Page 47 of His Asset

The warmth was spreading now, making me feel bold, reckless even.I’d never experienced anything like this loosening in my limbs, this gentle buzzing in my head.

The floor-to-ceiling windows beckoned, and I noticed a door I hadn’t seen before, a glass panel that opened onto what looked like a balcony.One that wasn’t off-limits to me.I smiled, more than a little exhilarated.Fresh air was exactly what I needed.

I stepped outside with my drink, the cool night breeze hitting my flushed face.The city sprawled endlessly below, a carpet of twinkling lights that pulsed with life.Car horns echoed faintly from the streets far below.At this height, a slight tang of exhaust fumes mingled with the cleaner air.

My wings fluttered beneath my shirt, seeking respite from where they lay flat and folded on my back.My smile dropped and I placed my drink on a glass table before I moved closer to the railing, gripping it with both hands.I had to be more careful in hiding my true self.It didn’t stop an overwhelming urge to leap and spread my wings wide, and soar through the dark air.

The longing was so intense it took away my breath.

But then the lights below slowly came back into focus.The distant sounds of the city.The faint scent of fumes and decay.

Reality hit me like a sledgehammer.

Had I done the right thing leaving Adam?Our chemistry had been undeniable.The way he’d looked at me, the way he’d touched me with such careful reverence.Ifhe’dasked me to join him in the shower, would I have said no?

I gripped the railing tighter, my knuckles whitening.The honest answer scared me.

“There you are,” Reuben said, his step predator-light behind me.“For a second I thought you might have run away.”

I released my grip, then turned around to face him.The hotel’s white robe was knotted around his corded waist, his pale hair darkened slightly from being wet, his skin clean and smelling of cedar-wood soap.A bandage poked out from the opened part of his robe.Good.He’d taken the time to dress his wound.

I retrieved my crystal glass, then gulped another mouthful of my drink, needing liquid courage to face such brazen masculinity.“I only seem to run when I’m forced to stay,” I admitted, my voice sounding small at such a height outside.

He stared at me silently, reading me.I resisted shuffling my feet when he suddenly smiled and said huskily, “Let me get you another drink and I’ll get one for myself.”

He disappeared back inside.A moment later, soft music began filtering through hidden speakers somewhere in the balcony’s ceiling, something low and sultry that wrapped around my senses even as it thickened the night air.

I laughed quietly to myself, feeling giddy and strangely happy.No wonder humans drank!Everything seemed enhanced somehow, more possible.

I drained the last few mouthfuls of whisky just as Reuben returned with two fresh glasses.He handed me mine and raised his own.I realized then that our drinks only had a small amount of amber liquid at the bottom, much less than what I’d poured.

Little wonder I was feeling its effects.

“To new beginnings,” he said, that rough fighter’s voice somehow made more intimate by the night and the music.

Our glasses clinked, and I found myself swaying toward him, drawn by something I couldn’t name.I took another few gulps, the burn now familiar and welcome.

Only then did he set both our glasses aside.“Dance with me,” he said simply.

I leaned into his space without hesitation, suddenly aware of everything about him.His amber scent mixed with the masculine, cedar-wood soap, the hard planes of muscle visible beneath the white robe.When his hands encircled my waist, I should have tensed.His fingers were so close to where my wings lay hidden.But the alcohol, the music, the way he looked at me, somehow, I didn’t even mind.

As we swayed together, he leaned down to whisper in my ear, his breath warm against my lobe.“You’re so beautiful, so special.I don’t blame Adam for trying to keep you.”

I tensed at the mention of Adam’s name, at the inexplicable need for him burning through me, but the alcohol soon wrapped everything in a soft haze.The warning bells that should have been clanging were now muffled and distant.

Reuben’s fingers pressed a little harder, more possessively into my lower back.“Honestly, I know we haven’t known one another for that long, but I feel the same way,” he continued, his voice low and intimate.“I want you all to myself.”

I looked up at him, but his face seemed to blur at the edges.For a moment, there was two of him staring down at me.I blinked hard several times until he came back into focus, just one Reuben again.I bit back a sudden urge to giggle.“You do?”I managed to whisper instead.

If I was teetering close to hysteria, he appeared to be solemn and serious.Instead of answering with words, he lifted his arms and cupped my face in his hands, then kissed me.

The kiss lingered, deepening into something that made my head spin more than the whisky ever could.When he pulled back, his eyes were dark with desire, but there was something else there too, something tender that made my heart race.

“Come inside,” he whispered against my lips, his hands gentle as they guided me back through the glass door.

When we stepped into the bedroom, it was bathed in soft golden light from the city beyond the windows.Reuben moved with careful deliberation, as if I was something precious that might break.He stopped near the luxurious bed, his fingers tracing my jawline, my throat, sending shivers through me that had nothing to do with the night air.

“You’re trembling,” he murmured, his voice rough with concern.