Even if it was by a woman he was starting to guess might never be happy with his job performance. A woman he had no chance to be with.
“You’re absolutely right,” he said with enthusiasm. “I really need to step up my game.”
Kimberly started to loosen her grip, probably feeling her sarcasm backfiring, but Asher held it firm. Instead of trailing behind her, he took two long strides ahead.
Now he was leading her.
Looking both ways, Asher tugged her across the street to the left, in between a lag in traffic. Had they both not run, they might not have made it. Despite Kimberly's gasp of concern, Asher continued parallel to the block they’d just left before coming to the intersection.
He blew through it within another pocket of pedestrians until they were at the opening of a preppy clothing store. He didn’t waste any time and ducked through its double doors, passing through an invisible cloud of loud cologne an
Kimberly finally slowed and walked at a leisurely pace down the small alley and back to the sidewalk that ran in front of the mall’s entrance. She half expected to see Asher blocking her path, huffing and ready to call her father, but as she scanned the faces she didn’t find his.Kimberly froze.Her muscles seized, her breath held.While she’d expected to see the bodyguard, she hadn’t expected to see another face she recognized. In fact, two faces she recognized.The couple that had originally spooked Asher, starting Kimberly's fun little exercise, were not only walking out of the mall, but doing so quickly. Like they too were in a hurry. This need seemed to intensify as the man looked to the left and the woman looked to the right, also seemingly scanning faces in the crowd.And then the woman stopped when she locked on to a familiar face.Hers.Suddenly Kimberly
Kimberly closed the top latch over the door and took a step back to look at it. She heard Asher's door close.You aren’t in any danger, she thought. Don’t let his overprotectiveness worry you.But even as she gave herself the advice, she couldn’t help but feel an influx of nerves tighten her stomach.“This is why I didn’t want a bodyguard,” she muttered, rubbing her stomach. “Now I think I have problems I don’t really have. And another one that I might have” She thought about that night in his SUV once again. What was she going to do if she was pregnant? She didn't even know.Trying to forget about the man next door wasn’t as easy as she’d hoped. Talking about his past, including his job, had softened her otherwise harsh opinion of the man. He wasn’t some faceless hunk of meat sent to stalk her in hopes of keeping a potentially imaginary
Her warm breath stuttered against his neck as her arms slipped around his waist.For a second, he was lost in the sensation of her soft, firm body pressed against him.Then she pulled away. “Please don't scare me like this again” she muttered. “I have this bad feeling, like the kind I used to have before I got kidnapped, and I think that's the reason why I'm so paranoid right now.”Asher forced his brain back to her and forced himself to listen to what she was saying. "It's okay" he said. "I understand how you feel, but I'm here now. So you don't have to worry"She nodded, although she didn't look too convinced, then she turned around and went into her room.-----------------------------“Just take the test,” Phoebe pleaded. “Just get it over with so that you can move on.”“So that I can move
Phoebe stared at Katherine in disbelief. Then she came and put her hands around her. "What exactly is happening here?" she asked. "I thought this was what you wanted"Kimberly replied by shedding more tears and shaking her head.Phoebe held Kimberly's face in her hands and lifted her head. "What is the problem, Kim?" she asked again. "Didn't you want it to be negative?"Kimberly shook her head. "I don't know." she said. "I mean, I know that I was scared about the result being positive. You know, being a mom isn't really an easy job, and I have never really thought about having a baby. But these past few days, I think that despite the fear, maybe a part of me fell in love with idea. I know it sounds stupid Pheebs. I know because It sounds stupid to me too. How can I be so worried and sad about losing something that I didn't even have in the first place?"Phoebe smiled, trying to comfort her."I don't think it's
She stared at him and back at the picture. She noticed the similarities in his eyes and mouth. "You don't talk much about anything" she said. "How often do you see her?""I try" he said. "Almost after every job I make sure I visit her, unless I'm too busy and I have to start a second job right away."Kimberly nodded. "Only child?" she asked and he nodded. She leaned closer to view the screen better, and gave Asher an enticing whiff of floral shampoo, or soap or something. The scooped neck of her top slipped lower as she peered at the monitor, and Asher received an all-too-tempting view of her breasts, not overly large, but shapely, and he remembered that amazing night in his SUV.He fought the desire to pull her on his lapand push that sheer material out of the way, then do everything that he’d already done to her in his mind. He wanted a repeat of that night…But that wasn’t what she needed; he knew that, so, swall
Kimberly's entire posture changed, and Asher shifted with her. “I am, of course, on board with other ideas " she said."But not when they put the safety of people at risk. We have no idea who it might affect, so I suggest we don't do it at all.”Sophie frowned as several others at the table muttered.“We will come back to that issue at another time, if you decide to go about it another way. I would ask now that you look over the second proposal on the table,” Kimberly said and rearranged the papers before her.Asher moved further down the wall until he had a clearer view of her face. After everything that had happened between them, he should’ve tried to keep his distance, but he was drawn to her with each subtle movement.Things had gone back to the way it was ——almost. Because as much as they would like to pretend that something didn't happen betw
Asher glanced over his shoulder at her, then back at the man skidding to a stop in the hall. “Something wrong?” Mark asked, oblivious to what he nearly walked into.Asher straightened quickly and stepped aside. “No. Apologies, Kim,” he muttered and clasped his hands tightly behind his back. She needed to stop staring at him like that, with her eyes—suddenly dark with questions he didn’t want to answer.“It’s alright,” she said slowly. “Mark, what were you thinking, you idiot?”“Sorry,” he said with a laugh. “Didn’t mean to startle the new help.” he grinned at Asher. "Enjoying your new job?" he asked.“That’s enough,” Kimberly snapped. “What do you want? I’m tired.”Asher glared at Mark, but he said nothing, and instead gave them som
Asher needed to push her away before this went too far. He moved her across the room until her back pressed against the wall. Her mouth opened, but Asher didn’t let her say whatever she wanted to say.His lips slanted over hers, his tongue diving into her mouth. From her response to him, he could tell she’d never been kissed like this— the way he kissed her, and the possessive side of him growled in approval, needing to leave his mark.His hands slipped from her arms to her hips as he ground against her. Her body relaxed into his chest, and she moaned against his lips, a carnal sound that drove Asher to intensify the kiss.He shouldn’t have done it. He had told himself that he wouldn't let this happen again, but now that he’d started, his lips refused to break the kiss. Those lips were so soft, supple, and hungry for his touch.Kimberly's hands snaked up around his neck