drop to the soft cushioned carpet as I dig my nails into his shoulder and hold on tight as he consumes me.
All too soon, he pulls back and we’re both left breathless. He rests his forehead against mine, closing his eyes for only a second before boring them into mine.
“What am I going to do with you?” he whispers.
I kind of feel the same way about him.
“Take me out to wherever you have planned. Then bring me back and make love to me all night long,” I state boldly.
His lips tip up into a sexy smirk, leaving me breathless once more.
“You can bet on it. Now, we better go before I haul you off to bed. As much as I want to do that, I want you to have the full Texas experience.”
I giggle while he scoops my phone and purse off the floor and leads me to the elevator.
Yes, I think I am falling for this man.
The driver pulls up to what I can only describe as the traditional honky-tonk here in Texas. There’s no line to be let into the old worn-down building, and no bouncer standing outside the door. It even has the wooden doors that swing open both ways like you always see in western movies. Excitement fills me as we walk in and blaring country music hits my ears. My jaw almost drops to the floor when I see all the people inside. Straight ahead in the far back is an empty stage. There’s a bar to the right, a jukebox, pool tables, and dart boards to the left, and right in the center is the dance floor. It’s filled with men wearing plaid shirts, wrangler jeans, belt buckles, and cowboy boots. The women are almost identical, except some are wearing skirts or short cut-off shorts and some are sans hat. I feel so overdressed.
I stumble in my shocked state and Asher has to catch me. He looks at me with laughter in his eyes, before leading me over to the bar. He sets me down on a stool and stands halfway behind me and halfway beside me. One hand goes to the back of my stool while the other goes to the bar, caging me in. There’s a young woman dressed in a red and black checkered shirt, tied to just below her breasts, standing behind the bar. Her hair is braided into two cute pigtails that hang over her shoulders, with a brown cowgirl hat. I can’t see her bottom half, but I’d bet it’s something in a jean material.
“Hey y’all. I’m Mindy,” she says with a country twang. “How are ya tonight?”
