Why did we take so long to do something so natural?

The clearing of a throat makes me jerk back from his mouth. Asher doesn’t let me go, though, his arm remaining like a cage around my waist.

I forgot we were outside and that Alex could see us. Shit. Just because he’s been keeping quiet about the fact that Asher and I live together doesn’t mean I should give him any ideas.

The one who interrupted us isn’t Alex, though. Jason stands beside his truck, appearing a bit awkward.

I place both palms on Asher’s shoulders and whisper so only he can hear me. “Let me go.”

“Why?” That intense possessive look returns. “You’re my fiancée, remember?”

“Ash.”

“Stop acting like you’re not mine or I’ll prove it right here, right now.”

I gasp, staring at him with incredulity. If I think that’s an empty threat then I’m only fooling myself. He’s crazy enough to do it, damn him.

“Fine, I won’t.” I lower my voice. “Let me go and I’ll do something to prove it.”

He narrows his eyes as if not believing me.

“Trust me.”

I don’t expect him to, since he’s never shown a sign of ever doing that, but he slowly lets me go. For a moment, I’m stunned into silence. Does that mean he does trust me?

No, no, brain. Don’t you dare have any high hopes.

As soon as Asher’s arm falls from my back, I slip my hand into his, threading our fingers together.

He stares at my expression then at our linked hands with slight awe on his face.

“I guess I never did this before either?” I ask.

“You did.” He appears nostalgic as he strokes the back of my hand with his thumb. “When we were thirteen.”

“But not after?”

He shakes his head once.

Damn you, Old Reina.

I pull myself out of that trance and focus on the now. “Let me talk to Jason alone.”

The slight improvement of his mood vanishes, and his hold tightens around my hand. “Fuck. No.”

“Hear me out.”

“No, and that’s final. There’s no fucking way I’m leaving you alone with him.”

This isn’t the time for his jealous possessive episodes, dammit. “We’re friends, Ash. You’re not. Jason will be more comfortable talking to me alone.”

“We’ll do it together or not at all.”

“You’re so fucking stubborn, do you know that?” I glare up at him.

“Not as much as you.”

With that, we both head over to Jason, who has been watching our interaction closely.

“Hey, Reina.” He smiles, his gaze flitting to Asher’s fingers in mine.

“Hey, Jason.” I smile back, trying to dissipate the tension floating in the air. “I was hoping we could talk to you?”

“We?” He appears wary as he glances between me and the tension ball by my side.

“Yes, we,” Asher says with a calm he sure as hell doesn’t feel. “Do you have a problem with that?”

“No.” Jason pauses. “It’s just that I have nothing to talk about with you.”

That’s not good. If Jason means that, he won’t divulge anything in Asher’s presence.

“When it comes to whatever relationship you had with my sister, yes, you do.”

I dig my nails into Asher’s skin, trying to shut him up. I’m sure he sees the way Jason has straightened. He hit a nerve, and if he doesn’t back off right now, we’ll lose our only thread to the truth.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Jason maintains his cool façade.

“What did Ari tell you that day?” Asher’s threatening aura might as well have turned into smoke and be looming over us.

“She just told me to take care.”

Asher steps forward and I know he’s about to grab Jason, or worse, smash his fist into his face. He’s provoking him, and Asher has been volatile since the morning. It’s almost similar to the resurfacing of the old Asher with his quick fist and ever-changing moods.

I grab his arm with my free hand and say, “Do you know anything else? Something that could help us in uncovering the reason behind her death?”

Jason lifts a shoulder. “No, not really.”

He’s lying.

Even though there are no obvious tells, I can sense he’s hiding something. As I predicted, he’ll never say it in front of Asher.

Jason smiles at me. “If you need anything, you know where to find me.”

And with that, he gets into his truck and leaves the mansion.

A sigh tears out of me as I face Asher. “Happy now?”

“Why would I be happy?”

“You just ruined it. I could’ve gotten some answers if you’d let me talk to him alone.”

“That won’t happen, and it’s final.”

Ugh!

I remove my hand from his. “I’m going to say hi to Izzy and Alex.”

Two steps are all it takes before he grabs my arm and pulls me back. I gasp as I trip and nearly fall. Asher straightens me and grips me by the chin, forcing me to stare at those bottomless green eyes.

They’ve been gloomy like a forest under bleak weather today, and while I want to comfort him, his stubbornness is making me rage right now.

“Did you just snap at me?” he asks with a dangerous tone.

“Yes, I did! You’re infuriating. I don’t even know why I…” …keep loving you so much.

Damn. I almost said those words out loud.

What scares me more is how much those words are true, how much I really love him, have always loved him, and how much it hurt to be away from him and know he was never mine in the first place.

I guess I only came to terms with that fact after I lost my memories and gained some sort of freedom.

God, I love him.

I’m in love with him.

I have never felt as attuned to a person as I am to Asher. My orbit keeps turning around him, or rather, I keep floating in his orbit.

Although I don’t remember everything about the past, I remember my connection with him. Maybe that’s why it was so easy to let go after I lost my memories.

“Why you what?” He watches me intently, as if he can crack open my skull and peek into my thoughts.

“Nothing.” I wiggle free. “I’m going to see Izzy.”

If I stay with him one more minute, I might actually say the words out loud and put us both in a position neither of us can afford to be in.

I’ll deal with all these emotions later.

After I find my sister and uncover the truth about Arianna’s death.

Because what I feel for Asher is too raw and deep to be resolved so easily.

He doesn’t stop me this time, and I’m thankful for it.

Izzy greets me at the entrance, her face ashen. She keeps wiping her dry, clean hands on her apron over and over again. Upon seeing me, she reaches into her pocket then quickly shakes her head.

Has she been there all along? Did she see the exchange we had with Jason?

“Hey, Izzy.” I lean in for a hug and she returns it with a stiff smile.

Once we break apart, I notice she’s still watching Asher, who headed back to his car. No surprise there. He has no interest in seeing Alex, and now that he made sure Jason isn’t in the house, he’ll remain in the car until I come out. After all, he only dropped by to be with me—and ward off any one-on-one time with Jason.