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“This is your new office,” he announced and yanked down the handles to push the doors open with a flourish. The flush-mount ceiling fixture smack in the middle of the office was wide enough to cast soft light over the entire space. The brightness flared and then dimmed again.

“It’s adjustable.” Asher stood by the door, fiddling with the round knob. “Now that you’re a vampire, it’ll be easier on the eyes. Not going to lie, this one was Ren’s idea.” He pursed his lips, chagrined. He stopped messing with the dial and left it at a lower setting.

I grinned and bounced onto my toes to throw my arms around his neck. They’d put thought into the room. He laughed, arms banding around my back. Just as quickly, I let him go, wanting to scope the room out.

“No way,” I breathed, staring.

Now this,thiswas definitely my style.

Unlike the rest of the house, the wood floors were a lighter gray, and the walls were a cream shade, including the floor to ceiling bookshelves . . . and the ladder with wheels at the base to reach the higher points of the shelves.

Although I wrote, I’d never collected books, it would have been too difficult to tote them around while on the run. As it was, the small number of items I took place to place was difficult to handle.

Writing had always been an outlet I could sink into, and second to that was reading, but I seldom had enough time for it. But not now that I had forever.

Emotion clogged my throat, and I squeezed Asher’s hand. He grunted and I loosened my grip sheepishly. I peeked up at him under my eyelashes. He studied me with a soft expression.

“I love you,” the words spilled from his perfect, pouty lips in a rush. His eyes widened and pink flushed the bridge of his nose and spread to his cheeks.

I struggled to spit words out, but I could only gawk.

Asher grimaced, his eyes shifting side to side. I’d never seen him so discombobulated. It smacked me out of my daze, and I threw my arms around his neck again. His arms slowly slipped around my back and his nose nestled into the crook of my neck. He breathed in audibly.

The thick knot in my throat didn’t allow me to say anything. I attributed it to fear and emotions. I squeezed him tighter, and he mimicked my grip.

“You keep rubbing against me like that, I’m going to fuck you before I show you the best part,” he said gruffly.

Thank God, I was about to fall apart in Asher’s arms.

“All you think about is sex.” I rolled my eyes, trying to make light of the heavy moment. He seemed more relaxed now that we moved away from the topic.

“You’re much too delicious not to,” Asher grumbled and turned me in a circle to face the wall beside the doors. There was another floor to ceiling shelf, but this one had a row with books already neatly organized.

“Those . . . I wrote those.” Blood flooded my cheeks. “How did you find out my pen name.”

He grinned.

“You guys had me investigated?” I asked sharply.

“Just some light invasion, Pet, nothing to get your panties in a twist over.” I glared. “That aunt of yours was nothing more than a figure head.” He tsked. “You’ve been relying on yourself for much too long.”

I raised Peter. I’d been all he could rely on.

“I don’t blame her for needing to focus on her family,” I mumbled, walking over to the shelf. Asher leaned his shoulder against the side of it. He plucked one of the books from the shelf.

He wiggled his eyebrow up and down, waving the man chest cover toward my face.

“I’m a little jealous, but I’ll let it be.” He sniffled in sharply.

“Pft.” I plucked it from his fingers and tucked it back in place. I turned away from the probing glances. I felt raw and flayed open. I licked my lips and took my time taking in the rest of the room. Asher didn’t stop watching me, and it made me more self-conscious than I anticipated.

No windows.

My tastes swung more along the basic spectrum. Neat, simple, and elegant were good descriptors of my fashion sense.

Deep burgundy accents littered the room. The chair behind the desk, the abstract rose painting on the wall. I ran my finger along the smooth surface of the cream-colored desk.

“You will no longer have to worry about a thing. We will take care of you.”