Page 13 of Tempting Me (The Asher Family #3)

CHAPTER TEN

LUCA

I haven’t punched anyone since my junior year of high school when Barney Evens started a cheap rumor about my little sister Ruby, but I’m pretty sure it’s like riding a bike.

It’ll all come back to me when the moment arises.

But fuck, I hope it doesn’t. Actually, I'm sort of hoping that her date stands her up.

Fuck. I feel shitty for thinking that way, but wow.

I steal another glance at Shay as we pull into Wind Valley.

Shay’s always been pretty, and I’ve noticed as her curves have made themselves more visible over the years, but I always knew how to leave it at that, just looking. Maybe a sexual innuendo in a conversation here and there, but nothing serious.

Even if I wanted to, I wouldn’t stand a chance in her eyes, and her family’s distaste for me would make it impossible, but tonight, when I stepped into her living room, it was like I was seeing a side of Shay I’m not supposed to see.

The side that wants to tempt me to change our entire relationship .

I’m not just saying she looks hot. Shay looks absolutely stunning tonight. Gorgeous isn’t even a good enough word for her. She looks … like I never want to look away.

Fuck.

FUCK.

“So where am I dropping you off?”

I mean for the question to be considerate, but I’m pretty sure I growled by the last word. And I don't growl for anyone. Ever.

“Um, it’s a bar called The Black Alcove.”

She’s looking at her phone as if she needs to be reminded where to go.

“Your date is at a bar?” Even my voice is unimpressed.

“Yep. It’s newly remodeled with a new menu and music for everyone.”

What the … is she reading that right from her phone?

I pull into a spot out front and slowly look around. There aren't any loiterers, so if her date is here, he wasn’t man enough to wait outside for her. I should walk her in and prove a point to this jackass.

I unlock my seat belt at the same time as Shay.

“What are you doing?” The panic in her voice makes me pause.

“Walking you to the door.”

“I don't need you to walk me to the door.”

“Well, I don’t see your date waiting for you, and I’m not just going to let you go in alone. What if he stands you up and then you spend the night alone? Because let’s be real here, you wouldn't tell me if he did.”

The briefest smile touches her lips, but she catches herself and rolls her eyes .

“I’ll call you if he doesn’t show.”

“Swear it.”

“I swear.”

Another eye roll.

I can’t place it. I really can’t, but I do not like this right now. I’m half tempted to reach for her, pull her back into the truck, and beg her to stay with me. I’ll take her somewhere. Anywhere she wants.

This is new for me when it comes to her.

“I mean it, Shay. Swear that you’ll call me.”

“Oh god. Yes, daddy, I swear I’ll call you if I need you to save me.”

Her voice is laced with sarcasm, but I... just ... can’t right now.

I close my eyes for a split second and pinch the bridge of my nose. “Get out of the fucking truck.”

Her laughter is the last thing I hear before she closes the door.

She even sticks her tongue out at me as she crosses in front of the truck.

And then she smiles. It’s a genuine, pure Shay Parker smile, and I swear my heart skips a beat.

I sit in my truck as I wait for Shay to walk into the bar. My actions are twofold. I want her to get inside safely, but I also can’t stop looking at her.

Jesus.

I’ve never felt more like a creep than I do right now.

I’d be lying if I said I never thought of her as more than my friend's sister more than once growing up, but that was that. I never shared those thoughts with anyone and then when my friendship with her brother fell apart, I didn’t see the point in ever letting those thoughts consume me again.

But right now, hell, it’s going to be hard not to forget her now.

The door to the bar closes, so I lean my head back and take a breath.

It’s not just her body that gets under my skin.

It’s her wit. The way she can get me worked up because her mind is quick like mine.

I love it. The way she keeps up in conversation with me.

The way she tries, and fails, to hide her smile when I say something she likes.

The way she taps her toe behind her right before she gives me a compliment while she’s looking at my work.

I love that she knows what she wants with The Marina and her life. I love that she’s focused.

I love a lot of her fire and passion in life, and holy fuck.

I think I’m crushing on Shay.

Shit.

My eyes spring open as this revelation takes over.

This is bad.

So, so bad.

What should I do?

Nothing. Of course. That would be a disaster. Her family would kill me.

The idea of us is impossible. It always has been.

Even knowing this, I have to let out a breath, because now that I’m aware of these feelings, the obstacles to why we don’t make sense seem irrelevant.

I back out of my parking spot, resisting the urge to go inside to make sure her date isn’t a creep.

I pop into one of the hardware stores a few blocks over for a few things then return to the bar, finding the first open parking spot.

It’s in front of a bookstore, but I’m headed to the coffee shop, Loves a Brewing, that’s connected to the bookstore.

If I'm going to have to wait for Shay and remind myself that I can't ruin her date over something I just realized, I need caffeine. Plus, who knows how late this could go? I’m driving us back and need to stay awake.

Warm air brushes my skin as I step inside. The place is vacant. I’m not sure what time they close, but I assume it’s soon.

“Hi,” a woman greets me. “What can I get you?”

“Just a black coffee.”

She makes it quickly, and I pay then move to the middle of the store that connects to the bookstore.

I’m not the biggest reader in my family. That title now belongs to Sadie, but there is just something about being in a bookstore that I like.

I look up to the signs over each aisle, looking for the?—

“Oh, that’s one of my favorites,” a woman's voice says from a few rows over.

It’s familiar. Too familiar, and I stop what I'm doing.

I shouldn’t eavesdrop, but what the heck?

As if I’m now some kind of spy, I tiptoe and move as stealthily as I can toward the voice, which is now giving more book recommendations to someone.

When I’m pretty sure she’s just one row over, I peek slowly, and sure as hell, there’s Shay sitting in a corner set up with a round cozy pink chair that looks like it should be on someone’s front porch given the way it hangs from the ceiling and end tables for the coffee lovers to sit and read.

She’s got a coffee and a book as she tucks one leg under the other and laughs at something the other woman has said.

My eavesdropping must have frozen me the moment I spotted Shay, because I have no idea what was so freaking funny.

I narrow my gaze, ready to step up to her and demand she explain herself. She swore she’d call me if her date didn't show.

But then I stop.

She’s smiling and laughing and she looks … happy. She looks the least stressed or sad I’ve seen her in weeks.

As much as I want to know the truth right now, I can't take this from her.

Hell, listen to me. My brain clicks in that I like her, and now all of a sudden I’m letting her just … how bad do I have it?

I step back to where she can’t see me and turn to let myself out of the store.

As I make my way back to my truck, all I can think is did she even have a date tonight ?

I can’t keep the smile off my face as I watch Shay step out of the bar where she was having her so-called date.

Ha.

If it weren’t for the fact that I saw her in the bookstore, the to-go container in her hand would be pretty convincing.

Hell, up until I saw her, I had no reason to doubt that she wasn’t on a real date. What really boggles me is why she lied. I have a hunch, of course, but I’m starting to wonder if I can’t get her to crack and tell me the truth.

Our eyes meet through the front window of my truck, and she gives me a tight-lipped smile before she looks away .

She’s not thrilled that I invited myself to drive her to Wind Valley, and I have to look away to keep myself from laughing.

Now I know why.

I get out and meet her at her door.

“Oh, really, Luca. I can get in a truck on my own.”

“I know, but a good date would get the door for you, and since he seems to be lacking, I guess I’ll have to do it.”

She climbs in, zero response to my comment, and I can't help it. I smile the entire way back to my side and keep on smiling when I get in.

“Hi,” I say and then lean back.

“Hi,” she says with a little wrinkle between her eyes as she looks at me. “What’s with the creeper grin?”

“Nothing.”

I do my best to control it, but I just can’t stop smiling at her.

“Are we going?” she asks and clicks her seat belt into place.

“Sure, yeah.”

Her gaze narrows as she looks at me one more time before staring straight out the window.

“Let’s go then.”

Now, there are two ways I can go about this. One, pretend that she was on a date the way she’s doing and just move on with my night, or two, see how far she’s willing to take this lie.

This situation right here is the most exciting one I've been in in a while, so I have to go with the latter.

Plus, you know, this whole newfound crush thing makes me suspicious as hell.

Especially because, despite not knowing what is happening right now, whatever she’s pulling makes me even more interested in her.

How twisted am I?

“The truck isn’t moving,” she states and points at the road.

“How was your date?” I cross my arms.

Seems I don’t have any plans to start driving. I’m just going by the seat of my pants here.

“Good. Let’s go.”

“Where?”

“Home,” she says slowly. “Where else would we go?”

“I don’t know. I might need a coffee for the drive back.”

“Coffee. Now?”

“Yeah. Don’t you want one?”

“No.”

“A book, then, maybe.”

I bite my lip to keep from bursting into laughter.

“Nope. I’m good.”

“I bet you are,” I say and chuckle. I’d intended to keep that thought to myself, but it seems my mouth had other plans.

“What’s wrong with you? Did you drink while I was eating dinner?”

“Did you?”

“Did I do what?”

“Eat dinner?”

“Oh my god. Give me the keys. You are not driving us back to Lovers.”

She unbuckles her seat belt and reaches over to press the truck’s start button, but I swat her hand away.

“I’ll drive. You just tell me all about your date.”

“I don't know if I trust your driving right now, Luca.”

“Oh, you don’t know if you trust me?” I finally pull onto the road once she is sitting back in her seat, clicking her belt back into place.

“You’re being so weird right now.” She turns her attention to the phone in her hands and starts typing. I can see she’s texting someone.

“Are you texting your date?”

“Yep. I’m telling him to come rescue me because my ride is clearly unstable.”

“Should I pull over?”

“No.”

“Are you sure?”

“Luca!”

“What?” I ask with a chuckle and then sigh. Fine. I’ll cool it.

Instead of replying, she just laughs. “Please swear to me that you can drive right now.”

I nod. “I’m fine, Shay.”

“Promise.”

“I promise.”

At that she groans.

“What now?”

“Nothing.”

“It’s something.”

“It’s nothing.”

“Tell me.”

“Tell me why you’re acting strange,” she argues back.

I nod slowly.

“I’ll tell you when I drop you off.”

She laughs again, only this time it’s not sarcastic. She pulls her phone out, and a quick glance shows her playing on social media. “You’re so weird. ”

I grin because, just like her laugh, there is nothing sarcastic in her tone.

So what if she called me weird.

I can be weird, especially if it earns me a smile like the one she has now.

Traffic is basically nonexistent on the way home, so we make it in record time. The only light left is that of the neighborhood streetlights.

I pull up in front of her house and put the truck in park, glancing to her side. Shay fell asleep about ten minutes ago.

I don't want to read too much into it, but the fact that she is comfortable enough to relax this way around me says a lot.

Like maybe she doesn’t dislike me as much as she lets on.

I’m not sure what to do with that information.

I take one more moment to study her.

Hudson told me once that when he finally realized his feelings for Sadie, they hit hard and fast.

Maybe it’s an Asher trait. Right now, the last thing I want to do is wake Shay up so she can go inside and I can go home.

This is crazy.

I let out a breath of a laugh and then reach for her.

Do I shake her? Tap her thigh? Poke her shoulder?

What’s the protocol here?

I clear my throat.

Then I clear it louder.

And then I cough.

Shay startles and sits up.

“Oh, we’re here.”

“Yep.”

I climb out and walk around to her side.

When I pull the door open, she rolls her sleepy eyes at me .

I like it.

Damn it.

“One of these days, you’ll listen and stop opening my door for me.”

“Unlikely.”

I follow her to the door, and as soon as we reach it she shoves me back.

“Go away. I can open my own door.”

“I know.” Grinning like a fool, I rest a palm to the door frame as she turns the handle, and then I lean in. “But then I wouldn't get to see your face when I tell you that I hope you had a great time with your coffee and books in Wind Valley. I know I did.”

She sucks in a breath, and my gaze flashes to her pink lips as they part.

Then my heart pounds and my brain screams, kiss her!

I lean in, and I swear her eyes close as if she’s going to let me do it, as if she wants it, too, but then I feel the heat of her hands on my chest as she pushes me again.

“Gah! You’re the worst.”

She ducks inside and slams the door in my face.

I walk back to my truck with my head hung low.

I’m so fucked.