Beyond the Horizon (Sons of Templar MC #4)(19)

His fingers grasped my chin and forced me to meet his eyes. There was no disgust in his gaze. I’d been expecting to feel a new wash of shame as Asher digested my words, but nothing. The look on his face seemed like, pride. Respect.

“The most magnificent creature I’ve ever met, that’s who,” he murmured softly. “The woman who hides the ugliness of what a monster did to her under the most beautiful surface I’ve ever seen. That beneath that surface lies more blinding beauty, untainted by that ugliness. Strength.”

A tear trickled down my cheek. Asher’s hand swiped it away.

“I’ve never told anyone that before,” I confessed.

He watched me with a gaze I couldn’t decipher. “As sorry as I am that shit happened to you, flower, I’m glad I get that. Another piece of you that’s for me and me alone. I want all of you, but I’ll treasure the pieces that you choose to give to me and no one else,” he said, intensity drenching his beautiful words.

We stayed silent for a long time after that. It was a silence that spoke a thousand words at once. That seemed to create a connection I couldn’t even understand, not at that moment. Three years later I’d still puzzle over it.





I trailed my hand across Asher’s forearm. My back was pressed to his front, him holding me close to his naked body.

“Why don’t you have any ink?” I asked suddenly. “Apart from on your back, the club emblem, why nothing else?”

Almost every other member of the club was covered in tattoos.

Asher’s arms tightened around me. “Tattoos are for life.” His breath tickled my ear. “Apart from the club, I’ve never loved anything that much to commit to a lifelong reminder of it on my body.”

He pulled me onto my back and moved atop of me, holding his weight so his body only just skimmed mine. His eyes searched mine.

“Why? Are you disappointed I’m not covered in ink like the rest of my brothers?” His voice was teasing, but there was a hardness underneath it, almost vulnerability.

I stroked his jaw, feeling bold, like I’d been ever since we’d entered this bed. It was like my shyness melted away and I could be the me only a handful of people made me be.

“No,” I said decisively. “I’m nowhere near disappointed. You’re perfect,” I added in a whisper.

“No such thing as perfect, flower,” he murmured back. His fingers played with my hair. “If there was, I’m so far from that end of the spectrum it’s not even f*ckin’ funny.” He looked at me. “Though, if perfect does exist, I’m looking at the embodiment of it right here,” he added hoarsely.

My stomach did something weird at his words. Not weird wonderful, but weird like I ate a bad tuna sandwich.

“You don’t have to lie anymore, you’ve already got me into bed,” I said lightly, trying to hide my own vulnerability.

Asher’s brows furrowed. “What the f*ck are you talking about? Not one thing in this bed, not one thing between you and me is a lie. You know that shit. You also know how f*ckin’ beautiful you are,” he clipped.

I felt my face flame. Anger coiled in my belly. “You don’t have to say that, I know I’m not. I’m okay with it,” I responded in a hard voice.

Asher’s face turned stormy. “You know you’re not what?” he asked slowly.

“Beautiful,” I snapped, using my anger as a shield for my insecurities. I never snapped at anyone. It was another thing I surprised myself with.

“You’re f*cking kidding me, right?” he ground out.

I opened my mouth to respond that… no, I was not, in fact “f*cking kidding,” when a pounding at the door made me jump.

“Fuck off,” Asher yelled, not moving off me.

“Bro, we need you,” a deep voice called through the door.

Asher's eyes stayed on me. “I’m f*ckin’ busy,” he bellowed.

“Steg’s orders,” the voice yelled back.

“Fuck,” Asher muttered. He looked down at me. His finger trailed my jaw. “I’ve gotta go, flower, but this shit’s not over,” he declared, frowning.

I frowned too. Not because of the conversation, but at the prospect of him leaving. All I wanted to do was cling onto him and beg him not to leave, but a little thing called self-respect stopped me.

“You stay here,” he ordered. “I’ll come back, we’ll finish this ridiculous conversation, and after I’ve told you how stunning you are, I’ll show you, too.” His hand trailed down to lightly dance over my breast.

I sucked in a breath and my nipple hardened in anticipation.

Asher’s face turned hard. “I do not want to leave this bed, but club business.... ” he trailed off as if ”club business” served as an explanation. I guessed in this world, it did. “Sleep. And I’ll be back,” he promised.

“Okay,” I heard myself saying.

He nodded, pushing up from the bed to dress.

I watched him silently. It wasn’t uncomfortable silence. Which was something different. I loved silence. My own company. Most people didn’t get that, had to fill every void of noise with words, it made me anxious, the constant need to measure time with words. Not now.

He was slipping on his cut when he turned to look at me. Something worked in his eyes as his gaze ran over me. The bed depressed when he leaned in to claim my mouth. It wasn’t hard to get lost in the kiss.