Lovestruck Read online

  I glance at the doors and try the handles to make sure the locks are holding. It’s the first time I’ve shut them since I’ve been here. It’s been a while since I’ve been so paranoid, but I’m going to blame all the talk of my stalker. I start opening the drawers under the sink, prepping for the next phase of my getting date-ready routine. My face is a mess from crying. I’m going to need my magic concealer tonight. I’m hoping the soak in the tub and an eye-mask will take care of my puffy eyes. The concealer should do the rest.

  I find the make-up I’m going to need, and I lay it out on the counter next to the sink. I’ll spend an hour or so soaking. Then I’ll look for the right clothes. That might take a while. I’m sure I have the right kind of dress in my walk-in, but it’s not my go-to clothing so it might take me a while to find something that doesn’t make me feel like I should be on a red-carpet show-down. Some of the high fashion stuff is completely outrageous. I smile at the thought of Asher’s face if he saw me in one of those… wait, he probably has, at least from afar. Even if he hasn’t seen pictures in magazines, there were definitely pictures that made it into the book he wrote about me. I signed off on the ones the publishers were given rights for, making sure they didn’t use something where I was wearing anything vaguely see-through.

  Well, you know what they say about best laid plans. I got into the hot water and my body melted as I breathed in the scented oils. I don’t know how quickly I fell asleep, but I know the sound of the front door bell shocked me awake. The water is cool as I rush to sit up. I pull the plug and reach for a towel, waiting for Logan to call on me. He doesn’t.

  Why am I not surprised? Crap. It’s going to take me at least twenty minutes to get ready…

  I check the mirror and my face is pretty much fine. So, I quickly splash cold water on it before I moisturize. I slick on nude lip-gloss and take my time with my mascara. I don’t have time for foundation, but the eye-mask and the bath seem to have helped with that. Drying off, I hold the towel around me as I rush through the bedroom to my walk-in.

  It’s going to have to be a grab the first thing I can find and hope for the best moment. I look at the two-piece red skirt and top and nod. It’s not the worst thing I could have pulled out. Baring a little midriff isn’t too scandalous. I put it on, realize I’ve skipped underwear and shrug as I pick up black heels that probably don’t pair well with the outfit. I doubt any fashionistas are going to be in attendance. I keep them in my hand, checking my hair and sighing in relief. The style has held up pretty well so I’m not going to mess with it now. I spritz on a bit of perfume and head down the stairs, fingers crossed that Logan hasn’t scared my date off already.

  Chapter Nine

  *

  ASHER

  The walk from the car to Eden’s front door was short, but arguably the most nerve wracking twenty seconds of my life. I roll my shoulders, take a breath, and pull on a smile as I knock the door.

  It’s probably a little sad to be ten minutes early, but no man should ever keep a woman waiting.

  The door opens and the last person I expect to see answers it. I don’t know why I’m so shocked, in hindsight. This man has been Eden’s personal bodyguard for close to eight years.

  “Oh Christ,” he mutters, taking up the doorway and narrowing his eyes at me.

  If looks could kill I’d probably be lying in a pool of my own blood right about now.

  “Is Eden ready?” I decide not to dwell on why the man she fired months ago is in her house. It’s probably best if I don’t know.

  “You’re her date?” His lips twist. I’m not sure if it’s amusing to him, or if he’s aggravated. I’d bet on the latter, but only because I’m not convinced the man has a sense of humor.

  “Guilty as charged,” I tell him.

  “Fuck me.” He steps back, letting me in grudgingly. “She’s not ready.”

  Once I step inside and he closes the door, he turns and his suspicious stare cuts through me. He shakes his head before he barks his demands out. “You’ll have her home before midnight. And you’ll respect her wishes. If she tells you to back the fuck off, you back the fuck off.”

  “Well. I know you’re not overly fond of me. So, I’m going to ignore the insulting assumption that I’m some sort of sexual aggressor who doesn’t know how to take no for an answer. However, as we are both adults, we will be ignoring your arbitrary curfew. I will bring Eden home whenever she’s ready to come back here.” Which I hope is never, considering the alpha male asshole who’s here playing protector. I wonder how this happened. Surely, Eden didn’t call him. She’d come here to get away from the celebrity lifestyle, at least, as far as I knew. I’ll know more later. If she decides to talk about it.

  “You hurt her, and I murder you.”

  “I know you’re a man of your word.” I refuse to straight up agree to anything he demands, but I’d never hurt Eden. Our little staring contest is broken when she appears at the bottom of the stairs in the distance. The open plan house isn’t exactly what I’d been expecting, but I don’t get the chance to look around. My gaze is fixed firmly on the woman I’m about to take out. She’s been poured into a red pencil skirt and a halter-neck that shows off her toned stomach.

  “Sorry, I wasn’t ready,” she says, her face flushing. “I fell asleep in the bath.” She slips on heels, leaning one hand against the wall.

  “Um, that’s…” I don’t get the chance to come up with something. No words want to come. An image of her in the bath, the swell of her breasts cresting the surface bubbles, is all that wants to show in my head.

  Her bodyguard snarls and my attention drifts to him. Warning bells sound in my head. This idiot had better not be about to ruin our night. He smirks at me before he opens his mouth.

  “Eden, you do know who this is, right?”

  She laughs. “Of course I do.”

  “He wrote your autobiography.” And the penny drops. I curse my decision not to speak to her about it at the library. It seems insane that she wouldn’t know, at least it would to anyone else. I know it was a management decision. She’d signed off on it to keep her manager and her label happy. I doubt she’d ever even glanced at it. My gaze is guilty when it lands back on her.

  She smiles. “You think I don’t know that?”

  “You know?” He sounds even more pissed now.

  I only realize my heart was racing when it starts to slow. She knows? I don’t think I’ve ever felt so relieved. Telling her wasn’t ever going to be fun. I know what most people would think about someone who agreed to write their friend’s life-story when they got famous. I shouldn’t have taken the offer, but I hadn’t been able to refuse.

  “He’s also the first boy I kissed, which was when we were five. He’s a close friend, not some kind of monster, so you can stop torturing him now, Logan.” She rolls her eyes as she picks up her purse. “I’m ready to go.”

  Logan sighs and leans back against the wall as I open the door for her. He glowers at me as I exit.

  “Remember what I said. I meant every word.”

  Chapter Ten

  *

  EDEN

  Asher is the perfect gentleman. He opens the passenger door on a new BMW and I slide in to the leather seat, deciding my lack of underwear really isn’t a problem in this outfit. The top makes a bra impossible because of the cut, and the skirt is long and tight enough not to let me flash anything more than a bit of leg when I need to maneuver awkwardly, like I do when I get into Asher’s car.

  He gets in and smiles at me. “You look like a goddess.”

  It makes me blush. “It was literally the first outfit I put my hands on when I opened my closet.”

  “It’s not just the outfit.” The heat of his gaze burns through me, sparking the desire that found me the first time I’d locked eyes on the grown-up version of my high school best friend. I struggle to find words, so I don’t try. He checks his mirrors and I relax as his attention moves away from me.

  He starts the car.
“I got us reservations at Antonio’s. There are nicer restaurants in town, but I thought it would be…”

  “That’s perfect, Asher. I can’t wait to see it again.” We’d gone there for special occasions when we were growing up. Cheap enough for a couple of crazy kids to afford when they saved a little, but expensive enough to feel special.

  “I didn’t realize you’d brought your body guard to town.”

  “Neither did I,” I try to joke. Truth is, it’s not funny. “I hope he wasn’t too…”

  “He just tried to get me to agree to bring you home before midnight. Said he’d murder me if I hurt you.” He shrugs slightly. “Standard bodyguard conversation topics, I guess. I’m kind of surprised he didn’t try to follow us to the restaurant. So, you didn’t invite him?”

  This is the trouble with smart guys. They always notice stuff.

  “He just showed up.” I bit on my bottom lip. Did I really want to talk about this with a guy I’m supposed to be on a date with? Feels like a mood killer. “But he does kind of have a point about the lack of security in my house.”

  Asher’s quiet as he drives us towards the restaurant. He only speaks when I don’t for a few minutes.

  “You should probably have security.” He sounds like he’s being careful with his words, and I’m not sure why. It’s like they’re coming out a little slower, like he’s chewing on them before he releases them. “I thought he was Skyler’s bodyguard now, though?”

  I nod. “Oh, he is. He’s got some time off apparently.”

  He makes a ‘hmm’ noise as he pulls into the car park. I don’t bother to wonder what it’s about. If I know Logan’s interested in me, he knows. I’m not going to worry about that. Asher is so not the jealous type. Logan will be gone soon, once my security is sorted out, so I’m not even going to think about it anymore.

  We get out the car and Asher comes around to my side and takes my hand. The uneven ground is mildly treacherous in heels. I manage to only stumble slightly once.

  Walking in, I wonder why there were only a few cars in the car park. It becomes obvious when I glance around and find out we’re the only two people here for dinner.

  “What happened to this place?” I wonder if it’s the time. There are usually less people out for meals this late, but not everyone is old or has a curfew. I raise my eyebrows at Asher and he smiles.

  “It’s not that busy at this time, but I did book the place out,” he admits. “I thought you might appreciate the peace and quiet.”

  It’s a sweet gesture. “Thank you.”

  The owner, an older man with a slight stoop, approaches with menus. He leads us to our seats and I can see not much has changed in the last few years. A lick of paint and new tablecloths are the extent of any kind of upgrading. We sit and I find out the menus have mostly the same items.

  “Nothing ever changes around here, does it?” I shake my head. “I’ll have my usual.”

  He raises his eyebrows. “Spaghetti and a large Coke?”

  “Well, maybe I’ll swap the Coke for a glass of wine, just this once.” Probably just the one. Who knows how much willpower I’ll have otherwise. It’s probably best not to risk it. I don’t want to give Asher the wrong impression.

  A waitress who bears some resemblance to the owner takes our order when Asher waves her over. She smiles, nods as she writes it down, and rushes off. I glance at Asher.

  “Did you just order a bottle of their best wine?” It had always been a joke, that when we got old enough we’d order it and split the bottle. Even if we hadn’t been underage, a hundred bucks was on the steep side for our fancy meal budget.

  He grins. “Had to do it. We talked about that damned bottle every year, Eden. We have to taste it.”

  “You know what, you’re right.” I straighten in my chair. “But we do what we said we would. We split it.”

  He opens and closes his mouth. I can practically see what he’s thinking about. But this is no time to do anything by half-measure. If we’re making tonight the night we do something we’ve been thinking about for years, we’re doing it right.

  “Leave your car here. You can walk me home. We’re drinking that wine.”

  His smile returns at the emergence of mine. “I like that look you have. It’s the one you always got before you suggested something that might be less than savory.”

  “You’ll just have to wait and see.” He really has no idea what I’m thinking right now, but he’s right that it might be considered unsavory. Probably only to the prudish, but still, getting fucked up against a tree in the park on the way home from a drinking session isn’t typical behavior for a sweet small town girl and her gentlemanly date.

  I shouldn’t be thinking about drinking my half of the bottle. There’s no way I won’t make a move later if I do. Still, when the waitress places the bottle down after pouring us both half a glass, I feel the corners of my mouth twitch.

  He lifts his glass, and I lift mine.

  “This town hasn’t felt like home since you’ve been gone.” Asher clinked his glass off mine. “To the return of Eden Rose.”

  I watch him sip his before I take a drink. It hits me like a ton of bricks. He’s as lonely as I am. I feel it in his words and I see it in his stare. He’s just as hungry with desire as I’ve been for months, hell, years. Oh, this night is going to get dangerous, fast.

  Chapter Eleven

  *

  ASHER

  Two hours in, and things are going well. It’s like old times, if Eden had looked at me then the way she does now. That’s the only difference. She loved me then, I know that. It was more than I could have asked for, more than I deserved. But the spark of attraction had been one-sided and there was nothing that could be done about that. I’d spent so many nights wondering if making a move might open her eyes to the possibility, but I’d never been sure enough to risk the humiliation of being told she didn’t like me that way. I couldn’t force her to be interested. So, I kept my mouth shut.

  The date has been going well. Sober me would have known better than to get cocky, but he was gone four glasses of wine ago. If I could take anything back, I’d have been less loose with my lips and the words I’d let spill from them. The alcohol took the edge off more than my nerves. It screwed up my judgment.

  She’s resting her chin on her hand, the remnants of the chocolate cake desert sitting between us, her full lips pressing together, letting me know she’s thinking up another question to try and trip me up with. The game we started isn’t a new one, but it does have a filthier edge to it as drunk adults.

  “So, what’s the kinkiest thing you’ve ever done?”

  I laugh. “A gentleman doesn’t kiss and tell.”

  She pouts. “Aw, come on. You can tell me. We’re besties.”

  “Hmm. No. I think it’s something best left to the imagination, or the future, even.” The hint at doing something kinky together doesn’t distract her laser-focused determination to get me to talk dirty.

  “You don’t want me to think you’re boring, do you, Asher?”

  I don’t, but I also don’t want to tell her my kinkiest moment is so vanilla it would make her yawn. Making something up is out. I’ve never been good at telling lies, and she knows my tells, besides.

  “I think it’s time to pick up the check.” I get up before she can complain.

  The room seems to tilt a little bit as I move towards the bar to pay. We ended up with two bottles. No, wait, there was a third. I went to the bathroom and the waitress was replacing the second when I came back. It’s definitely time to walk Eden home. One more glass and I’d lose the ability to take more than two steps before I passed out.

  I pay up and Eden’s arm slips around my waist from behind. She’s definitely over her own limit. Shit. Nothing can happen tonight. It makes me groan, but the voice of common sense spouting absolutes in my head is completely right. We’re both intoxicated. Her bodyguard was likely going to give me a disgusted look for her condition. It was the lea
st of my worries, but I didn’t know it yet.

  We walked into the cool air and she held onto my arm as we started the trek to her house.

  “Oh, Asher, I missed you.” She rubs her face against my arm.

  “I missed you too, Eden.”

  “Can we go to the park?” She looks up at me and I shake my head. “I want to see if our initials are still in that tree.”

  “It’s after midnight already, and I’m not sure that third bottle was a wise idea. Your bodyguard might actually kill me.” My words aren’t too slurred, which makes me feel a little better. The fresh air is helping.

  “Stupid Logan,” she mutters, kicking the ground slightly, stumbling a little and cursing.

  We walk a while in silence, and she sighs as we pass the park.

  “I can’t believe you wrote that book,” she says, suddenly.

  My hopes that all talk about the book is done with, are dashed. She pokes me in the side.

  “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me.”

  “You were off being a rock star. I thought you might call me if you read it.”

  She pulls a face. “I thought it was a compiled bundle of crap. I didn’t want to read it.”

  I could guess why. It should have shut my mouth, stopped the truth from spilling out, but somehow having her know I wrote it… I assumed she would have read it then. I assumed she knew. I should have kept my mouth shut.

  “I didn’t want to write the first couple of chapters, but those were added after the thing went into edits. They said they’d get someone else to write them if I didn’t.”

  She frowns at me. “What do you mean?”