19. Asher
Asher
We lay in bed for hours, wrapped in each other’s arms.
“What’s your favorite color?” I ask, twirling a piece of Jade’s hair around my finger.
“Yellow. Yours?”
“Black.”
Jade laughs under her breath. “That’s not surprising.”
I turn on my side, pulling her into my chest and tickling her waist. “What’s that supposed to mean?” I ask over her giggles, while she squirms around trying to avoid my tickles.
“Stop!” She cries breathlessly. She looks up to try and move away, all with a big smile on her face. “Asher!”
“What’s that supposed to mean, huh?” I tickle her more, and she wraps her legs around my hips. The soft skin of her thighs meets mine and she pulls us together.
Oh fuck. I try not to groan. Her warm pussy pushes against my soft cock and it twitches with the contact. Like it automatically wants to be inside her. I already knew how attracted I was to Jade, but seriously, just a hint of her cunt near my cock and it flares to life with the possibility.
I’d fucking live inside her if I could. I’d bring her pleasure every waking moment.
“It’s just that every tattoo you have is black and white, and I think I’ve seen you in one shirt that’s not black. You obviously have an aesthetic.” Jade laughs, and I stop tickling her, wrapping my arms around her waist and sliding my hands up both sides of her back to bring us closer together.
“I like being mysterious.”
“It’s definitely a choice,” she teases as she traces my jaw with her finger slowly. Like she’s trying to memorize this moment.
“You like it.” I peck her nose, resting my head back on the pillow.
“No,” she says, completely deadpanned. The happy-go-lucky smile on my face drops and I’m already wracking my brain to figure out what went so wrong. She doesn’t like my style? Okay, so what do I change? I’ll wear a fucking potato sack if that means that she’s happy.
Her cheeky voice breaks my mental spiral. “I love it.”
She smiles innocently. I jut out my jaw and narrow my eyes playfully at her. She absolutely knows what she just did to me.
“You little…” I start to say as she squeals with mirth. I jump on her, holding her down and attacking her with kisses.
Her laughter fills the air along with the smooching sounds of my kisses as I plant them all over her face and neck.
I’m genuinely happy for the first time in my life. Maybe a close second would be when I finally opened the shop, but this is different. So different.
Having Jade love me, and getting to be so domestic like this, is what I’ve always dreamt of. I never thought I’d get to have it, though.
“I love you,” I say softly. Looking at her closely, I’m struck with how naturally fucking gorgeous she is. I have nothing against girls who like makeup or prefer to spend their days making their hair and faces perfect. But I’ve always gravitated toward the natural girls. The ones who prefer not to wear a stroke of anything on their skin.
Jade is one of those girls. She wears mascara sometimes, maybe Chapstick here and there, and aside from the night we met, I don’t think I’ve ever seen her with makeup on. The constellation of freckles across the bridge of her nose and the natural blush she has from my kisses and from laughing draw me in. Her eyes are magnetic, the golden flecks shining brightly in the warm abyss. I move a hand over her head slowly, and my fingers thread themselves through her silken, gold strands.
I’m the luckiest motherfucker.
“I love you, too.” Sealing her words with a kiss, I smile.
I have a feeling I’m going to be doing that a lot more often.
* * *
“I need to find a job.” Jade barges into the bathroom while I’m rinsing the shampoo out of my hair, and her abruptness makes me jump.
“Jesus!” I shout, pushing my hair back to get the rest of the bubbles from my face.
“Sorry,” she apologizes meekly, but pulls the curtain open a bit so she can see me. “I was just thinking. I need to find a job. You’ve been so kind, too kind, letting me stay here this long for free. I can’t impose on you forever.”
“False,” I interject.
“And I can’t keep relying on you to feed me. I need to make my own money or toughen up and get back to the dorms.”
“Again, very wrong.” Turning around, I face her while also giving her an eyeful. I open my eyes just in time to see her ogling my body.
I may not be someone who is built like I live at the gym, but I like my look, and I like that she likes it too. Seeing her appreciate my body makes the tasteless healthy diet and the few days a week I work out worth it. Her pink lips are parted and she’s looking at my cock like she wants to suck me dry.
I’d fucking love that. I’d pick her up and set her on her knees against the porcelain of my claw-foot tub; make her take every inch of me until she gagged. I wonder if she’s deep-throated anyone before. I mentally shake my head. She told me she’s not tried much of anything, and my caveman side likes that. A lot . I fucking love that I’m the lucky bastard who gets to teach her all about sex, oral, foreplay and pleasure. I fucking love that I’m the only one who has gotten to hear the noises she makes when comes, the only one who has touched her like that because she wants me to .
She chose me and I intend to never take that for granted.
“My eyes are up here, darlin’,” I croon with a wink. Jade quickly closes her mouth and gives me an unimpressed look, but I don’t care—I love that I turn her on. I feel my cock start to swell just from imagining her on her knees for me.
“I’m being serious, Asher.” She crosses her arms over her chest, making the fabric of my T-shirt that she’s wearing bunch over her breasts.
I love her in my clothes. Just another way I’m claiming her for the world to see.
“I am too, Jade,” I reply with finality and turn off the shower, pulling the shower curtain open all the way.
“I need a job.”
“And I can help you with that.” I reach around her to grab my towel, kissing her cheek as I lean into her space, before drying off.
“How?” she asks hesitantly.
“Well, we need a receptionist. I had to fire the last girl, and you’d be perfect for it. Ty and Roxie have already asked if you would, but I didn’t want to overstep. Only now, you’re looking for a job and I’m looking for an employee. It’s a win-win.” I take the towel and dry my hair to give her a moment to think. Flipping my hair back, I wrap the towel around my waist and secure it. “What do you think?”
“Isn’t there, like, an ethical issue there?” She scrunches her nose in an insanely cute way and I chuckle.
“An ethical issue?” I repeat, looking at her in the mirror. I pull my toothbrush from the holder and start to brush my teeth.
“Well yeah. I mean, if you’re my… boyfriend?” Jade says the last word like it’s something secret, something that she’s nervous about, and I could kick myself. I don’t think we’ve actually had the full on ‘label’ conversation. I jumped straight to loving her, and will for the rest of my life.
I spit out my toothpaste, watching her nerves take over in the mirror. I can practically see her thoughts as she silently freaks out, but then I crack her a toothpaste-y grin. Boyfriend and girlfriend doesn’t seem like a strong enough title for what I feel we are, but I guess I’ll have to accept it for now.
“Boyfriend, huh? I like that. But I think I’d like hearing you say that you’re my girlfriend even better.”
“I’m your girlfriend,” Jade repeats, like she can’t believe I just said that.
Nodding, I pretend to think about it. “Yeah, I like that. A lot.”
I twist so I can see her and give her a wolfish grin. She responds in kind, stepping forward to wrap her arms around my naked torso before kissing my shoulder.
“I do, too.”
“You were talking about an ethical issue?” I prompt her to continue down that line of thought. Getting back to the topic at hand because I know that, in my heart, she was mine already.
I fucking beat up a fucker for touching her so I’ve basically proposed already.
Jade ponders for a moment before asking, “Well, if we’re together-together, isn’t that a problem?”
“No,” I laugh, “No, not at all. We didn’t start dating while you were working for me. There aren’t any power dynamics at play here. Plus, if you work at the shop, we can see each other every day. I can check on you, make sure none of the assholes at your school come around.” I nod to try and convince her. “Please, say yes.”
She’s hesitant. “Won’t it be weird?”
“Weird? Not at all. Getting to see you all day, every day? Getting to make sure you’re fed for breakfast, lunch and dinner? Getting to make out in the breakroom when it’s slow? Sounds like a dream, really.”
Jade laughs softly and rests her forehead against mine. She wraps her arms around my shoulders and leans back to look at me with a teasing glint in her eye.
“Is there a possibility of advancement, though? Of holiday pay? What’s the shop’s position on PDA?” She cracks a grin and I tickle her sides. Jade squeals, bowing in my arms with laughter. “Asher! Asher, stop!” she cries.
“I’ll make sure you’re taken care of, baby girl. Don’t you worry,” I tell her, and already start planning finances in my mind.
“Then I accept.”
* * *
Jade’s holding onto my waist as we speed down the road, trying to make it to the college as fast as possible. Our morning quickie may have pushed us too close to her first class’ start time.
Getting to fuck her against the bathroom counter and see how her back arched as I held her neck, my tattooed fingers gripping her blank skin… I don’t regret it. That sight will live in my memories and play in my fantasies at night when she isn’t with me.
I can still taste her on my tongue.
I push the machine harder, trying to go faster, and lean us slightly to pass a car. Jade’s thighs tighten against my hips and her fingers grip my chest where she’s holding me. I know she’s not quite comfortable on the bike yet, so when I take tight turns or lean, she holds me tight enough that it feels like she wants to crawl into my skin.
I love it. If it would make her feel better, I’d fucking figure out a way to unzip my skin and let her live there.
That’s kind of morbid and gross, but that’s the level of obsession I’m at.
She taps my chest three times, a sign for ‘I love you’, and I smile brightly. Reaching back, I hold her bare leg and squeeze her calf three times. I’ll never miss a time to tell her how much I love her.
Signaling I’m going to turn, I put my hand back on the handlebar and slow down enough to turn and pull up in front of the now-familiar building. I glide into a handicap parking spot and wait. Jade, unfortunately, pulls back from me and starts taking off her helmet.
Why did I have to make that drive so quick again? Who cares if she’s late?
“Fuck, I’ve got three minutes to get up there,” Jade curses, looking at her watch and handing me the helmet.
That’s right—she cares.
Putting her helmet in the saddle bag, I’m intent on giving her a toe-curling kiss before I leave her for the day. But when I look back at Jade, she’s frozen.
“Babe?” I ask softly. I’m immediately worried; she’s so still, I wonder if she’s even breathing. My eyes scan the area, trying to see what she is, but there are only a few people walking towards us. A pair of girls, talking excitedly about something. They’re still far off, so I don’t even know if they’re the reason she’s gone mute.
“Jade?” I ask, pulling at her arm to get her to turn and face me.
And that’s when I feel her shaking.
Kicking the kickstand in place, I push off the bike as quickly as I can and stand in front of her. Between her and the unknown danger that’s got her so scared.
“Baby, tell me what’s wrong,” I plead softly, trying to curl my broad shoulders around her so she’s as hidden as possible. I still can’t see anything concerning.
Narrowing my eyes, I even look around the trees and in windows, trying to see anything immediate. Jade steps into my chest, hiding her face while her whole body shakes. I try to control the shaking as much as possible by wrapping my arms around her. Is she having a seizure? No, she’s still upright and breathing correctly.
What has her so scared she’s frozen like this?
“Jade, tell me what’s going on,” I whisper, looking around us to make sure there isn't a guy with a gun staring us down. Aside from those two girls, the campus is fairly still, as all the one o’clock classes have started.
“It’s okay,” she whispers against my chest. “It’s okay. I’m okay. I’m okay.”
I don’t know if she’s trying to tell me that, or herself , but it doesn’t make me feel any better.
Cupping her cheeks in my hands, I tilt her chin so I can see her beautiful face. Her eyes are shiny, sparkling from unshed tears, and she’s biting her lip so hard she may draw blood.
“You’re okay.” I nod with her, trying to put as much conviction into those words as I can. “What happened?”
“I, uh…” She starts to say with a stutter, but catches herself. “I saw someone… from that night.”
My hackles rise and my blood boils. I immediately whip my head back and forth, craning my neck as far to the side as I can so that I can see.
“Where?” I snarl.
“They’re gone. I’m sorry, I just… froze.” Jade wipes her eyes free of the tears. My strong girl refused to let them fall.
“It’s okay. You scared the hell out of me, though. I didn’t know what was wrong.” I let out a sigh of relief that she’s okay, but I feel increasingly off the longer she stays here. “No one is in any of your classes, right?”
“No, no.” Jade shakes her head. “Just the fuck-up of the dorm, but we’re working on that. I’ll be able to get my own place or get a roommate soon, thanks to you.”
I don’t answer, but I don’t like this. I don’t like that, at any moment, one of those fuckers could find her and…
Breathing angrily through my nose, I clench my jaw and tighten my grip on her.
“Asher, I’ll be okay,” Jade insists. “I probably won’t see her again.”
Her. So it was that bitch, Sarah. The one who basically fed her to a rapist and turned her mother against her.
“I’ll get through classes and come right to the shop. Promise,” she says with a very fake smile. I can tell she’s trying to make me feel comfortable about leaving her.
“I don’t like this,” I admit under my breath, surveying around us again. “Maybe you should skip today.”
“Absolutely not.” Jade stands back, firm and determined. All her fear vanishes as she tells me off. “I will not let those assholes take more from me. I’m sorry that was my knee-jerk reaction. I’ll get better at it, but I’m not going to go and hide… I can’t.”
She’s such a fucking rockstar and I totally understand where she’s coming from. But that doesn’t mean, especially in this instance, I’m not worried for her.
“Jade,” I groan.
“No, Asher. I’m not going to skip class because I saw someone from my fucked-up past,” she argues. “She didn’t even stop or notice me, so I’m going to put on my badass lady panties and go get the schooling that I may or may not need.” She glares at me, the flame of determination shining in her irises.
I’m not her keeper or her warden. I’m her boyfriend, who loves her so much it hurts, and underneath the determination she’s showing me right now, I know she’s scared. I want Jade to feel supported, to know I always have her back, and I think I’ll need some help. Maybe I can enlist some of my buddies to shadow her, just to make sure she’s safe. I’ve got some favors I could call in, or I could offer a few free tattoos...
Not a bad idea.
My eyebrow cocks up at the thought. I like it, but I don’t think she’ll appreciate it very much.
“Your phone stays on loud, and vibrate, and on your person at all times,” I bark in negotiation.
“No,” she protests. “I’m going to three lectures today. I’m not taking the chance that my phone starts ringing and drawing everyone’s attention.”
I narrow my eyes. “Fine. On vibrate, on your desk.”
“Deal.”
“And you message me as often as you can. Even if it’s just ‘I’m fine.’” I pull her back in. “I need to know you’re okay.” After taking a hug I needed more than she did, I reluctantly let her go.
Jade sighs like she’s annoyed, but secretly she loves it. She fiddles nervously with her backpack strap. I can’t help but smile softly; she’s trying to decide whether or not to push back because she doesn’t want to inconvenience me.
This silly, sweet girl.
“I will. But you’re also super busy today, Asher. Don’t worry about me.”
Shaking my head, I playfully roll my eyes. Reaching out again, I grab her quickly by the waist and pull her into me. Jade gasps, her hands catching her fall on my chest. I smirk and look down at her as she glances at me through her eyelashes. I love the anticipation; the way she’s waiting to see what I’ll do. If I’ll kiss her, if I’ll leave her hanging, or if I’ll pick her up and fuck her on my bike.
I lean in close, until our breaths are mingling together, and whisper against her lips, “It’s my privilege to worry about you. I’ll gladly do it for the rest of my days.” Kissing her, I know that we could both let this go further. But an alarm goes off on my phone, letting me know I need to get to work.
“I’ll be late at the shop tonight. But if anything happens, anything at all, you call me and I’ll send Roxie, Ty or I’ll come myself. Understood?” I present it as a question, but it’s not.
She knows it. I know it.
Breathless, Jade nods. Silencing the alarm, I make sure she’s secure on her feet before I step backward, maintaining eye contact while I climb back onto my bike and rev the engine.
“After your last class, call me and I’ll come get you between clients. Okay?”
“Okay.” She says so softly I almost can’t hear it over the motor.
“I love you, darlin’.” I reach forward, grabbing her shirt which looks suspiciously like one of my own, and kiss her again.
“I love you, too,” she replies so sweetly, it makes my heart flutter.
“Bye, babes.” I sit back and take off.
Worry and anxiety are my constant companions today. Leaving my girl after she’s had a panic attack doesn’t feel like the right thing to do, but I know I have to. The wind flows through my hair and I already know that for the next few hours, I’m going to be glued to my fucking phone.