Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 72727 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 364(@200wpm)___ 291(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72727 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 364(@200wpm)___ 291(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
“With very close supervision, yeah,” Daniel said with a nod.
Before he could stop himself, Asher pressed his body to Daniel’s, shot out his free hand, and cupped Daniel’s package, holding it tight. “It better not have been too close,” he rumbled.
Daniel ran his hands over Asher’s chest. “You don’t have anything to worry about.” He inhaled deeply, like he was savoring Asher’s scent, and then he trembled. “I don’t cheat. Ever.”
It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Daniel, it was that the more time he spent with the man, the more of him he saw, the more he got to know him, the more Asher realized just how desirable Daniel was. And he knew there was no way other people wouldn’t notice. It was those other people that worried Asher. But after the fit he’d thrown an hour earlier, he figured he had used up his allotment of jealousy for the evening, so he kissed Daniel’s forehead and sat at the table, ready to eat dinner.
Chapter 15
COMING home to find Asher in the midst of some sort of a jealousy-induced break-down had made for an intense night. Plus, it had changed the order of Daniel’s plans. He’d spent the day working with Marc on what he had thought would be a romantic dinner as a prelude to going to bed and having Asher top him for the first time. Instead, he was shoved against furniture and held down while Asher staked his claim, first with anger, then with passion. All before the salad course.
Not that Daniel was complaining. Being wanted desperately enough to make such a controlled person snap and manhandle him was much hotter than candlelight and soft music. Getting off by being overpowered was dangerous, Daniel realized. He’d only trusted a couple of guys in his life enough to leave himself that vulnerable. Unfortunately, neither of them had Asher’s fierceness, his heat when they touched him. Or maybe they simply hadn’t wanted him with the same intensity.
He rubbed the fingers of his left hand over his right wrist and felt a soreness that would probably last a couple of days. Shivers wracked his wiry frame as he remembered the look of frantic desire in Asher’s eyes when they were in the bedroom and the tight grip of his big hands on Daniel’s body.
“Daniel?” Asher’s voice was hesitant, his eyebrows furrowed. “Are you okay?” He reached out and then stopped just short of Daniel’s wrist, as if he wasn’t sure of his welcome.
“I’m fine.” Daniel flipped his hand palm up and moved it closer to Asher’s, making the invitation clear. “Why?”
Asher ran his fingers over Daniel’s palm from wrist to fingertips and back again, tender, barely there touches that left a trail of heat in their wake. “I’m sorry I lost control like that. I didn’t mean to hurt you,” he said mournfully.
Daniel closed his eyes and breathed deeply, relaxing under the gentle ministrations. “I’m fine, Ash, seriously. Like I said, I wouldn’t have let you hurt me.”
Asher scoffed, and Daniel’s eyes fluttered open. He raised one side of his mouth in a wry grin. “You don’t believe me?” he asked.
“You got me with that move earlier, I’ll give you that. But it was only because I was caught off guard.”
Daniel decided that it was pointless to argue about whether or not he could defend himself against Asher. He had a lot of experience winning matches against men just as big and with more training. But he didn’t want to wound Asher’s pride, so he decided to leave it alone. Besides, he didn’t believe Asher would have hurt him when push came to shove. Not really.
“Well,” he said quietly as he moved his arm down and started mirroring Asher’s gentle touches on his forearm. “Either way, I’m fine.”
Asher moved his hand under Daniel’s chin and tilted it up so their gazes met. “You sure?” he asked tenderly.
Daniel felt like he was being flooded with intense emotion and the speed of his breaths increased. It was that gentle-rough dichotomy that did it for him in a big way. “Promise,” he said thickly.
“Then why aren’t you eating, sugar?” Asher asked. “This roast you made is really good.”
“Oh.” Daniel looked down at his full plate in surprise. “No reason. I just wasn’t thinking about it.”
“You weren’t thinking about eating when we’re sitting down for dinner and there’s a full plate in front of you?” Asher asked skeptically. “Did you eat with Marc before I got home?” The last question came out in a harsh tone, and Asher winced after he said it.
Daniel chuckled. Yup, Asher was definitely the jealous type. It was sexy, and Daniel could feel his dick thickening against his thigh. “I didn’t eat with Marc,” he assured the big man.
Asher furrowed his brow and crossed his arms over his broad chest. “Late lunch? Giant breakfast?”