Page 15 of Sweet Possession
ChapterTen
REMI
Rooted to the spot, I stare at his shirt and boxer briefs laid out on the bed in his guest room for me. I’ve been like this for nearly an hour. What the hell am I doing? Staying in some guy’s house that I don’t really know? Yes, he’s hot.Yes,I let him kiss me. I can even admit that I enjoyed it. More than I should have, really, but I need to remember to keep my wits about me, even if I do feel safe with Asher.
I can’t deny that I have an attraction towards Asher, and the fact he delivered on his promise and helped me earn a lot of money playing online poker, well, let’s just say a part of me thought it was a ruse to get me here. I don’t have much luck with people keeping promises, not even my own mother, but Asher proved me wrong. If I can keep this up, I won’t have to find another strip club job, dancing and taking my clothes off in front of leery, perverted men. I shiver, remembering how much I hated being on that stage, and, with those thoughts in mind, I resign myself to the fact that I am not going to stop seeing Asher, even if it’s just to play poker. I’m not stupid; I know he wants me. I want him. I just can’t allow myself to get close to him.
Sighing, I turn and pad to the door and crack it open quietly. I will use Asher, but I can’t stay here. Doing that will only make me vulnerable to him, which could make me open up to him, and that is one thing I won’t do. I’ve already told him more than I should have.
When I find the coast clear, I tiptoe across the landing, stopping when I hear grunting and heavy breathing coming from behind the door nearest the stairs. I pause. Stepping closer, I press my ear to the wood, my eyes widening when I hear Asher moan and call my name. Is he touching himself to thoughts of me? And why does that image make a pulse start between my thighs and moisture seep into my panties?
Shaking my head, I step back and softly move towards the staircase and down the stairs. When I spot the front door, I let out a breath of relief and move towards it. Grabbing the knob, I turn it, only to gasp and spin when footsteps sound behind me. Asher saunters towards me in only a pair of basketball shorts. I swallow. He’s even more magnificent than I first thought. His body is a work of art with his six pack and defined lines. Like every perfect inch of him was sculptured with women in mind, to send them crazy with lust.
“What are you doing? The house is alarmed. As soon as you opened the door it would’ve alerted me, had I not heard you myself,” he says. His voice is calm, but I see the tick in his jaw.
I shuffle on my feet, feeling guilty even though I have no reason to. He stares at me, waiting for an answer. My eyes meet his blue ones. The intensity in his gaze is enough to make me speak. “Do you not think this is weird? We don’t even know each other.”
His eyes narrow, he crosses his arms across his impressive chest, drawing my attention there. He clears his throat. My eyes snap to his. He smirks. “No. I don’t think it’sweird.” He says the word as if it disgusts him. “I think I know you well enough to have you stay in my guest room, Remi. I know you well enough to have had my tongue down your throat.” My cheeks heat at the memory and I squirm making his lips curve into a sensual grin. Bastard knows what he is doing to me. “And I have every intention of knowing everything about you. Knowing you better than anyone else has ever known you. You’re mine now, angel. Stop with this bullshit, and just accept it.” My mouth drops at his words, but he takes no notice at my shock. He says all this like it’s the most normal thing in the world. “Now, get your sexy ass back upstairs to your room, before you lose that bed as an option, and I take you to my own. At least then I can keep a closer eye on you, and you won’t be trying to leave in the middle of the night.” He winks.
My mouth gapes further. The man is crazier than I first suspected. I’m his, he said. What the hell? Straightening my spine, I narrow my eyes on him. “Fine. I’ll stay. But this doesn’t mean anything, Asher. It doesn’t mean I’m yours.”
He smiles. One that nearly melts me on the spot. “We’ll see about that.”
* * *
I wake the next morning feeling more relaxed than I have in years. I may have tried to leave but I’m kind of glad Asher forced me to stay—if only for this bed.
A knock on the door has me startling out of my slumber and my heart pounding in my chest. I pull the blanket up to my neck. Asher may have knocked but he is not the sort of person to wait for me to tell him to enter. That notion is confirmed when the door is pushed open, and the man, who is both a dream and a nightmare, enters with a grin on his gorgeous face.
“Good morning, angel. How did you sleep?” His voice does something to me, hitting me right between the legs. Jesus. I need to get a grip on myself.
“Fine, thank you. I need to get going shortly. Can you take me home?” My voice is timid even though I want to sound strong, so he doesn’t argue with me.
“After I feed you, angel. Get dressed, I’ll take you for breakfast.” His tone is strong and leaves no room for argument. But argue I do.
“Asher, please. I need to get home. I have no clean underwear, and I’m in yesterday’s clothes.” I’m almost pleading with him, but it’s no use. I can tell he won’t relent.
“Remi. Angel,” he says, his voice soothing as he steps further into the room. He moves towards me and sits on the edge of the bed. He cups my face in his hands, and I am frozen to the spot. A calming sensation washes over me at his touch. “We are going to get food. Go take a shower, and I will grab a pair of sweats for you to wear. After breakfast, I will take you shopping to get you some essentials that you can keep here.” My lip’s part at his words and I start to pull my face out of his hands, but he grips me tighter. The feelings I have for this man are conflicting. On the one hand, his intensity scares me, but on the other, he makes me feel safe, cherished. “Just in case this situation arises again. I don’t want you to go without panties, baby.” He winks like this is all some big game. “Unless we’re alone. I don’t want anyone else seeing what belongs to me.” My heart stalls in my chest. This is a perfect example of my contradictory feelings for this man. One side of my brain is telling me to run far away and never look back. But the other part wants me to melt into him and accept what he is offering. He wants to look after me. I haven’t had someone looking out or after me in so long, it would be easy to give in to him. But I can’t help the feeling that he is too good to be true.
I swallow as I look into his piercing gaze. “Why are you doing this?”
He thumbs my cheeks, his eyes softening. “Because I want to. Because you’re mine.”
I start to shake my head, but he holds me still. “I’m not yours, Asher. How can I be yours when I don’t know you? I’m just the stripper you took a shine to. Maybe you’re intrigued now, but it will soon pass. So, instead of going through all this, why don’t we go our separate ways before we get too invested, too involved with each other. I don’t need a distraction, and you are one. A guy like you does not stay interested in someone like me, so before you get bored, and most likely break my heart, just let me go.”
He searches my face. For what, I’m not sure. “You are mine, Remi. End of story.”
I snort, the sound unladylike, but, in this moment, I don’t care. He’s making me angry. “Yeah? For how long, Asher? You told me yourself that you have women throwing themselves at you, so go and make one of them yours.”
Instead of responding to my outburst he leans in and presses a kiss to my forehead. “I want you.”
The anger melts away. He wants me. I should be suspicious, but right now, with the look of honesty on his face, I believe him. Why would he go through all this just to throw me away once he’s done? I could be being naïve; most likely I am. But with the way he is looking at me right now, I couldn’t say for sure. “People always make promises they don’t keep. People always leave,” I whisper as I swallow down the lump in my throat.
It’s true. My dad left, even if it wasn’t his fault. Mom checked out shortly after, leaving me to fend for myself. We soon lost our house and had to move into the shitty apartment we’re in now. Then she turned to drugs and started bringing around her perverted boyfriends who tried their luck with me, an underage girl. When I fought them off, they turned aggressive. I may have been dealt a crap hand in life, but I would be damned if I was going to become a child sex abuse victim just because my mom decided to bring shit men into our lives. Men who looked at me in a way they shouldn’t have. I would rather take the beatings they doled out when I resisted their advances. Not that my mother cared. Her next fix was more important than her daughter’s safety. This is the reason I don’t like being touched. Why I implemented that rule before I started dancing at Legs Eleven. Fortunately, Jason had accepted that term. I think that’s part of the reason the other girls didn’t like me. They thought I received special treatment.
Asher removes his hands from my face and takes my hands in his. He squeezes, making my eyes snap to his. “I won’t. Now get yourself cleaned up so we can go eat.”
* * *