Page 144 of The Sidekick

“I consider it fate personally. She’s just got a twisted sense of humor right now,” he gives a tired sigh. “Max said that you would never try to rip him and Trevor apart because you would want them to be happy. I thought, who the fuck makes sure you’re happy?”

“I’m supposed to,” I dismiss with a frown.

“And do you?” He gives me a flat look.

“I-I try,” I protest and look at my hands as I twist them in my lap.

“That’s good. Now you have me to back it up.”

It’s my turn to give out the flat look to cover up the fact that my heart just squeezed with hope.

“You’re a hopeless romantic. Give in,” his lips turn up in a grin at the silent mutiny I’m holding on my side of the couch.

“Nu-uh!” I scowl. I’m lying, but he’ll never know.

“You’re lying,” he starts grinning again.

“Stop reading my mind, you creepy stalker!”

“I thought we agreed that I was a straightforward stalker?” His smile turns sly as his hand tightens over my ankle. How that single hand squeezing my skin affects my panties, I have no idea, but I like it.

“Stop it,” I gasp as my nipples peak beneath my shirt. His eyes go straight to them. My face flushes with embarrassment as I shift my thighs. The hand above my knee starts tightening, making the sensations worse.

Asher makes a thoughtful sound in his throat and licks his lip as he begins to pull my body closer to his.

“Then what happened?” I say loudly to get us both back on track.

He smirks as his eyes flick to mine, “You’re delaying the inevitable.”

“Nu-uh. I’m talking to you,” I protest weakly. He’s not wrong, no matter how much I want to believe it. All he has to do is tell me to get on my knees, and I’ll drop so fast it would leave bruises. I wince at the visual, my arousal cooled by shame. Where is my backbone?

Whatever he sees in my expression causes him to back off a little, and I let out a grateful sigh.

“I told Max I wanted to meet up with him to talk last night. I wanted to make sure we were all on the same page. Trevor was there, too.”

“What did you tell them?” I stare at my hands as my stomach twists. They were all talking about me last night doing some guy celebration of my stupidity, I’m sure.

“That we all needed to get on the same page if they wanted this to work.”

“You didn’t tell them that we…” I trail off as my face flames with embarrassment.

“No,” he says sharply. “What we have is ours. If you want to say something to them, go for it. As far as I’m concerned, what we do in private is our business unless they’re invited.”

“Unless they’re invited?” I squeak out in shock.

“I don’t think you’re ready for that yet. There’s too much shit to wade through. But I’m not letting that stop what we have.” Asher speaks calmly, but the words are so determined they feel branded onto my skin.

“We’ve known each other for less than a day,” I whisper in confusion.

“Tomorrow, we’ll know each other for a full day. And the day after that, two days. Does it matter? Do you not feel it when we look at each other?”

He sounds angry, but I appreciate the fact that he didn’t demand I answer him a certain way. I think he’s aware of how much control he has over me and he’s trying his best not to abuse it. The thought softens me to his grumpy attitude. I give him a tiny smile. The knowledge that he feels it too is heady.

“I do feel it. I just don’t want to jump in without looking again. Dr. Robinson said that’s a recipe for disaster.”

“I didn’t jump. You pushed me. The least you can do is join me,” he raises an eyebrow.

I giggle in surprise. How does he have me laughing so quickly? That’s supposed to be Max’s superpower, not his.

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