Asher watched the rather busy happenings of people passing by the window as he took a last sip of his coffee, then placed the empty mug back on the table. He hadn’t thought pack life was such a hive of activities.
His thoughts, however, were not truly on the coming and going of man and beast outside his window. No, his thoughts were bombarded with what he had discussed with Chris and James. If Levi would not fold, then they had to take drastic action and run.
It was the same plan Asher had entertained the first time he was in the pack lands, chained to a wall. But unlike that time when death would have fallen on him swiftly in a blink of an eye. This time, the plan had potential to succeed. Chris and James were there to give Asher and Mia a fighting chance.
Chris and James had already left the house to plot out the best route of escape. Asher was waiting for Mia to show up as she usually did, just as the sun touched the horizon.
Asher sat on a fallen tree, comfortably leaning against a rock. Mia watched him from a distance.He wore a black top that showed off his muscles and tattoos, just like she enjoyed. A black leather jacket sat next to him on the fallen tree trunk. It was part of his bike gear, but the bike was nowhere in sight because they had left it in a clearing almost a mile away.Mia completed her shift and stood up. She smiled as she watched her mate bounce their son on his knees and pointed out the trees and rocks. She couldn’t believe this was her life now. Not only did she have a mate, but she had a beautiful son as well, and she adored them both.They were in the woods because Mia needed to ‘stretch her legs’, as Asher liked to put it. And since the house they had bought wasn’t too far, Asher liked to ride them all on his bike to this secluded area.Since Ren wasn’t yet old enough to run with his mother, he stay
Uncontrollable drunken chatter and laughter rented the air in the overcrowded, foul smelling little building. Mia stared at the watch on the wall and groaned. It was only nine in the night and one of the bar’s regulars was already too drunk to control. The old man, Jim, usually held his alcohol for at least another two hours before he reached this level. She could only guess that he had skipped out on his lunch again. Probably on his breakfast as well. Unless it had been a liquid one of similar properties as the glasses of liquor he had been consuming for hours, Mia thought. Damn, this was going to make the next four hours before closing time hellish, she grumbled silently to herself. Mia grabbed a rug and wiped down the counter even as another patron shouted an order from the other end of the bar. From the slur in the voice, she
It was always frustrating how time seemed to crawl whenever a person needed it to move faster, Mia thought. The last thirty minutes of her shift dragged and felt like it would never end, but eventually, with relief in her voice, Mia announced it was time to close and everyone had to leave. The usual murmurs of complaints met her announcement, but she paid them no attention. She was already stretching the reserves on her tank of patience. The two guys, Rick and Ben, together with Joy, all of whom also worked in the bar, made quick work of getting rid of the handful of patrons who didn’t seem eager to get home. If given the chance, Mia was certain they would sleep in the bar and wake up tomorrow morning, ordering their favorite liquor as breakfast. She shook her head as Jim grumbled about being denied one more drink for the road
The adrenaline leaving his body made it hard for him to comprehend what she was saying. Almost in a dazed state, he followed her gaze to his arm. Strangely enough, that was when he felt the pain. He was indeed injured. The sleeve of his leather jacket was torn and soaked from what he could see with the help of moonlight. A small part of him wondered how she had known and noticed before he did. “Oh.” He used his right hand to check the extent of the damage. “It doesn’t look that bad. I’m sure it’s just a scratch.” It also didn’t hurt like an injury hell bent on killing him, so he was certain he would be okay. Mia knew it wasn’t that bad, it was indeed just a scratch, but she couldn’t just leave him there after the idiot had tried to help her, even though it hadn’t been necessary. That brought another question to mind. “What were you still doing here, anyway?”
Mia stormed right into her tiny bathroom. She slammed the door and leaned against it. A cocktail of emotions hit her like a blow to her gut. On one hand, she was glad Asher was out of her apartment and she never had to lay her eyes on him again. But on the other hand, she wanted him back in her tiny apartment, passing judgement over her living conditions as though he had a right. The man had the nerve, and she was losing her mind to even find it remotely sexy. With angry jerky movements, she removed her clothes and stepped into her shower. She let the hot water beat against her skin till it turned red and steamed. It felt good. Her apartment left much to be desired, but at least the place had hot water. It felt like she was cleansing her body of the events of the last two hours. But more importantly, it felt like she was washing away her own reaction to Asher Deavan. After a moment, against her better judgment, Mia allowed her mind to wan
She shouldn’t have been shocked to find him waiting outside near the back alley, but she was. Her wolf's senses picked him up the moment she walked out the back door. After the events of the night before, she was more alert to her surroundings. The stench of the alley couldn’t completely hide the musky scent of the man, and she was sure she could hear a heart beating not too far away. Mia stalled for time by slowly locking the bar’s back door and double checking it. Then she had no choice but to walk out of the dark alley. And of course, her senses had not lied. Asher was right there, leaning against his red and white Ducati bike barely an arm’s length away from the alley’s opening. She stopped walking and glared at him. “You have trouble hearing or you’re just trying to piss me off?” she asked in a clipped tone. The smile on Asher’s face didn’t falter. “I was thinking more along the lines of charming you, by showing you how per
“There he is!” A deep voice bellowed from the doorway, the sound cutting across the quiet office space like a roar. “I was beginning to think we should send out a search party for you, man. Where the hell have you been? Did you get lost on the road or something?” Asher smiled and looked up from the pile of documents on his desk. “I was wondering how long it would take you to find me once you heard I was back.” He made a show to glance at his wristwatch with an intense look. “Exactly six hours and twenty-nine minutes. Not bad.” “Don’t forget to count the seconds too,” Dave retorted as he lowered his body into one of the brown leather chairs opposite Asher’s desk without waiting to be invited. Asher snorted. “Of course, how could I forget the seconds?” Dave gave him a big grin, extremely pleased with himself. He lifted his leg over the other and tapped his fingers on his raised knee. “So, how was the adventure?” He actually sounde
“Do you need any help with those?” Rick called out from the doorway. Mia lifted her head over the stacked boxes that were blocking her view of the door. Apart from the question, there was nothing in his demeanor that suggested he was even remotely interested in helping her lift heavy boxes from the back storage room to the front of the bar. She was certain it was one of those offers people made just to be kind, but don’t really expect to take them up on it. He was probably expecting her to say ‘no, it’s fine, I got it.’ He was about to be in for a shock. Mia gave him a broad smile. “Really? Gee… thanks.” And just as she had suspected, Rick hesitated at the door, his eyes widening. “Oh. Right... sure.” She stifled a laugh and carried two heavy boxes over to him. It was really nothing she couldn’t handle on her own, but he had offered. Who was she to pass up the offer? Rick grimaced once she released the boxe