She had on one of those pajama sets that his mother always bought his cousins for Christmas, but had never seen any of theirs in that shade of pale pink, or that sheer.
Her nipples pressed against the fabric in tight little points, and the only way any male wouldn't have noticed was if he were dead. And Asher wasn't dead. He definitely wasn't, judging by the way his cock twitched as he stared at her.
They were the color of cinnamon, the exact color they had been in his dreams, which made him wonder if everything else about his dreams would be the same, and they were showcased beautifully by the shimmering pastel fabric. Asher blinked past the impulse to take his gaze lower.
"Hi" she said. She toyed absently with the circular charm of her necklace. The movement drew his eye to her breasts. He might have thought she was teasing him on purpose, except for the genuine confusion in her voice. Her hands dropped.
"Hi" he replied. "Are you alright?" he asked her.
"Why wouldn't I be alright?" Kimberly asked.
She reached for the silver charm on her necklace again and played with it. She looked shaken and nervous. Asher noticed. Her slim fingers brushed the smooth caramel skin of her chest exposed by the neck opening of her nightie.
That day her father had told her he would be her bodyguard in the kitchen, the lace edges of a black bra had peaked out from the scooped neckline of her tank top. Was she wearing a lace bra today? He wondered. He was tall enough. All he'd have to do is lean a little.. Just a little and he would be able to see down that...
Asher forced his attention from the lush skin of her décolletage back to her face. As he did so he took a step back. What the hell? He thought. You're not a horny teenager. No staring down her nightie. Very bad idea.
"I heard you scream" Asher said finally.
"Ermm what?" Kimberly said. She shook her head. "No I didn't.. I wasn't"
"Yes you did" Asher said. "I was awake"
She lifted her hand to her forehead and rubbed it. "I had a stupid nightmare," she said finally. "I must have screamed out. I'm sorry I bothered you"
He nodded, "It's okay," he said. He turned to leave, then stopped and turned to her again. "Are you alright?" he asked her.
"Are you asking because you care?" Kimberly asked.
Asher stared at her for a few seconds before he replied. "I'm asking because it's my job to look after you... So no I don't care"
Kimberly rolled her eyes. "You are here to look after me... Protect me actually... as my bodyguard... And not as my nurse. So don't ask if I'm alright if you don't care. There's no need to ask if you don't really care, is there?" she said.
Asher watched her. It was too late to get into a stupid argument with her. And she was right. "Sleep well, princess" he said, before he turned away from her and returned to his room.
He heard Kimberly slam her door shut and for some stupid reason he smiled.
------------------------
Kimberly punched her pillow again, trying to find a comfortable position, when her alarm sounded near her head. With a groan, she reached out to turn it off and burrowed deeper into the blankets. Too early. Way too early, as always, especially after a night when all she could do was toss and turn, those dark eyes of Alex watching her every move.
She hadn't slept for a long time after she talked to Asher. She couldn't sleep. She kept thinking about that dream and when she finally fell asleep she had a similar dream. Being chased and caught by her kidnappers with no one to rescue her.
It was baffling. She thought she was over this. When she was at her father's house she was okay. She had felt safe. And it was almost like the kidnap hadn't affected her in any way. Which was why she had insisted on going back to her life. She was fine.
But now that she was back to her apartment, she had to admit that she was really scared. She was affected by the trauma. And she was scared that something similar would happen again. It had to do with being back here.
When she finally fell asleep again, she had woken up again after having a similar dream, and a part of her had considered running to Asher's room. She really wanted to feel safe. She needed the company of someone else. But her pride didn't let her. She told herself over and over again that she didn't need him. And besides she doubted he would offer any comfort. The man was made of stone and he didn't even like her.
It was just dreams. Dreams that would definitely go away soon.
She couldn't stay in bed throughout the day, like a little girl because of some stupid dream, so she smiled anyway as she got out of bed, stretched, and disappeared into the bathroom for a shower.
Usually, she took a hot shower and filled the room with steam, but her dreams had clearly messed with her brain somehow, so she turned the water to cold. Shivers ran down her back, but at least it cleared her head of any lingering thoughts of Alex and those scary eyes of his.
As for Asher Adams, well the man was annoying, but at least he was honest when he told her that he was just here for his job. He had no affections nor did he care for her in any way. So she better get rid of her attraction to him. If she held on to it, it was her fault.
She had to admit that the previous night she was glad he was in the house with her. Not that she was going to admit that though. Even if she didn't go to him, it brought her a little comfort to know that he was there, and she thanked her dad for insisting that she had a bodyguard.
Out of all the other guys she'd met or been introduced to, none held so much raw emotion hidden away like Asher Adams. The man hadn't even smiled yet. Did he have to be so Macho all the time?