Beyond the Horizon (Sons of Templar MC #4)(59)

“Shady?” Asher bit out, his eyes hard.

“Mean?” Lucky repeated, all playfulness gone from his face.

I looked between them. “Down boys. She can take care of herself,” I reassured them.

Neither looked convinced, and I would come to ask whether bikers had some sort of sixth sense when their concern held considerable merit.





Three Weeks Later



I was juggling various grocery bags between my hands, somehow performing the feat of unlocking the door without dropping anything on the ground. I wasn’t used to carrying this much, but with Asher practically living with me, we needed the extra food. Food he insisted on paying for after considerable debate.

“Put that away.” Asher had growled last week while we were at the supermarket together. Growled. Like a dog. Right in front of the checkout clerk.

I scowled at him, and the fact he was pulling out his own wallet. “What are you doing?” I hissed. “Despite killing my buzz?”

Asher handed the clerk a card and gave me a sideways look. “Your buzz?” he queried.

I stepped forward, so it wasn’t visible I was having an argument with my hot boyfriend in the middle of a grocery store.

“Yes, my buzz. The pleasant feeling I had, up until a moment ago, from wandering around the supermarket with my hot boyfriend,” I informed him snippily. “One you just killed by doing the obvious alpha thing and insisting on paying, when I have the ability to do so,” I continued.

The last part was a lie. I barely had the ability to do so. Bills seemed to be piling up, and since I had started back at college, I needed supplies and books that weren’t covered in my scholarship. I should have been working more, but I’d been accepting the lesser hours I’d been offered by a worried Jude in order to spend more time with Asher. This was all beside the point, though.

Asher’s face changed, he pulled me to his body. “I like this,” he told me softly, brushing my hair out of my face, making it impossible to be angry with him. “That my girl gets a kick out of f*ckin’ grocery shopping. That your light is shining brightly again,” he murmured against my mouth. “Though I’m not your boyfriend, I’m your Old Man,” he corrected.

I tried to wriggle out of our intimate position. Asher’s hands were a vice.

“Um … Asher, we’re in a grocery store,” I said quietly.

He smiled. “You mentioned.” He didn’t let me go.

“Well, it’s a public place, people can see us,” I told him.

He grinned against my mouth again. “I don’t give a f*ck,” he murmured.

Then, right in front of the cashier and shoppers, he kissed the ever loving shit out of me. A gesture that I thought would have had me purple with embarrassment. Instead, when he released me, I didn’t give a f*ck either.

It was only when we got back to my place that I realized he’d managed me out of my hissy fit about who paid.

I turned to face him from where he was sitting at the breakfast bar, frowning into his phone.

“You can’t do that,” I declared, my hands on my hips.

He glanced up from my phone, his eyes focusing on my stance. He obviously recognized said stance because he gave me his full attention.

“What? You said I couldn’t help unpack that you had a ‘system.'” He finger quoted with obvious amusement.

I glared at him. “Not that, the groceries, paying for them. You can’t do that again,” I told him firmly.

The amusement disappeared from his face. “I can and I will,” he replied.

I glowered at him.

Before I had time to launch into a monolog about how I was a strong independent woman, Asher kept talking. “I spend all of my free time here, babe. You’re busy. I’m busy. So the time we get to spend together, I relish. Which means my free time is spent under your roof, in your bed, and eating your food. You’re my woman, I take care of you.” He clocked my bulging eyes at this and held up his hand to let him continue, “You’re also running yourself ragged. Studying, workin’ at that bar.” He didn’t hide his distaste for my job. “You’re running on empty, babe. Money is one thing you shouldn’t have to worry about. I work full time. I’ve got it to spare. Plus, it makes me feel good to put it to something worthwhile like feeding my woman. Please just let me f*ckin’ do it,” he requested.

I stared at him. I was quiet for a long time. He was used to this, the fact I didn’t reply immediately. His sentiment, his words were beautiful. The fact I’d found someone who wanted to take care of me was beautiful. That this man, who seemed so hard on the outside, turned soft for me. I could get used to it. That was the problem. I’d stopped my partying, stopped running and embracing the uncomfortable. Asher was comfortable. Too comfortable. That was the problem. I couldn’t explain this right now. I didn’t want to. For now, I just wanted to be taken care of.

“Okay,” I relented.

Asher had smiled and rounded the breakfast bar to give me a kiss. One that escalated to him f*cking me on the counter.

It might have not been smart of me to throw myself into what Asher offered. To jump straight into a relationship that felt like we’d been together for years. It wasn’t smart because it wasn’t real. The bubble would pop at some point. But I had decided to think of that later.