Page 13 of Asher

“Eh. We’ve gone on a date, and it just wasn’t there.” I shrugged.

“Damn. It was worth a shot.”

CHAPTER FOUR

HALEY

Rolling my neck,I stepped off the plane and half jogged toward baggage claim. The strap of my hot pink camera bag dug into my shoulder as I pushed through a crowd of people. The sucker was heavy. I’d been gone for a week to shoot a wedding in Colorado. I loved traveling for work, but sometimes I couldn’t wait to get home and soak my tub with some bath bombs.

I checked the time on my phone, sighing when I realized we landed half an hour later than expected. A yawn escaped as I rubbed my temple. My flight had left at eight this morning, which meant I had to be up at five and I didn’t get any sleep on the plane thanks to the cry baby a row behind me.And it wasn’t even a baby.Nope. Apparently, the full-grown man-child sitting behind me the entire way back to Sweet Springs had just been dumped by his girlfriend.

In the middle of a proposal.

That was being recorded.

Poor dude.

He had shit luck, I would admit. From what I gathered between his drunken blubbering she was sleeping with his best friend. While that sucked donkey balls, I wanted to pat him on the chest and tell him to man the fuck up. Rub some dirt in the wounds and move the fuck on.

Go find someone to bone.

Or at the very least pretend to move on like most barely functioning adults. Not that I would know anything about that. It wasn’t like I was in love with someone that didn’t love me back.

Right?

“I didn’t think you would ever fucking get here.”

I spun to see Grayson leaning against a poll, arms crossed over his chest. The dark blue sweater strained against his arms. Arms that were a result of true hard work, not just muscles that were made in a gym. I swear his muscle had muscles and just like every time I saw him, I willed for some sort of attraction other than brotherly. I wanted a flutter. A heart kick. A shiver. Something.

Hell, I’d take an eye twitch of attraction at this point.

Nothing.

I looked him over. Tall. Strong jaw. Square chin. Crooked nose. “Have you gotten your fill yet?” He joked, his brown eyes sparkling. “I know I’m good looking, but I’m not a piece of meat you know.”

“Please.” I rolled my eyes. “We both know what kind of meat you have going on down there.” I didn’t know, but I said it loud enough for a couple of girls to giggle and stare. Grayson’s cheeks flushed as he tucked his chin to his chest, shaking his head. “You shaved your head.”

He ran a hand over the buzzed hair. “Old habits and all,” Grayson said, wrapping his arms around me in a hug. I truly hadn’t known Gray for that long. He just moved to Sweet Springs last year after being discharged from the Marines and wanted to be closer to his sister, Stephanie. Honestly, he fit right in with the rest of the guys.

It was like he grew up here.

Bags slid down on to the carousel, and everyone swarmed in a hurry to leave. Spotting my blue hardcover suitcase, I pulled it off the carousel and on to the floor. “You ready to go? We’re going to be late,” I said, wheeling the bag toward the exit. Grayson caught up, snatching the handle from my hand. Fuck. Even a gentleman. Why couldn’t I be attracted to him? Why did he have to be more like a brother than a lover?

Grayson and I went on a date shortly after he arrived and while it was perfectly nice, neither of us felt an attraction. We were comfortable in the friendzone.

Which would’ve been great if I were looking for another friend.

“Thanks for coming to get me.” I climbed into the cab of Gray’s truck as he threw my bag in the back. A wide grin spread across my face at the two Starbucks cups sitting in the cup holders. “Marry me?” I joked, reaching for the still warm cup.

“I would, but we both know that I’m not your type.”

I snorted. “I don’t have a type.”

“Right.” Gray drew the word out, not even pretending to believe me. He could read through my lies almost as good as my best friends, Rylie and Stephanie. And those bitches were damn near clairvoyant when it came to me. Granted, I’m the same way with them, but that’s neither here nor there.

“Shit.” I rubbed my head.

“What?”