The Progeny (The Progeny Series) by Ashlynne Laynne Page B

being in love with him was going to ruin her life. He was somewhat of a miracle. Maybe there was another one for them, but it did no good to worry about a future that may never come.
    In three days, Clive was free to exact his revenge. This unexpected love h ad breathed new life into him—while that same love might be the cause of his death.

Eight ~ Afterglow
     
    S hauna woke snuggled in Ascher’s arms, and the sun was never brighter. She stretched, her arms wiggling free of his hold. It all seemed like some surreal dream, rather than the reality she was living. Never considering herself lucky or blessed, looking at his perfect features frozen in slumber, she reconsidered her fate.
    Sh auna took in every aspect of his appearance, and his facial features were remarkably symmetrical. There wasn’t a wrinkle, blemish or scar on him. The only visible markings were a couple of moles along his jawline and neck, with a strange tattoo stamped on his right arm. Who goes their whole life without getting even an acne scar? She spent tons of money buying concealer to cover the scars she’d gotten when her hormones raged a holy war against her face.
    She’d cleansed, toned, exfoliated and moisturized, all in the hopes of keeping a handle on her uncooperative complexion. The cocoa butter her mother suggested, actually worked. She , luckily, only had two or three scars.
    A quick glance rendered her conflicted. She had an intense sexual attraction to a guy who looked more adolescent than manly, but he was a man, despite his youthful appearance. Their graceful curve, slight pout and lusciousness made his lips hard to resist, making him an excellent kisser. She’d never seen that color blue in anyone’s eyes, yet his whole family possessed the strange shade. She sighed. It was time to leave her fantasy and embrace reality. There was breakfast to make and a day to start.
    Besides, she’d stare at him all day.
    Ascher was awake, his pale eyes glowing with complete happiness. “Good morning.” He pulled her beside him.
    “Good morning.”
    His fingertips curved along her shoulder and down her arm, before he clasped their hands together. Kissing the pad of each finger, he burned an unmoving stare into her eyes. She snaked herself against him, nuzzling her face into his chest. Engulfing her in his arms, he cocooned her into his warm embrace. “So, what do you want to do today?”
    “We could pick up where we left off, last night,” she suggested.
    “ That again. I thought we came to an understanding.”
    “Well , we didn’t set the ground rules.”
    His stare became curious. “Ground rules?”
    “Yeah, we didn’t exactly set boundaries.” Shauna meshed her lips to his. “For instance, we didn’t say if this was acceptable.” She was testing the limits, figuring out how far he was willing to go.
    “I do believe that is acceptable.” His eager lips responded to hers.
    “What about this?” She diverted her kisses to his neck.
    He groaned. “Acceptable, but coming close to crossing a line.”
    “How long are you going to keep me chaste?”
    “Until , you’re sure.”
    “I’m sure now ,” she insisted.
    “You can’t be that sure after a couple of months. You hardly know me. When the time comes, you won’t second-guess it. You’ll know that it’s right, and I refuse to give in.” Ascher narrowed his eyes at her and chuckled. “No matter how much you torture and tempt me. You never answered my question.”
    Distracted by his rebuff of her latest sexual advance, she answered his question with another. “Huh?”
    “What would you like to do today?”
    It was Saturday—her day with Katy. Now seemed like a good time to introduce the two of them. “I’d like you to meet my little sister. She's managed to get away to see me today.”
    Sh auna held her breath as an uncomfortable silence swept her bedroom. She hadn’t thought meeting Katy was a big deal. Maybe he did, which was ridiculous considering the fact that