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  “I hope my grandson gets here soon. I would love you to meet him. He's very handsome,” she tells me with a big smile on her face. I can see her mind racing with ways to hook us up. “I keep telling him he needs to settle down. He has never brought a girl home, and he's getting too old for all that playing around business that men these days do. I want great grandbabies before I leave this earth. Back in my day, it was normal to get married young. I was eighteen when I got married and I stayed married until I lost my James. I miss him every day and still love him. I want that for my grandsons.”

  “Well, I hope they all find the kind of love you had, Miss Alice. It sounds beautiful,” I tell her truthfully. I can see the love she still carries for her husband whenever she talks about him.

  “What the fuck are you doing here?” I jump and Beast barks at the sound of the voice. I slowly turn around, praying I'm wrong.

  “Asher James Mayson, you watch your mouth. Don't talk to my guest like that,” Miss Alice scolds him. I can feel all the color drain out of my face and my stomach drops to my toes. Oh my God, he's more beautiful than I remember in his dark green thermal with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows and the colorful tattoos on his arms. They are so bright that even his tan does nothing to take away from their beauty. His jeans are light blue, over washed, and hug him perfectly. Great! Just flipping great. He's Miss Alice's grandson. Can my life get any worse?

  “Hi,” I say, trying to smile but I know I probably look like I'm in pain. I stand up ready to bolt. “Come on, Beast. Miss Alice has a guest and we need to go to the store.” Yes, now I'm talking to my dog out loud in front of hot jerk-face. Ugh, I'm such a loser. “Well, Miss Alice, I’ll see you in a few days,” I say, leaning down to kiss her cheek.

  “Okay, sweet girl,” she says quietly. She looks like she wants to say something but she closes her mouth, and then glares at her grandson. I'm sure if she could make him catch fire, she would. If I could make him catch fire, I know I would. I turn and walk down the short hall toward the exit when I feel pressure on my elbow.

  “I'm gonna walk November out. I’ll be right back, Gran,” Asher says from behind me.

  Crap, crap, crap. “Umm…no−no, that's okay,” I say, trying to pull my arm free from his touch. I can already feel his fingers burning into me.

  “No, I’ll walk you,” he whispers near my ear, causing goose bumps to breakout across my skin.

  “Fine,” I mutter because I don't want to cause a scene in front of Miss Alice. I'm sure she likes me, but I’m not so sure she would like me to ruin the chances of her having great grandchildren when I ‘accidently’ kick him in the nuts. She doesn't say anything as we leave. She just waves goodbye with a face-splitting smile. Oh, if she only knew.

  “Come on, Beast. Asher is walking us out,” I say, and then bite my tongue. I really need to work on not talking to my dog in front of people. Once out the door, I pull my elbow from his grip. “Look, I'm sorry. I had no idea that she is your grandma. I just bring Beast here to see anyone who wants the company. I watched a show on TV about animals visiting with people in hospitals and nursing homes; it said how much joy it brought them. I figured I’d give it a try. I have a beautiful dog who loves attention, so why not, you know.”

  Asher's not saying anything and I realize I'm rambling. Crap. “So we're just gonna go.” I turn to leave, but he grabs my hand, pulling me back.

  “Hey, not so fast. You just surprised me. I didn’t expect to see you here.”

  “Well, I really like your grandma and she likes Beast, so if you just tell me the days you’re gonna come, I’ll make sure not to show up then.”

  “That's not gonna work for me.”

  “Okay,” I say, feeling my shoulders slump. “Well, have a good day.” And don’t fall off a cliff. I say under my breath as I turn to walk off again.

  “Meet me tonight,” he says and I know that I must have heard him wrong. His rough voice and his southern accent are making it hard to concentrate on what he is saying. I swear I heard him wrong. I look over my shoulder.

  “What?” I ask, scrunching my nose.

  “You, me, tonight, beer, a game of pool?”

  “Um…” Nope, didn’t hear him wrong. I look around to make sure that it’s still just me and him in the parking lot.

  “It's just a beer,” he says, smiling.

  “You’re kind of a jerk,” I tell him. It’s something he probably hears all the time.

  “I can be, but it's still just a beer, November.” The way he says my name makes me think this is a lot more than just a beer and a game of pool. Plus, when a guy admits that they are a jerk, is that really a good thing? “Just meet me at the Stumble In at seven,” he says, taking a step closer to me. All of a sudden, I can feel the heat from his body, smell the scent of his cologne, and I can finally make out the color of his eyes.

  “Light blue with gold flecks,” I mumble to myself. My lips part and my eyes glaze over. All my senses are on overload.

  “Pardon?” he asks and I realize I just said that aloud.

  “Nothing,” I mumble, still staring at him. I realize that I probably look like an idiot so I take a step back. He smiles, revealing one perfect dimple and I know in that moment that I am so screwed. Crap!

  “Meet me at seven,” he repeats, taking a step closer to me. His hand comes up, moving my hair to behind my ear, and I'm totally lost. Just floating away in a hot-guy fog.

  “Um…” I blink, trying to pull myself together. “Okay, seven,” I say, wondering what the heck just happened. The words are out and I need to get away from him and his Jedi mind tricks. I turn to go but am tugged back. I almost fall on my butt when I turn my head and see Asher squat down to pet Beast.

  “Alright, babe. Seven. See you then.” His smile gets bigger, like he knows something I don’t. He stands from his squatting position and winks. I turn around because I need to go; go before I throw myself at him and ask him to help me give Miss Alice great grandbabies.

  “Come on, Beast.” I tug on his leash, but he wants to stay with Asher. “I know the feeling, boy,” I whisper.

  Walking into my dad’s house, I'm assaulted by the smell of garlic and butter. I stop in my tracks when I realize he’s home. “Crap,” I whisper to myself. Dad’s home. Of course, he's home. We have dinner together every night. I try to act normal as I walk into the kitchen. My dad is standing in front of the stove, wearing an apron that looks like a girl in a bikini. I start laughing. “Hey, now. What's so funny?” he asks, smiling.

  “Nothing, Daddy,” I say, giggling.

  “I'll have you know that your uncle got this for me.”

  “I'm sure he did,” I say, smirking. Uncle Joe is a funny guy.

  “Well, I like it. I look hot,” he says, holding his hands out to his sides.

  “That you do,” I agree, shaking my head. “So what are we having?” I ask, hopping up on the counter.

  “Shrimp Alfredo, garlic bread, and salad.”

  “Yum. Sounds good. I'm leaving at six thirty to head to the Stumble In,” I say, glad that it sounds casual.

  “The Stumble In. Why are you going to the bar on a Thursday? I'm not driving you to drink already, am I?”

  “Um…no. I'm meeting someone there?” I say, asking rather than telling him. Please don’t ask who, I pray.

  “Is that a question or are you meeting someone?”

  “Well, I um…ran into Asher at the nursing home when I was visiting his grandmother and he asked me to meet him.”

  “You’re meeting Asher at the bar?” he asks with a look on his face that doesn’t bode well for me.

  “Yeah, it's just a beer, Dad,” I say, using Asher's words.

  “I don't know how I feel about this. I know you’re not a kid, but Asher is not the kind of guy I expected you to date. Don't get me wrong, he's a good man.” He shakes his head. “Just promise me you’ll be careful. I don’t want to see you hurt.”

  “Promise, Dad,” I say quietly. The last thing I need
is to get my heart trampled on again. Been there, done that. And Asher’s boots look like they would do a lot more damage than my ex’s. “Besides, Dad, he knows I'm new in town and probably just feels bad for me or something.”

  “Or something,” he says under his breath and I ignore him.

  Dinner was awesome and Dad quickly dropped the uncomfortable conversation about Asher. Thank God. So now, I am standing in front of my closet, trying to pick out something to wear. What do you wear to have a beer with a hot guy who you don’t want to like?

  I haven’t ever really dated random guys. The one serious relationship I had in college went bad after my mom slept with him. I caught them together at his apartment after he sent me a text saying he was going home after class because he wasn’t feeling well.

  Me, the loving fiancé that I was, showed up out of the blue to check on him. When I let myself in, the place felt strange. I wanted to turn around and run out but I walked straight to his bedroom. When I got there, all I heard was him moaning. It sounded like he was in a lot of pain so I opened the door to find my mom on top of him. I couldn’t even speak. I shut the door silently behind me and sent him a text telling him that I stopped by to check on him but saw for myself that he was feeling much better. He called a million times after that and sent flowers, cards, and texts, but I didn’t care. I ignored all of it. I cut him out of my life, mailed him back everything that I had of his—including the ring—along with a note telling him to stop calling or I would press charges for stalking. After that, I never heard from him again.

  “What do you think, Beast? Red sweater dress or T-shirt and jeans,” I ask, holding the items up for Beast to look at. He doesn’t even lift his head. His big body is lying across my bed with his head on his paws.

  “You’re right. The dress is too much.” I take off my boots and leggings. I put on my tight, straight-leg, dark-blue jeans with holes all over them.

  With my jeans on, I decide to go casual and pull out my converse sneakers that are gold with glitter. I put on a long sleeve, scoop neck, white T-shirt and a black, front zip hoodie.

  “Now, hair up or down?” I ask Beast, who still hasn’t moved. “Okay, I agree. I'm just going to leave it down,” I tell him, putting on some lip gloss. I look at the clock and I'm running late. Once out the door and in my car, my nerves start to get the better of me.

  “Calm down, calm down, calm down,” I chant aloud. It’s not helping so I turn on music and start singing along. Okay, not singing, I’m rapping. I love listening to rap music. Yes, some of the stuff they say is a little, um, questionable, but it makes me happy.

  So, with music thumping and me rapping, I pull up in front of Stumble In. There are a lot of cars parked out front. It seems this is the place to be on a Thursday night. I check my face in the rearview mirror and add more lip-gloss, and then get out and walk toward the building. My hands start to sweat and I feel slightly sick.

  Once I open the door, all thoughts leave my head. Asher is sitting at a table with three other guys who all look similar to him. The thing that gives me pause is the girl standing next to him. She is so close that her giant boobs are squishing out of her white tank top. I can also see that she’s wearing a red bra. I mean, really. Who does that? I want to puke or run away, but all I can do is stare at him. Then, she bends her head to the side and her blonde hair hides what she’s whispering into his ear.

  “Hi.” I jump at the sound and turn my head. “You must be new. I'm Nick,” the guy standing next to me says. I take a step toward him so I'm not blocking the door. He’s very cute in that ‘boy next door’ kind of way. He has dirty blond hair and blue eyes. He’s wearing a button-up shirt and khakis that are both perfectly pressed. He’s also the only guy I’ve met here that isn’t wearing jeans.

  “Um, yeah. Hi, I'm November,” I say, putting my hand out. That’s when I'm pulled by my waist. Startled, I scream, then look to discover Asher is standing behind me, holding me against him.

  “Not happening, baby,” he whispers in my ear. I can’t help the shiver that slides down my spine.

  “What?” I ask, completely confused.

  “Later, Nick,” Asher growls and I realize what he’s doing.

  Heck no! I walked in and he has a girl practically sitting on his lap, but I can’t even introduce myself to Nick. I pull myself away, or try to because his arm just gets tighter. Screw it. I stick out my hand in Nick’s direction. “Hi, Nick. I'm November. It was nice to meet you, but I just realized that I forgot to wash my hair and need to go home to do that. So, maybe I’ll see you around?” I tell him.

  “Uh, yeah sure,” he says, looking between me and Asher while running his hand down the back of his neck. With that, I pull myself out of Asher’s grasp and walk out the door that I walked through less than three minutes ago.

  “Hey, what the fuck? Slow down.”

  I spin around, almost running into him. I’m so pissed that I can feel my blood heating. “Look here, buddy,” I poke his chest. “I don’t know what your problem is, but you just embarrassed me. God!” I shout. “Why the hell did I even come?”

  “He was going to hit on you and that’s not happening, especially right in front of my face.”

  “Really, you big jerk. I'm shocked that you noticed because you had big-boobed Barbie basically sitting on your lap when I walked in.” I poke him in the chest again. “And, for your information, all Nick was going to do was shake my hand.”

  “Big-boobed Barbie?” He laughs and I want to kick him. “Are you jealous?” he asks, smirking.

  “I'm not jealous. I'm embarrassed and pissed off.” Even though I am jealous, there is no way I will tell him that. It seems to me that he probably already has trouble walking into buildings with the size of his big, fat head.

  “Okay, I’ll try not to embarrass you anymore. Now, will you please come inside with me?” he asks, giving me puppy-dog eyes. “My brothers are here, but they have to leave in a couple hours and we want to get a few games of pool in first.”

  I really must have lost a lot of brain cells when I was attacked, because all I can say is, “Fine.” I walk back toward the bar with him when he puts his arm around me. “God, I must be crazy,” I say under my breath.

  “Just so you know, you look beautiful tonight,” he says in my ear. “But if any motherfucker touches you, I will not be happy.”

  “Can you please try not to be a jerk or piss me off for the next hour?” I ask, looking up at him.

  “I’ll try,” he says, bringing me closer to his body.

  I try to pull away, but he just holds me even tighter. So, I do what any woman does when she doesn’t get her way. I cross my arms over my chest to let him know that I'm in no way cooperating. I hear him chuckle. I look up and glare at him, but all it does is make him smile bigger. Back inside, we walk up to the table he was sitting at earlier. The girl is gone but the other three guys are still sitting here. And they are all beautiful.

  Guys, this is November, Big Mike’s daughter.” All the guys are sitting so I can’t tell how tall they are, but they look big and gorgeous.

  Trevor has dark brown hair that is cut short like Asher’s. He has brown eyes with the longest lashes I have ever seen, his jaw is square with a couple days’ worth of stubble on it, and he has an amazing smile but no dimple.

  Nico has dark blond hair that needs to be cut. He looks like the baby of all of them with darker blue eyes than Asher’s and his face is more round than square. He has his left eyebrow pierced and gauges in his ears. If I had to use one word to describe him, it would be ’trouble,’’ but the good kind that you sneak out of your bedroom window in the middle of the night to go look for.

  Cash looks the most like Asher with light blue eyes, dark brown hair, and a square jaw, but his smile is sweet and he’s blessed with two dimples rather than one. I feel like I just hit the hot-guy mother lode. If my best friend, Tia, were here, she would be freaking out.

  “Shut the fuck up,” Nico says, jolting me out
of my hot-guy daze.

  “I didn’t know Big Mike had a daughter, let alone a daughter who looks like you. What did he do, hide you away all this time?” Cash asks and I laugh.

  “Um, no,” I say, feeling heat hit my cheeks. “I’ve been living in New York with my mom.”

  “Why did you move here?” Nico asks.

  “I just didn’t feel safe staying in the city anymore, so I moved down here. I was already planning to move to Tennessee in a few months, but with what happened, I just came earlier.” I could feel Asher’s arm around my waist tighten so much that I could make out each of his fingers.

  “What happened?”

  “Just a wrong place wrong time thing,” I say, not wanting to talk about it.

  “Well, I'm glad you’re okay,” Nico says.

  “Yeah,” they all agree.

  “Yo, bro, you may want to loosen your grip before your hand fuses with her waist,” Cash says, laughing. The whole situation starts to feel uncomfortable and I need to put some space between Asher and me.

  “Well, I came here to have a beer and play a game of pool so that’s what I’m gonna do,” I say and try to walk away toward the bar, but quickly feel an arm go around my chest.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” Asher whispers in my ear. I can feel the warmth from his breath against my skin and I have to fight myself to keep from leaning into him.

  “To get a beer?” I tell him.

  “What kind of beer do you want? I’ll get it for you while you sit with my brothers.”

  “Are you always this bossy?” I ask, trying to tug free.

  “Nope, just with you, baby,” he chuckles.

  “Oh, joy,” I say, sarcastically. I can feel his body shake with laughter.

  “So what do you want to drink?” he asks.