Chapter 20
ASHER
Ifeel like I’ve been hit by a truck, yet the pain is nothing compared to my need to get home to Lily. It was an utter fucking fluke that I won that fight. Lil’ Ray was like a bulldozer, but I quickly discovered the one thing he wasn’t good at.
Grappling.
His arms were too thick, and his legs were like stiff trunks, and once I was on his back like a crazed monkey, he couldn’t get me off. My chokehold is what won me the match. Fucker wouldn’t even tap out. He fucking passed out, which is why I have fifteen grand burning my pocket right now.
Fifteen fucking grand.
That’s ridiculous… but I’m not complaining.
When I walk through the door, I hear Lily’s voice, and it takes me a moment to realise she’s talking on the phone.
Moving through the front of the house, my steps falter when I hear her say Barrett’s name.
“Chill out, Barrett. I’m fine.”
Fuck, her accent is so strong right now. I notice it gets that way when she is stressed, so I don’t believe her words to her cousin at all.
“I told you I’m fine. The second guy didn’t really hurt me. He helped me with the first one.”
The fuck?
Frowning at her words, I quietly step into the room, eyeing the back of her head as I approach. She’s not wearing her work uniform. Just a baggy pair of PJ bottoms and a white tank.
She looks a little dishevelled.
If it wasn’t her words or the way she’s wearing her typically pristine hair up on her head in a wet, messy top knot, then the graze on her shoulder, and the red marks on her upper back scream at me that something is wrong.
I rush to her, grabbing her arm to spin her to me, but it’s like she already knew I was there, not even startling, yet spinning away to keep her back to me.
“Look, I have to go. Asher is home…” She holds up a finger, silently telling me to wait, as she steps away, her back still to me as she finishes her call. “Yes, I know… Yes, Barrett. I’m fine… Okay. Talk soon.”
Moving to stand directly behind her, the vanilla and honey scent emanating from her freshly washed skin has me itching to touch her. I don’t though, because my gaze travels down the smooth column of her neck, to her shoulder where the graze is.
It reminds me of the type of scrape I used to get as a kid when I rode too fast on my bike and I’d fall off, grazing my knees or arms along the path.
What the fuck happened?
“Lil?” I whisper, wanting to reach out and touch her, but not sure I should, given the tension in her shoulders.
But my voice must do something to her, because she sighs, and that tension relaxes out of her coiled muscles, like hearing my voice is soothing to her.
“Don’t freak out. Okay?” Her voice is soft, yet raspy.
“Ahhh, you know saying that is only freaking me out, right?” I remind her, and she nods, still facing the other way.
“I know. I’m sorry,” she sighs again, still not facing me. “I just really need you to not freak out.”
“Lily, what the fuck is going on?” Not able to help myself, I reach out and run my fingers down her arm, which causes a smattering of goosebumps to flare across her skin.
Hooking my finger around her wrist, I tug on it a little, hoping she’ll get the hint and turn around.
She does.
And fuck… my heart stops.
“What the fuck happened?” I hiss as I take in her appearance.
“You’re not meant to freak out.” She frowns and I shake my head, taking in her face.
She has a purpling bruise and a small scrape on her jaw that matches the one on her shoulder, and a cut on her temple, also rimming with bruising.
“I never agreed to that,” I mutter, my whole body starting to vibrate with rage. “What happened?”
“I got mugged,” she says a little too quickly. “Don’t worry. The cops got the guy.”
Dragging my gaze from her marred flesh, I study her eyes. Her expression.
It’s pinched a tad. It could be from the pain she might be feeling, or from remembering what happened, but fuck… why do I feel like she’s lying?
“You got mugged?”
“Yes.” She nods. “It’s okay, though. I’m fine. Honestly.”
I study her blue eyes and the fine red streaks running through the whites, showing how bloodshot they are.
She’s not fucking fine. Not in the slightest. But I can see that freaking out won’t help, so I gently grip her arms and pull her to my chest, fucking loving that she comes to me so easily.
Cupping the back of her damp hair as she presses her cheek right over my racing heart, I can’t help the words that fall from my lips.
“I’m gonna kill him.”
Instead of making her retreat, my words have the opposite effect, and Lily wraps her arms around me, squeezing tight, as if she’s afraid I’ll disappear.
Fuck. My heart is pounding from both worry and elation that she’s here with me, and I press my lips to the top of her head, not wanting to let go.
Ever.
“How did you go tonight?” she asks, still tucked against my chest.
“I won. Just.”
She pulls back enough to peer up at me, her blue eyes glassy as they connect with mine. “You look as bad as I do.”
I look worse than her, but I’m nowhere near as beat up as last week. But fuck, she shouldn’t look beat up at all.
“Fuck, Lily. This beautiful face should never be marred.” I graze my fingers over her cheek. “I should’ve been with you instead of at some stupid fight.”
She shakes her head. “Nonsense. Getting mugged could never have been predicted.”
“Well, someone should’ve been with you. Why the fuck did you send Barrett to the fight? If he was with you instead of babysitting me, then this wouldn’t have happened.”
Lily smiles warmly, her eyes laced with understanding.
“Asher, I was mugged. I can’t go around with a bodyguard on the off chance I’ll get mugged one day. It is what it is, and it’s over. I’m fine, and the guy is locked up.”
Pressing my forehead to hers, I peer into her stunning eyes and speak the truth.
“I can’t fucking lose you, Lil. I only just got you.”
Her eyes flicker with uncertainty at my words, and I know she’s questioning the seriousness of what’s going on between us. Probably trying to figure out if there’s even a future with someone like me.
I’ll show her. Over time, she’ll understand.
“I’m not going anywhere, Asher,” Lily whispers, and fuck, there’s that accent again, thick and raw and just for me.
I can’t hold back any longer, so I dip down and claim her lips.
There’s just something about the way Lily kisses. It’s sensual. Loving. Delectable. And all consuming. If I wasn’t worried she’d bolt, I’d tell her that her body has already decided it wants to keep me.
I keep that to myself, though. Rushing this will only scare her away.
As I ease back on the kiss, I nibble on her lips and speak against them.
“How long do we have?”
“Ugh,” she groans, pulling back to pout. “The boys will be here late morning, apparently.”
I nod, smirking. “That gives us at least ten hours.”
The look in Lily’s eyes tells me exactly what she’s thinking, and fuck yes, I’m here for it.
She wants me. Bad.
I don’t waste another second, leaning down to claim her lips again, reminding her how well we fit together.
Our kiss quickly turns frenzied. My hands can’t make up their mind where they want to touch her, and hers seem to be having the same issue. Her sharp nails dig into my arse, and then my back with a scrape that causes me to rock forward, pressing my hard cock into the valley of her legs.
We start moving. Our bodies doing a dance of sorts as we navigate through the living area blindly, not willing to break apart to see where we are going.
I back Lily into a wall, then a moment later find my back hitting a door frame, and then the soft squish of carpet under our feet as we manage to blindly find our way into her bedroom.
Clothes start coming off, Lily’s hands working on my jeans, the zipper coming down fast as I tug at the tank she’s wearing, breaking our kiss for a heartbeat as I drag it over her head.
Our lips find each other again, the magnetised pull too strong to fight, and my fingers graze the heated flesh of her back before running them down to her pants.
Lily is already pushing my jeans down, and we break apart quickly to get completely naked before taking a moment to stare at each other.
“This is crazy,” she whispers.
“What is? How hot I am?” I smirk and she grins, shaking her head.
“This.” She gestures between us. “You and me.”
“Crazy doesn’t need to mean wrong, though,” I remind her, and she bites her lip as she considers my words, her eyes searing my flesh like a brand as they run over my chest, abs, and finally to my rock-hard cock.
“I want to get lost in you tonight,” she whispers, and I take that as an invitation to do just that.
Lurching forward, I lift Lily by her arse, gripping her globes tight as I haul her against me. Instantly, she wraps her legs around me, grinding her slick cunt along my length.
I hurry to the bed, falling down over her to press myself against her core. We moan into each other’s mouths as sparks run through my veins. I’ve never wanted anything more than to sink into Lily’s heat than in this moment.
As we crawl up the bed, Lily manages to flip us, straddling my hips as she rises over me.
“I want to fuck you tonight.” She bites her lower lip right before she grinds her pussy along the length of my cock, her head tipping back as her back arches.
“Whatever you want, Lil,” I rasp, my fingers digging into her hips as she grinds again. “However you want it. I’m here for it. For you.”
“Yes,” she pants, palming her tits as she lets herself go.
“Let your hair down, Angel.”
Her eyes meet mine as she nods, dragging her hands from her tits to tug her topknot out. I take the opportunity to replace her hands with mine, giving the swell of her tits a squeeze before brushing my thumbs over her pebbled nipples.
Her fiery copper hair tumbles down around her face and shoulders, her blue eyes almost black from lust.
She’s fucking captivating.
“Stand up,” I command, and her brow creases into a frown.
“But I want to ride you.” She pouts, and it’s fucking adorable.