“Good,” I say a little too quick. “We just got married.”
He drapes a clean white T-shirt over his shoulder and moves across the room to sit on the edge of the bed.
“Our wedding day was great.” He casts a glance at one of our wedding photos on the wall. “Kenzi ran up and down the aisle in a little white dress throwing flower petals. You looked gorgeous. You seriously took my breath away. Sydni got drunk and threw up on Tor’s shoes, and he walked around barefoot all night.” He leans back and lets out a deep laugh. “We had an amazing honeymoon. Our room had this really cool heart-shaped hot tub.”
I wish I could remember. “That sounds really pretty.”
“We have a hot tub in the backyard. We should go in it. It’s killer on a night like this. You can see all the stars.” His eyebrows rise devilishly.
“I can’t go in the water,” I say softly, looking down at the dog.
“It’s not deep at all, babe. I’ll be right there with you.”
I shake my head, afraid if I talk about it, I’ll start to cry.
I don’t remember the accident, or the river I fell into, but I do have a massive fear of bodies of water—even as small as a hot tub. The pool in the backyard is like a monster in a closet for me. Always there, waiting to get me. Asher offered to have the pool removed or filled with dirt—whatever they do—to make me feel better, but I can’t let him do that when he enjoys it so much. I just stay away from it.
“Okay,” he says. “We can watch a movie with this fuzz monster.” He ruffles the fur on Teddy’s head, which gets the dog’s tail wagging like a maniac.
Asher hides it well, but I can tell he’s disappointed. Obviously, we enjoyed the hot tub in the past, or else there wouldn’t be one at our house.
Anxiety festers up inside me again.
Maybe I can’t be what he needs anymore. Lots of women probably want to be and could be.
“Speaking of Sydni, how come at the barbecue she hinted that you two were very close?” I air quote the last two words with my fingers. “Did you see her a lot?”
He stops petting the dog and looks at me, the sexy grin gone. “Sydni and I didn’t get close, in any way. Ever. She’s an attention whore who loves to stir up trouble. I never spent any time alone with her.”
“I read about her being a bitch in the journals.”
“Then you know this is just the kind of crap she pulls.”
“I know… I was just wondering. I’m sure you were lonely and wanted to spend time with people, even as friends.”
“Nope. You saw how she is. Do you think I’d be interested in a woman like that, even if I was single? Even as friends? Hell fucking no. You don’t want to know how many times she came on to me, and I shot her down. Or how she wanted me to believe that you would want me and her to be together. She’s out of her damn mind.”
I almost shoot up off the bed. “What? She actually said that?”
“Yup.”
“Why would she do that? I thought she was my friend.”
If my own so-called best friend had her eye on my husband, how many other women did?
“I guess she thought that by being your friend, you’d gift her your husband.”
“Fuck that!”
Laughing, he grabs my leg and squeezes. “Holy shit, that’s the first time I’ve heard you swear since you woke up.”
“I’m sorry,” I say, ashamed of myself. Teddy jumps off the bed, probably disturbed by our rising voices. “That just really pisses me off. What a bitch.” I flop back down on the pillow, mentally picturing myself slapping Sydni.
“Don’t apologize. I like your feisty, possessive side. I’m diggin’ it.” He leans over me, placing a muscular arm on either side of my head. His damp hair hangs above my face, dripping tiny droplets of water onto me. “Can I get a kiss?” he whispers.
The sensuality in his voice is undeniably the hottest thing I’ve ever heard. Amnesia or not—I’m damn sure of it.
With my heart racing at his closeness and his almost-nakedness, I touch his face, gently pulling him down to meet my lips.
A veil of hesitation always seems to wisp through our more intimate kisses. Our mouths touch softly, lightly at first. Tasting, questioning, before slowly deepening.
My hands tremble as I run them up to his wide shoulders. Everything about Asher feels so powerful. Not in a menacing way, but in the strength and uniqueness of his body and his mind. The depth of his devotion, the unspoken words in his quiet.
He reminds me of a rumble of thunder in the distance—untouchable, but has the power to be felt in every molecule of your being.