eyes shut, determined to push Asher Adams out of her mind. Of course, exactly the opposite happened. To her dismay, he was all she could think about.
Midnight came and went. At twelve-fifteen she heard a soft knock against her door. “Daisy.”
Uncertain if she was hearing things, she rolled over so she faced the door.
Another knock, a bit louder this time. “Daisy.”
Sitting up in bed, Everly crossed her arms. Asher could pound the door down if he liked; no way was she going to open it for him.
An entire minute passed, and she heard a thud against her door as if he’d braced his head there. “Please, Daisy.”
His plea made her weak. Her shoulders slumped and she grudgingly tossed aside the covers and walked across the room. He stood on one side of the door and she was on the other. “What do you want?” she whispered, wondering if he could hear her.
“To talk to you.”
“Just leave, Asher.” She wasn’t up to this game he seemed to want to play.
“I can’t.”
“Yes, you can. All you have to do is turn around and walk away.”
“Let me explain,” he pleaded.
“No explanation needed. I got your message.”
“Give me five minutes. That’s all I ask.”
As tempting as it was to turn him down, the urgency in his voice held her transfixed. Her shoulders sagged as she sighed. “Oh, all right,” she grumbled ungraciously. “Let me get dressed and I’ll meet you in the alcove.”
“Thank you.” His words were heavy with relief.
She listened as he walked away. Taking her own sweet time, she pulled on pants and a light sweater, and then slowly made her way to where she knew Asher would be waiting. When she arrived, she saw him pacing. He must have heard her soft footsteps because he turned and started toward her.
She stretched out her arm, stopping him from getting any closer. “You have five minutes, and you’re down to four and a half, so I suggest you say whatever it is you have to say and be done with it. I’m tired and I want to go back to bed.”
“I wanted to apologize.”
The reason he sought her out was because he felt guilty. “Apology accepted.” She started to leave.
“I have four minutes left,” he reminded her.
“Asher, listen, you don’t need to say anything more. I get it; it’s fine. I’m a big girl. One thing you should know about me is that I don’t play games. You regret what happened between us last night. I understand. Don’t worry. It wasn’t anything more than a few kisses.”
“But that’s it, Daisy. I don’t regret it.”
He certainly had her fooled. She crossed her arms and resisted tapping her foot, growing impatient. From the way he fidgeted, she could tell he was struggling to find the right words. Looking confused, he stabbed his hands through his hair. She resisted reminding him time was ticking away.
“I don’t regret kissing you,” he said again. “For the rest of the night, you were all I could think about. This happiness, this sense of wonder, kept bubbling up inside of me, but then it hit me.” He paused pacing long enough to hold her gaze for several pulsating seconds.
“What hit you?” she asked.
He gestured toward her. “Don’t you see? We might as well live in different worlds. Nothing is ever going to come of this. I know it and you must, too. I’m strongly attracted to you; I have been since the first day you arrived and announced you’d die without access to the Internet.
“After we kissed and I had time to think, I realized if I let it happen, I could lose my very heart to you. I know I’m putting too much credence on a few kisses, but there’s something you need to understand…” He hesitated, as if he wasn’t sure he should continue.
“Go on,” she said, needing to know.
He ran his hand over his face before he spoke. “You might think I’m the kind of man who floats easily from one relationship to another. You know, a girl in every port, that sort of thing. Well, I’m not like that. I’ve had a couple relationships over the years, and when they ended, I was devastated. It took months to feel like myself again. I want to avoid that kind of pain, and I could see that happening with you.”
Her resolve to maintain an emotional distance was melting faster than ice cream in a Chicago heat wave.
“I know what you mean.” Everly had a