Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 68743 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 344(@200wpm)___ 275(@250wpm)___ 229(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68743 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 344(@200wpm)___ 275(@250wpm)___ 229(@300wpm)
“My biological mother’s name was Audrey. She married my father, Michael, and they immediately had kids. Me first. Then Harrison, Zach, and the twins, Nick and Jade.” He leaned against the pillows, rubbing at his chest. Bringing up these old memories wasn’t easy.
“You said Audrey was your biological mother?” Beside him, Nikki shifted until she was more comfortable.
Asher nodded and blew out a harsh breath. The lump in his throat that always accompanied telling this story had returned. “She died by suicide when I was nine.”
“Oh, Asher.” Nikki didn’t grasp his hand as a friend would do. No, she climbed right into his lap and wrapped her arms around him, holding him tight. “I’m so sorry.” Her breath was warm near his ear, and she pressed her cheek to his.
For the first time in his life, he allowed himself to accept comfort. He hugged her back, breathing in the remnants of her coconut shower gel before shifting her so she sat in his lap and he could continue his story.
But she clutched his hand and kept her fingers curled tightly around his. “Only if you want to tell me more,” she said, obviously not wanting to push.
“I do.” He squeezed her hand back in reassurance. “My mother had emotional issues. She was neglectful. To hear Dad tell it, she liked being pregnant and sought out the attention that came with it, but she just didn’t take care of me. After Harrison was born, Dad hired a nanny and Serenity came to live with us. I was about three years old at the time.”
Nikki didn’t say a word, she just waited for more, making it easier for Asher to explain.
He swallowed hard. “Nothing happened between Serenity and my father while my parents were together.” He dipped his head as he explained. “But kids can be brutal. The ones who like to tease, bully, and make fun of something they either don’t understand or think will get laughs.”
Nikki put a hand on his back and rubbed gently. “So I take it your dad and the nanny thing was hard for you?”
“Hot young woman moves in with a married couple? Then the man’s wife runs off and they’re alone together playing house? And later they marry? Yes, you could say it was hard. But as much as those memories are there and they suck? Serenity is the only mother most of my siblings really remember.”
Nikki shifted in his lap, and her bare lower half rubbed against him.
“You’re making it hard to concentrate on having a conversation,” he said, not at all bothered by that fact.
She wriggled, her damp sex grinding into his cock. “You’re right. It’s hard.” Her eyes sparkled with both desire and amusement, making him smile.
Something else she brought out in him.
“But you need to get this off your chest.” She slid off, retaking her position beside him, legs crossed, pulling the covers over her waist. “As much as I’d like to act on… that”—she tipped her head toward his erection—“I want to know about you more,” she said, meeting his gaze.
A woman wanting to understand him more than she desired him or something he could give her? Well, that was different.
“Your siblings consider Serenity their mom, but you were old enough to remember your mother, right?” Nikki asked.
He groaned. “Which means I remember her neglect.”
“But also her love?” Nikki intuitively asked. For someone so young, she had a remarkable depth of understanding.
Loving and missing his mom wasn’t something Asher thought about often, but he supposed Nikki had a point. “You’re right. I remember that, too. Which makes it complicated. A part of me would feel guilty calling Serenity Mom, not that she ever asked me to.”
“Well, that’s good.”
“It is. And I believe I came to terms with it all, especially once there were more kids. My half siblings.”
Nikki’s eyes opened wide, her curiosity piqued. “How many more of you are there?”
He grinned. “There are the triplets. They’re nineteen. And Layla, the oops baby later. She’s fourteen.”
“Wow. No wonder you’re the serious one. As the oldest, I bet you see it as your duty to look out for everyone. I mean, Derek just has me to worry about, and he takes overprotective to the extreme.” Nikki rose to her knees and cupped her hands around Asher’s face, looking deep into his eyes. “Who looks out for you?”
She’d asked him a similar question last night except his answer today went deeper and made him feel vulnerable, something he generally avoided.
Who wanted to admit the answer was no one looked out for him? Sure, his siblings loved him and would be there if he needed them, but they didn’t consider it their job to act as his protector. Not like he did for them.
“I’m fine,” he assured her, pulling her hands off his face. “Now, speaking of my family—” he began.