Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 129110 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 646(@200wpm)___ 516(@250wpm)___ 430(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129110 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 646(@200wpm)___ 516(@250wpm)___ 430(@300wpm)
"What the hell!"
"I'm sorry!" He's unable to control his laughter as he coddles me in his arms. His hands rub my sides, leaving me just as breathless and unable to calm down.
Then a lady clears her throat.
I didn't realize anyone else was here!
I immediately pull away and straighten my stance.
“Elle, this is my mum, Olivia.”
Whoa.
I’ve never been in the presence of royalty before, and here I am smacking and yelling at her son.
Perfect.
Am I supposed to bow or something? Pretty sure there are rules about this.
I look to Asher for help, but he doesn't offer any. "Mum, this is who I was telling you about. This is Elle."
I end up reaching out and shaking her hand.
“Lovely to meet you,” she flashes a kind and friendly smile. “Asher has said such lovely things.”
Ummm, what?
“Thank you, it’s, uh, nice to meet you too.”
I don’t know what I can’t believe more - that Asher talked to his mom about me or that I'm meeting her.
"I wanted to be sure we met, but I do have to run," she flashes Asher a look. "It's not often I'm stateside. I do hope we meet again soon."
"Uh, yeah, same here."
She pats my hand while giving Asher a kiss on the cheek. Then she lets go and with a wave she's gone.
I wait until she's out of sight before turning to Asher and narrowing my gaze.
“What the hell!" I go to jab his side but he's fast and moves away.
"Nice try, New York."
"Some notice would have been nice."
“I thought it was only fair. I met your parents." With a warning look he puts his arms down.
I remain at bay.
"So you've talked to your mom about me?"
He bites his cheek to hide a smile.
"She said I've said lovely things. She never said they were about you."
"Why are you such an ass?"
“Can't help it," he innocently shrugs. "Come on."
He pulls me down the hall until we slow to a walk and he lets go.
We're silent, and when our hands accidentally brush I quickly pull away, only he doesn't let me. He reaches out and laces our fingers until our palms are pressed tightly together.
Holy shit we're holding hands.
I glance over. He's staring straight ahead but I can tell from the corner of his lips that he's smiling.
“Calm down there, tiger,” he chuckles. “It’s just a friendly hand hold.”
Then why can't you look at me?
Of course I don't say it out loud. I take a deep breath and try not to freak out. It's so comfortable and right.
All too soon we stop in front of a door and he lets go to open it. My entire arm drops with a thud. I refuse to focus on how empty it feels. It doesn't matter anyway because as our eyes meet he already knows.
He knows every damn thing I'm thinking.
Why am I so obvious?
He clears his throat, and I look away.
I step into the transformed room. The cold concrete and stark walls are hidden by lush carpets and expensive drapes. Plush couches and seating areas are arranged around a massive entertainment system. The space is made to look homey, and it does. Actually it's crazy the lengths people go to in order to make Asher feel comfortable. It's definitely a world I'll never understand.
“I had fun yesterday," he clears his throat and I look over just in time to catch the tail end of a grin. “Even though you don’t remember doing so thanks for inviting me.” He always seems to know exactly what to say to bring me back. Here I was thinking how far apart our worlds are.
Except for yesterday.
Yesterday we were one in the same.
He shuts the door and motions for me to sit.
I pick the couch with the crazy tall back because I've never seen or sat on anything like it before.
“I wish I had a close family,” he takes his phone out of his pocket and places it on the coffee table. The cushion dips as he plops next to me. “The closest I came was Let’s Go, and well you know how that ended.”
“It’s nice that your Mom came."
"Sure," he forces a smile. "She'll come when she knows my Father won't be here."
I slowly nod. “So why exactly didn't you invite the members of Let’s Go tonight? I know you feel bad and still want to fix things. Why not just go for it?"
He uncomfortably shifts.
It's very obvious I said the wrong thing.
"I'm not here to help you live out some teenage fantasy."
I'm too stunned to respond.
What exactly is he here for? What am I here for?
"I'm sorry. That was rude," he sighs, and I force a smile.
Great.
Now things are awkward.
"Inviting them would have been a terrible idea," he offers another apologetic look. "I'm still headlining shows at Madison Square Garden - solo - after all these years. I'd be shoving it in their faces. Not to mention living up to my name. Cocky bastard, or whatever the headlines are calling me nowadays."