Page 85 of Asher Black (The Five Syndicates)
A low growl escapes his mouth before he presses his lips completely against mine in a hard, demanding kiss. We kiss until the tension housed in his shoulders leaves him—holding each other, even when the line moves forward and people end up walking around us and Maybe Dominic has to grab my coat for me.
We only stop when Madeline runs up to us and says my name. I turn to her, knowing that my face must look wild.
“Thank you,” she says.
I immediately know what she’s referring to. “I didn’t overstep?”
“You did what I wish I’d done a long time ago.” A dark laugh erupts from her lips, sounding out of place against the sunny backdrop of her chartreuse sundress. “Years ago when I had my first kid. It’s senseless, isn’t it? All of this over the gender of a kid, something we’ll figure out eventually.”
I give her a pointed look. We’ve already been through this. I don’t have to repeat myself.
She rolls her eyes at me. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re so sassy?”
“No.”
Never, I realize.
I’ve always been a runner. Runners aren’t sassy. They’re never around to be sassy. They’re cowards, like I was before I met Asher. I wonder if this bold and brave person is who I am now that I’m done running. I like it. Sassy Lucy is fearless, standing up for the man she likes one minute and kissing him the next.
“Sorry for interrupting,” Madeline says, and it sounds like her goodbye. She glances at Asher and then back to me. She’s talking to me when she says, “I’ll talk to Owen. I know the vote isn’t coming up for a couple of weeks, but I’ll talk to him as soon as I get home.” She gives me a pointed look. “I like you. I’m not sure about Chatty Cathy over here.” Her head nods towards Asher, who remains silent. “But I like you, and I’d hate to see you gone.” She grimaces. “Then, I’d have to sit with Viola at all of these shindigs.”
She leaves after giving me a side hug, which is awkward because I still haven’t let go of Asher.
“You’re kind of unexpected,” Asher says when she’s gone.
I look up at him. “Yeah, I’ve been thinking the same thing lately.”
Then, I grip his tie and tug, pulling his lips down to mine.
Chapter Twenty-Five
We don’t develop courage
by being happy every day.
We develop it by surviving
difficult times and challeng-
ing adversity.
Barbara de Angelis
I let go of him, reluctantly, while he goes to the restroom. I wait in the car with Xavier, unsurprised that Maybe Dominic went with Asher. He is his personal guard, after all.
I’m stunned when the car door opens, and I’m abruptly pulled into a hug.
“You’re amazing,” Asher says. He flusters me again by giving me a kiss as soon as he enters the town car.
It’s over before I realize it even happened. I look around, almost expecting there to be cameras in the car. There aren’t.
Ashton Kutcher? Where are you?
This is the first time since the night in Rogue’s alleyway that he’s initiated a kiss without having to. It makes my heart swell.
“What was that for?” I ask, breathlessly.
“That was a thank you.” There are conflicting levels of tenderness and rage in his eyes. The anger wins over, and the result looks feral. “I cannot believe they said those things about me, and I just stood there like a goddamn idiot.”
