The Girl's Got Secrets (Forbidden Men #7)(138)

“Really?” I arched my eyebrows. “They must’ve thought they’d get extra good sex from Jodi if they showed up.”

Asher shook his head. “You know them well.” Then he wrinkled his brow. “I don’t know if Non-Castrato will make it. I don’t know...shit, I don’t know a lot of stuff. All I know is that from here on out, I’m going to be wherever you are. And I’ll probably be the happiest man alive.”

“?Oh, Dios mío!” I sobbed with overwhelming joy as a tear of happiness slid down my cheek. “You could say shit like that to me every day.”

“I plan to, mi nena. I plan to.” He leaned in, looking intent to kiss me again, but then he paused and winced. “But I should probably tell you first...you were kind of right about my dad.”





Four Years Later



Well, Non-Castrato ended up surviving. We did lose one more member of the band, but surprisingly—or maybe I should say sadly—it wasn’t Gally. Heath Holden left the group right about the time Asher’s dad had been sentenced for another ten years in prison, or more importantly right around the time Jodi dropped him and Billy both, and took up with some dude in a motorcycle club. Well, she said club...I called it a gang, but whatever.

Speaking of Miller Hart. Asher hadn’t been the victim of any more wire-cutting pranks or the like after his dad was arrested the day he’d given me the chocolates, so we all agreed he had been behind them, after all. And yes, being right about that felt so good!

Anyway, my cousin Tomás was more than happy to take up with Non-Castrato when Heath dropped out, playing the lead guitar and singing backup for Asher, much to the disappointment of Tío Alonso. Big T adjusted quite well to rock music, though. He especially liked the flock of women it brought. And Asher certainly didn’t help my cousin’s new man-whore ways in the least because he always shooed the ladies Big T’s way.

Not that I wanted him to keep any for himself. No, Asher Hart was all mine, and only mine.

And life was good. Oh, so...good.

We were both sweaty and exhausted after our performance at the Metro—yes, I said the freaking Metro, baby—but jazzed and ready to see our friends as he tugged me into the back of the cab behind him, then right into his lap so he could wrap his arms around my waist and kiss me soundly.

I kissed him back a few seconds before pulling away to laugh and yell, “?Dios mío! I can’t believe we just played at the Metro.”

Asher kissed his way down my throat. “I can’t believe we have to go see my lame friends, and I can’t take you straight to bed right now. You look too good in this outfit.”

He slid his hand up my thigh until it disappeared inside my short jean skirt. But I caught his wrist and sent a quick glance to the cab driver, hoping he wasn’t watching us.

“Now, now, Mr. Hart,” I warned with a grin, batting my nose against Asher’s. “Tío Alonso explicitly told us none of that until after the wedding.”

Asher groaned and pressed his forehead to mine. “Your uncle is so f*cking delusional. We’ve been dating four years now, I’ve put a ring on it, and we’re living together. Does he honestly think we haven’t—”

I pressed a finger against his magical lips. “If he doesn’t then I’m certainly not going to be the one to clue him in otherwise. Are you?”

“Fuck no.” Asher snorted right before he trailed a row of kisses down my neck. “But neither am I going to remain celibate for another month until we’re properly married.”

Oh, neither was I. Pressing my mouth to his ear, I whispered, “Just wait until I have you alone in our room, and I’ll show you how celibate I’m not going to be either.”

He groaned and grew hard against my bottom. “That’s it. We’re skipping this whole friend-get-together thing and heading straight to our room with a bottle of champagne and maybe some strawberries...and chocolate syrup.”

Giddy about his eagerness, because I had on a surprise under my clothes that I just knew he’d enjoy ripping off, I merely tapped the tip of his nose with my finger. “But Ten and Caroline don’t get to visit often since they moved to California. I want to see them and catch up.”

“Fine.” He thumped his head moodily back on the seat of the car and groaned. “I’ll do it for Caroline. But Ten can eat shit.”

I grinned, glad he and Ten still liked to bicker and needle each other from halfway across the country. But I also knew he missed his friend and was eager to see Ten again, along with the rest of the gang.

I’d been surprised at how readily they’d all accepted me after the way my relationship had started with Asher. I feared they’d be more judgmental because I’d lied and hurt their rock star. But they’d treated me the way Asher had wanted them to treat me, with warm acceptance. And now I felt as if they were my family too.

“I still can’t believe Tío Alonso told us no sex until the wedding.” Taking my hand, Asher began to play with my engagement ring. “He’s never going to like me, is he?”

Kissing his cheek, I said, “Hey, don’t worry about it. He can’t stand any kind of outsider. Hell, he barely tolerates me, and I’m his niece. But Abuela loves you to pieces, so that’s all that matters.”