Free Loving Ashe by Liz Madrid

rounded armrests made lounging almost impossible. But Ashe had managed to squeeze himself into the armchair somehow, with one leg bent at the knee over an armrest and his torso tilted slightly diagonally to his left.
    “Alright, stop it with the slacking off,” she said, nudging his boot playfully. “I need to get through.”
    “Oh, let me do that,” Ashe said, unwinding himself from the armchair. He still wore his beanie and Riley wondered how he’d managed not to get noticed. She also wondered what the hell he was still doing there.
    “Thanks,” Riley said as she watched him put the books away. She was tired, her legs badly in need of a rest, but she had to be someplace else in half an hour.
    “You seriously have been here for the last two hours? Are you sure you’re not stalking me?” Riley asked him when he returned to the armchair, gathered his leather jacket and slipped it on.
    “Yes, ma’am. But no, I sure am not stalking you,” Ashe replied in a polite Southern drawl, complete with a tilt of his head and a huge grin. “I certainly hope it’s not a crime to live close by.”
    She was about to retort when her phone alarm went off to remind her that she needed to be elsewhere. Without waiting for him to speak, she turned around and headed towards the door. Ashe was right behind her, and soon walking next to her.
    “My meeting didn’t finish till an hour ago, and I thought I’d wait for you. Besides, I can’t get it out my head, this ménage à quatre of yours,” he grinned. “You’ve piqued my interest so much I had to cancel the rest of my plans for the evening and hope you’ll let me watch.”
    Riley stopped and stared at him. “Are you out of your mind? What I do is not worth anyone canceling their plans.”
    “I lied,” he said, giving her a sheepish look. “I actually had no plans this evening so I had nothing to cancel. But if you want me to leave you alone, I will.”
    Riley felt bad. He looked so sincere, she thought, and she was actually flattered that he’d waited for her. “I really don’t want you to leave, but what about your movie? The promotions and the interviews and all that?”
    He shrugged, digging his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket. “We just got back from Madrid yesterday, and for the rest of the week I’m free. I’m afraid I’m still jet-lagged so the old brain’s a bit fuzzy,” he said. The word ‘fuzzy’ sounded more like ‘fozzy’ when he said it.
    “What about your friend? Where did she go?”
    “If you mean Charmaine, she’s a journalist. She interviewed me for a Hampton’s magazine feature, and we were supposed to do the interview at around one at their office. But I did a photo-shoot that went two hours past schedule, so she suggested a nice restaurant down the street. But then I saw this place and remembered how it’s known for its caffè — ”
    “Caffè Medici,” Riley said, still walking as her phone alarm sounded again.
    “When I saw you that you were my barista today, I couldn’t believe my good fortune,” Ashe said, serious now. “I’ve been wanting to call you, Riley. I know where you live, but it wouldn’t have been proper to just show up at your door.”
    “It would have been creepy,” Riley said. “Thanks for the flowers, by the way. They were gorgeous.”
    “You’re welcome,” he grinned.
    “Did you write the note yourself?” she asked.
    “Of course,” he replied. “Can I at least walk you to wherever you need to go?”
    “To my foursome, you mean?” Riley smiled. “You’re really that curious about my foursome, aren’t you?”
    “In a strange way, I am.”
    “Would you like to actually join me? Not just watch?”
    “I’d love to.”
    Riley took a deep breath. “Well, I can always use an extra hand. I’ve got to warn you, though — a foursome can be messy.”
    “I don’t mind messy.”
    “It can be loud.”
    “I don’t mind loud,” he said.
    “It can be very exhausting. The