Page 16 of Tempting Me (The Asher Family #3)

Hell, if I’d known this was the view I’d be getting, I’d have suggested the cabins sooner.

We walk out the back door of The Marina and follow the stone pathway to where the cabins sit just off to the right.

As Shay said, there are ten of them. They vary in size from one bedroom to two—a few offer extra beds for families.

Some even have living rooms, and the one farthest away has a cozier vibe for couples who come for a weekend getaway.

We stop at the first one.

It’s a one bedroom, so it’s easy to write down the changes Shay wants to see. We make our way down the row quickly, spending a little longer in each cabin as they get larger.

Finally, we start to make the trek to the last cabin.

It’s more secluded than the others for obvious reasons. I could easily sneak into this one during the day to work and no one would see me.

“I should start here,” I suggest the moment the thought comes to mind.

“Why?”

“I could sneak in during the day with this one.”

Shay unlocks the door, and as both step in, I can see instantly that it needs the same changes the others do, but the floor looks like it needs replacing, too.

I rub the back of my neck as I think of how to phrase my next question.

“How did these get so run-down?”

Shay runs her hand over the dresser and then looks at me through the mirror.

“I think my parents were slowly letting their dream go while I was away at college. Then they let Leo take over.” She lets out a sad laugh.

“He obviously didn’t care for this place.

Add in the weather Wyoming gets throughout the year and the fact that the last time this cabin was rented was more than four years ago, time just … changed it.”

I nod, the sadness in her tone hitting me right in the chest.

I’d been here the entire time she was away and never noticed how far the place was going in the wrong direction. Maybe if I’d tried to mend things with Leo, I could have reached out to Shay sooner.

I know this decay isn’t my fault in any way, but at one time this place was like a home to me and a small part of me feels like I failed it.

“Well,” I say and swing my gaze from the chipped door frames back to hers in the mirror. “I think the right person is in charge now and the comeback is going to be epic.”

Her lips twist as she fights a smile.

“Thank you.”

Even at this time of night, it’s beginning to get hot inside the cabins, so I back up and point over my shoulder with my thumb. “Do you want the same changes here as the others or more?”

“More.” Her eyes widen. “I want it to be more romantic. I want a door put in on this wall that leads to a private patio, too.”

I look at the big wall. There isn’t even a window in it, so her idea will work well and add more character to the room.

“I can do that.”

“Great.”

She rattles off a few other ideas that I agree to because she’s smart and has a vision I’m determined to bring to life .

“Anything else?” I ask.

“I don’t think so. Let me look at the bedroom real quick.”

I follow her down the small hallway, the same way I have with all the other cabins.

Once she steps inside the room, she asks, “Do you think this bed is big enough?”

I glance at the mattress. It’s a pretty basic queen with a comforter covered with pastel hearts, but it’s big enough for two adults.

Like Shay and I, for example, and suddenly the fact that we are standing alone in a room with a bed that has plenty of room to do all the things I could ever want to do to her is all my mind can focus on.

Shay on her back, her hands in my hair as I kiss every inch of her body.

Me on my back as Shay straddles my hips and …

“Luca?”

“What?”

“Is it big enough?”

“For what?” I ask quickly, to stay on task and not let my mind start dreaming again.

“For … sleeping.”

I chuckle.

“Oh, it’s big enough for sleeping,” I wink. “And then some.”

I guess those ideas aren’t gone completely yet.

“Luca!”

“What you asked.”

“Not everything has to have a sexual innuendo tied to it.”

“Maybe not, but it’s more fun that way.”

She laughs, and I can't help but smile at her.

I like this side of Shay .

The side that likes me.

The side that doesn’t want to fight with me.

I want to keep this side of her.

“I won’t tell anyone, Shay.”

“Tell anyone what?”

“That you want to be friends with me.”

A slow smile touches her perfect pink lips. She shifts her gaze to me, the cutest wrinkle taking place between her eyes. As soon as they lock onto mine, my heart beats harder. Whatever she’s about to say, she's going to try to get a rise out of me, and I know without a doubt it’s going to work.

“Is that what you want, Luca? To be friends with me?”

Her left brow arches at the word friends while her focus drifts down to my mouth.

Kiss her, you dumbass.

Do it.

Stop playing this game with her.

“No. It’s not.”

Her eyes go wide.

She wasn’t expecting me to say that. To be so blunt.

So before she can let her imagination run away with what I mean, I decide to show her instead.

I slide a hand around her back and yank her toward me, soaking in the way her mouth parts on a gasp.

“I could never just be friends with a woman like you, Shay.”

My lips are on hers before she has a chance to reply.

They're just as soft as I knew they would be, but the moan that comes with it, vibrating against my tongue, urges me to act as if I’m starving for her touch.

I back her up until she hits the dresser, then I slip my tongue past her lips.

She meets mine with her own. Ohhhhh. Damn, she tastes like sugar.

Her hands skim up the front of my shirt, scorching my body with her fingertips, and I press into her, letting her feel how hard she’s made me from just one touch.

She breaks the kiss to take a deep breath, but she doesn’t let go of me, so I kiss her neck, memorizing her every feature as I reach her collarbone.

“Luca,” she whimpers, and I lose it.

In a frenzy, I grip her hips and set her on the dresser. My hands instinctively cup her knees and spread her legs, then I stand between them and tug her to me.

I grind into her and take her lips with mine once more.

With both hands now on her ass, I spread my fingers wide, lifting her slightly to rub her against me.

“Fuck,” I say.

“I know.”

For a split second, I think she’s going to agree with me only to push me away and say we can’t do this, but she doesn’t. Instead, she holds my face in her hands and kisses me harder.

I’m not going to fuck her the first time I kiss her, but fuck all if my dick isn’t begging me to move this along faster right now.

But then someone honks their horn, and we both split away from each other.

The room suddenly feels small as our chests heave and we catch our breaths.

I meet her eyes, only to notice her red and swollen lips.

Those are my lips.

Then she drops her gaze and stares at my cock, which is fully erect right now thanks to her .

She steps back and says the words I dreaded to hear a moment ago.

“That can never happen again.”

And then she dashes out of the room and out of the cabin.

Well, that’s fucking great.

Not.