Defying Asher (Knight Security 1) by Carole Mortimer Page B

he’d seen her at the Felton Tower apartment building.
    Maybe he had never stopped wanting her.
    He’d never thought about it until meeting Lissa again, but there really had been a definite lack of women in his life this past year. A lack? Make that a fucking drought.
    He’d been out to dinner with a couple of women, but hadn’t considered seeing them again once he’d taken them home. Nor had he accepted the invitation to spend the night.
    There had been that woman in Puerto Rico last year— No, as he recalled, that hadn’t turned out too well either. Oh, he’d gone to bed with her—he was a man, and she was hot as hell—ensured he gave her pleasure, but he couldn’t remember getting off himself. Christ, if he couldn’t even remember it, then it probably hadn’t been memorable enough, or it hadn’t happened at all.
    One look at Lissa two days ago and his cock had gone rock hard and became that way every time he was with her.
    What the hell had happened to make her walk out on him a year ago? Admittedly, they hadn’t started the evening too well, the two of them exchanging insults until Lissa threw the champagne over him. But their lovemaking in the back of his car had been fucking amazing. The night that followed even better. He’d only left the bedroom to take a shower with the intention of starting all over again. But when he got back, Lissa had been fully dressed and—
    Shit, the bathroom had filled up with steam while he was daydreaming. The water would run cold if Lissa didn’t get in the shower soon.
    Except when he went to tell her the shower was ready, he found her fast asleep on the bed, still fully clothed, including those lethal stiletto-heeled boots, the demon cat curled up against her side as he looked at Ash with baleful eyes.
    “You may be a warrior cat, buddy, and I respect that. But that’s my place you’re occupying. And just so we’re clear, I’m the one with the combat training,” Ash added challengingly as he gently but firmly moved the cat to one side.

Chapter 7
    Lissa felt slightly disorientated when she woke up. Had no idea if the sun shining through her bedroom window and the time of seven o’clock showing on her digital clock meant it was early evening or morning. If she had been asleep for only a few hours or all night.
    The last thing she remembered was leaving the hospital and coming back to her apartment. Then Asher went to the bathroom to run her a shower while she undressed. She didn’t remember undressing or taking a shower.
    But if she hadn’t undressed or taken a shower, why was she now wearing her cream, knee-length nightgown?
    And why was there an indentation in the second pillow beside her own?
    As if someone had been sleeping beside her.
    Quite recently, Lissa would say, when she touched the pillow and found it was still warm. It wasn’t Sherlock either, because her door was closed and the cat was nowhere to be seen in her bedroom.
    Asher.
    It couldn’t be anyone else.
    So where was he now?
    Had he reversed the roles on her and been the one to leave “the morning after” this time?
    Except Lissa was pretty sure on this occasion, there hadn’t been a “night before.”
    She would have known if she and Asher had made love. Her body would have told her. All she felt right now was slightly lethargic from having slept so deeply, she hadn’t even been aware Asher was in bed beside her. She would have had to have been almost comatose not to be aware of that! She had none of the pleasurable aches and pains in her body from the two of them having had sex either.
    So if she didn’t remember undressing or taking a shower, let alone falling asleep, then Asher must have undressed her before climbing into bed and sleeping beside her.
    Had he walked out on her? Her apartment certainly seemed quiet enough for her to be the only occupant.
    He and one of the other Knight Security employees couldn’t be too far away, though. Probably standing out in the hallway, alarming