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Kat
Thanks, Miss West. I appreciate you checking in. Glad you made it back safe and sound, too. It must have been terrifying having a stalker out there.
Yeah. Beyond terrifying. Having some stranger watching your every move is something no one will understand unless they’ve lived it. If I would have known it was Adrian, a man I had never actually met. Then I would have put a restraining order on him. In some cases, though. That doesn’t do shit. They walk right through those restraining orders without a second thought. Not like me. When Gloria handed me those papers I thought were from the boys, I thought why bother?
Me
Call me River. And yeah…it was. Stay safe. I’ll check in tomorrow.
Leaning back in my chair, I stare up at the ceiling reveling in the silence around me. It’s odd going from having five other people constantly making noise to just myself. Alone. Just me and my rampant thoughts.
The morning goes by in a rush. I slowly catch up on some paperwork I need to sign regarding past bands and even potential new ones. It’s odd I never saw Whispered Word’s name come across my desk. Yet, here I am as their new manager. I swear, even though my brothers knew about the past, they made this happen.
“Talk to them again. That restraining order is over,” Seger huffs from behind his desk, slowly nursing a beer he pulled out of somewhere.
“I don’t think I can,” I mutter, pinching the bridge of my nose. “They walked away. Remember? They’re the ones who signed that restraining order. Not me.”
“You ever get a funny feeling about it?” Zepp asks, cocking his head to the side and examining my twisted expression.
“No.” Yes. I did. It always made me feel uneasy and off. But who was I to question their signatures on the dotted line? Besides that phone call, too. It was pretty damn convincing.
Well, maybe I should have listened back then. I was so determined that they wanted nothing to do with me that I kept it all together for Lyric. She was my priority. It scared the living hell out of me thinking about dropping her in their laps.
What if they truly didn’t want her?
Now I know the entire situation was bullshit. Concocted by some psychopath who hated my guts and twisted Asher into her grips to get what she wanted most. Money.
“Knock, knock.”
I nearly pee my pants when I jolt upright, staring at Asher loitering just inside my office door with a grin, shutting it behind him.
“You were deep in concentration,” he chuckles, walking toward my desk with a tray consisting of two drinks and a take-out bag from my favorite coffee place. “I got your favorite again. The avocado sandwich I always see you eyeing.”
I sweep my papers into a pile on the side of my desk as he sets out our lunch.
“God, Asher. You’re a lifesaver,” I murmur, biting into my chicken and avocado sandwich.
He chuckles. “Well, I figured you needed to eat, and I just so happened to be getting that anyway.” His eyes dart away, refocusing on his sandwich as he takes tentative bites.
“Why’re you still holding back?” I ask, setting my food down.
“I’m not,” he says, shaking his head.
“You are.”
He swallows his bite, chugging his Dr. Pepper. “I’m not meaning to.” His teeth sink nervously into the bottom of his lip when he sets his sandwich down and takes a deep breath. “I—”
“It’s okay, Evil Ash,” I murmur, reaching across my desk to take his hand.
Squeezing my hand in his seems to bring out his bravery a sliver. His hazel eyes stay glued to the ground when he opens his mouth. “I’m all in, Little Brat. I promise I am. I just… I still feel guilty. It sits so damn heavy on my chest. I know you forgave me.”
“Completely. You are 100 percent forgiven. I told you that I’ll remember forever what it felt like when you left. But I don’t dwell on it. Look at you… The old Asher wouldn’t have given me the time of day. Not to bring me lunch, at least. He’d only have wanted to jam his cock down my throat.”
I smirk when he chokes on his own drink, turning a bright shade of red like he didn’t do that exact thing a few nights ago after dancing in the rain.
“Christ,” he croaks, shaking his head. “You can’t say shit like that.”
All the pent-up horniness from before slams into me as I watch him wipe his mouth. This Asher is much more delectable than the old Asher. But there’s still one side I miss more than anything.
