The weight of his attention stole her breath. She knew Craig was talking, but her brain didn’t care one bit about anything but the way Asa prowled toward her. He towered above most of the patrons in the bar as he actually sort of rippled at the shoulders and across his chest as he moved.
People scampered out of the way as he passed through, his features showing irritation each time a knot in the crowd slowed him up.
His hair was down that night. Close shaved at the sides, the bulk of it would fall down over his eyes and then he’d shove a hand through it. A simple thing really, but when he did it, it was sexy times a million.
So utterly badass and male.
She’d seen him on his knees the week before when she’d stopped in to Twisted Steel for a job. PJ had come around the corner and nearly run into him.
He’d looked up at her and it hadn’t mattered that she was standing. Even on his knees Asa was in charge.
There’d been a flash of hunger in his expression. Just for a breath or two as she’d stood, stunned into stillness. Staring at him.
He’d let it go then, the same way he had over and over for five months, and she’d wanted to punch him in the throat but managed to raise her brow at him and keep on her way.
They’d had that damned kiss the month before and then nothing!
Only now he wasn’t hiding the hunger in his gaze. And he wasn’t walking away. The difference in his approach told her that.
A delicious thrill raced through her as he came to a halt just inches from touching her. Close enough the heat of him was a caress. PJ was pretty sure she gulped, but it couldn’t be helped.
“Penelope Jean, you’re looking lovely this evening.”
A shiver at the low tones in his greeting.
“Thank you very much, Asa. You’re looking ridiculously gorgeous, as usual. Really, you’re sort of a menace.”
The predatory smile he gave her was full of stuff that was going to make her sweaty. She hoped. Hell, she was sweaty already!
“Thanks for the drinks.”
“Of course.” If he walked away again she might actually tackle him and demand he tell her why he tortured her so much.
Instead he took one more step, bending to speak into her ear. “Have you had dinner?”
She shook her head. “You going to remedy that?”
He held out a hand and she took it.
Chapter Seven
Asa paused once they’d reached the sidewalk. “I don’t know the neighborhood very well. This place is between Duke’s house and Twisted Steel, and I’ve only come in a few times. Any ideas?”
“The Italian joint across the street is really good. Family run and owned. Thai two blocks that way, also really good, and if you’re vegetarian or vegan they’ve got a lot of options.” She went ahead and took a risk. “They both deliver. My house is just a few blocks away.”
“I like that option.”
“I should probably let you hold off making that decision for certain until we get to the end of the block just up here.” PJ pointed.
He snorted when they did and faced a rather daunting uphill walk. She’d gotten used to it, but sometimes she had to admit she thought twice about the last few drinks at the end of a night at the Ditch because facing this walk while really tipsy wasn’t any fun.
“This just means I can have a little extra helping of whatever we decide on for dinner. I guess you’re less likely to get mugged if criminals have to make this walk.” He started up the hill and she took up at his side.
“Another benefit. I love this neighborhood. Just a short walk and there are bars and restaurants. Most of the time Audra and I walk together. Usually with her boyfriend. They live across the street from me.”
When they got halfway she spoke again. “One more up and then two over.”
“No wonder your ass looks as good as it does. This is a great workout.”
Flattered, she smiled. “Thanks.”
Asa wasn’t sure what he had expected, but the duplex she led him to wasn’t it. “I’m on the top floor.” They climbed more stairs – and he watched her ass some more – until she unlocked her front door at last.
He might have needed a Sherpa to get there, but her apartment was big and would be bright during the daylight hours. Because of the slope being so steep and the apartment being on the top floor, the windows and the slider to her deck all faced Shilshole Bay and Bainbridge Island.
“Menus are in that little holder next to the fridge. I’ll be right back.”
He pulled out an Italian menu and one for an Indian place and then went to look around. Not extravagant. The furniture was nice, but nothing someone making a good wage couldn’t afford. The neighborhood was good, yes, but not trendy, so he bet her rent was decent. What he didn’t know was why she hadn’t just bought a place. She came from money, so he’d assumed she had a nice house somewhere.
Like he’d assumed that after the first job or two she did for them she’d wander away bored.
But not only had she continued to do great work, it was timely and handled professionally. He knew she’d hooked up with other shops and was freelancing for them as well.
His assumptions had been pretty unfair, and he had to admit he wanted to get to know her better – and not just what parts of her body she liked to have licked.
She came back in, this time shoeless. “Sorry, those boots need to be resoled. I shouldn’t have worn them today. Did you decide?”
He handed her the menus. “Choose.”
She drew in a breath and then looked down. “They make the naan fresh. And the samosas are excellent. I have beer that’ll go with it. Shall I order then? Do you have any preferences?”
If she had been just five years older, he’d feel so much better about the way his cock seemed to want to bust through his zipper when she’d simply obeyed. Ordering women around was fine – and sometimes it was scorching hot.
But there was something deeper between him and PJ. Normally, though he expected exclusivity when he was sleeping with someone, he didn’t get bound up when things ended. But he had a deeper attachment to her already. One he was still wary of.
Too late for second-guessing. He was there in her apartment and they both knew why.
“Surprise me. I’m not vegetarian.”
She called in the order and opened her fridge. “Want a beer out on the deck? It’s a nice view and it’s pretty warm for late May.”
He nodded and followed her out, where she settled on an outdoor couch of sorts. He took the beer she handed his way when he sat beside her.
“Thanks.”
They drank in silence for a while as late evening settled in around them.
“How long have you lived here?”
“Three years now. I came over to hang out with Audra and saw the ‘For Rent’ sign, and that was that. I’ve lived in a giant house, and in a tiny studio, shared apartments, but this is the first place that’s felt like home.”
“Home is good. Important. I feel that way about Seattle in general. I didn’t grow up here.”
“The accent sort of gives it away.”
He laughed. “You can take the boy out of Texas, but the accent seems to live on. I grew up in Houston. And then in the army I lived in Iraq, and as fucked up as my old neighborhood was, believe me, living in a place where every day people tried to kill me was worse. And after I got out I landed here with an uncle. I hadn’t planned to stay, just work awhile, get an idea of what I was going to do, but it was like I just relaxed. I loved the rain and the gray and the green.”
He hadn’t meant to share all that.
PJ nodded. “I get to travel a lot. It’s one of my favorite things. But every time the plane approaches SeaTac I’m so happy.”
Neither spoke for a while. Her perfume rose and he leaned close to breathe her in where shoulder met neck. She tipped her head back, giving him access.