Page 22 of From Asher, With Love

He shrugs casually, taking a sip of his beer. “I’ve heard your business is booming, so it’s understandable.” He picks up one of the leather-bound menus from the end of the table and sets it in front of Julianna and me. “There’s the drinks menu.” He leans back slightly and glances around the bar. “Weston should be around here somewhere. He said he was going to make a few rounds before heading back over.”

I shake my head, having no clue what I want. I know I just need alcohol in my system. I nudge the menu forward and give Holt a shrug. “I don’t know what I want. I think I’ll just take whatever you’re having.” I nod to his beer.

Holt smiles, swallowing down what’s left in his glass. “We’ll make it easy on West by getting us two.”

I laugh as Julianna continues to scan the menu, her eyes dancing over the glossed page. “I’m just going to have a Manhattan.”

“Of course, you would.” Holt nods, his perfectly-styled brown hair unmoving. It’s easy to see the similarities between the Capuleti siblings when they’re sitting beside each other, despite their age difference. I smile, noticing the way the dimples in their right cheeks deepen with their grins.

“I know what I like.” Julianna shrugs. “Can’t fault me for that.”

Holt frowns. “Debatable.”

Julianna’s eyes flutter shut. “I refuse to fish for your meaning in that comment. I’m determined to make tonight a good one. Instead, I’ll be the better sibling and opt to asking how you’re doing. How’s the magazine?”

Holt’s mouth falls open to answer, but he snaps it shut when his attention is pulled away.

“So sorry I’m late.” Selene huffs, coming to a stop behind Holt and Julianna. Her eyes dance between the two, obviously weighing her choices. After noticing Julianna is sitting at the end of her side of the bench, she slowly works her way to Holt’s side. Her black leather leggings stretch across her thick, curvy thighs, and her mossy green eyes sparkle in the golden lights. She frantically scans the table before her shoulders fall in disappointment. Perhaps she was hoping there would be a drink waiting for her. “I’ve been stuck on this one chapter for nearly an entire week, and I finally had a breakthrough. I couldn’t stop until I finished. But then my sister London called me.”

“How is she?” Julianna asks, leaning around Holt.

“I don’t know.” Selene swipes a few stray hairs from her face, and her eyes quickly flashing to the man beside her. “She’s struggling in Boston. I’m working on convincing her to give New York a chance.”

I’ve met Selene’s sister London only once, over a year ago. She was very sweet, but also very reserved. I don’t know much about her other than her and Selene have only been sisters since Selene’s parents adopted London when she was thirteen. From what I’ve gathered from Selene, she’s fairly close with her sister and loves her as if they were born from the same parents.

“I hope she’s okay,” I tell Selene. “Moving here can be intimidating at first, but I’m sure she’d love it.”

“Yeah.” Selene scrunches her nose. “I don’t know, though. Her husband doesn’t even want to consider it. I don’t know too much about him. They’ve only been married for a few days.”

“Oh, well, hopefully he’s a good one then if she’s willing to stay,” I offer up, trying to shove down my thoughts of Asher.

“Who knows?” Selene waves her hand, and I can tell she’s wishing she had a drink sitting in front of her. “I’ve tried growing closer to my sister and getting her to share more of her life, but it’s been hard. I wasn’t even at the wedding. It was aquick courthouse kind of thing, which is a disservice to her, in my opinion. But if I were to guess, he probably isn’t that great. London hasn’t exactly had the best track record when it comes to men.”

“Have any of us?” I ask, giggling to myself.

Julianna shoots me a glare, but it doesn’t last long before her mouth pulls into a smile. “Good question,” she practically sings, deviously, swinging her attention on her brother with a cheshire cat grin. “What do you have to say, brother?”

“Oh, no.” He shakes his head, refusing to look in Selene’s direction. He’s noticeably scooted farther away from her on the bench. “We’re not talking about me.”

“Why not?” Selene asks, not caring that Holt has practically ignored her for the entire five minutes since she sat down. “You seem to be avoiding quite a bit of conversation tonight.”

Holt sighs and presses his lips together, his nostrils flaring with a heavy exhale. Silence descends the table, until Julianna’s attention is stolen from the two sitting beside her.

“Oh, fuck,” she whispers, her eyes moving above me, dragging the attention of the everyone else the same way. The toe of her boot sharply meets my shin under the table.

“Ow.” I gape, shocked she had the nerve to kick me. “What did you do that for?” I ask, thinking she’s getting me back for my passive comment about her track record of boyfriends. But I know it isn’t that when her wide eyes stare at something, or someone, over my shoulder. I twist on the bench and immediately spot Asher emerging from the entrance to step inside the bar, heading in our direction.

I twist back around in my seat and roll my eyes. “Oh, fuck.”

“That’s what I said,” Julianna hisses before turning her attention to her brother. “You didn’t tell me you invited him.”

I can feel Asher’s presence immediately. Like a heavy-weighted shadow, lurking, towering above me. The hairs on theback of my neck prickle, and my body hums, the vibration slithering down my spine to the backs of my legs. The conversation at the table has completely disappeared with Asher’s entrance.

“Hi, Asher.” Julianna grins. “Good to see you.”

“You, too, Julianna.” His velvety voice slips over my bare shoulder, meeting my ear.

Julianna’s uneasy gaze moves back to me as Asher sits down beside me.

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