The Arrangement Page 6

  She studied the rings on her hand. “Still, they’re more than I would have expected. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  She cleared her throat. “My mom really liked you.”

  He grinned. “Moms always love me.”

  “That’s hard to believe.” He hadn’t lied to her mother even when the truth wasn’t pretty.

  He laughed. “It’s strange, but it’s true. I usually try to avoid meeting them, but it occasionally happens.” He patted her leg and stood. “I meant to ask your mom, but I forgot. Why did she name you Ariadne?”

  “Well, you know she teaches Greek mythology at the university. Ariadne was one of her favorite names. How did you end up with Asher?”

  “It was my mother’s maiden name.” He ran a hand through his hair. She realized that he’d had a haircut recently. “So…she didn’t think there was anything amiss between us?”

  “No. Why?”

  He shrugged. “Just curious.” He smothered a yawn. “I’m going to turn in. Goodnight.”

  He turned out the light and closed the door behind himself. Ariadne turned on the bedside lamp and stared at her wedding rings. They had to have cost him a small fortune.

  Out of nowhere, she was assailed with the memory of her one make out session with Asher. It had not been of her choosing. Erika’s parents had thrown her a graduation party and had been considerate enough to not be present. Their house had been packed with rowdy teenagers. Chad, Asher and Ted were unofficial chaperones. Ariadne’s graduation celebration had been the exact opposite. It had been more of a family dinner with very few of her friends present.

  Chad, Asher, and Ted had proven to be rather ineffectual as chaperones. They didn’t care if anyone drank alcohol as long as they didn’t get wasted or try to drive after drinking. Though she’d been offered spiked punch, Ariadne hadn’t accepted it.

  Somehow in wandering through the rooms of the house, she’d lost track of Erika and just about everyone else she actually knew. Finally in the basement, she’d found the boys hanging out with a few of their friends and some high school kids trying to be cool merely by being in the company of college students. Chad had a girl on his lap that she’d never seen before. Ted sat alone, nursing a beer. Asher was in a recliner but still had a girl on either side of him, vying for his attention. Surprisingly, they were playing Truth or Dare. It seemed to be an activity that she and Erika would have enjoyed and they would have teased them mercilessly about being childish.

  After watching for a few minutes, she could see that they were playing a very adult version. The questions they asked were personal and intimate. The dares involved drinking beer or make out sessions. She was just about to return upstairs when someone asked her to join the game. She was about to decline when Asher drawled, “She couldn’t handle it.”

  Bristling, she agreed to play just to spite him. He arched an eyebrow as she sat down. Unfortunately, it just so happened that Asher was the person to pose the question of Truth or Dare to her. He flashed an evil grin that she found quite unsettling. She was afraid of what terribly personal secrets he would have her reveal in a room of semi-strangers. Swallowing her trepidation, she chose, “Dare.” After all, she’d sipped a beer before. It was awful and she’d only done it then because Erika’s parents had been having a cool moment and had said they could share one bottle. But Chad and Ted wouldn’t demand she take more than one sip. They were supposed to be watching out for them after all.

  Asher’s grin only grew. He stood up, brushing off his harem without a backward glance. “Good. Come with me.”

  “Whoa,” Chad said, suddenly alert. Previously, he’d been completely absorbed by the girl on his lap. “What the hell are you doing?”

  “She chose dare,” Asher explained, grabbing her hand and tugging her from the room.

  “Then have her drink a beer,” Ted spoke up.

  “I don’t want her to drink a beer,” Asher growled. “She’s too young for beer.”

  “Yeah, well, I’ll bet she’s too young for what you have in mind, too.”

  Asher shook his head. “She’s eighteen.”

  Ariadne’s eyes widened as the implications of what they were saying finally hit her. The first thing she felt was shock. Why would Asher want to make out with her? They barely tolerated each other when they weren’t ignoring each other. Not only that, Erika would freak. She tried to extract her hand from his and failed. “I’ll take a beer,” she said.

  “You don’t get to choose your dare,” he snapped.

  “Shit, Ash-” Ted tried again.

  “I’m not going to fuck her, Ted.” Ariadne gasped. Asher grinned down at her. “I’ll just make you wish that I were.” With those cryptic words, he all but dragged her from the basement.

  “Where are you taking me?”

  They ducked into room after room, but most were occupied. “Finding us some privacy.”

  She was starting to get nervous. “You could have kissed me in the basement.”

  “Not the way I kiss.” He peeked into Chad and Erika’s parents’ bedroom. It was empty. He pulled her in behind him and shut the door, backing her up against it.

  She stared up into his face. She’d never thought of him in this light. He was handsome, no doubt. He had full lips, a square jaw, and beautiful pale green eyes. But he was an irresponsible, spoiled, rich boy. She wasn’t in the slightest bit attracted to him. She tried to focus on the aspects of him that turned her off. Like his smoking. Only he didn’t smell like cigarettes at the moment. The only scent he carried was cologne and pure Asher.

  She reminded herself that it was just a kiss. Nothing to get upset about. Yet her heart was trying to beat its way out of her ribcage. It was probably because Asher was trying to intimidate her using his greater physical size. She’d never realized how broad his shoulders were or how tall he was. He hovered over her. He pressed his hands to the door on either side of her head. “Just do it already,” she snapped.

  He emitted that husky laugh of his that made her belly go haywire. And then he lowered his lips to hers, just brushing them over hers in a slow back and forth, increasing the pressure slightly with each pass.

  “Okay, that’s enough.” She shoved at his shoulders. He was hard as granite and as immovable as a mountain.

  Asher pinched her chin. “It’s not nearly enough.” Tilting her face up to his, he took her mouth once more. This time he kissed her top lip and then the lower one over and over. Then he nibbled them before he sucked upon the lower one. His tongue whipped at the corner of her mouth, seeking entrance.

  “No,” she said faintly to his unspoken query. Asher used the opportunity to lay claim to the new territory. His tongue plunged deep. She gasped and she clasped handfuls of his t-shirt. Asher groaned. His arms went around her and pulled her forward. He crushed her chest to his and his mouth slanted over hers as he deepened the kiss even more.

  It went on and on. She’d never been kissed this way before. His hunger both swept her up and frightened her. Ariadne was drowning in his taste, his heat, his smell. She moaned helplessly as, despite her best efforts, her body responded to his expertise. Her nipples were tight sensate peaks. There was a pulsing between her thighs that increased each time his tongue stroked over hers. She shifted and twisted in his hold, trying to find some relief for the growing ache.

  Asher growled and she knew he wanted much more than this kiss even as heated as it was. He didn’t even try to hide it. One of his large palms slid down her back, cupped her ass, and drew her forward. He arched his hips against hers, giving her intimate knowledge of his aroused state.

  Ariadne wrenched her mouth from his. Her panting breaths mixed with his. He bent his head as though to kiss her again. She couldn’t let that happen. Already she didn’t know how much time had passed. It was a minor miracle that no one had walked in on them. Erika was going to have a meltdown as it was when she found ou
t about this. Turning her head and blocking him with an arm across his chest, she managed to stop him from taking her mouth.

  Burying his face in her neck, he groaned. “Ari, you’ve got me hurting so bad.”

  She shoved at his shoulders but it did no good. She couldn’t break his hold. “Let me go.”

  “Go out with me.”

  Her heart stopped. Asher wanted to date her. Well, he probably only wanted to have sex with her. But even if the chemistry between them was amazing, she couldn’t do it. It would break her best friend’s heart. She couldn’t stab Erika in the back like that. She would never forgive her. Besides dating Asher would be a gamble. His girlfriends didn’t last long. She recalled one girl he’d dated when he was in high school who’d basically turned into a stalker when he began avoiding her. Admittedly, Susan hadn’t been nice to any of them. But then, neither had been Asher’s sentiments about her after he’d dumped her. “I didn't want to date her. I wanted to do her. And I did. And now I'm done.” So, no, she wouldn’t risk her friendship with Erika for a mere fling. “You’ve got to be kidding.”

  “Do I sound like I’m kidding?”

  She struggled until he finally let her go. “Good grief, Asher!” She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “I only let you kiss me because of the dare. There’s no way in hell I would put myself through the indignity of dating a wastrel like you.”

  His eyes narrowed. “You enjoyed that kiss as much as I did.”

  She didn’t bother to try to deny it. She didn’t want to challenge him. “Look, it was nice-”

  “Nice?”

  “But I’m sure it’s no more than what you’ve experienced with hundreds of other girls. Thanks, Ash, but I’m not interested.”

  “Fine,” he said shortly. He opened the door. “You’re right. There are hundreds of other girls that are far more willing.” He preceded her out of the room. For the rest of the party, if they happened to cross paths, he either ignored her or glared at her. After that night, their relationship had gone from mildly antagonistic to all out warfare. Thus she had begun to avoid him whenever she could.

  And now she was married to him. She had to admit that nothing she had seen over the last few weeks reminded her of the guy she had known before. He seemed more mature and more grounded. It was an ironic twist. Once she hadn’t even considered him proper dating material and now she would be proud to introduce him as her husband at her family reunion.

  Chapter Six

  July third dawned cloudless and hot. Ariadne let Asher do the driving. She’d asked her mother if she wanted to ride with them but Aurora was travelling with her new boyfriend. They drove straight to the park where a many of her family members were already gathered. Ariadne’s mouth began to water at the smell of hot dogs and hamburgers being cooked on the grill. Breakfast, a simple meal of tea and toast, had been hours ago.

  Asher held her hand as they walked over to the tables laden with food. Over breakfast they’d decided that handholding was the appropriate amount of affection. It wasn’t over the top or offensive, but it would signify that they were one unit.

  The park was filled with her family, their mates, and their children. Dozens of children screamed and laughed as they ran around the playground area.

  Greetings by several family members waylaid them on their path to sustenance. Though they tried to play it cool, Ariadne could sense their interest in Asher. Some of them couldn’t hide their surprise at finding out that she was married. They inspected Asher from head to toe. It wasn’t until that moment that she remembered that Asher was white. She’d known him for so long, she saw so much beyond his race. To her, he was simply Asher. Admittedly, much of what she knew about him was no longer true. He was no longer a smoker who drank to excess and exchanged women at the same rate that she changed her underwear. What remained was a more mature male, as smart as before and sexier than ever.

  After they both filled their plates, Ariadne led them to a picnic table below the shade of a few trees. It was so hot that holding hands had become a sweaty burden for her. She lifted her hair off her neck. She wished now that she had styled it in a ponytail instead of wearing it loose.

  They were soon joined by her mother and her new boyfriend Jamil. Ariadne knew in a moment that her mother would not be with him for long. They had nothing in common. He engaged Asher in a conversation about sports. The only person Ariadne knew who cared less for sports than her was her mother.

  Something tickled her arm. Assuming it was fly, she waved her hand across her arm to shoo it away. When the sensation continued, she glanced down. A fat furry caterpillar inched along her forearm. She hated caterpillars. It wasn’t that they were ugly. This one was thick and black and resembled a tiny fur coat. No it wasn’t their appearance. It was that their boneless squishy bodies were filled with disgusting goo and their movement gave her the creeps. Just the sight of it made her stomach turn.

  She was just inhaling, seconds from screaming and freaking out when Asher plucked the offending insect from her arm and set it harmlessly on the ground. He gave her a brief smile. He’d never paused his conversation with Jamil or given any indication that he was aware of her. But apparently he was very in tune with her.

  Ariadne gave a relieved sigh. Her heartrate had barely returned to normal when their table was approached by her cousin Janice with Daniel at her side. She couldn’t believe the gall of them. Yes, the eventual confrontation needed to happen, but they should have waited for her to acknowledge them.

  “Aunt Ro,” Janice cooed, bending to hug and kiss her mother. Aurora returned the embrace with a half-hearted pat before pushing her away. “Ari,” Janice said with a false smile, shoving back a thick mane of braids and wiggling her fingers in an exaggerated motion to show off a sparkling engagement ring, before clasping Daniel’s hand in hers.

  “Janice. Daniel.” She nodded at them both.

  “Well, I guess I will perform the introductions. This is my friend, Jamil.” Aurora’s smile turned wide. “And this is my son-in-law, Asher.”

  “Son-in-law?” Daniel asked, looking confused. “Do you have another child?”

  “He’s my husband,” Ariadne explained.

  Daniel’s head snapped back as though he’d received a blow. “What? This guy? But-”

  “Congratulations,” Janice interrupted Daniel’s continued sputtering.

  “And he’s given her the most beautiful rings,” Aurora continued in a cheerful tone as though she didn’t notice the awkward stiffness that had overtaken the couple. “Show them, baby,” she insisted and grabbed Ariadne’s wrist when she didn’t move fast enough to suit her.

  “It’s lovely,” Janice said, but her expression showed her displeasure. Her cousin was a lovely woman with a beautiful smooth dark complexion. She would have been far lovelier if she didn’t have such a bitter disposition. For some reason that Ariadne could not fathom, she had hated her since they were children. Their personalities didn’t click. They didn’t share any of the same interests, but as far as Ariadne had been concerned that only meant that they should avoid each other outside of family events. For Janice, it apparently was a declaration of war.

  Swinging hands with Daniel, Janice nodded. “Guess we’ll see you later. Dan, baby, we don’t want to wait too long. Food flies fast when there’s this much family around.”

  Ariadne expelled a breath after they left. She glanced at Asher. He’d been curiously silent during the exchange which was simply not him. “Why are you so quiet?”

  “Just sizing up the competition.”

  “And what’s your verdict?” Aurora asked.

  Asher took a sip of his soda and then flashed that sexy grin of his. “There is no competition.”

  “What did she mean when she said she would see us later?” Ariadne asked with a frown.

  Aurora shrugged. “I don’t know. Rebecca did invite everyone to come over to her house for iced coffees and
dessert later. Maybe she plans to drop by.”

  Ariadne groaned, losing what was left of her appetite.

  “Girl, I would have thought you were faking it, if it weren’t for the way he stares at you,” her cousin Sierra said.

  Ariadne glanced across Aunt Rebecca’s den at where Asher was entertaining some of the women in her family. Of course. He was like catnip to the fairer sex. “What do you mean?”

  “He looks at you like he can’t wait to get you alone and do any number of dirty things to you.”

  When her gaze met his across the room, he did indeed give her a sultry glance beneath lowered lashes that seemed to undress her. Ariadne’s breath caught. They’d been pretending to be a happily married couple all day. The more time she spent with Asher without their previous sniping, the more she found that she liked him. He was charming, intelligent, and funny. Someone said something to him, drawing his attention away from her. Then he laughed. Ariadne inhaled. And too damn sexy for his own good, she silently amended.

  “Good, God, what was that?” She folded her arms over her chest and crossed her legs. Ariadne heard someone issue a moan.

  She frowned at her husband. She could not believe he didn’t notice the effect his laugh had on women. Hell, and some men, too, she realized as she noticed her cousin Chris practically fall into a chair while fanning himself. “That’s Asher’s laugh,” she explained.

  “Yeah, but it sounds like-”

  “I know.” Changing the subject, she asked, “What did you mean about my faking it?”

  “Well, less than a month ago you were single. Then, boom, you’re married. Nice bling, by the way,” Sierra said pointing at her wedding ring. “Anyway, I couldn’t help but wonder if you weren’t pretending to be married so that Janice wouldn’t spend the entire reunion gloating.”

  “The marriage is real.”

  “I don’t usually say this about white guys, but he’s damn sexy.”