Page 37 of Burn With Me

All I wanted was a shower, a hot meal, and my bed.

The sound of shoes stopped in front of me, and I opened my eyes to see an extra large coffee from my favorite spot and sighed. Looking up, I instantly groaned inside as I stared into Asher’s eyes. Of course, my pulse would spike, and all my lady parts stood at attention. It was like he held a remote control to my damn body.

“Hey, I thought you might need a caffeine fix,” he said and sat down beside me.

“Thanks,” I said, taking the coffee from him. Popping the little tab on the top I took a sip and moaned. “Damn that’s good.”

I glanced over, and one corner of his mouth was pulled up. I had to look away. I didn’t need anymore hot thoughts of him running around in my brain, there was already enough in there to create a whole movie.

“Did you get bored at the fire station and thought you’d come slum it with the inspector?”

He chuckled. “Something like that. I needed to hunt you down since you wouldn’t return my messages.”

“Ah, so you’ve decided to moonlight as a stalker. Good to know,” I teased and took another sip of the coffee.

“Here, I got you this too.” He pulled a small paper bag out of his pocket and held it out. “Figured you might have missed a meal or two.”

My stomach growled at just the sight of the bag. Reaching out, I took the offering and then groaned as I looked inside and saw the chocolate, raspberry danish. “Oh my god, how did you know these are my favorite?”

Like a rabid animal, I tore the bag open and pulled out the treat. Taking a bite of the soft pastry, I closed my eyes and licked my lips.

“Fuck, Vi.” I looked over at him, and his eyes were trained on my mouth. “You make everything sexy,” he said, and my cheeks quickly warmed.

“Why are you really here, Asher? It can’t be just to offer me sweets and caffeine, although you’ve certainly segued well.”

I took another bite of the pastry. He certainly knew my weak spot cause I was never saying no to good coffee.

“I wanted to speak to you, and I’m hoping the offering is enough to get you to hear me out.”

My eyes roamed over his body, and before the words were out of my mouth, I knew this was a bad idea. I should shoo him on his merry way. “Okay, you have my attention until I’m done with my coffee.”

He smirked, his eyes dancing with mischief. “First, I want to apologize for what happened with Britnay. It wasn’t right that you were put in the middle of that situation.”

I looked away from his eyes to watch the crime unit as they worked at gathering their evidence.

“You had an irate ex make an unexpected appearance. No one can control that, but it was the way she did it, Asher. She looked like a dog begging for your affection. If I’m being honest, I’m never going to be the girl that has to ask permission whenever I want to hold your hand.”

I shrugged and looked back over at him.

“My friend explained more about what your lifestyle meant, and it doesn’t bother me or disgust me or anything like that. I just don’t need or want to be ordered around like a puppet all day. I’ve had men my whole life trying to tell me what to do at work, at school, and the gym. No matter the flavor, I don’t need or want that in a relationship.”

He nodded as I took another sip, polishing off the caffeine-loaded sweetness that hit the spot. I hadn’t realized how hungry I’d been.

“Look,” he started. “I don’t normally concede any part of my lifestyle for anyone. It’s what I live and breathe with someone all day, but….” I looked over at him. He rubbed at his face and leaned forward, so he was only inches away from me. How did he always manage to come across as intense and demanding? “I’m willing to negotiate a different arrangement.”

My brows shot up. “What exactly does that mean?”

“I’m not sure, but what I can tell you is that I don’t normally date. All my relationships have been arrangements like I had with Britnay. I’d be willing to try the dating thing without all my normal rules outside the bedroom but inside it…I don’t think I can give that up, and you may find that you like it.”

I bit my lip as I thought about what he was offering. My eyes snapped up to his, and he groaned. “Say yes, Vi. Say you want to try, and then I can kiss you and punish your bottom lip that is begging me to bite it.”

The workers, the breeze rustling the tree, and even the sound of cars driving by all disappeared into the background. He slowly moved in closer until our lips were a breath apart.

“Say it, Vi,” he whispered.

Maybe he had some sort of vampire-like compulsion in him, but whatever it was pushed me to nod my head yes, regardless of the doubts dancing around in my mind.

“Yes,” I managed to get out.