Page 44 of Billionaire Unbroken - Asher
“Don’t be a stranger,” Devon said as he slapped me on the back.
He froze almost immediately. “Shit! I probably shouldn’t have done that.”
The motion had been so friendly and natural that I’d only flinched a little, and not violently.
I couldn’t say I liked it, but I didn’t feel like losing my shit over it, either.
“I’m good,” I said tightly. “Don’t worry about it.”
“You’re family. I wasn’t thinking,” Devon said remorsefully.
“Devon, I’ll live,” I assured him. “I’m hoping that someday it won’t bother me at all, but I’m not quite there yet. But it’s not as bad as it used to be for me.”
Christ!I hated the way I’d reacted to what should have been a fond gesture from my cousin.
It was actually nice to know that he felt like he could treat me like family.
But Devon was an observant guy, and he hadn’t missed the way I’d pulled away defensively.
“We’re cool?” he said in a relieved voice.
I nodded. “We’re good.”
“I can’t promise that will never happen again,” Devon informed me. “I think it’s fucking instinctive for me. We’re cousins.”
“I’ll either learn to live with it or I’ll slug you in the face,” I said wryly.
He grinned. “I’d prefer the former, but I’ll take it if you decide to punch me.”
I grinned back at him as some kind of understanding formed between the two of us without words.
I think we’d just decided that we were going to accept each other even when we made mistakes.
I could definitely live with that, because I’d definitely be making plenty of my own in the future.
It was good to know that he’d let me slide while I tried my best to become human again.
Sierra
“Are you sure that you’re okay with living at Asher’s ranch?” Reese asked as we finished our coffee.
The guys had been gone for a while, fixing Silas’s dishwasher, and Silas was sorting out a delivery in his office.
Reese and I had been chatting like old friends, and I’d enjoyed every moment of our talk.
I shrugged. “I think I’ll be lucky to live in a place like Asher’s. It’s a lot better than the sad apartment I have in Billings. I can save some money, too.”
She shook her head slowly. “You two really do get along, don’t you?”
“That surprises you?” I asked curiously.
“Maybe not,” she answered. “You seem pretty nice, but Asher doesn’t like people.”
“I don’t think he hates people,” I mused, wondering how to explain without sharing too much of his personal business. “I think he has issues he needs to work on, but I honestly think he’s been lonely. I doubt he’ll ever admit that, but he’s doing really well at getting out again. It might take some practice, but I think he’s actually going to enjoy getting out of the house more. We’re going to work on that.”
“You’re attracted to him,” she mentioned casually. “I’m a woman. It’s hard for me to miss the way you look at him sometimes.”
My cheeks heated. “God, am I that obvious?”
