23. She tastes so good
23
SHE TASTES SO GOOD
ASHER
“Halle,” I call softly, my knuckles tapping against her door.
She doesn’t answer, but I know she’s in there. I can feel it. Tonight got out of hand, and Connor opening his big mouth didn’t help at all. He’ll get his chance to make it up to her, but right now, I need to be the one who’s there for her.
Pushing her door open, I step inside and close it behind me. The room has a heavy feeling to it, thick with emotion, almost suffocating. My eyes land on her, and my heart sinks. The aftermath of a panic attack clings to her. Bent over her sketchpad, she draws with an intensity I’ve never seen before. Her fingers are stained with charcoal, and her hair falls over the page like a curtain covering her face. But it’s the way her shoulders fall forward, the way her hand brushes her cheeks every few seconds, that worries me. She’s so lost in her emotions that she doesn’t even notice me standing here.
Stepping closer, I let my eyes roam around her room, my gaze landing on the orange bottle on her nightstand. My chest tightens at the sight, and when I look back at her, she’s already watching me, regret filling her eyes as they glass over with tears threatening to spill.
“I didn’t take them,” she whispers with a tremble in her voice and her tears falling free.
“But you wanted to?” I ask gently, lowering myself to the edge of the bed.
“I did, but then I saw your eyes… My art… I stopped myself. Asher, I don’t want to take them anymore.”
Leaning forward, I press my forehead against hers, cupping her cheeks and brushing her tears away. Her honesty stirs something inside me.
“I’m so proud of you, baby,” I tell her, closing the distance and kissing her softly.
A small unguarded gasp escapes her lips, and she kisses me back. It’s not desperate or hurried like the other kisses we’ve shared. No, this is full of raw emotion and silent promises that we’ll be there for one another. Through the dark and the light.
Halle pulls back too soon, the space between us filling with our heavy breathing, the tension palpable. I want to close the distance again, to taste her lips once more, to feel her soft skin, and have her cling to me, but now isn’t the time. Instead, I shift, moving to sit opposite her, my legs stretch out on either side of her, trapping her between me, and I gesture toward her art.
“Teach me to draw,” I say.
Her eyes widen, clearly caught off guard by me asking that, but they light up in the same breath as she fights the curve of a smile. The suffocating panic begins to unravel, and a lightness descends over us, lifting the heavy emotion from the room.
I watch her silently as she clears the space between us, stacking loose papers together and returning scattered pencils into a tin. Her sketchpad, the one she carries everywhere, rests on her knee, and I reach over, pulling it gently to me.
The piece she’s been working on takes my breath away. Halle is beyond talented. A broken heart lays at the center of the page, jagged and raw, split down the middle. Dark shadows smudge the edges in the right places, making it look like it’s lifting off the page. A needle and thread so intricately detailed, it’s almost real, begin to stitch the heart back together. Shattered shards lay beneath it, broken but healing.
“Wow,” I breathe out quietly.
“It’s not finished,” she tells me.
“Halle, do you know how incredible this is?”
“It’s nothing.” She shrugs, leaning over to grab a different book from her nightstand.
“Here, you can use this one.”
I take the book from her hand, my fingers brushing hers. “That’s not nothing, sweetheart. Have you ever thought of art as a career?”
“In a way,” she pauses, picking up a pencil and handing it to me, “sketching, painting, creating, it’s an escape for me. The motion of drawing, from light strokes to hard lines, blending it all together and never knowing what the end result will be… It’s calming. But I don’t want to make my escape my job.”
“Here,” she says, motioning to the blank page, “I want you to try drawing a flower.”
Opening the book, I stare down at the blank page, pencil ready, but I have no clue what to do next. I can pour beers, handle payroll, and run a bar without a second thought. This, however… My palms grow clammy with nerves that hit me suddenly, and I glance up at Halle only to see her lips tw itch in amusement when she notices that I have no idea what to do next.
Grabbing her own pencil, she flips the page in her sketchpad. “Start by drawing a small circle,” she says with an encouraging tone.
She draws a circle, showing me exactly how to do it. “Like this, but keep it light at first. We’ll go in at the end to sharpen and shade it in. Right now, you’re just getting the sketch down.”
I do as she says, her instructions simple to follow.
“Petals are next,” she says, her eyes lifting to meet mine, making sure I’m following along, and I nod with my pencil ready.
“You’re going to draw ovals around the center,” she explains. “They can overlap and be as tall as you like, or as short. That’s the best part about this process—it’s your flower, and you can make it look however you’d like it to.”
She draws the petals with quick, practiced movements, and I attempt to do the same. On my third oval, I take it too far and wobble, causing this one to look out of place.
“That’s okay.” She catches on to my fumble before I can even react. “Just keep going, and trust the journey.” The patience and calmness she shows me leave me mesmerized.
Halle’s in her element here. The unwavering focus she has on me, and how easy her instructions are to follow. This is her calling.
“Teaching art,” I blurt out. “That’s what you want to do?”
A soft smile blooms across her face. “My dream is to have my own art store like the one we went to in the town over from here. A place where I could hold art classes for kids who need their escape, a way for them to find peace in the chaos. And a safe place for the moms, too. A place where their kids can be in the afternoons without worry. ”
Her words are filled with purpose, and it’s easy to see that this is her passion. In this moment, I know I’ll move mountains for this girl to make her dream become a reality.
Setting my sketchbook aside, I carefully take hers, placing it on the nightstand, not wanting to damage it. A flicker of doubt clouds her expression, an emotion I never want to see cross her face again. The urge to erase every trace of doubt she holds burns through me.
Shifting up to my knees, I close the distance between us. Her breath hitches the closer I get.
“We’re going to make your dream come true, baby,” I say with all the determination.
“You can’t promise me that.” Her hands cup my face as those sad gray eyes search mine.
But all she’ll find is unwavering belief, and if my words aren’t enough, I’ll pour every ounce of myself into proving it to her. Over and over again until she believes it herself.
Whatever she sees in my expression urges her forward. Her lips press against mine, and my heart beats in double time. My tongue sweeps out, brushing against her lips, wanting to be let in.
The second she opens, I groan, and her warm breath mixes with mine. The faint, lingering taste of wine from her last drink invades my mouth, and I need more—more of her, more of this. I need her beneath me.
My hands move to her shoulders, gently pushing her back onto the bed. Her hair fans out across the pillows, and I hover over her, drinking her in. Captivated by the way her chest rises and falls, the goosebumps that form down her arms when I lower myself closer to her, settling between her legs, feeling her warmth. My core aches, my cock hardens, I’m desperate to feel her .
Her lips twitch when her attention falls to my cheek, and I arch a brow in silent question.
She giggles softly, her finger tracing my cheek. “You have charcoal smudges from my fingers all over your cheek.”
Damn, she’s cute when she lights up. Without warning, I dive forward, burying my face in the crook of her neck, moving my head from side to side, and planting kisses along the curve of her neck.
She thrashes under me, her head shaking as loud laughter leaves her. The sound is intoxicating. She’s never laughed like this before. I can feel her belly tense under mine with the force of it. I stop my assault, inhaling deeply and giving her a moment to catch her breath. A grin spreads across my face as I take in her flushed cheeks and bright eyes. My girl’s ticklish.
The music from the house abruptly cuts off, replaced by loud shouts of disappointment. The sudden silence makes us both freeze, our heads turning toward the door. Car doors slam in the distance, and tires screech down the street.
“I think the party’s over,” I say, breaking the tension.
Halle’s legs wrap around my hips, holding me to her, and my pulse quickens, looking down at her. The devilish glint in her eyes excites me.
“Don’t go,” she says, lifting her hips to meet mine.
I sigh with frustration, torn between what I want and what I should do next.
“If we don’t go out there now, sweetheart, they’ll come in here.” I roll to the side and away from the temptation.
Jumping up from the bed, I grab her hands and pull her to her feet. She falls into my chest with a quiet yelp, and I waste no time capturing her lips in a promising kiss .
“Come on, let’s go see what the fam’s up to,” I say, dragging her out of the room.
“By the way,” I turn back to look at her before reaching the end of the hall, “I told Hunter about us, and he’s not mad,” I say casually.
I chuckle at the stunned expression Halle gives me just as Madi walks up to us with a giant bowl of popcorn cradled in her right arm. Without hesitation, she reaches past me, grabs Halle’s hand, and tugs her away from me.
“She was mine first, Asher. Go away,” Madi says, sticking her tongue out at me like we’re teenagers.
“Maybe… but she’s mine now, Mads .” I cross my arms and smirk, fully aware the nickname will rile her up enough to drop Halle’s hand.
She scowls, her irritation over the nickname radiating off her, and I smile widely at her, taking back Halle’s hand and guiding her over to the couch. I sit back, propping myself up with my legs outstretched, and gently pull her down so she lays between them, her head resting on my chest. The coffee table has been shoved aside, making space in front of the TV. The house is an absolute mess. Scattered beer bottles, crumbled plastic cups, and half-empty bowls of chips lay all over the place. The buttery scent of popcorn from Madi barely masks the lingering stench of sweat and alcohol.
Connor and Hunter walk over, their arms full of pillows and blankets, throwing them to the floor where Tessa starts arranging them into a makeshift bed. This is what Halle wanted tonight. Not a rowdy party, but a family night. I look to Hunter and give him a nod of appreciation for turning things around for his sister. He shakes his head, mouthing, All Connor, before settling down next to Madi and stealing a handful of popcorn from the bowl. The sharp glare she shoots him makes my insides tighten.
“Halle,” Connor murmurs, dropping to his knees next to the couch, his expression filled with regret. “I am so sorry. Please don’t be mad at me. I screwed up.”
I feel her body tense; she’s not used to people apologizing to her. Wrapping my arm around her middle, my thumb brushes across her hip, offering her my support.
“Con, I’m not mad,” Halle says softly, reaching over to pat his shoulder.
He offers her a sheepish smile. “Still friends?” he asks.
“Still friends,” Halle confirms with a smile as she relaxes into me.
Everyone in the room sighs in relief, and Hunter tosses a blanket at us, his eyes narrow as he points between Halle and me.
“I’m good with this, but please for my sanity, no funny business in front of me,” he scolds us.
Halle giggles, sticking her tongue out at him. My shoulders shake with a silent chuckle at her blatant defiance.
The lights go out, and the opening of Avengers: End Game begins to play. Immediately, Tessa and Madi groan.
“Who picked this?” they whine, clearly disappointed there’s not some chick flick currently playing. Jace and Hunter sit on the opposite couch to us with wide, unapologetic grins plastered on their faces as they lean over to high-five one another.
Halfway through the movie, Jace calls it quits, grumbling about needing to get up early in the morning. Madi and Tessa are curled up together on the floor, sound asleep, their popcorn forgotten. Hunter disappeared to bed half an hour ago, leaving the two of us, Connor, and Ace to finish the movie in silence .
I pull the blanket up higher, tucking it around Halle’s chest, and shift under her. My hands find the waistband of her shorts, and my fingers dance across the slither of exposed skin where her shirt has ridden up, the touch featherlight but full of electricity.
Holding her against me for this long, breathing her in, it’s been torture, and I’m getting restless. Every second stretches my restraint and heightens my anticipation. I need to touch her.
I glance over at Connor, sprawled out on the couch Hunter and Jace were on, and find him completely engrossed in the movie.
Dipping my head, I let my lips brush against Halle’s ear and whisper, “Can you be a good girl for me and stay quiet?”
She sucks in a sharp breath and tilts her head to look at me, her eyes wide with surprise and curiosity.
“I need to touch you, baby. Having you lying on me like this is killing me.”
Her eyes flick over to Connor, back to the movie, and down to the girls as my fingers continue their slow dance across her soft skin.
“Stay quiet for me, sweetheart, and I’ll let you come,” I whisper with raw need.
Popping the button on her shorts, my left hand moves up to her side, cupping her breast. I shift again as my other hand dips into her shorts. Her breathing comes in quicker, and her legs fall open slightly. So responsive for me, so needy.
A fire races through my veins as I pinch her nipple at the same time my other hand finds her clit, pressing down softly. She moves her hips upwards, seeking more as a quiet whimper falls from her lips.
I stop my movements, holding my breath and peeking over at Connor. Ace is curled up on his chest, shielding his view of us, and I let out a slow breath.
“Need you to stay quiet,” I murmur, sliding my arm over her chest and below her chin, holding her to me. “Bite down on my arm if you need to.”
Moving her panties to the side, I swipe down, finding how wet she is for me. I bring my leg up slightly to hide our movements under the blanket, and her hips shift, moving side to side, her ass rubbing against me. Fuck, I’m so far gone for this girl that I’m going to blow in my jeans if she keeps that up.
I thrust up into her, showing her what she’s doing to me, how hard I am with just a single touch of her. My finger slips inside her, and my head drops to the crook of her neck. “So tight, baby,” I groan out.
Her pussy pulses around my finger and I enter another, slowly thrusting them in and out of her. I bite down on my lip ring, stifling the growl that threatens to escape from deep within me, the need to mark her overwhelming. Her teeth sink into my arm as she bites down silently, the sting sending an electric zap straight to my cock. I thrust up again, seeking my own relief, and she pushes back down on me.
Her hips slowly circle, chasing her high as my fingers speed up, my thumb finding her sensitive clit, circling with the pressure I know she needs. Pushing deeper, one, two, and on the third, I curl my fingers, stroking that spot deep inside her.
The movie fades into the background, my vision blurs, and in this moment, nothing exists but the two of us. The tension is thick in the air. Halle’s breathing stops, her bite deepens in my arm, her walls clenching around my fingers, trapping me inside her. My cock throbs in my jeans and strains painfully against the zipper.
She comes with so much force, it’s mesmerizing and sexy as hell.
My fingers slow, my thumb lifts off her clit and she rides out her high. A shuddering breath leaves her when she unlatches from my arm, and I pull my hand out from her pants, my fingers slick with her arousal. The mark she leaves on my arm sends a wave of heat through me, pulling me closer to the edge of something I can’t control.
Bringing my fingers to my mouth I suck them clean as she watches me, her mouth popped open in disbelief.
“Tastes so good,” I whisper to her with a wink.