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I opened the door a little wider to get a better look at him. His shirt was untucked and unbuttoned, a strip of his toned chest and stomach visible. I pulled the sides of my robe together self-consciously, then crept through the doorway.
Asher stood, staring at me, next to a stand with a large tray on top of it. The tray held two plates, each covered with one of those silver things hotels used to keep food warm.
“We can eat over here,” he said. “Unless you’d rather sit at the table.”
I shook my head, clutching the robe. I should have at least put on a bra and panties. Something about his visible strip of skin sent heat straight to my core. Was it possible to feel like a seductress and a shy virgin all at the same time?
Tonight, I wanted to be a seductress.
“Sounds good to me,” I said.
Asher stared at my legs for a long moment before turning and picking up one of the plates. He set it on the table, where two bottled waters were positioned for us to eat across from each other.
He intended for us to sit on the floor?
Yes, that was exactly what he intended. Once the plates were in place, he removed the covers, set them on the tray, and sat on the floor while I stood there, looking like a complete moron.
I was used to Asher breezing in and out of the office, fully professional at all times. It was weird seeing him on the floor, cross-legged, in front of a coffee table. But I knew he regularly roughed it. He was a hiker and a camper. He’d likely eaten dinner on the ground next to a campfire many times.
But now, looking at him, I had an all-new respect for him as a rugged outdoorsman. And I found that sexier than even the successful businessman side of him.
“Thanks for paying for all this,” I said.
I struggled to find a ladylike position on the floor. Finally, I settled for pushing both my legs to the left of me, which caused my robe to gape open at the top. That flashed him with far more of my cleavage than I’d intended, so I pulled the top back together again. When my gaze met his, though, I saw the heat there.
“You’re wearing nothing under that robe,” he said.
“I got naked,” I somehow found the courage to reply. “That’s what you wanted, right?”
He lowered his stare to my hand, and I immediately knew why. He wanted to see me. The thing was, no man had ever seen me naked before. What if he was disappointed?
I had to let go, though, if I wanted to eat. So I held my breath and released my grip on the robe. The flimsy material gave way, and I felt cool air hitting my bare skin. My nipples were still concealed, but I was guessing a large section of each breast was bared to him. That was confirmed when I unrolled my silverware and looked down to settle the napkin on my lap.
I’d always been self-conscious of my chest. I’d bloomed early, getting curves long before many of my friends. But they were also string bean thin, and in middle and high school, the boys seemed to like that. As I got older, I realized that in women, curves were prized by real men, and I stopped starving myself.
Now, as I lifted my gaze to Asher’s face, I saw he was one of those real men. His chest rose and fell as he stared right at my face. I knew just seconds earlier where those eyes had been.
“It’s a business expense,” he said.
It took me a second to backtrack to our previous discussion and figure out what he was saying. Oh yeah. I’d thanked him for paying for all this. It was a business expense.
“You don’t have a boyfriend?” he asked, still staring at me as he unrolled his own silverware. “Why is that?”
“How do you know I don’t have a boyfriend?” I asked.
“Do you?”
I shook my head. “I’ve been focusing on my career.”
The truth was, I had one boyfriend my junior year of college. Something told me not to sleep with him. Sure enough, just a couple of months into our relationship, I learned he’d slept with a sorority girl. I just hadn’t felt up to dating since that experience.
“What about you?” I asked. “I’d think someone like you would be married by now.”
Asher was chewing a bite of roasted chicken, but now his eyebrows arched. “Someone like me?”
How did I explain to him that it wasn’t about his age or his level of success? It was about the man I’d gotten to know today.
“You’re a good-looking guy,” I said, gesturing toward him. “And you seem to have it all. I’d assume a wife and kids were part of that.”
