the family business when his uncle grew sick.”
“Really? How long have the vineyards been in your family?”
“My great-grandfather established the vineyards.”
“That’s cool. And when your father passes? Does it go to you?”
“It did.” He uses the past tense.
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
“Thanks, it was some time ago, a couple years after graduation. Technically, it belongs to me and my brothers. We co-manage it.”
“That’s cool.”
“How’s that cool?”
“It’s a family legacy.” A sharp stabbing pain rips through me. I’m all that’s left of the Thornton name and what am I doing to our legacy?
You’re running away from it. You’re letting it die.
All of Prescott’s concerns slam into me and it’s difficult to catch my breath. He’s right. The bastard has been right all this time. I might be able to run from my past, but I can’t deny my birthright.
“You got real quiet, little backpack. Is everything okay?”
His silly nickname brings a smile to my face.
“Sorry. Just a bit overwhelmed. It’s been a long day.”
I’m saved from explaining anything further because Katy returns with my greasy cheeseburger and Asher’s chicken wings.
“Mm, looks great,” Asher says.
“Thanks, Ace. You need anything?” Her eyes stick to Asher. Her hand slides over his shoulder and her fingers rub at the side of his neck.
I’ve ceased to exist.
Hello, bitch! He was kissing me just a few short hours ago and his dick got hard for me!
My lips remained sealed and I stew in my seat while shooting daggers at Katy with my eyes. She’s oblivious, too wrapped up in Asher to notice me.
However, he’s not giving her two cents of his time. Without breaking stride, he removes her hand from his neck and lets it drop.
“We’re good, Katy. Just need a little privacy for our date.”
Katy’s eyes widen. Her lips press together, but she says nothing.
That thrills me, more than it should. I’m a greedy, jealous bitch which is totally not like me. I’ve never been like this with anyone.
Not even the man I was going to marry.
With a chicken wing in his mouth, Asher dismisses our overly eager waitress. He stops gnawing on the wing and glances at me. Putting the bones on his plate, he slowly licks his fingers. Why is that so damn sexy?
Because you’re wondering what it will feel like when he licks you…down there. My cheeks heat from the visual. That’s exactly what I’m thinking.
I’m not sure why, but it’s easily the most erotic thing I’ve ever seen. Probably because I imagine how his lips and that talented tongue might feel licking me instead. A low ache builds in my core. I press my legs together and squirm in my seat.
“Katy can be a little over the top, but she’s harmless. We went to high school together. Hung out a little. Fooled around once or twice, but that’s way in the past.”
“Oh.” I want to ask so much more—Like, did you sleep with her?—but I hold my tongue. We both have pasts. I haven’t told him mine. No reason to expect him to spill his dirty secrets.
He reaches across the table and grips my hand. “Relax. You’re wound up pretty tight. And for the record, there’s only one woman I want to sleep with, sleep definitely not being the operative word.” The wink he gives me is enough to set my heart racing.
Holy hellfire he gets directly to the point. I find it insanely hot. I can make all kinds of bad decisions with Asher La Rouge.
But where’s the harm in a little fun?
Because you don’t do casual. Never have.
I really hate when that little voice in my head starts hammering at me with truths I want to ignore.
But it is the truth.
I don’t do casual. I’ve never had a fling. No one-night stands. No sex with strangers. Nothing adventurous or wild like that.
I’ve always been a good girl, with a good reputation, a boyfriend who respected me, and who begged for years before I finally spread my legs for him. Not that I ever intended to save myself for marriage.
Cautious and content is my life. I’m so damn boring.
Maybe, in escaping my past, stepping things up a notch isn’t such a bad idea. If I really want to take charge of my life, I should let my wild side out and live a little. Experience what a little recklessness might feel like. It does seem as if a willing participant sits directly across from me.
Asher La Rouge are you the man to pull me out from this suffocating shell?
“Do I wear my emotions