Page 23 of From Asher, With Love

“Charleigh,” he says, making himself comfortable. “Nice to see you.”

I can practically feel his gaze searing my skin. I whip my head to the side, finally bringing myself to look at him.

“Asher.” I utter his name through gritted teeth, putting on a fake smile. I can’t ignore how my heart pounds, or how all of our friends are suddenly watching this turn of events unfold. His scent invades my space. Everything about him is shiny and new—a complete contradiction to the man he used to be.

A deep blue jacket is wrapped around his broad shoulders. Beneath it is a plain white T-shirt. It’s odd to think this is the first time in recent memory that I’ve seen him in anything other than an expensive, pressed suit. Despite his informal outfit, he still looks as if he owns half of New York City.

His hair is disheveled, yet every strand stands somewhat remarkably in the right place. A few hang over his forehead, allowing his golden eyes to stand out against the lights. He’s wearing a pair of dark jeans, torn at the knee. I’m sure they cost more than an entire floral arrangement from my store.

Fuck.

Asher catches my too-long stare. The corner of his mouth curls. “Everything okay, Charleigh?”

“Of course.” Sarcasm drips from my tongue. “Why wouldn’t it be?” I lift my chin and turn back to face Julianna. I give her a small, reassuring smile. There is no way in hell I’m going toallow Asher to think the way he looks has any sort of effect on me.

Asher doesn’t say another word, but I can still feel his stare burning a hole in me.

“I just didn’t know you were going to be here,” I mutter, scraping my nail across the table. “That’s all.”

“Would that have changed your mind about coming tonight?” He smirks, and I hate the way it makes my pussy clench in response. Everything about him is shiny and clean. I feel drawn to him for reasons that have my head, heart, and the space between my legs waging war.

I shoot Asher a glare, refusing to answer his question.

Deep down, I don’t know if I would have backed out of tonight if I had known he was going to be here. But now, with him staring at me like this, IknowI would have cancelled.

Asher grins… but he doesn’t just grin. He allows his lips to spread as far as they can, displaying his perfect, white teeth. His grin is as devious as if he were making the winning move in a chess game.Check. Mate.

My stomach dips because he knows he’s won an argument.

His strong thigh is almost pressed against mine, and I can feel the heat radiating off his body. I try to scoot away from him but come up short. I’m sitting on the edge of the bench already. If I move any farther away from Asher, my ass will be planted on the concrete.

I cross my arms and rest them on the edge of the table. Julianna is staring straight at me with a worried expression. Her eyebrows are knitted together, even though her shoulders are relaxed.

“Sorry I haven’t been able to get back around yet. This was meant to be a soft launch, but… you know,” says a man, who suddenly appears at the end of our table.

All five of us swivel our heads in his direction.He lifts his hands into the air, but his smile reaches his eyes. He appears around my age—late twenties, maybe thirties. His thick, dark beard is just past the point of being considered unkempt, but aside from that, he’s polished and clean. His long hair is slicked back, displaying his crystal blue eyes, and the corded muscles in his arms stretch when he plants his hands on his hips.

“It’s all right, man,” Holt says. “Asher just got here, so you made perfect timing.”

Asher stands and reaches across the table. “Asher Egan. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

“Weston Knight.” He grins. “Same here.”

My eyes dance between the two men before Asher sits back down. I look at Julianna, hoping she can give me a clue about what’s happening, but she simply shrugs and shakes her head.

“Thanks for coming to my opening.” West runs a hand across the top of his head as he keeps talking to Asher. “I’m swamped tonight, but I’ll be sure to grab your number before you leave. I definitely want to work with you once I have this place settled.”

“Sounds good, man,” Asher agrees. “I look forward to it.”

“Great.” West rubs his hands together. “Now, what can I get you all to drink?” he asks, scanning the group.

We all give him our orders, until Asher is the only one left.

“I’ll just have an ice water with lime,” he says. “Thanks.”

“No problem.” West offers us a soft smile before disappearing to get Asher’s drink.

“You aren’t going to try any of the beer?” I ask Asher. “Kind of rude considering you want West to hire you, no?”

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