Kimberly dropped the second boot to the floor and wished the man sitting there in the dark beside her could be a bit open minded and that they could get along for once after this. She realized that as annoying as he could be, he was a good man. But she couldn't kid herself for too long. She wondered if he was really being this way because he cared, or because he was doing his job.
Whichever one is was, she was grateful to him. Grateful that he was with her.
“Come here,” Asher said. “You’re shivering again.”
With a sigh, Kimberly turned and positioned herself between his hard thighs. They arranged the blankets into a nest to shelter them. She wrapped one of them around her feet and legs as he’d instructed.
The others he drew around him and thus around them both, with the thermal tarp on top as he settled back against the door.
The tarp was big eno
“A part of me is really enjoying this.” She said. "Being here with you... I wish we could get along more"He wasn’t surprised. He was feeling the same way and thinking the same thing. It was this damn cold, and the fact that were smashed up against each other. Stuff like this messed with your brain.But God in heaven, she felt good in his arms. And she smelled so good, like vanilla and jasmine flowers and something else, something that was only her.“Rest.” he said. Determined to have some control over himself. This was his job and it was wrong if he touched her. It could ruin everything. It was one of rules he set for himself. Never get attached to a client. But with Kimberly, it seemed like all he wanted to do.He wanted to throw those damn rules out the window and smash his lips against hers.“You keep saying that.&rd
She stroked the stubble rough side of his face and whispered softly, in a voice of purest temptation, “Why not go ahead with it? Why not do what neither of us can stop wanting to do, just one time?” she said softly.He knew exactly how he should respond to those dangerous questions. He needed to take her by the shoulders and put her gently but firmly away from him. But instead, he muttered in a rough, choked growl, “It would be...wrong. We are not supposed to”She used the backs of her fingers to stroke the close clipped hair at his temples. “I don’t care, Asher." she said. "I really don’t care if it’s wrong. I only want one good thing to remember about tonight, one sweet, naughty secret to make it...not quite so awful. I thoroughly understand that it’s never going to be, between you and me. That we are different and maybe not even compatible”He tried to speak.She put her soft hand between them and covered h
She heard the challenge in his voice, and her gaze zeroed in on the utterly decadent sight she presented as he cupped her in his palms, kneaded her skin with deep, erotic strokes that made her insides melt She leaned into his touch without thinking, helpless to do anything but respond.She couldn't have imagined feeling this way if she'd tried. She hadn't expected him to move so fast, hadn't in her heart of hearts believed this whole idea would work out But he was here. Touching her.He regarded her beneath heavy-lidded eyes, a look that drugged her with the promise of his next touch, a look that made it hard to draw a decent breath."You like how this feels." he asked. It wasn't a question, more a statement of fact that she couldn't deny. She nodded helplessly."What about this?" he asked again.He caught her nipples in a firm pinch and fire shot through her li
Kimberly hated the silence between them.It was back, with a vengeance, as soon as they saw that the condom had broken.Not much later, as she was struggling with her ruined tights, buttoning up her jacket and trying to smooth her tangled hair in such a hurry.Asher leaned over the front seat and opened the glove compartment. He found a pen and a scrap of paper, on which he quickly scrawled a series of numbers.“Here.” His breath fogged on the frozen air.She took it. “What’s this?” she asked staring at the paper.“My phone number.” he said simply.For a moment, she actually thought that she’d read the silence all wrong. But then she understood. But before that she had to ask. "And why are you giving that to me?" she asked."Just in case you are.... Ermmm... You know" he said, unable to meet her gaze.She didn't underst
Because she had a thing for him. There was just something about him that called to her, something that made her wish there was hope for the two of them somehow. Hope for what? She wasn't quite sure. And deep in her heart, she feared she would never get over him... Even after she was safe and he left.And yet, she had honestly meant what she said to him, that she knew that nothing could ever happen between them.Nothing was ever going to come out of their time together. She accepted that. She had no expectations concerning him. So she was going to go home and cry out her eyes. She wasn't going to throw away her pride and dignity and do something crazy like beg him to stay or get into a relationship with her.So, yes. It had been rather a bad idea to have sex with him. A bad idea that had turned out absolutely perfect. Something beautiful and real and honest in the middle of a terrible mess. She probably should regre
“I want to apologize for the way I have been.... For being frosty,” she greeted him. “I just, well, I was very sensitive and tired that night and I kinda snapped. And it was my fault that we... Ermmm... You know. I just want you to know that I am sorry. My father tells me that sometimes I tend to get a little too into the zone and too emotional and I can lose sight of my manners.”Asher hadn’t expected an apology. He just stared at her, so she continued. “So, why don’t you come with me to the Chinese restaurant a few blocks down and we can get.... I don't know... reacquainted? You know, like the normal way”“I appreciate the offer, but you know as part of my job I’d go anyway,” he pointed out finally.Kimberly gave him a wry smile.“I’m inviting you to eat with me,” she corrected. “Not sit creepily behind me like a weird stalker.”Asher stepped back to retrieve his wallet and walked out
Kimberly looked away. "No I haven't" she said. "I wanted to wait two weeks before I took it so I could be sure about the result. But you don't have to worry" she added immediately. "I feel fine"Asher nodded. "okay" he said. "I'm here if you need me""You don't have to leave. No matter what the result is" Kimberly said.Asher nodded. But he didn't tell her that if she was carrying his child, there was no way in hell that he was going to leave.--------------------------They ate their food quickly and, soon after finishing, they were singing its praises.“I keep telling Greg that the the food here is fantastic,” Kimberly said. “This fast food queen will be coming back here with him... Just to prove my point”“Greg?” Asher asked.“Oh, sorry. Greg is a work associate. If you insist on following me around then you’ll get the chance to
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
He took her hand in his and squeezed her fingers. "Kimberly, are you telling the truth? Do you really love me? Because if you don't, I can't make it. You are my world. This is killing me"She leaned forward and pulled him close. Then he was on the bed and they were kissing as if they had a lifetime to make up for."Of course I love you" she wispererd as she pressed her mouth against his lips, his cheeks, his chin. "I have been calling every week, trying to tell you""I know. James recorded the calls and forwarded them to me. I couldn't stand listening to them and I couldn't stop playing them over and over. I needed it all to me true, even as I told myself it couldn't be""Stubborn man" she said contentedly. "Do you believe me now?""I have to. I need to be with you" he touched her face. "I believe you. I love, Kimberly. I don't deserve you and you can do a hell of a lot bette
It was nearly nine when she picked up her phone to make her weekly call to James. She had gotten in the habit of calling him at night, so that when they finished she could curl up in bed and pretend that Asher had heard every word. That he cared about her and that it was killing him to be so far away from her.At what point did she let go? She wondered. Asher had been concerned that her feelings weren't real, that they were only circumstances. How could she prove otherwise to a man who refused to speak with her or see her? Was he really trying to give her space he thought she needed or did he not care about her? Was her love one sided?Six months, she told herself. She would give him the six months he had offered her. On that date, she would call for the last time. She would also tell James about the baby. She had hoped to tell Asher herself, but if he refused to talk to her, there was little she could do."But that is n
He stepped back and studied her, then rubbed his thumb against her cheek. "My beautiful baby girl. What did he do to you?" he asked.She covered her hand with his. "Not so much as you would think" she replied."But what he did to you. I can't believe that he kidnapped you. Yet it's all true. He is in jail, you know. As are the people who worked for him."Kimberly led the way to the sofa and set next to her father. "It's a lot to take in" she said."Too much. He fooled us all" His mouth twisted. "I'm so sorry you tried to explain to me on the phone and I wasn't listening." He pulled her close. "I will never forgive myself for that""You can't blame yourself, dad" Kimberly said. "He was your close friend, for God knows how long. I understand if you couldn't believe it at first"Her father grimaced. "That's still not enough reason. I just hope you know just how sorry I am a
"Asher, I...." she began.He pressed his fingers to her mouth. "Don't say anything, Kimberly. You don't have to""Yes, I do" Kimberly said. "You saved me... Again. Not just from Christopher. But you showed me that I was tough and capable""You always knew that. You always have been" Asher replied."Maybe, but I never had to prove it before" She shrugged. "I shot you""Good for you. You did what you had to in order to survive.. To save your father""Oh right. I ran straight to the enemy""You didn't know that. The point is you needed to escape from me and you did" he said.His casual acceptance of her actions made her heart sick. "I should have trusted you""We have been over that" he leaned close and kissed her forehead. "The reality of all this is you haven't even known me for long. In a dangerous situation, everything is heightene
"I will get you, you bitch!" Christopher screamed at Kimberly. His face turned red and his eyes seemed to bug out. "This is all your fault. I will get you, and when I do, I will make you wish you were dead. You hear me?"The last of her reserves faded. At that moment, Kimberly couldn't take one more thing. She felt weak. She handed the phone to Asher."Talk to my dad. Maybe you can make him understand. He's not listening to me" she said.Then she grabbed for a chair as her legs gave out and she fainted.------------------------Kimberly finished packing her clothes. She had already put her laptop in it's case and cleared out the bathroom. There wasn't all that much left to do, which meant she had no excuse to linger. But she desperately wanted to see Asher before she left.James had said something about him dropping by, but he hadn't been specific. Kimberly had a feeling that if she
She was living on borrowed time, as well but somehow that mattered less. If he killed her this second, she would have only two regrets. First, that she wouldn't be around to help those adorable kids anymore, and second, that Asher would always believe that she hadn't trusted him or cared for him at all.----------------------------Kimberly rode the elevator in silence, then stepped out in the elegant foyer and asked for Damon Forbes."I'm sorry" the lady they spoke to told her. "Mr Forbes is on vacation. Did you have an appointment?"Kimberly turned to Christopher. "Did you make an appointment?" she asked him.He nodded. "Paul Nelson is handling the transaction""Then Mr Nelson" Kimberly said."Of course. I will tell him you are here" she waited politely for their names.Christopher put his arm around Kimbe
"You bastard" Kimberly said. "He thought you were his friend. He trusted you. Why would you do something like this to him?"He ignored her questions. "I want you to change your clothes" he said as he walked back to the door. "You will have to eat too. No fainting. In fact, nothing out of the ordinary"She waited, knowing he was finally going to tell her what this was all about. And then, before he could speak, she understood."You need money." she breathed. "You were after the ransom money from my kidnap. Only that plan didn't work out so well for you""Smart girl" Christopher said grinning."You could have just asked for help" Kimberly said. "You didn't have to do all this""Shut up" he shouted. "I don't have to explain my actions to you. That's the thing with you and your father. Feeling and acting like gods. Now, I decided to go another way. We
Kimberly drank some water from the faucet and returned to the bed. Asher would probably have recovered from the sedative, but that wasn't going to be much help to her. Sure, he could trace her to the hospital, but then what?Alex was probably going to kill after getting what he wanted from her. She accepted that. If not today, then soon. The thought of death scared her, but that really made her want to pound her hands against the walls and scream was the thought that Asher would never know she was sorry to have misjudged him. He would live the rest of her life aware that in the heat of the moment, she hadn't trusted him."I was a fool" she whispered into the silence. "I should have trusted him. I should have remembered that that Alex would do anything to lure me out. I should have known you were on my side"Worse, she should have listened to her heart. Over the past couple of days, she had been feeling things for A
The shot was quieter than she would have thought. The sedative struck him in the upper left part of his chest, close to his shoulder. Her eyes flickered open then closed. She waited five seconds before shaking him."Asher" she yelled. "Can you hear me?"He didn't budge. She dropped the gun onto the floor and ran for the garage.She was nearly halfway across the cement floor before the computerized voice warned her that she had violated her authorized perimeter. The shrill siren began as she started the car engine. She started to back out before the garage doors had fully opened, and there was an ugly scraping sound, barely audible over the pulsing alarm.Kimberly turned on the lights of the car and drove down the street. Not long now, she told herself over and over again in a litany of prayer. I will be there, daddy. Just hang on for meTears threatened, but she willed them away.