CHAPTER TWENTY #2
But we couldn’t. And the weight of all the things we’d be forced to miss made me bite my tongue and draw in a sharp breath so I wouldn’t break down in front of everyone.
“Hey.” Javi’s gentle smile steadied me. “You look like you’re about to cry.”
“I’m fine,” I said as the music shifted to a faster song. “It just sucks, having to act like strangers when we didn’t do anything wrong.”
“It won’t be like this forever.” He dropped his hand from my waist.
“I wish I were in college already.” I wouldn’t feel like an adult until I left Dad’s house and his rules.
Javi’s gaze softened. “Will you be okay on your own? I want to check on Ash.”
“Sure. Go. Don’t leave him alone for too long.”
He gave my shoulder a friendly pat and strode toward Asher. Guests swarmed the dance floor as the upbeat melody played, cutting off my view. I squeezed past women in bright gowns, making my way to the back for a drink and maybe something to eat.
“Kaia.”
The voice stopped me cold.
Crap. Ethan again. Persistent as ever, and the last person I wanted near me—let alone asking me to dance. Too bad Javi wasn’t here to intercept.
I pasted on a polite smile. “Ethan. I was going to get a drink.”
He tsked, shaking his head. “Did your brother forget to bring you one? I thought he’d be looking after you.”
Brother? We weren’t family. What was his deal? “I don’t have a brother.”
Ethan laughed, loud enough to carry over the music. “My bad. Stepbrother. Just semantics, right? I pegged Asher as the overprotective type, but here you are, alone.”
What did he want from me? If he thought cozying up to me would win points with my father, he was in for the disappointment of the century.
“I’m not alone,” I said evenly. “I’m here with my father and his girlfriend. Sorry, Ethan, I need to go.”
His lips curved, his posture stiffening. “Sure. Don’t make your brother wait.”
***
Asher and Javi didn’t come home with us after the party, but I heard their footsteps an hour later when I was already in bed. Ash’s door shut down the hall. I waited a few minutes, then grabbed my earbuds and phone and slipped from my room.
Anxiety twisted in my stomach at the thought of Dad catching me, but I needed to see Asher. Despite Javi’s reassurance, I had to feel for myself that we were okay. If Ash was having second thoughts, I’d rather he told me now—before I sank any deeper.
Who was I kidding? I’d been in too deep for years, since the first time I saw him. But admitting my crush out loud was a whole different thing from secretly scrolling his photos at night.
I eased his door open and stepped inside.
Asher stood by the bed, shirt unbuttoned, chest and stomach taut under the light. At the sound of my footsteps, he lifted his head. I licked my lips nervously.
I should’ve knocked.
“Kaia.” He crossed the room and stopped in front of me. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” The word came out thin, unconvincing. Where the hell was my courage? I’d come for reassurance, yet my tongue failed me.
“You should be sleeping,” Asher whispered. His fingertips grazed my cheek, tucking a strand of hair aside. Then, as if reading the worry etched on my face, he pulled me against his chest. The suddenness stole my breath, my heart slamming against my ribs.
“I’m sorry.” His exhale shivered across my temple. “I had to stay away, peque. Javi thinks your father suspects, and I couldn’t risk it.”
I pressed my cheek to the hard plane of his chest. His warmth grounded me, dissolving anxiety until I could breathe again.
“He doesn’t know,” I murmured. “He would’ve punished me if he did.”
Ash kissed my forehead. “That’s what I fear most. We need to be careful, mi nina.”
I wasn’t afraid of punishment. What terrified me was him getting caught. He had everything to lose. Racing wasn’t just a sport—it was his world.
His lips brushed below my ear, then slid down my neck, savoring. Heat flared, nerves sparking at the wet trail of his mouth.
I wanted him everywhere—even where only my own hands had touched. My grip tightened on his biceps as I closed my eyes, surrendering. It was too easy to get lost, too impossible to resist, especially when his thumb slipped beneath the cotton of my shorts, circling my inner thigh.
He drew me closer, one arm locking around my waist, his mouth moving from my neck to my shoulder in soft, playful bites.
His thumb edged higher. My breath faltered.
Then, as if realizing he’d crossed a line only he cared about, Asher stilled.
He pulled his hand free and pressed his forehead to mine with a sigh.
“You looked beautiful tonight. Hard not to stare. You were the only good thing about that fucking gala. And I think”—his gaze flicked to the door—“I’m putting a lock on this fucking room whether your father likes it or not. ”
A giggle escaped me. “So you can kiss me?”
He brushed the tip of my nose, humming. “I will anyway.”
He nipped my bottom lip before sealing his mouth over mine. I could’ve stayed like that forever, though with him I always feared time was short.
“I came to see you for a reason,” I whispered when he finally pulled back.
Ash eased away just enough to study me. “Tell me.”
“We didn’t get to dance tonight, and someone said you’re a great dancer.”
His hands cupped my cheeks as he kissed me again, the amused glint in his eyes betraying him. “Maybe that someone lied.”
“Maybe we should find out. Give me your hand.”
He frowned when I set one of my earbuds in his palm. “You want to dance with me?”
His smile broke wide as he shook his head. “For real?”
“Okay, you don’t want to.” I stepped back, teasing. “Guess I’ll go. Nice meeting you.”
He burst out laughing, then snagged my wrist and tugged me effortlessly back into his arms. “Not a chance. I’m not letting you go. I’ll pick a song.”
Once we slipped the earbuds in, he scrolled through my music app. “This one.”
He set the phone on the bed, and I looped my arms around his neck as his circled my waist.
“It’s in Spanish,” I said when the male singer began.
Asher hummed, his palm gliding up my spine. “And I love that you’ll know what it says.”
The lyrics spoke of being certain about a future with her—about her scent, her embrace—and each line gave me the reassurance I craved.
Heat spread beneath the thin cotton of my tee as Ash kept stroking me while we swayed. When the chorus swelled, he pressed his mouth to mine, and I kissed him back, shameless and greedy.
Even when the song ended, neither of us moved. Asher held me close, and I wished he’d never let go.
“Kaia,” he whispered.
Something in his tone—sudden, serious—made me lift my gaze. “What?”
“I promise one day we won’t need to hide. Every dance will be ours, peque.”