Defying Asher (Knight Security 1) (3 page)

“Then you can also inform her I’m assigning her a bodyguard too,” his brother advised briskly. “If we now know of her existence, then it isn’t going to be too difficult for someone else to find out about her too.”

That made sense. “Who are you sending?”

Gabriel’s expression was mocking. “Liam has volunteered to take the first detail.”

“I’ll just bet he has,” Ash growled, remembering the appreciative glances the other man had given Lissa last night. And his amusement at Ash’s expense.

He and Liam had only met a year ago, when Knight Security bought out Grayson Security, the firm Liam had previously worked for. The two men were completely different in temperament, but they worked well together and had shared the occasional beer when they were both off duty. Ash had no illusions about himself, knew he was abrasive and arrogant. Liam, on the other hand, was a blond-haired Adonis who knew how to turn on the charm. All the ladies loved him.

No doubt Lissa would too.

She couldn’t help but like him more than she did Ash, at least. It wouldn’t be difficult when she seemed to feel the need to physically attack Ash, and not in a pleasant way, whenever the two of them were together for any length of time.

“Ian is working with you to protect Miss Reynolds at the moment, but I’m sure he wouldn’t mind transferring to Miss Forsythe, if you would prefer him to Liam?” Gabriel offered at his lengthy silence.

Ash didn’t prefer. Ian was his cousin and even more of a player than Liam was. Than Ash
had
been. Because now that he thought about it, he couldn’t even remember the last time he’d been out with a woman, let alone been to bed with one. Apart from Lissa a year ago.

Maybe that was part of the reason he’d responded so strongly to seeing Lissa again last night? He simply needed to get laid. And soon.

He stopped scowling. “No, I’m happy with Liam if you are. Who has second watch?”

“Ethan.”

“Fine.” The choice of one of his twin brothers was probably the lesser of several evils. After all, he couldn’t object to all of his male relatives and friends being around Lissa—

What the fuck was he doing? What did it matter to him who was guarding Lissa or whether she did or didn’t find them attractive? Lissa was nothing to him but a memory, and no longer a fond one at that.

Gabriel nodded. “I’ll leave you to tell Miss Forsythe.”
 

“She isn’t going to like having a bodyguard, no matter who it is.”

“I’m sure she’ll prefer it to being dead,” Gabriel bit out grimly.

“Jesus Christ, Gabe, tell it like it is, why don’t you?” He gave an exasperated shake of his head at his brother’s bluntness.

“No, I’m expecting you to do that when you speak to Miss Forsythe later today.”

“I know what my job is, Gabe.” Although Ash couldn’t say he was looking forward to this conversation with Lissa.

“Don’t.” Ash wedged his uninjured foot between the frame and the door to Lissa’s apartment, preventing her from slamming it in his face. “You knew it was only a matter of time before I turned up here.”

“Did I?” She eyed him coolly with those beautiful yellow topaz-colored eyes.

Ash had never seen eyes that color before he met Lissa. Cat’s eyes, and surrounded by thick dark lashes, giving them an almost exotic appeal. Those eyes, and the creamy texture of her complexion, made an intriguing contrast to the deep auburn of her hair—

Oh, for fuck’s sake.

“We need to talk,” he said tersely.

“I have nothing to say to you.” She continued to keep the door open only enough to accommodate where Ash’s foot was stopping her from closing it in his face. As she so obviously wanted to do.

God, this woman was hot.

Lissa had looked amazing last night in her fitted sweater and tight-fitting jeans, but today she looked even better. She wore a white vest top with thin straps, fitted over her voluptuous breasts and slender waist. Loose-fitting jogging pants rested low on her hips, leaving two inches or so of her bare abdomen between them and the vest top, allowing Ash to see the colorful tattoo.

“That’s new.” He bent down to get a closer look at the design.

“What the…?” Lissa stepped back as Asher leaned so close to her, she could feel the heat of his breath on her bare skin.

“This is beautiful work.” He made no effort to straighten as he glanced up at her, the green flecks visible in the darkness of his eyes. “You didn’t have this tattoo a year ago.”

A stark reminder, if Lissa had needed one, that this man knew and had touched every inch of her. Intimately.

“A phoenix rising from the ashes,” he mused admiringly as he raised his hand.

“Don’t.” Lissa could have kicked herself for sounding breathy as she stepped back from allowing him to touch her.

Even if breathless was how Asher made her feel. Breathless. Aroused. Even now her body was tingling in awareness of his proximity.

Every time Lissa had seen Asher so far, he had been wearing a suit—or nothing at all! A dinner suit the first evening they met, a formal suit at Stazzi and Alexandre’s wedding, and again at Claudia’s apartment building last night. This was the first time she’d seen him casually dressed in a T-shirt and jeans.

The tight tee showed off the muscular strength of his arms and wide shoulders and chest, the ridges of his washboard abs clearly outlined. Faded blue jeans rested low on his hips, emphasizing the lean length of his legs, heavy biker boots on his feet.

Asher was sophisticated and elegant in a suit, but he looked even more dangerous wearing a casual T-shirt and jeans. The dark hair and heavy boots gave him an added bad-boy edge.

“Interesting choice of design,” he murmured as he finally straightened.

“I consider it the story of my life so far.” Lissa had no intention of admitting he was part of her having, literally, risen from the
ashes
.

Considering her early life and childhood, it was surprising she was as normal as she was.

Her mother had separated from her father when Lissa was only a few days old, Claudia moving to New York to take over as head of the features department at
Elan
magazine. Lissa had stayed with her father, in the care of a full-time nanny, with occasional visits to her mother when she was older and as Claudia’s busy work schedule allowed.

Then at eight, Lissa had been shipped—flown?—off to boarding school in England. And hadn’t that been a wonderful time. As a new girl, Lissa had felt self-conscious enough, but a new girl with an American accent… Let’s just say it had been in her own best interest to lose the accent as soon as possible.

Even so, her school life had only become bearable when Stazzi Carmichael joined the same school when they were both thirteen. They clicked instantly, became the sister to each other neither of them had.

They had also gone to the same university in Edinburgh and then moved to London to share a flat once they graduated. Stazzi went to work in a hotel, and Lissa’s father had given her the money to open up her own travel agency.

Everything in Lissa’s life had been running smoothly until she met Asher a year ago.

That amazing night with him would be forever etched into her mind and body. To a degree she had very quickly realized he had totally spoiled her for other men. No one since had ever attracted her in the instant way Asher had. Not even close.

So yes, when she decided to get a tattoo after Stazzi and Alexandre’s wedding six months ago, a phoenix rising from the
Asher
had seemed very appropriate.

“Care to tell me what’s funny?” he prompted as she smiled self-derisively.

“No,” she stated. “Why are you here, Asher?”

“Ash,” he invited gruffly.

Her eyes widened. “I thought that familiarity was only reserved for close friends?”

His mouth twisted into a mocking smile. “I don’t think anyone’s ever been as
close
to me as you have, before or since our night together.”

“Really?” Lissa’s sarcasm masked her inner surprise. The two of them had been explosive in bed together, but she had always assumed that was the norm for Ash’s sex life rather than the unusual.

“Yes, really,” he echoed dryly.

“I find that very hard to believe.”

“I
owned
you that night, Lissa,” he rasped. “And before you give me one of your blistering replies, you owned me too,” he added as her eyes narrowed in warning. “In every way.”

Lissa gave a wince as she easily recalled the depth and intimacy of that ownership. It had been beyond intense.

“But I didn’t come here to discuss that.”

“I never for one moment thought you did.” She snorted. “So what did you want to talk about?” Her gaze was guarded.

“If you let me inside, you’ll find out.”

“You’ve never married?” She glanced down at his bare left hand.

He physically recoiled. “Hell, no.”

So much for his girlfriend and their “special celebration.” No doubt, whoever she was, she had gone the same way as every other woman who had ever been in Asher’s life.

“You?” he prompted.

“Hell, no.” She firmly echoed his own sentiment on the subject. “I’m not letting you inside until you tell me what you want to talk to me about.”

His jaw tightened. “Claudia Reynolds.”

The tension eased in her shoulders. “I spoke to my mother on the phone last night. She confirmed she’s the reason you and Liam were at Felton Tower last night. She explained there had been some sort of security breach in New York but it was now under control.”

Asher snorted. “If that’s the case, your mother is a master of the understatement.”

“And omission.” Lissa still clearly remembered the hurt of realizing she hadn’t been included in her mother’s so-called list of acceptable visitors. Not that she should have been surprised. Claudia had never involved Lissa in her life, so why should this time be any different? “Most of my mother’s life is smoke and mirrors,” she added with an edge of bitterness. “The confident CEO. The beautiful and gracious hostess. The loyal friend. Not many people realize she attained all of them by choosing not to become a wife or by not being a mother.”

Ash’s conversation last night with Claudia Reynolds had been enlightening, to say the least. She had obviously sacrificed a life as a wife and mother to become the most powerful woman in the fashion industry. Ash had no idea how Jack Forsythe felt about that, apart from the fact he had been married four times, unsuccessfully, but it was obvious Lissa had suffered as a result of her mother’s choices and neglect.

That she was maybe even more cynical than he was in regard to relationships.

She gave a defeated sigh. “I can see you’re determined to speak to me, so you had better come in. Close the door behind you.” She turned and walked off down the hallway without waiting to see if he followed her.

Ash’s gaze was fixed unashamedly on the slight sway of Lissa’s bottom as he followed her down the hallway. Curvaceous but firm. Ash’s cock instantly perked its head up in interest. So much interest, it was engorged within seconds and pressing against the unforgiving teeth of the zipper on his jeans.

Oh, very professional.

Gabe would take him off this assignment so fast, Ash would probably suffer whiplash if his brother knew just how
un
professional his feelings were toward Lissa.

“Can I get you a tea or coffee?” Lissa turned to face Asher once the two of them reached the sitting room of her apartment. Instantly, she felt warmth enter her cheeks as she saw his gaze had been fixed on her bottom. “Or something?” Her stance became challenging as she met his gaze and crossed her arms beneath her breasts.

“What else is on offer?”

She should have known Ash would accept her challenge. “Orange juice or water.”

“In that case, coffee would be fine, thanks.” He bared his teeth in a mocking smile. “Black, no sugar.”

Lissa moved through to the adjoining kitchen and poured two coffees, having made a fresh pot a couple of minutes ago. She placed one of the mugs down on the coffee table before curling her legs up beneath her in a chair as she took a sip of her own sugared brew.

Asher winced slightly as he sat on the sofa and almost succeeded in castrating himself, his balls and cock were so engorged beneath the unforgiving material of his jeans. But at least the hardness of his cock was less visible now he was sitting. “I— What the hell…?” He gave a start before turning to look at the multicolored cat that had just jumped onto the back of the sofa behind him. “I don’t remember you having this a year ago.”

“He,” Lissa corrected. “The apartment seemed a bit empty after Stazzi moved out. I found Sherlock in an animal center and brought him home.”

“Sherlock?” he mused.

“Only because I love the sexy actor who plays the role on television.”

“I rarely have time to watch television.” Ash kept a wary eye on the crouching animal. Its narrowed golden eyes were almost the same color as Lissa’s, and they stared at him with the same cool assessment.

Ash had grown up in the country with an assortment of pets—rabbits, hamsters, dogs—and he was sure there must have been a cat in there somewhere. Yeah, he seemed to remember his sister had one once. But it was years since he’d been this close to one. The scars on Sherlock’s face, plus a half-chewed ear, seemed to indicate he was more than capable of defending himself. And anyone else he cared about.