“What do you feel?” she asked.
Asher held back his first answer and attempted to concentrate on the painting. The painting was layered with many different lines and textures that at first made no sense to him. Slowly, though, an image began to take shape in his mind. Part of the painting was raised in a way that reminded him of sand. It brought back a memory of a lake his parents used to own a home on. The smooth circles of paint reminded him of the rocks he’d skip across the water. There were other details he couldn’t describe precisely, but they felt familiar to him. The more he ran his hand across the painting, the more vividly he could recall being on that beach until he could have sworn Emily’s mother had painted his memory. Even though he doubted he was correct, he asked, “Is it a sandy beach by a lake?”
Emily’s hand tightened on his. “There’s a pond behind our property that has a beach. We spent a lot of time there when I was young. My mother loved to hunt for the perfect rocks to throw in. She swore different shapes made different sounds. I could never hear the difference. I preferred flat, smooth rocks I could skip across the water. That memory comes alive for me when I touch that painting, and it’s an emotional experience for me.”
Asher opened his eyes and tore his hand from the painting. He wasn’t ready to admit it had done the same for him. “Interesting.”
Emily ran her hand over her mother’s work again. “My mother was gifted. She was able to capture the essence of what she’d never experienced visually and do it in a way that connected with everyone who touched her work. People need to feel what she was capable of. Not just visually impaired people. Everyone. She taught me that life is full of challenges, but it’s what we do with those challenges that can be truly beautiful.”
Asher cleared his throat. He hadn’t understood true beauty until that moment. As he looked down at Emily he saw purity and goodness, inside and out. It was a realization that made it difficult for him to reconcile how he felt about her museum with the reality of its fate.
At best the whole building could be relocated. Even though that option was expensive and complicated, seeing it had proven it was an option worth considering.
“Would you like to see my contributions?” Emily asked with a hopeful smile.
There was an innocence in her smile that gave him pause. She and I couldn’t be more different. It takes so little to make her smile, and I’m nearly impossible to please. A woman like that should be with someone less jaded than I am.
What am I doing here?
He nodded and followed her into an adjacent room that was filled with sculptures of animals and people. Some were recognizable copies of famous sculptures; some were not. Emily walked over to a bust of a woman. “This is my grandmother. It’s not my best work because it was one of my earlier ones. My grandmother died giving birth to my mother, but I used old photos to make this. My mother cried for a whole week after I gave this to her. She said they were happy tears. I knew then that I had found what I wanted to do. There are now 3D printers that can create similar sculptures from photos and those will be part of my museum one day, but people can do something computers can’t—we can see another person’s true essence. I like to think my mother cried because I allowed her to see her mother’s soul.”
Asher was a man rarely at a loss for words, but when he saw how Emily’s eyes had misted over with emotion, he pulled her to his chest and hugged her quietly. Fuck.
A moment passed, then two. Asher expected Emily to pull away from him, but she didn’t. His heart was beating wildly in his chest, and he wondered if she could hear it. He looked down at her and gave in to the impulse he’d fought all day. He kissed her lightly on the mouth.
It was a kiss unlike any he’d experienced. There was passion in it, but when her lips moved eagerly against his, he felt more. He tasted her sadness, her vulnerability, but also her determination and fire. He brought his hands up to cup her face and kissed her gently. She arched against him, opening her mouth to him, and he knew then she would be more to him than a weekend fling.
He broke off the kiss and rested his chin on top of her head. The only sound in the room was their ragged breathing.
He didn’t believe in love.
He wasn’t looking for forever.
But Emily Harris would be his, of that he was certain.
Chapter Six
‡
Emily was still a little shell-shocked when Asher walked her down the dark path behind the museum to her home, which had originally been her grandfather’s guesthouse. It was a sliver of the size of the main house, but the workmanship was just as masterful. If it was a cold night, Emily didn’t notice. Her cheeks were still flushed from the kiss she’d shared with Asher.
She fumbled with the lock on the front door of her home. Asher took the key from her and unlocked it. Emily refused to meet his eyes. I shouldn’t have kissed him. I definitely shouldn’t have enjoyed it.
There was no use lying to herself about how good his kiss had felt. It had been amazing, the kind a woman waits her entire life for. Why does a kiss like that have to come from a man like him? There is nowhere good this can go. Okay, yes, part of me wonders what sex would be like with a man who can make my body hum for his touch just by looking at me. But how can I want a man I don’t even like? A man who wants to take my museum from me? My history. I should hate him.
What he wants from me is clear.
It would just be sex.
Uncomplicated, animalistic fucking.
Oh God, why does that sound so good?
Emily thought back to the last boyfriend she’d had who had been incredibly sweet, but had also been shyer than she was when it came to sex. She’d enjoyed the sex. Well, she hadn’t disliked it, but it had always left her feeling uncertain about wanting to repeat it. Sadly, he’d appeared to feel the same way.
It wouldn’t be like that with Asher Barrington.
He’s wrong for me, but I want him so badly I ache for him. Is this what happens when a woman goes a year without sex?
“Are you coming in?” Asher asked in an amused tone. He flipped on the hall light as if he’d been there a hundred times and placed the key on a small table beneath the switch.
Keeping her gaze steady, Emily held the door open behind her. “Thank you for walking me to my door, although there was no need. I hope seeing how close the museum is to completion sways you to at least consider not moving forward with your facility.”
Asher walked over, placed his hand over hers, and closed the door behind her, effectively cornering her. “I don’t want to talk about the museum anymore today.”
Still refusing to look up, Emily said huskily, “You should go.”
Asher stayed where he was, looming over her with his head bent so his face was just above hers. “Maybe. Look me in the eye and tell me to.”
Emily forced her eyes to meet his, and her breath caught in her throat at the passion she saw burning there. “I hate everything you represent.”
He traced the side of her neck with the back of his fingers. “But you don’t hate me.”
Emily’s body came alive beneath his touch. She shivered and pressed herself back against the door. “No,” she whispered and cursed herself for the admission.
“Good,” he said and lowered his mouth to graze the side of her face with kisses. “I want you. Tonight. Take me to your bed.” He pushed her hair over her shoulder and began to kiss the curve of her neck. “Say yes, Emily.”
Emily kept her hands clenched at her sides, but she couldn’t stop herself from closing her eyes as desire rocked through her. Renovating the museum had been a lonely project, but she hadn’t realized how lonely until just then. Her life had once been full of affection and physical displays of love. It had been a long time since she’d been held, and Asher’s touch moved her on many levels. Her body was quivering with hunger for him; her soul craved the intimacy he offered. He had barely done more than kiss her neck and she was wet and ready to rip her clothing off right there
in the hall. Be strong. “You should go.”
He stopped and raised his head. “You know it would be good between us.”
“Just because something feels good doesn’t make it right.”
He ran his hands up and down her arms. “It doesn’t make it wrong, either.”
Emily tried to take a step back but his hands closed on her arms. “You think you have all the answers, but you don’t. Look at me. I’m not whoever you’re confusing me with. I’m not going to sleep with you just because you look at me with those stunning eyes of yours.”
He smiled. “You like my eyes.”
She glared at him. “I’m an artist. I appreciate beauty wherever I find it.”
“What else do you like?” he asked, clearly amused.
Emily pressed her lips together then said, “I can’t see anything beyond your swollen ego.”
He laughed out loud and pulled her against him. His cock pressed proudly against her. “It’s not my ego that’s swollen.”
Desire shot through Emily, but she fought the urge to bring her hands up to touch his cock. She melted against him, and tried to sound angry as she fought for control. “Get your hands off me.”
He released her. “So scared. Where is the brave woman who came to Boston to threaten me? That woman knew what she wanted and wasn’t afraid to go after it.”
“I’m not afraid.”
He shook his head. “Aren’t you? Why else would you say no to something we both know you want?”
Emily folded her hands across her stomach. “I’m not a casual sex kind of person, that’s all. I won’t sleep with someone I don’t love.”
His eyes narrowed. “How many times have you been in love?”
“That’s none of your business.”
A smile twisted his lips. “My bet is never.”
“I’m not a virgin, if that’s what you’re implying.”
“I’m not, but you also weren’t in love with those men. I know it. You know it. Dress it up however you want, but at the end of the day, it’s all the same. Do you want me to tell you I love you? Is that how they got into your bed? I won’t. I don’t lie. I want to fuck you, Emily. That’s it. I want to taste every inch of you until you’re wet and ready for me. Then I want to pound into you while you call out my name, begging me to fuck you harder. That’s what I want. What about you?”
“What happens tomorrow?” She forced herself to ask the question, but she was quickly losing interest for the answer.
Asher made a sound in her ear that was half growl half purr. “I doubt we’ll get out of bed tomorrow. I intend to savor every inch of you.” He unsnapped the front of her slacks and slid a hand beneath her panties. “You’re already wet, Emily.” He dipped a finger between her lower lips and sought her clit. Pleasure rocked through her when he began to lightly circle it with his middle finger. “Don’t fight it. Give yourself to me.”
There were many, many, many reasons why Emily should have said no, but she brought her hands up to his face and pulled his mouth to hers. One night. Okay, and also the next day. She’d spent her life doing the right thing. She was not done fighting for what she believed in, but didn’t she deserve a brief reprieve?
For just one night she didn’t want to be the devoted daughter and granddaughter who still mourned the loss of the two people she’d loved most in the world. She didn’t want to think about how close she was to losing her dream or how the man who was delighting her might play a part in that loss as well. She kissed him and released her pent-up yearning and need.
He broke off their kiss long enough to ask her where the bedroom was. She could have used that moment to regain her sanity and ask him to leave, but she didn’t. She pointed to her open bedroom door and met his next kiss halfway. The light reflecting off the snow outside illuminated the house enough for Asher to be able to find her bed.
He placed her on her feet beside it and turned on a lamp. He stripped off his clothing and stood in front of her with his erection proudly displayed. Emily took a moment to appreciate the perfection of him. Like the rest of him, his cock was large, and she couldn’t resist reaching out and encircling it with her hand. Wide. Hard. She licked her lips and brought her gaze back to his.
While looking into her eyes, he effortlessly removed her shirt and bra. His hands were gentle but firm, and he caressed each area as he exposed it until she was on fire for him. Emily wasn’t normally aggressive in the bedroom, but she ran her hands over all of him urgently and teased her breasts across his chest. Every place they connected made her want him more.
He took his time in a tender way that his earlier boldness hadn’t implied. They rolled onto the bed together. He used his body to cushion her fall then rolled on top of her. He positioned himself between her legs and continued to kiss her. His mouth was everywhere, leaving a trail of fire and need in its wake. He kissed his way down between her breasts, down her stomach, and met her eyes briefly before parting her slit and bringing his mouth down on her sex.
When his tongue flicked expertly back and forth across her clit, Emily gripped his shoulders tightly and came to the realization that oral sex came in many different flavors. If asked about it before Asher, Emily would have said it was something she enjoyed. It was a pleasant form of foreplay.
What Asher was doing to her was overloading her senses. It was so intense she almost pulled away at first and then heat rushed through her, making her a slave to his touch. He drove a finger inside her, caressed another against her anus, and kept flicking that tongue. She dug her hands into his hair and held him there, desperate for the sensation to continue.
And it did. Asher pushed her past what she thought she was capable of feeling and continued his intimate assault, even as she cried out and came against his mouth. His touch slowed and turned gentle again as she floated back to earth after her orgasm.
Still in a closed-eyes and sated daze, she heard the opening tear of a condom wrapper. Her sex clenched in anticipation of the pleasure she knew he’d bring. He kissed her deeply, and the taste of her own juices drove her wild in a way she hadn’t known possible. He kissed her breasts, but this time his passion gave his mouth a roughness. Emily arched upward, eagerly offering herself to him.
She was running her hands up and down his chest when he raised one of her legs to his shoulder and thrust himself deeply into her. She almost came again from the power of it. There was no time to recover, no time to think. He took her with a force that brought out unexpected wildness in her. She grasped at his back, opened herself even wider for him, and begged him not to stop. When she came the second time, he joined her with one final deep thrust and claimed her cry of climax with a kiss. “Mine,” he growled.
He stayed within her, holding his weight off her with his elbows, and kissed her forehead. The word mine reverberated around her mind.
Part of her wanted to protest. Having sex with him may have changed what she’d thought she knew about her own sexuality, but it hadn’t changed how she felt about him. When she met his eyes there was a possessiveness she hadn’t seen before. Excitement and fear shot through Emily. He’d said he would have her, and she’d given herself to him.
Now he wanted to own her.
For now.
She’d let the big bad wolf in the door, into her bed, and the look in his eyes told her he intended to take full advantage of both. A man like him could swallow her up, destroy everything she’d worked for, and leave her with nothing. Her head knew the only sane thing to do would be to ask him to leave and make the battle between them once again a professional one. She searched his face for a long moment. She’d survived the loss of her grandfather and then her mother. The goal of finishing her mother’s dream had given her strength. He could take all that from her. “Don’t hurt me, Asher.” She hadn’t realized she’d said the words aloud until he frowned and rolled off her.
He cleaned himself off and pulled her back into his arms. His voice was gruff when he said, “If I was too rough—”
She raised a hand to his cheek and closed her eyes briefly. “You weren’t. I wasn’t referring to that.”
He took her hand in his and kissed it then tucked her more tightly against his side. He let out a long breath. “I know what you want me to say, Emily, but you’re wrong to cling to this place. You may not want to see it, but even if I don’t buy your land, everything that would have made your museum a success here is already gone. I can’t change that, but I can help you recreate it in Boston or in New York. Name the city, and I’ll start crunching numbers.”
Emily fisted a hand against his chest. “You’re wrong. I will open my museum here. And it will be everything I know it can be.”
“You’re fighting a battle that’s already lost.”
Emily pushed away from him, but he held her there until she stopped struggling. A myriad of confusing emotions were rushing through Emily, but she focused on the one she understood. “If you take my land from me, I will hate you forever. Nothing else will matter. It’s something I could never forgive you for.”
“Is that a threat?” he asked.
She shook her head and spoke from her heart. “No, it’s the truth.”
Asher’s answer was to kiss her deeply. He wouldn’t make false promises to her, but he did care about her. They made love again, slowly this time. Asher took time to appreciate every curve on the woman he was drawn to in a way he’d never been to anyone. There was a goodness in her that made him want to see her succeed. Asher held Emily until she fell asleep, then slid out of bed, stepped into his pants, and put the distance of a room between them. He paced her living room and reflected on the last few weeks. Before Emily, his greatest concern had been his expansion into Asia and the volatile government of Trundaie, and he had relished the challenge. How had he become a man who was second-guessing how he’d chosen to live his life? Emily was passionate about art, her museum, and making both accessible to all. In the end, the world would be a better place because she was in it.