Page 7 of Finally Yours
“I’m here. Tell me anything.” I blinked back sudden tears. I hadn’t cried in years. Not since I was a kid. Now, they threated to fall unbidden.
He placed a shaky hand on my arm. “Take care of Lyla,” he whispered. “Take care of my Lyla.”
I nodded. We had already had this talk. He knew I would always be there for her.
“No, you…you don’t understand. M…make sure she doesn’t get hurt. Doesn’t break her heart. Pr…protect her. M…Mary would want that. She would want her…” he pauses and takes a few deep breaths, “she would want her to choose a good man. Have children.”
My heart had nearly beat out of my chest. By that time, I was already gone for Lyla. And he was telling me to help her find a husband? I choked back the bile that came to my throat at the thought of her being with someone else.
I took one more look at Mike’s ashen face. He deserved peace. I could give him that.
“I’ll make sure, Mike. I’ll protect her at all costs. And I’ll make sure that she chooses wisely.” I squeezed his hand lightly and he nodded.
He fell asleep soon after that, and never woke up again. He died the next day. His final words were enlisting my protection for his beloved daughter.
I sigh, long and hard. I made my promise, and I would keep it. No matter how hard that promise was.
The doorbell ringing shook me out of my depressing thoughts.Who the hell would be ringing my doorbell this time of night?
I shuffle toward my front door slowly at first, until the fists on the door start and then the doorbell ringing over and over again. My feet move faster as I realize someone may need help.
I swing the door open, not sure what to expect.
The person standing there is literally the last person I expect to see.
Lyla pushes her blonde curls back from her face and gives me a lop-sided smile. “I…I’m here to sed…seduce you, Hot Doc.” She hiccups. “G…get ready to have your world rocked.”
She opens her peacoat to reveal a red negligee and then steps forward, stumbling headfirst into my arms.
The smell of alcohol is overwhelming, and I raise an eyebrow. My girl never drinks.What the hell happened tonight?
Chapter Eight
I’m an independent woman. I don’t need no man in order to get mine. I am an amazing, beautiful woman who deserves the best. Yep, I got this. I am…drunkity drunk. -Lyla
Lyla
The groan I emit can probably be heard from the other side of the world.Fuck, my head hurts. And my mouth feels like I tried to swallow a ball of hair.
I try to shake my head to clear it from the static that seems to be stuck between my ears, but all that does is make my headache worse.Shit.
One eye opens slowly, then the other. The room stops spinning long enough for me to take stock of my surroundings. There’s a picture of Dad, Asher and I on a wooden dresser nearby. The brown comforter that I’m wrapped in is vaguely familiar. I try not to furrow my brow because that hurts too.I’m…at Asher’s place?I’ve only been here a few times and probably haven’t seen the inside of it in more than a year, but I take a sniff…yes, this comforter definitely smells like my Asher. I take a deeper sniff and let the comfort of his scent wash over me.God, this man has me hooked.
The bedroom door opens and the man in question walks in softly, carrying a mug and examining me with a sweet sympathetic half smile.
“Feeling rough this morning, princess?” he asks in a low voice.
I grab my head. “The worst,” I groan and pull the covers over my head again.
He gently pulls back the cover. “I think the coffee will help, Ly. You should have some.”
I close my eyes and take a deep breath. I struggle, flailing for a moment and then finally managing to sit myself up against the headboard. The cover falls from my chest and I shiver.
I gasp as I look down.What the fuck am I wearing?Red lace crosses over my breasts and as I pull the cover further away, I see more sheer material and more lace, high cut at the legs.
Fuck me…I’m showing everything.
I gasp again and pull the cover close to me. “Shit, how did I get in this getup?” I send Asher a questioning glance and he blushes. He also smirks and I notice his eyes keep wandering downward.
