The rest of the evening blurred into something easy. Someone put music on their phone. It was a playlist that bounced between old favorites and whatever made people laugh. There was dancing, mostly ridiculous and off-beat, the kind that didn’t require skill or self-consciousness. Soleil spun Elise around. Jonah tried to moonwalk and nearly fell over. I laughed more than I expected to.
At one point, I stepped back to give Soleil room and didn’t see the branch at my feet until my heel caught. My hand stilled on his arm, my fingers curled instinctively around the muscle there, solid and warm beneath my palm.
Asher.
My breath hitched as I collided lightly into his chest. His other hand came up to my waist, firm but careful, like he was holding something fragile without meaning to.
“You okay?” he asked quietly.
I nodded, but I didn’t move right away. Neither did he. For a heartbeat we just stood there, looking at each other. Firelight danced across his face. His eyes were darker up close, intent in a way that made my pulse skip. My hand stilled on his arm, my fingers curled instinctively around the muscles in his arm,solid and warm beneath my palm. Something electric hummed between us.
Then Soleil snorted. “Wow. Should I give you two a minute?”
Laughter exploded around us, the moment snapping like a rubber band.
Asher stepped back first, clearing his throat. “Watch your step,” he said, like his hands hadn’t just been on me.
“I will,” I managed, my voice steadier than I felt.
The night wound down not long after. People drifted off in twos and threes, the fire burning lower, conversation softening into tired goodbyes. I felt pleasantly relaxed and happy as I made my way back toward my cabin. I was tipsy. My thoughts were scattered. I tried not to think about Asher. Tried not to think about his hands, his eyes and the way he’d caught me without hesitation. It didn’t work.
Inside the cabin, I kicked off my shoes and headed straight for the shower, craving hot water and clean skin. Steam filled the small space as I stepped under the spray, washing away sweat and smoke and the lingering scent of the fire. My thoughts wandered again. Asher leaning against the log. Asher laughing. Heat curled low in my belly, surprising and unwelcome and very real. I tilted my head back, letting the water run down my neck. My skin felt warm and sensitive, my body reacting even while my brain told it to knock it off.
“This is a bad idea,” I muttered.
I finished up quickly, noticing my hard nipples while trying to convince myself I wasn’t hot and bothered by Asher. I was a virgin, simply because I hadn’t met the right guy. Even though that was probably my fault since I was always absorbed in school and not doing anything fun. Then I remembered what Soleil said about Asher’s strict rule against dating his employees. He was a dead end.
I wrapped myself in a towel and stared at my reflection for a long moment. I was here for answers. For Sophie. For truth. Not for a man with dangerous eyes and a habit of showing up exactly when I wasn’t prepared for him. And yet, as I crawled into bed, I knew one thing for certain: avoiding Asher Thorne was already proving harder than I’d planned.
CHAPTER 8
Asher
Fight Day always started the same way. Too early. Too quiet. My body already awake before my alarm went off, muscles tight with anticipation and my mind running through scenarios I’d trained into muscle memory. I lay there for a moment, staring at the ceiling of my cabin, listening to the orchard come alive outside birds, wind through the trees and the faint hum of morning. Control your breath. Control your thoughts. That was rule one. By the time I stepped into the rows, the air was cool and damp, the kind that settled into your lungs and stayed there. Everyone knew what day it was. I could feel it in the way people looked at me like they were excited, curious and proud.
“Big night,” Jonah said as he passed me a crate.
“Same as any other,” I replied.
He grinned. “Sure. Except we’re all driving to Montreal to watch you punch someone in the face.”
“Professionally,” I corrected. After Mom left, I had been an angry kid. I got into fights at school, so Dad decided to put me into taekwondo, then jiu-jitsu. From there it turned into MMA fighting. Turned out I was good, and I started winning tournaments. The fighting was a good way to help me burn offsteam, but I didn’t see it as my life’s passion. The older I got, the calmer I became, but there was money in fighting, and I managed to save up a good amount for a guy my age.
Soleil laughed. “That’s a good thing.”
Claire caught my eye from across the row. She didn’t smile, not right away. Just gave me a look that said she was aware. Of the day, the high stakes. I tried not to think about how much that mattered.
By mid-morning, the conversation had fully shifted. Who was driving with whom. Where they were sitting. Whether the venue sold decent beer. Elise swore she’d scream herself hoarse. Soleil threatened to start a chant.
Jonah glanced at Claire. “Are you coming tonight?”
She hesitated. “I don’t have a ticket.”
“I’ll get you one,” I said without thinking.
Every head turned.
Claire blinked. “You don’t have to?—”