Ultraviolet Catastrophe

I grabbed the bag of donuts from under his arm with one hand, grabbed his shirt with the other, and pressed my lips to his. He leaned into the kiss, a soft rumble coming from his throat. I wasn’t the only one breathing hard when I finally pulled away.

“Sorry,” I said, looking up at him through my eyelashes as I held the front door open for him. His feet had left dark footprints in the snow, and his car was already covered. My first snowfall in Tennessee — the only thing that could be more amazing than the first snow in Ohio.

For one very specific reason.

“You coming?” Asher asked from inside, slipping out of his boots.

“Yep.” I shut the door on the wintry scene. “Thanks for the coffee. You’re a genius. Mom used the Bunsen burner to make coffee while she was working this morning. I can’t count how many times I’ve told her I won’t drink that sludge.”

“Resident genius, that’s me. I’m glad you’ve finally recognized it.” He set the coffee down on the counter, leaning back against it to give me a once-over.

I flushed but took advantage of the admiration, winking at him in response. “I don’t know. I might just give you a run for your money next semester.”

He waggled his eyebrows. “We’ll see.” And then he chased me down the hallway to the living room. I giggled and shrieked as he grabbed my waist from behind, spun me around, and flopped backward onto the couch, pulling me along with him.

I stared down into his eyes and blinked. His heart beat beneath my chest, strong and steady, and I took a deep breath. Yeah, I was laying on top of Asher Rosen, on the couch in my parents’ living room. It seemed crazy, but something about having narrowly escaped death with the guy had eliminated any nervousness I might’ve once felt around him.

He cupped the back of my head, letting his fingers tangle in my hair, and took his time kissing me again. With the way his teeth snagged my bottom lip when he finally pulled away, I had no doubt about just how happy he was both of us had made it out alive.

I let my body squeeze down in the space between his side and the back of the couch, and we settled back to watch the fire Dad had built earlier. He and Mom were out on a date, though they’d frowned at me when I’d teased them about it. I had a feeling Mom would be settling in Oak Ridge for good.

“What time did you get home yesterday?” Asher asked, wrapping a strand of my hair around his finger and tugging gently.

I swung my legs across his lap and nudged my chin against his shoulder. “About noon. I could barely keep my eyes open.”

“Sucks to be the new director’s daughter.” His fingers brushed against my neck as he smoothed my hair back, and a shiver went through me.

It took all my strength to not climb the rest of the way into his lap, and I had to swallow before I could form a coherent sentence. “Actually, it had more to do with the equations for the catastrophe machine. Conveniently, I’d forgotten them. And with no record left, there’s not much hope anyone will be able to rebuild it.”

“Yeah, they were pretty excited to hear about the virus I’d inserted into Branston’s network and the files I copied over. Hope it helps them.” His fingers moved lower to trace my collarbone, and my eyes drifted shut.

“I love when you do that, Asher Rosen,” I murmured.

“What? The collarbone?”

“Mmm. That. But mostly the computer genius talk. You don’t need to flirt with me anymore, you know.”

He responded with a gentle kiss on my temple, then one on my cheek. I bit back a whimper and tried not to burrow deeper into his arms.

“Did they find Amy or her parents?” My voice came out husky, and Asher moved his fingers back up to my jaw. I opened my eyes in disappointment, but he smiled gently down at me before shaking his head.

“The Greens were gone when security got to their house. I doubt they’ll ever find them. Branston is too powerful.”

The thought of Amy being out there made me uneasy, but there wasn’t anything we could do. Hopefully the Greens had gone running to Branston and would stay there. They were wanted people now, and QT had plenty of resources to find them if they chose to.

His breath was hot on my neck as he inched closer to press a kiss below my ear. “So…one semester at QT down. How are you feeling?”

I was glad he was too busy with my neck to see the smile that twisted my lips. “That it might be time for you to give me some fishing lessons. I’m not very good at the whole catch-and-release thing. I seem to have the catching part down pretty well, but my release could use some work.”

Asher’s lips moved up to my ear. “Lexicon, you’re stuck with me,” he whispered. “There’s no throwing me back now. I’m so hooked.” I rolled my eyes, and he gave me one of those wicked grins. “You know there’s only way to stop me from making bad puns, don’t you?”

So I leaned in and kissed him again. And I wasn’t planning on stopping for a long, long time.