Page 45 of Stone Temptation

I bet he had nice feet.

“Asher,” I replied, deepening my already smoky tones.

“Elsie. Elsie King.” She blushed, eyeing up my chest.

“Pretty name. What’s your story?” I winked, making a quick scan for the hottie.

No sign of him.

She rambled on about her important job in finance. I played my part, leading her into a discussion about the whole point of this gala. Managed to get a massive donation out of her, agreeing to dance with her later.

“Can’t wait.” I kissed her hand again. “If you’ll excuse me.”

She giggled. “Of course.”

I slid through the crowd, sniffing for the cinnamon and oranges. The air sang with the delicious aroma, but I couldn’t get a lock on him. I clocked Seth a few times, my knuckles putting in a request to smack the piss out of him one day in the future.

If only.

Fancy arriving by helicopter. What a spectacle. What a knobhead move.

I greeted more people, doing the charm dance, scoring more donations, hungry for blue eyes and auburn hair.

“He’s with Seth,” a man beside me said to another. “Wouldn’t kick him out of bed for eating biscuits.”

They chortled together.

I followed their greedy stares. The hottie turned away from his own conversation with a woman at the same time, making eye contact with me once again.

Like a total knob, I froze, mouth dropping open. A weird vibe crackled around me, keeping my feet glued to the spot.

He came toward me, expression shifting from puzzled to enchanting.

Coming over here? Whoa.

Wasn’t this what you wanted?

“Hello,” he greeted me, a soft cadence to his London accent.

What a fake smile on his gorgeous face. A pained smile. No matter how much he tried showing off those luscious, glossy lips, he never got beyond trying too hard.

He held out his hand.

I kicked my stupor away. “Hey. I’m Asher.”

We shook hands, weird vibes crackling again. His satin skin got my dick’s attention, heat quickly spreading out from my groin.

He inhaled sharply, blinking rapidly.

There was a tinge of sadness about the dude, as if invisible rain clouds hung around his head.

“Luke Garland. Nice to meet you.”

His soft voice tightened my balls, making my third eye wink. “Likewise.”

Silence drifted between us. Too much staring, not enough talking. It was those eyes, that scent, a face to get lost in. From the light stubble on his jawline, to the cuteness of his ears.

Since when was I an ear man?