Chapter 26
“I’m late!” I gasped, snapping up in bed.
Asher didn’t even stir at my sudden arousal from sleep.
His face was smashed in the pillow, a soft snore leaving his lips.
The blankets draped around his waist, leaving his bare torso exposed.
I paused in my frenzy to stare at the delicious man I’d slept next to.
My eyes slid across the ink that decorated his skin and up across the earrings in his ear.
Drool involuntarily dripped from my mouth.
I’d slept in his shirt too. Why did it feel so much better to sleep in his clothes and not my own?
I even had a few cute pajama sets, but his big T-shirt did a better job.
Leaning sideways, I kissed his back several times, inhaling deeply with each brush of my lips against his body.
He moaned lightly but didn’t move otherwise.
Slowly, I slipped from the sheets, my feet hitting the navy rug beneath the bed, and paused. Crap… Of course I would have to wear the same clothes today as I did yesterday, and my students were going to one hundred percent comment on it. But what choice did I have?
Pushing myself up from the mattress, I wandered to the foot of the bed and gathered the pile of wrinkled clothes Asher had tossed carelessly aside last night.
With a soft plunk, my cell phone slipped from the bundle and landed against the floor.
The moment I rammed my finger against the power button, the lack of an alarm made complete sense.
As quietly as I could, I found an empty charger on Asher’s nightstand and plugged my dead phone in to hopefully give the battery some juice before school.
I tiptoed across the wooden floor and opened the bedroom door, leaving Asher sound asleep.
Padding further down the hallway, I paused at the bathroom door just as it swung open. Nova stepped outside, her eyes still heavy with sleep. She wore nothing but her underwear, and I blinked, trying to look anywhere else.
She gave me a lazy smile and ran her eyes up and down my figure. “You’re up early,” she purred, her voice a little raspy.
“So are you.” I clutched my pile of clothes closer against my body.
“I had to pee, but you look like you’re about to do the walk of shame.” She lifted a brow, her eyeliner smeared down her cheek.
“Oh, I have work actually.”
“This early?”
“I teach high school English,” I replied, and she rubbed her eyes, smearing more of her makeup.
“So, that’s Asher’s type. Well, his stuff is in the black container on the right side of the counter.
” She smiled lazily and winked. “You can borrow some of my makeup if you need, clean towels are in the linen closet, and when you’re done getting ready, come find me.
You’re not going to school wearing the same outfit as yesterday. Those teenagers can be brutal.”
I raised my brows, shocked. “Oh, uh. Thank you. I mean it!”
She chuckled. “Us girls gotta stick together, you know. It’s not like anyone else can really understand our situation.”
I nodded. “That’s an understatement.”
“Close call for you last night, too.” She leaned against the doorframe.
“You heard about that?” I asked, and she gave me a sympathetic smile.
“Of course. Kieron’s ex-girlfriend tried to make those accidental reveals happen for clout all the time. Security found one of those tracking tag things on Asher’s bike that she must have put on before Kieron dumped her ass.”
“Is that why they really broke up?” I gasped, and she nodded. “If I never run into that situation again, I’d die happy.”
She chuckled. “You and I both. I like going to their concerts and feeling like any regular fan.” Pushing out of the doorway, she smiled once more. “I’ll let you get to it.”
“Thank you, Nova!” I spun around as she walked quietly down the hallway.
“Of course!” She waved without facing me, and I quickly disappeared into the bathroom. It was a simple design—the tub and shower combined into one, black and white mosaic tile beneath my feet with matching white tile along the walls as well.
I rushed through my shower and had to accept the fact that I was using a man’s shampoo and conditioner and my hair would end up still being damp by the time I made it to school. Once finished, I wrapped a fluffy towel around my body and walked toward the steamy mirror above the vanity.
The counter had six boxes, three on the right stacked on top of each other and three on the left. Nova had said his was black and on the right, so I pulled the middle one out and popped it open. Furrowing my brows, I pulled out a small sticky note with horrendously scribbled handwriting on it.
I don’t know the kind of shit that girls need, so I had Ava tell me what she buys. Sorry if it’s not what you normally use.
Ibit down on my bottom lip, unable to stop the smile from erupting on my face.
How sweet was that? Even if it wasn’t the stuff that I used, he’d gone out of his way to try and make sure I had some of my toiletries here.
After school, I would swing by the house and grab a few things before coming back.
If I was going to end up sleeping here more often than not, why not at least bring some makeup.
And my own soap because I smelled like Asher at the moment. Though that wasn’t entirely terrible…
Digging through the container, I borrowed his hairbrush and swiped on some mascara. It was a brand I normally never used, but I didn’t care. He’d even gone so far as to buy some eyeliner, lip gloss, and even some eyeshadow.
It was minimal, but I wasn’t one to wear much anyway. As I was walking out of the hallway carrying my old clothes and Asher’s shirt, I paused halfway down the hallway, not knowing which room Nova was in. She would presumably be in Drake’s room, but I also didn’t know which one that was.
I stared at the four closed doors in contemplation. Okay, so it wasn’t the middle one on the right. That was Asher’s room. But that still left three others, and I wasn’t about to go knocking this early in the morning.
A doorknob quietly clicked, and I glanced to my right. Asher’s door creaked open, and I saw his face peek out into the hallway. “What are you doing?” he whispered.
“What are you doing? Go back to sleep,” I replied with a glare, and he rolled his eyes.
“Get your ass back in here. You’re not dressed.”
“That’s the problem. Which room is Nova in?”
He furrowed his brows. “Why do you need to know that?”
“I at least want to wear different clothes to school today than the ones I was wearing yesterday.”
Chuckling, he pushed the door open wider and filled the frame. “Come look in the closet.”
“What?” I cautiously faced him and took a step in his direction.
“I have that outfit I bought you the night we kind of fought,” he quietly replied, and I rapidly increased my walking speed and shoved past him into the room.
Then I frowned. “Except those were pants. I can’t wear pants unless it’s Friday.” I sighed and threw my clothes on the floor.
“Then wear one of the other outfits.” Asher walked toward the closet on my left and slid open the accordion doors. I stared at him for a moment, distracted by all his glory on full display beneath his deliciously tight boxers. Tipping my head, I sucked in my bottom lip.
“You got a little something there, Princess,” Asher rasped, running a finger across his chin.
Snapping out of it, I rolled my eyes and mocked him.
“Ha. Ha. I’m not drooling.”
“Sure.” He grinned wickedly and then pointed back into the closet. “I bought a few more after you left. Just in case.”
“But I…” My voice trailed off, realizing what that meant.
He merely shrugged his shoulders and slid some joggers off a hanger from the closet.
I walked quietly toward him and peered inside.
On the left side of the gray closet, four dresses hung from hangers.
Much like my typical dresses that I wore.
Though a little less flowy, otherwise the same.
Snatching the cute, red floral one from the hanger, I stepped into it and pulled my hair to the side.
Asher silently walked forward and zipped me up, his fingers brushing against my neck and across the chain that his ring and charm still hung from.
His lips pressed against the back of my neck, hot and wet. Tingles rushed through my body.
“I’ve got to go,” I whispered, but closed my eyes and made no effort to move. He kissed my skin again, a little lower. And again.
“Mmmmkay,” he muttered against my back. Fingers slid down my arms and then wrapped around my waist, pressing against my lower abdomen.
Just high enough that his hand wasn’t technically between my legs, but it was close enough I felt myself become slick against my thong in anticipation.
Good thing he’d kept a couple pairs of mine so I didn’t have to wear the same one as yesterday.
“Asher…” I warned, but he dipped a little closer to my ear and sucked.
Hard. I moaned, louder than I expected, as his fingers finally traveled lower.
The heat from his body swallowed me whole as he pressed himself up against my back.
With every shaky inhale into my lungs, every whisper of his fingers right where I desired, reality slipped further away.
“I really have to go…” I moaned again, but he didn’t stop, didn’t slow down. Without thinking, I grabbed my dress and pulled the hem up, mindlessly shoving his hand underneath it. I wanted nothing between his fingers and my skin.
His other hand slid up my arm and then across my chest, grabbing my breast and palming it with a moan himself. Hot breath washed over my ear as he licked at the spot he’d sucked. More. Give me more. I was desperate to feel that release from the fire that was rapidly building.
“Asher…” I moaned.
“Fuck, Princess,” he whimpered in my ear and slipped his fingers inside.
Ringing blared, snapping us both out of the blissful state we were in. It screeched loudly, and he jerked his hand away, startled. I dropped my dress and ran toward the nightstand. Tugging the charging cord from the phone, I slapped a hand over my mouth.
Tapping the answer button, I shoved it against my ear and rushed past Asher. “Elysia?” I dashed into the kitchen. No time for breakfast, or to make lunch, or anything.
“Where are you? School starts in like five minutes!” she exclaimed.
“Coming! I forgot to charge my phone last night, so with my battery dead, my alarm didn’t go off,” I replied, grabbing my purse from the coat rack and jumping into my heels.
“Okay. Well, you better hustle. I’ll try and keep your class entertained until you get here,” she said.
“Thank you!” I quickly hung up the phone. Shoving it in my purse, I strapped on the other shoe and glanced up. Asher was watching with an odd smile on his face.
“When you’re done teaching, let me know. I’ll tell you whether we are here or still at the stadium rehearsing for this weekend,” he said, walking quickly my way. One hand cupped my face, tugging me forward before I could race out the door.
Leaning forward, he pecked me on the lips. “Have a good day,” he whispered and then let go.
“See you this afternoon!” I waved and rushed out the door.