We reached the entrance to my building and paused at the doorway.
“Thank you for dinner,” I said as I turned to face him.
“You are more than welcome. I had a really great time with you tonight,” Asher said.
“As did I.”
Our eyes met, and I found myself moving closer to him.
“Do you . . . think we had a bit too much wine?” I whispered.
“Maybe. But I’m feeling pretty good right now,” his words were soft as he shifted closer to me. Slowly, his fingertips slid up my arm and his hands each came to rest on either side of my face. I didn't resist, I didn't want to resist. Every fiber of my being wanted him to kiss me at that moment.
Moments later, his supple lips covered mine. As the kiss deepened, I could have sworn I felt lights exploding behind my eyes. With one hand, he ran his fingers through my hair. The other eased down and wrapped around my waist, pulling our bodies together. I rose on tiptoes so I could wrap my arms around his broad, strong shoulders. His kiss was tender but passionate, melting my resolve. Deep down, I knew it was a bad idea to be kissing this beautiful man, but the heat of his mouth on mine was more than I was able to pull away from.
Eventually, our lips parted and we simply stood with our arms around each other, foreheads touching, both breathing heavily. We stared into each other's eyes for a while, smoldering heat still passing between us. I knew I had to step in and cool things off before anything
else happened that we’d both regret. I broke the silence.
“I . . . uh . . . Wow,” I said, somewhat awkwardly.
“Yeah,” he said, taking a step back, breaking the bond our bodies had formed. “I didn't, uh, I didn't plan on that happening.”
“I'd better get upstairs,” I said as I disengaged completely from our embrace. “We've got a long day tomorrow, and I need a decent night's sleep.”
“Yeah,” he said. “Me, too.” His body language shifted quickly the moment I stepped away from him.
“Thank you again for a lovely evening, Asher. It was fun. I'll see you at the office tomorrow.”
“Yes, of course,” he said, looking like a guilty kid who’d stolen candy from a jar he wasn’t supposed to have his hand in.
It was adorable, really. So much so, before I realized what I was doing, I leaned in abruptly and kissed him again, but made sure to pull back before it became as intense as the previous one.
“Thanks again,” I said with a smile. And with that, I turned quickly on my heels and hurried into my building, leaving Asher standing on the sidewalk grinning in his socks.
Chapter Five
Asher
I woke up at 5:00 a.m., as I always did, but getting out of bed was a lot more difficult than it normally was. My mouth felt dry and a dull pain throbbed in my head. As I heaved myself out of bed, a wave of nausea threatened my system.
Hangovers: my main reason for avoiding alcohol. I staggered across my bedroom to the bathroom and splashed some cold water on my face to try to rouse myself from the foggy haze I felt trapped in.
Another wave of nausea hit me, but it seemed to pass quickly. I started to feel better after I splashed a bit more water on my face and brushed my teeth. I knew that a green smoothie would sort me out and make me feel better as well, so I buzzed my chef and told him that I needed one stat.
Make no mistake, I had no regrets about all of the wine I drank the night before. I'd had a wonderful evening with Lilah.
To be honest, I couldn't remember the last time I'd had fun with someone just talking. Inviting her to dinner was easily one of the best spur of the moment decisions I had made in years. And while dinner itself wasn’t likely to make things a little awkward at the office, the kiss we'd shared at the end of the evening was another story all together. That had definitely been an unexpected turn of events, although I couldn't say I regretted it. Given the chance, I’d probably kiss her again.
Still, I'd have to give what had happened some thought. I hadn't hired Lilah because I wanted something to happen between us. Yes, I'd been immediately and powerfully attracted to her from the moment I'd first laid eyes on her. Her fiery personality, sharp, unconventional intellect, and strong will were definitely things I found intensely attractive in a woman; but it had definitely been her brilliant, out-of-the-box approach to the Harry Winston project that had prompted me to offer her a position on my personal staff.
That had been why I'd chosen her, I reassured myself as I stared into the mirror.
I splashed another round of water on my face. First thing in the morning after too much wine wasn't the time to think too deeply about such things. I made my way to the kitchen and drank half of the green smoothie waiting for me before I headed to the gym where Bryce, my personal trainer, was waiting for me.
“A little late this morning, Ash,” he said with a disapproving look on his tanned, angular face.
Bryce was never afraid to call me out when I slipped up, and had no reluctance to criticizing me harshly when he felt it was necessary. That was precisely why I'd hired him. I wanted people around me who were not afraid to voice their opinions. I didn’t want yes-men and flattering lackeys.