Marley

“Higher, Asher, higher!”

“Not too high,” I remind them both. Jesus, they are going to give me a heart attack.

Asher tosses me a wink, letting me know he’s got this, and I swear, I melt a little inside.

In the last hour I’ve seen a side of him I never thought I would. The fun, sweet, nurturing side that must be a result of his wonderful parents. He’s so good with her. Lyla has dragged him around this entire park and he’s humbly followed her every step and command. She even convinced him to slide down the slide earlier, and I nearly peed my pants laughing so hard. Watching someone of Asher’s stature attempt to slide down a kiddy slide just to please my little girl is hilarious.

And incredibly sweet.

He’s kept a safe distance from me, which I appreciate, even though every inch of my skin craves his touch.

“Mommy, look, Desi is here. Can I go play with her?”

I nod my head and Asher helps her down from the swing. She scampers over to the seesaws to greet her friend.

I give Desi’s mother a wave and she waves back, letting me know she’s got a close eye on them.

Asher takes a seat next to me and I hand him a water bottle from my bag.

“Thanks.” He smiles and it lights up his whole face.

My belly tightens in response.

“You weren’t lying, she’s a handful,” he states, twisting the cap off and taking a long pull. I try not to watch as his throat bobs and a small bead of sweat trickles down into the neck of his shirt.

I gulp and advert my attention straight ahead.

“I told you.”

He chuckles and the sound vibrates across my skin, tickling every last one of my senses. Then he leans back to rest his arm down the length of the bench, his fingers barely grazing my back but I feel them burning through my shirt.

I feel them everywhere.

“I’ll never doubt you again, Doc,” he says, stretching his legs out farther.

“Did you doubt me before?” I ask, bringing my eyes to his once more.

Those dark blue, haunted eyes hold mine for several heartbeats before he finally answers. “Not for a second.”

I have to press my thighs together to keep from squirming.

“She adores you,” I tell him.

He nudges my shoulder with his own. “I can be pretty adorable.”

This man is anything but adorable. Sex personified is what he is and he knows it. I’m not sure how any woman can resist his charms. Even four-year-olds aren’t resistant to them.

“So where’s her dad?” he asks, changing the subject.

“He’s around.”

“You two get along?”

“For the most part. Our divorce was nasty. He fought me for custody of Lyla even though he lied through his teeth our entire marriage.”

Asher’s jaw ticks but he remains silent, waiting for me to tell him more. I debate on how much to share with him but I ultimately decide I want to.

The same way he’s done with me.

“Lyla was about a year old when Steven and I got a divorce. I found out he’d been lying to me about his job. He claimed to be a fertilizer salesman.” She scoffs. “That was until I showed up to surprise him on one of his many business trips and he wasn’t there. I found out later that he never worked for the company, even though he made bank deposits as if he did. I felt so stupid and betrayed.” She shakes her head. “I immediately filed for divorce and sought sole custody of Lyla, but he fought me on it. We went back and forth for months before the judge finally ordered joint custody. It killed me because I know Lyla loves her father, but I don’t trust him at all. And now he’s threatening to take me back to court.”

“What the hell for?”

“More time with her, he claims, but I’m not giving him any more than he already gets. Not until we establish more trust or the court forces me to. Part of me wishes he would just sign over his rights because I know, eventually, he’ll end up hurting her, too. He’s so manipulative and deceiving, and I don’t want her tainted by his lies.” I shake my head. “That makes me sound like an awful person, doesn’t it?”

“Not at all. He hurt you and you want to prevent that from happening to Lyla. It doesn’t make you a bad person. It makes you a good mother.”

“I’m trying to give him a chance. I know people can change, but I don’t think he’s capable of that.”

“Where’d he get his money?”

“Huh?”

“The money he’d deposit every week. It must have been substantial for you to believe he had a legitimate job and to fight you in court.”

“I never found that out. I asked him on numerous occasions, terrified it was something illegal, but he reassured me it was from smart investments.”

Asher’s cell phone rings, interrupting me before I can say more. He fishes it out from the pocket of his athletic shorts.

“Shit,” he curses before silencing the call. “I gotta run.”

“Hot date tonight?” I tease.

Asher grins as he stands up. “Hardly. Grizzlies game with my friend Danny.”

“Oh shoot, I forgot that was tonight. I better get home too before it comes on.”

His eyes widen in surprise.

“You like basketball?”

“I love basketball. I played all throughout high school and college.”

“No shit?” He grins. “You’re just full of surprises today, aren’t you?”

I shrug.

“You any good?” he asks.

“I still hold the state record for most points scored in a single season, but I haven’t dribbled a ball since before I had Lyla.”

“That’s a shame. I would love to see you in action.”

He looks at me pointedly, the double meaning in his words not going unnoticed. The man is such a flirt. I find it impossible to resist that charming smile of his.

His phone starts ringing again and he silences it once more. “Gotta run. Thanks for letting me tag along with you two. I had fun today.”

“Me too.”

“See you next week,” he says, giving me a nod of his chin before jogging over to Lyla. I can’t wipe the stupid smile off my face as he squats down to tell her goodbye. Her short arms curl around his neck for a hug. Then he releases her and starts walking back the direction we came but not without giving me one final parting glance and thigh-clenching smile, leaving me wondering what the hell just happened.