"That's what I want," she agreed. Private so they could talk and she could tell him about how she felt. How he needed to get over Donna and move on with his life. How she'd always been his friend and now she wanted to be more.
Asher pressed another mauling kiss on her, and Greer heard a few people snicker nearby. She didn't care. It was Asher, and he was noticing her for the first time in her life as something other than a kid sister. Nothing else mattered. He was being a little wild tonight, but this was just one night. She'd known him forever and known that he'd suffered in the last two years. He was allowed to get a little drunk to take off the edge. He wasn't like this normally.
"Come with me," Asher murmured into her ear, and then nipped her earlobe.
That sent little shocks of pleasure through her body, so when he put a hand on her back and led her out of the party and onto the patio, she was all for it. Out here it was a lot quieter, and there were less people to try and talk over.
The night air was rather cool, and she shivered.
"Cold?" He pulled her closer against him.
"I'm fine." She didn't want to go back inside, not when they were here alone together. "I appreciate you coming with me."
"The pleasure's all mine," he told her in a low, sexy voice. To her surprise, they didn't sit on one of the stone benches artfully placed around the large porch. Instead, he guided her down the large set of steps and into the expansive, complex gardens surrounding the manor.
"Where are we going?"
"We'll have more privacy out here," he told her, and his voice was pure seduction.
Greer shivered again at that. That . . . did not sound like a bad thing at all, not when he used that sexy tone of voice. So she ignored that her expensive heels sank into the turf and tried to keep up with him. Asher had a plan. He always had a plan, didn't he? That was why he was so successful at such a young age. He'd become a billionaire before he hit twenty-five, and while he'd almost lost that fortune two years ago, she knew he was doing better than ever now. She'd seen to that.
"Where are we going?" She trusted him, yet she couldn't help but ask. With no glasses and the lights from the house shining behind them, everything just looked dark. Her hand gripped his tighter.
"There's a hedge maze up here," Asher said. "We'll go in and have some privacy."
"Oh. Okay." Even more privacy. She didn't suppose that was bad, because the things she wanted to talk to him about were pretty personal. Plus, time for more kissing. That'd be all right with her. Her lips still felt swollen from the last round of kisses, and she resisted the urge to press her fingers to them.
They walked in silence for a short while, and she knew they were in the maze when she started to see small, hung lanterns dotting the way. They didn't provide a ton of light, just enough to guide anyone that was lost enough to wander into the maze late at night. Like her.
"Good enough," Asher said after they turned a few corners. He led her to a bench.
She sat down, glad that she was no longer going to have to walk on her tiny, rhinestone-studded heels. They were fine for a party, but for walking in the grass? Miserable. "I'm glad we're getting a chance to talk," Greer began. "There's so much I've wanted to say to you-"
"Shhh," Asher told her, and sat down next to Greer. He put a finger to her lips. "Let's just enjoy the night, shall we?"
"But-"
His arms went around her and then Asher was kissing her again. More deep, mauling kisses that seemed less like fun and more like a struggle not to drown against the tidal wave of tonguing she was receiving. She passively waited for him to be done, noting that he tasted like whiskey. Really strongly like whiskey. He was definitely more drunk than she'd thought. Well, she'd let him finish kissing her and then when that was all done, they could talk.
"Greer," he groaned when he pulled his mouth from hers. His hand went to her hair and he grabbed a fistful of it, dragging her head back and exposing her neck. "You are so fucking sexy tonight. How is it that you're so sexy?"
His words sent a shiver of pleasure through her body. "I dressed up just for you."
"Did you, now? That's . . . sexy."
She wanted to giggle at his choice of words. Was everything sexy? The bush nearby, sexy? The bench they were sitting on? But his mouth moved to her neck and he began to press soft kisses there, kisses very different from the ones he'd been mauling her mouth with, and oh, it was all the difference in the world. Ripples of pleasure moved through her body, and as his mouth moved over her skin, she felt her pulse pounding between her legs in a need she'd never had the opportunity to experience with another person before.
Now they were getting somewhere.
She remained very still as his mouth kissed down her throat and then at her collarbone. His hand moved to one strap of her dress and he slid it down her arm, and it felt like half of her flimsy dress went with it. Greer gasped when one of her breasts was exposed to the night air, and she tensed. This was . . . further than Greer the Unnoticed had ever gone with any man.
But this was Asher. She'd always wanted to be his. Always.
"Damn," Asher breathed, and his hand skimmed down to brush over the tip of her breast. "I never realized you had such pretty tits."
Did she? They were small, the nipples dark circles against her bronzed skin. His ex, Donna, had been pale and red-haired, and Greer was brown all over. The fact that he liked the sight of them made her feel ridiculously pleased, like she'd accomplished something. So she arched her back a little. "There's a lot about me you've never noticed."
"I'll say." He pushed her back on the hard concrete bench, and his mouth went to her breast.
Another gasp escaped her because his mouth on her nipple felt incredible . . . for a hot second. Then he bit her. She jerked, pushing him away. "Ow!"
"Did that hurt?" He gave her a wicked grin. "They just look so juicy."
She didn't want to stop but . . . she didn't want more of that, either. "I'm . . . not a fan of teeth."
He moved in to kiss her on the mouth again. "I'll do other things you'll like more, then."
She turned her head, and he went back to her neck. Greer relaxed. Neck kisses were ten times better than mouth kisses in her book. She lay compliant as his lips moved over her throat, and his hand played with her exposed breast. That was . . . better. It still made her feel strange, but sometimes, when he caressed it right, she felt the intensity tingling in her body.
His hand slid under her skirt a moment later, and pressed against the crotch of her panties. "You're not very wet, baby."
"I'm not?" It might have been impolite to point out that he wasn't a very good kisser. But this was her Asher. His inability to kiss didn't change the fact that she loved him. They'd learn to get better at it together.
"Maybe you just need a bit more encouraging." His thumb rubbed her up and down, working her folds through her silky panties.
And that sent all kinds of new sensations spiraling through Greer. Her hands clenched at his tuxedo jacket. Oh. That was way better than mouth kissing.
"You like that?" he whispered.
She nodded.
"Push your legs wider for me, Greer. I'm going to take these panties off you."
Her thighs quivered at the thought. "Is someone going to come by?"
"Nope. We're alone out here." His thumb pushed harder against her, as if trying to penetrate her through her panties, and she felt the curious urge to bear down against him. A little breathy moan escaped her and she let her thighs go wide for him.
A moment later, his hands went under her skirt and then her panties were whisked off her legs. They tangled around one of her heels and he left them there, as if they were no longer a concern. Now she felt completely open and exposed.
And okay, she was kind of hoping he'd put his face down there and finish what he'd started with his fingers.
Instead, he cupped her sex. One finger dipped between her folds and he moved in to kiss her neck again, his fingers brushing back and forth through her folds. It was nice, but he kept missing the most important spot-her clit. It was just something else she'd have to learn to be brave about and show him.
A horrible thought crossed her mind-no wonder Donna left him. If this was how he handled sex and kissing, maybe she'd found someone better? Her poor Asher. She'd have to train him. She held him close. It was okay. She still loved him.
He kept rubbing her folds and pushed a finger inside her. "You ready for me?"
Ready? Ready for what? Surely not sex? Out here? At a party with everyone around? "Asher-"
"Shhh," he murmured again, and she heard the sound of a zipper going down. "Trust me, Greer?"