CHAPTER FORTY
Kaia
“One more.”
Grinning, Asher fed me another tiny sushi roll. We sat on the couch in front of the fireplace, savoring the meal the hotel had delivered. I was so full I could barely breathe, and we still had desserts waiting.
I finished chewing and shook my head. “No more. I don’t want to burst.”
He chuckled and popped another roll into his mouth. After he swallowed, he winked. “Sex burns lots of calories.”
“You’d know,” I teased.
He pecked my lips. “Now you do, too.”
I slid down and rested my head in his lap while he finished the bites on his plate and set it aside. “I hope it stops raining so we can walk tomorrow,” he said, rubbing his thumb over my bottom lip.
I didn’t want to think about tomorrow and Willowbrook. Being away from Asher would hurt worse now that we’d been this close. “I don’t want to go back to school,” I admitted.
Asher slipped his hand under my robe and rubbed my bare stomach. “Do they treat you right there, or do I need to have a word with them?”
“They do.” The school was fine—distance, not mistreatment, was the problem. He’d already gotten in trouble because of me once; I wouldn’t drag him into anything more.
“No lies, Kaia.”
“I’ve never lied to you. They treat me okay, but being apart sucks. Not your fault—you need to win this season.”
He sighed and moved his hand to my hip. “I’m sorry, peque. The next races are far. I’ll still try to see you.”
“It’s okay. I’ll be busy with camp. Hate to admit it, but experienced teachers and long hours do help.”
“They better. I’d be pissed if you’d changed schools for nothing.”
I scooted up and leaned my head on his shoulder. After a beat he asked, “Do you ever think about the future?”
“Sometimes.” Until recently it had looked bleak. Now I had hope.
“I had this thought while we were making love,” he said. “I thought we’d have beautiful children.”
I grinned up at him. “You thought about kids while trying not to get me pregnant? How cute. Also—did the condom break?”
A corner of his mouth twitched. “No, smartass. I want you to go to college, get a degree and the job you want, and then—when you’re ready—we’ll have some. They’ll be beautiful because you are.”
I hid my smile against his chest. “Some.”
“Two, if you don’t mind. Not having a sibling can be lonely.”
“Was it for you?”
He rubbed my shoulder. “I would’ve liked someone to mess around with. Javi was the closest thing to a brother I had growing up. What about you?”
“After Mom died, I lost most of my friends because it was too depressing to be around me—even for my father. Then I had to repeat a year. Mandy stuck by me, but our friendship was never like yours with Javi. Mostly I was just lonely.”
“Pobre,” Asher whispered, kissing the top of my head. “I don’t want you to ever feel that way again.”
“Then you better not go anywhere.” I meant it as a joke, but losing him would feel like losing Mom all over again.
“Nunca,” Asher said. “I can’t promise it’ll be easy or that we won’t have to be apart—you know how racing works—but I promise I’m not going anywhere. I won’t ever leave you.”
I traced his lips with my fingertip. “Promise?”
“Nunca, peque.” He held me to his chest. “You’re stuck with me.”
His steady heartbeat thrummed under my ear, and I almost fell asleep. Before I drifted off, an image of two kids with eyes like Asher’s flashed behind my lids.
***
Darkness coated the room when I woke; rain still drummed the window. Asher lay beside me, arm around my waist as if he feared I’d run. His watch on the nightstand read three a.m. I lay on my side, studying him until he opened his eyes.
“Come here,” he said, voice groggy.
I scooted closer. He wrapped me in a warm hug that felt like the home I’d lost. “Did I wake you?” I asked.
He shook his head. “Sore?”
I shifted under the sheet. “Not really. Just wishing I didn’t have to leave so soon.”
He buried his nose in my hair. “Same, peque. But you need to ace that math test, and I need to win so I can find a better team next year.”
“Does my father know you might leave?” I asked.
Asher curled his palm around my waist and rubbed my skin with his thumb. “Not yet. He might like Ethan, but I’m the one who brings him money. I don’t think he wants me to go. Still, I don’t think I can spend another season on that team. Ethan’s toxic.”
“I hate that you lost money because of me.”
“Stop. None of that was your fault. And if he tries anything, I’ll punch him again.”
“But you can’t.”
He exhaled and squeezed my waist. “Can but shouldn’t. It’s ironic—I apparently ride like my dad but don’t behave like him. He never lost his shit. Not with my mother, not with me. I’m not calm and sensible like him.”
“I love the way you are. Don’t change. Just be careful—don’t engage if he provokes you.”
He chuckled. “Love the way I am, huh? Maybe you also love what I did to you earlier?”
I threw my leg over his. “Remind me.”
Asher brushed my cheek with his fingertips. “It’s too soon.”
“Not for me.” I’d rather be sore from making love than regret not taking advantage of our first weekend together. “I need it,” I said. “Need you, Ash.”
He cupped my cheek, eyes soft and hesitant, but there was no pause in the way I kissed him or climbed on top of him.
A low hum of approval vibrated in his throat as he deepened the kiss, caressing the tip of my tongue with his.
He sat up against the headboard, bringing me with him, and the kisses returned—hot, urgent.
His fingers tangled in my hair, holding my head as his mouth explored mine.
A helpless whimper left my throat when he rubbed my hard nipple, squeezing my breast gently. My skin buzzed as his mouth traced a path down my neck to my breast.
I wrapped my hand around his cock and slid my fingers up and down while he sucked my pebbled nipple.
“Want to try it like this?” Asher murmured, touching me between my legs. “With you on top?”
He rubbed my clit, and I lost the ability to form thoughts, let alone words.
“Peque,” he urged, never stopping the kisses.
“Yes,” I whispered.
Hooking an arm around my waist, Asher held me steady while he reached for the condom on the nightstand.
“I’ll do it,” I said, taking the packet. I scooted back, tore it open, and rolled the condom down his length under his scorching stare.
“Beautiful,” he said, moving my hair from my face. “Sit on me.”
More clumsily than I’d hoped, I guided him inside. He watched my face as if searching for signs of pain. I felt him deeper this way; the sting lingered, but I wanted him too much to care.
Asher wrapped his arms around me, and I rocked my hips, hunting an angle that fit. His hands slid to my waist, then cupped my ass, pushing me down slowly, lifting me, repeating the motion. Heat pooled between my legs, and my breaths came shallow. I sought his mouth; we kissed to be closer.
“Te quiero,” he whispered. I wanted to tell him I loved him too, but he shifted the angle and the world narrowed to the pressure building in my core and the slippery slap of our bodies chasing pleasure. Sweat slicked my skin as I moved faster.
“Touch yourself,” he said, voice rough. I ran my fingers over the slick, pulsing nub. He kept thrusting—slow, then faster—as if he could feel I was close.
“You take me so well,” he said against my neck, then sucked the tender skin. “I always knew you were made for me.” His words pulled a shudder through me. Pleasure crested and exploded; my muscles clenched as Asher set a fast, punishing rhythm chasing his own release.
His moan drowned in my kiss; a shudder rolled through his body as he pressed his forehead to mine. “I want to do this with you every day for the rest of my life,” he whispered. “Can we?”
I kissed the tip of his nose. “Please. There’s a lot we could try.”
He laughed and pulled me closer until my chest pressed his. “Probably not everything today. You’re going to be sore when I take you back. I hate the thought of you in pain.”
“It’s the good kind.” I yawned and buried my face in the crook of his neck.
Asher slipped out slowly, discarded the condom, and hugged me under the sheet—my back to his front, his arms keeping me warm and safe. “Sleep, mi amor.”
***
I fought not to cry as Asher parked the bike by the school gates. I needed more time with him. Instead I’d go to class; he’d ride back to Stetbourg to train for the next race. At least I had a phone now. I tried to focus on that instead of the fact that I wouldn’t see him for another two weeks.
He swung off the bike and wrapped his arms around me. I inhaled leather and cologne and let out a shaky breath into his neck.
“Thank you,” he whispered.
“For what?”
“This weekend.” He skimmed the tip of his thumb over my cheek. “You being mine. Everything.”
He kissed my forehead, lips lingering, then planted another kiss on my cheek, the tip of my nose, my chin, my lips.
I smiled.
“Better.” He leaned his forehead to mine. “I already hate leaving you here. It’s worse if you’re sad.”
“I’m fine, Ash. Don’t ride too fast, okay?”
He kissed me—short, because someone could see—but the kiss said everything: he’d miss me, the weekend mattered to him as much as it did to me, he loved me.
“Te amo,” he whispered. “Now go, or I’ll kidnap you.”
“If only.” I sighed and adjusted my backpack straps. “I love you too.”
He stepped back, grabbed my hand, squeezed it once more. I walked through the gates and glanced back; he sat on the bike, smiling. I waved and started up the wide driveway just as his engine revved behind me. I inhaled, fixed my eyes on the gravel, and told myself I would not cry.
“Kaia.”
I stopped. Teagan stepped in front of me. She must’ve been in the yard the whole time and I hadn’t noticed. Her gaze flicked to the gates—and I knew she’d seen it all. Crap.
“Hi.” I forced my voice. “Were you waiting for me?”
“Yeah.” She looked at me—cold, disgusted—and I shivered. What was her problem?
“I need to leave my stuff inside,” I said, sidestepping her to keep from snapping. Asher and I had done nothing wrong; she could shove it.
In my room I tossed my backpack on the bed and sat. Teagan crossed her arms. “Your dad was here.”
Panic zipped through me. “My what?!” I shot to my feet. “He wasn’t supposed to come here.” He couldn’t—she was messing with me. My lungs tightened.
The door opened and Alba strolled in. “Kaia! I didn’t think you were back.” She paused, eyes shifting from me to Teagan. “What’s going on?”
“My father was here,” I whispered.
Alba’s eyes went wide. “Oh, shit. And I wasn’t here.”
Teagan snorted. “What would you have done if you had been? Lie? You say your father doesn’t care, Kaia, but he clearly does. Does he know you’re sneaking around with your brother?”
“Stop it.” Alba dropped her purse by the bed; the thunk made Teagan flinch. “First—he’s not related. Second—”
“Alba,” I said softly.
She fell quiet, but her look toward me was soft. I was glad she’d stood up for me, but I could handle Teagan. She wasn’t the first judgmental person to poke her nose into my life.
“He’s the son of the woman my father’s dating, like I said,” I told Teagan. I didn’t owe explanations, but I didn’t want false rumors. “He’s not my brother. The school would have problems if a nonrelative picked me up, so I lied.”
Teagan snorted. “And you think that’s normal? Lying and sneaking around to be with someone? Those relationships never go anywhere.”
I never wanted to lie, but what choice did I have? My father would never accept that Asher and I were dating—he’d ruin Asher’s career. And he’d been here today. My insides chilled. “What did you tell my father?”
“That you were with your brother. I know better than to lie. I’m sure your dad taught you better than that, too.”
The enormity of it crushed me. The air thickened; I sank to the floor beside the bed and rubbed my face with my palms.
I would deny everything: say I’d asked Asher to take me shopping or to see the girls from dancing. Him picking me up wasn’t a crime. But my father might not believe me. If he learned the truth… he wouldn’t let it slide. He’d destroy everything.
I clamped a hand over my mouth to stifle a sob. It ripped through my chest anyway; tears leaked out.
“You’re such a bitch, Teagan,” Alba snapped, sliding down to the floor beside me.
“It’s going to be okay,” she whispered, wrapping me in her arms. “I’ll tell them you were with me and my dad. They won’t prove shit.”
Teagan snorted. “More lies? Amazing.”
“Shut up, Teagan,” I said, wiping my nose with my forearm.
Even if Alba covered for me, the damage was done. I didn’t have the slightest clue what to do next.