26. She wakes me up
26
SHE WAKES ME UP
ASHER
I blink once, twice, and sway on my feet. A faint yellow light flickers to my left, casting shadows everywhere I look. My mind scrambles to figure out how I got here, where the peachy scent went, and why the air reeks of rusted metal and damp concrete. My lungs burn as I drag in a shaky breath, trying to calm the pounding in my chest.
“Ash, man, we fucked up.” Aiden’s voice screams at me, sharp and panicked.
I spin, the world tilting violently on its axis, and I reach out, grabbing the light post, its cold surface steadying me just enough to stop me from collapsing. Shit, what was in those pills?
A tingling sensation courses through my body, and my fingertips go numb. I wonder if that pothole over there is big enough for me to crawl into, just to disappear while the numbness takes over. Crawling away sounds better than standing here with Aiden, who won’t stop screaming at me and pacing up and down the sidewalk, tearing at his hair.
“They’re coming!” he yells again.
My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth, and my brain works in double time to unlock my jaw as I push myself to stand next to him.
“Who’s coming?” I slur out.
My head snaps to the side, the sharp sting of Aiden’s hand radiates across my cheek. “Dude, get it the fuck together! We’re in deep shit here,” he spits, his movements becoming frantic.
Tires screech, and a deafening pop vibrates through my skull, and screams echo around me. My vision blurs, and I stumble backward just as someone hauls me up by my shirt.
“Consider your debt paid,” he murmurs in my ear.
Pain radiates through my knees as they slam into the pavement. My hands scrape against the cold concrete, catching my fall. A sharp metallic tang fills my nose, the smell cutting through the haze in my mind.I lift my head, my stomach sinking into the depths of despair.
“No, no, no!” I cry out, crawling over to Aiden.
His body lies motionless, lifeless, his easy smile gone. His eyes vacant, staring past me, hand outstretched toward me. His once-white shirt now red from the blood that’s pooling out of his chest. Pain slices through me as if someone dragged a knife down my chest, splitting me open, and my body disconnects.
“HELP!” I scream through the lump in my throat.
My hands fall to his face, my fingers trembling down his neck as I lift his head, holding him tightly to me. My body shakes uncontrollably, and I lose all control.
“Please, please, Aiden, come back!” I sob into him.
“Asher, wake up!”
My heart thrashes against my ribs as I gasp for air, snapping my eyes open. Halle hovers above me, her legs straddling my hips, her hair tumbling in front of her face as her shaky hands grip my shoulders. Sweat dampens my skin, the memory of Aiden’s death lingering in the shadows of my mind. His body lying dead in the street, unmoving. My stomach churns, and dread clings to me as I look into Halle’s concerned eyes.
“Hey, hey,” Halle whispers. “It was just a nightmare. You’re here, in your room with me.”
“Did I hurt you?” I choke out, my eyes roaming over her body.
I’ve woken from these nightmares countless times before, tangled in my sheets from thrashing around, drenched in sweat with my body still shaking from the horrors of my past. What if I hit her in my sleep? What if I hurt her? I could never forgive myself. Never trust myself to sleep by her side again in fear of my nightmares taking control.
“No, of course, you didn’t.” Her hand moves to cup my cheek, her touch easing some of the tension in my muscles.
Her legs tighten around my hips, and the warmth of her chases away the panic lingering in my chest. I let out a slow, shaky breath as my trembling fingers trace up and down her thighs. The sight of her wakes me up. Dressed in nothing but my shirt and her panties, her hair messy from sleep, she makes my heart race for an entirely different reason. I need to feel her, to be inside her. She brings me light and comfort, and right now, I need her in every way.
Sensing the shift in the air, the look of raw need reflected in my eyes, she leans forward, kissing me softly.
“Take what you need,” she says against my lips.
Her words crack something open inside me, a tidal wave of emotions unleashes, crashing over me—fear, longing, desperation. Flipping her over, I settle between her legs, my hands circling her wrists in a possessive grip as I pin them above her head .
Her pulse beats frantically under my thumbs, and I grind into her, my cock already hard from the look of her sprawled out in my bed, ready for the taking. Her breathy moans fill the silent room, and when our eyes meet in the dark room, dimly lit by the moon, she tells me everything my heart already knows. She doesn’t care about my past, what I’ve done, the mistakes that haunt me, or who I once was. All she cares about is the here and now, the man before her, and the one who wants to be better for her.
My mouth captures hers, and I kiss her slowly, pouring every unspoken truth into her, how much she means to me, and how I never want to let her go. Her hands twist beneath mine, fighting to be released. Her breathing grows louder, more desperate. The pull between us tightens, the tension building until it finally snaps.
Releasing her wrists, I brace myself on one arm, the other moving down her body. My fingers find the hem of her shirt, slipping beneath to lift it, revealing her soft skin and her full breasts. My mouth goes dry, the peaks of her nipples hardening under my stare.
“Your tits are fucking stunning,” I groan as I grind into her once more.
Dipping my head, I take her nipple in my mouth, teasing it with my tongue before slowly moving to the other, showing it just as much attention. I suck and nip as I grind into her. Her hands fly to my head when I bite down with more force, making her gasp. She pulls at my curls, the sting sending a jolt through me.
Kicking the sheets we’ve found ourselves tangled in aside, I rip her panties from her body and remove my briefs. I pause, staring down at her. My body lights up at the sight of her open and waiting. Lining myself up, I watch her legs fall open further, her hips lifting, nudging my cock into the opening of her pussy.
“Asher,” she moans my name, “take what you need.”
And I do, I thrust forward, our bodies colliding.