He lathered his hair and thought of something more pleasant than his impending conversation with his parents. A vivid image of the woman who had come to his office earlier that day filled his thoughts.
His first view had been her cute little ass waving in the air as she’d been on her knees digging for something beneath a chair. Her skirt had ridden up, revealing tight thighs he’d wanted to run a hand between. He closed his eyes and images of her brought a lusty smile to his face.
He had a healthy sexual appetite, and he’d found Emily Harris very attractive. She was a small thing, shorter than his usual taste. He pictured how easily it would be to lift her so she could wrap her legs around him as he thrust up into her.
There had been nothing suggestive about their meeting, but his cock hardened with anticipation as he replayed their exchange in his mind. Women didn’t normally stand up to him, and she had done so fearlessly.
When she’d stood there, her eyes flashing and chest heaving, he’d found himself in the unique situation of wanting a woman who appeared to have no interest in him personally. He stepped out of the shower, dried off, and called a member of his team who handled security checks. It wasn’t unusual for him to obtain background checks on people he dealt with.
“How deep do you want us to dig?” his man asked him.
“I want everything,” Asher answered abruptly and hung up. Knowledge was power, and he didn’t have any problem using it to his advantage. He did hope, however, she didn’t give in to him too easily. He met his eyes in the mirror above the bathroom sink. It had been too long since he’d felt this type of anticipation about anything. He saw the light of excitement in his expression and shook his head in amusement.
Emily held the promise of being a tantalizing distraction. He liked that she was passionate about the little museum project she mentioned. If being with her was as good as his cock believed, he’d gift her a piece of property elsewhere, possibly even help her fund her museum. He’d always been a generous lover.
Women didn’t turn him down, and Emily would be no different. She was feisty and self-assured; he couldn’t wait to see how that translated in the bedroom. His bed to be specific.
Asher dressed in boxer briefs and lounge pants and heated the meal left for him by his housekeeper. He answered emails and read over a few documents in preparation for the next day. When he had no other excuse for delaying any longer, he called his mother. It was only after he’d dialed the number that he checked the time. Shit. It was nearly ten. His mother was probably already asleep, but she’d worry if she saw he’d called, so he stayed on the line.
“It’s late, Asher, but it’s good to hear your voice. You’ve been so busy lately. I miss you,” she said warmly.
Another mother might have said those same words with the intention of making her child feel guilty. Sophie Barrington never had an ulterior motive. She said it simply because she meant it. His mother was the most loving person he’d ever met. She put the happiness of others above her own. He’d like to admire that trait, but it had prevented her from being able to stop his father’s career from imploding. She’d given up, and he would never understand that decision. Still, that didn’t stop him from loving her. “Time got away from me, but I didn’t want to not call in case it was something important.”
“It could have waited, but I did want to speak with you. What did you think of Emily Harris?”
Nothing I could say to my mother, Asher thought. He pushed away the image of her perfectly rounded ass as she’d bent to retrieve something from beneath a chair in Ryan’s office. “Why do you ask?”
“Thank you for seeing her today. From the first time I heard it, her story moved me. Your father felt the same way.”
“How well do you know her, Mom?”
“Not very, but she spent this afternoon with us, and she is just as sweet and earnest in person as she sounded on the phone. I hated to see her leave. She gave us a painting her mother had made. It’s the most incredible thing. When you look at it, you miss the beauty of it. It’s all one color. But if you close your eyes and run your hands over it, it’s a masterpiece. I cried. Her mother was blind; did she tell you? Remarkable.”
Asher’s hand tightened on the phone. Although part of him was interested in what his mother knew about Emily, the protective son in him was instantly on high alert. “Mom, don’t see that woman again. She is trying to use you to get me to change my mind about buying her property in New Hampshire.”
His mother laughed. “I know. She told us. She’s not a hard nut to crack. We were her Plan B. How adorable is that? She told us all about how she went to your office and warned you that you couldn’t have her land. She also told us what you said. Asher, I raised you better than that. You could have at least promised to look into alternative sites.”
Asher paced the length of his living room and growled his displeasure. “This is business, Mom.”
“I know, and normally I wouldn’t get involved, but blocking a museum for the blind from opening? Really? Asher, I can’t stand back and condone that.”
“Her museum will open, but not at its present location.”
With a pained sigh, Sophie said, “Did you know that her mother gave her that property? It was passed down from her grandfather. When she told me about how she and her mother had created the core artwork for the museum together and what it meant to her, I knew I had to call you. You can’t buy her land, Asher. Find another site for your . . . whatever.”
“Not possible. My company has invested time and money into that location.”
“Asher Dale Barrington, how often do I ask you for anything?”
Fuck. Using his middle name meant his mother was serious. “All I can promise is that I’ll contact Ms. Harris and discuss the matter with her again.”
“Thank you, Asher. I’m confident that when you hear more about her project you’ll see why you’ll have to change your plans this time.”
“Consider this handled, Mom. There is no need for you to speak with Ms. Harris again.”
“I won’t get involved in your business again, Asher, but we did enjoy Emily’s company so much we invited her to spend the weekend at our place in Nantucket. She’s never been, and there are several resident artists there who could be potential donors for her museum. I’d love to help her acquire some rare pieces. She was so grateful when I mentioned the idea to her. Even your father is excited, and it’s good for him to have something to think about besides his health.”
Oh, Emily, I underestimated you.
He smiled. He liked the challenge she presented. A rush of anticipation filled him as he considered his next move with her.
Chapter Three
‡
Emily plopped into a seat across from Celeste in a small cafeteria on the first floor of her friend’s workplace. Celeste was stylishly dressed in a blouse and skirt that looked both casual and expensive at the same time. Emily was back in jeans and a T-shirt and down to seven acrylic nails. The salads they had both ordered looked mediocre at best, but that didn’t matter. It was so good to see Celeste again. Emily looked around the room. “So, do you still love Boston?”
Celeste took a sip of her water before answering. “I love what I do and being here makes sense. It’s definitely not Welchton, but that’s good in some ways.”
Shaking her head, Emily pushed her salad around the bowl. “I can’t imagine living anywhere else.”
“You’ve never gone anywhere, so how do you know?”
“That’s cold, Celeste. True, but cold,” Emily said with a smile.
“Hey, sorry, I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. And I’m sorry I rushed you off the phone last night. This latest project is killing me. I hate that I can’t drop everything to hang out with you.”
Emily shrugged. “You don’t have to entertain me, it’s just good to see you.”
“Same here. Okay, so spill about yesterday. You met with—Sophie and Dale Barrington? Is that what you said their names w
ere?”
Just thinking about it had Emily’s stomach churning nervously. How two of the sweetest people she’d ever met had produced someone like Asher was beyond Emily’s imagination. She pushed her salad away. “Yes. And they were so nice. I couldn’t lie to them.”
“Oh, my God, Em. What did you say?”
Despite cheeks that were warm with embarrassment, Emily tried to appear less mortified by her admission. Okay, so I’m not a sleuth, nor do I want to be. “I told them everything, including how I’d chosen a hotel near them as part of my Plan B.”
“You’re lucky they didn’t call the police.”
“They actually handled it really well. They asked me about a hundred questions then fed me a delicious lunch that will have me dieting for a week. They even invited me to spend the weekend at their beach house on Nantucket Island.”
Sitting back in her chair, Celeste shook her head in amazement. “You won them over. I didn’t doubt that part. Are you actually going away with them this weekend?”
Emily folded her napkin into a triangle and then folded it again nervously. “Am I crazy if I say yes?”
“The state of your sanity has already been established.” Celeste dug through her purse and pulled out a key. “But, if you’re going to do this, you might as well stay at my place until you go away with them. I made an extra key for my apartment. Bring your stuff over while I’m at work this afternoon if you want.”
Emily rushed out of her seat to hug Celeste. “Do you know how much I love you?”
Celeste hugged her back tightly. “Do you know how much I’ve missed you?”
Not as much as I’ve missed you. So much had changed in both of their lives over the past few years. Emily didn’t look back. She didn’t want to think about all she’d lost. Instead she put all of her energy into making the most of what she had left.
