by L A Cotton
The man extended his hand. “How could I forget? Congratulations on a great season, son.”
“Thanks.” I gritted out. Of course he fucking remembered me. I’d been in his daughter’s class since grade school. Not to mention the fact, I knew he was an avid Raiders fan.
So what the hell was my father playing at?
“Malcolm was telling me earlier that Kellie has just accepted a full athletic scholarship to Pittsburgh. Isn’t that great?”
“Yeah,” the blood drained from my face, as realization dawned on me. This was a set up. My father’s attempt at keeping my eye on his future and off distractions.
Distractions like Mya.
My heart withered in my chest. He was never going to accept me dating her. No matter how bright or intelligent or beautiful she was.
Mya didn’t fit into the plan.
His plan.
So this was my father’s lame-assed attempt at redirecting things.
“Ah, talk of the devil. Hey, sweetie.” Malcolm placed his arm around Kellie’s shoulder and pulled her into the conversation. She batted her eyes right at me, smiling coyly. “Hey, Asher.”
“Kellie.” I gave her a dismissive nod.
“Did you hear?” She tucked a lock of blonde hair behind her ear. “We’re going to be Panthers together, isn’t that great?”
“It’s—”
“Asher?”
My pulse spiked at the sound of Mya’s voice but it was nothing compared to the way my heart went into overdrive as I turned around and laid my eyes on her. No, that didn’t do justice to the way I drank her in. Fuck… she looked…I swallowed hard trying to gather my thoughts. But all I could see was the black silk gliding over her body like a waterfall, ending just above her knee, cinching at her waist and flowing over her hips. Her wild curls were tamed off her face with a big Diamanté hair clip and her shoes... holy crap, her shoes were six inches of pure sex.
“You came.” The corner of my mouth lifted as I raked a hand through my hair.
“I did.” Mya grinned back. “These heels are killing me though and I could really do with a drink.”
“Then let’s get you a drink.” I stepped toward her when my father’s cough yanked me back.
“Aren’t you going to introduce us, Son?”
“Of course.” I gave Mya a tight smile, hoping she could see the apology in my eyes for whatever shit was about to come out of his mouth. Stepping to the side of her, I gave my father my full attention, silently begging him not to be an ass.
“You must be Mia,” he said warmly. “Asher’s friend from school.”
“It’s My—” Mya’s hand slid against mine, and she squeezed gently.
“It’s Mya,” she said politely. “You have a lovely home, Sir.”
“Thank you. I’m sure it must be a lot for you to take in.”
She went rigid beside me and I wanted to lunge at my father and ask him what the fuck his problem was. But if I wanted Mya to stick around, I knew that was the wrong move.
“Well, if you’ll excuse us. Mr. Ginly, Kellie,” I said with as much gusto as I could muster. “Enjoy the rest of the party.”
Dad gave me a curt nod, his eyes filled with an unspoken warning. But nothing could dampen my mood now Mya was here.
She made me soar.
And the quicker I got her away from his toxicity the better.
Grabbing her hand, I guided her through the house to the kitchen, hardly surprised when I found my friends crowded around the huge breakfast island playing beer pong.
“Mya, you made it.” Flick was the first to spot us. She came over and took my girl’s free hand. “You look amazing. No wonder you’re late. Come on, I’ll get you a drink.”
I let her go, wandering over to the guys.
“Told you, you had nothing to worry about,” Jase said smugly. “She cleans up good.”
“I don’t know,” I mused. “She looks... different.” Sure, Mya had a sexy and seductive thing working for her tonight, but I couldn’t help but wonder if her extreme makeover was all for show.
“Are you fucking blind? She looks hot as sin.”
That was just it though. To me Mya always looked hot. It was her unapologetic, individual style that caught my eye in the first place. The way she carried herself, the way she wore her own skin. But tonight she looked like every other woman in the room, dressed to the max, wearing far too much makeup, and even faker smiles.
“For real? You’re sulking because she dressed up?”
“It’s not that. It’s just I can’t help but think she did all this to fit in.”
“She seems happy.” Cam flicked his head toward the girls who were drinking and talking. Mya seemed at ease, her smile warm and eyes alight with interest.
“Well this has been enlightening and all,” I declared. “But I need some time with my girl.”
Jase gave me a sly grin. My friend’s quiet laughter followed me as I approached the girls. Felicity saw me first, her eyes dancing with approval as I slid my arms around Mya and pulled her against my chest. “Hi,” I whispered against the shell of her ear, desperate to kiss her there.
Her breath caught as she turned slightly to see me. “Hi, yourself.” There was something in her eyes, a fierce possessiveness I’d never seen before.
“You okay?”
“I’m good. You?” she replied coolly.
Yeah, something was definitely off with her.
“Come on.” I grabbed her hand and led her out of the furthest kitchen door, the one leading to the second set of stairs. It was quieter back here; the area usually off limits for guests.
“Asher, where are you—”
“You’ll see.” I pushed open the bathroom door and pulled her inside. Mya watched me intently as I stalked toward her. Her hands went behind her on the counter. Fuck, she looked good. There was no denying that. I wanted to unwrap her like a present and explore every inch of her body.
“You look... shit, Mya, I don’t even have words.”
Beautiful.
Alluring.
Mine.
I traced a hand down the slope of her neck. “You didn’t need to do all this though.”
“You don’t like it?” Hurt flashed in her eyes, and I dropped my forehead to her shoulder.
“You’re killing me here, Hernandez, in the sweetest possible way. But it feels like...”
Mya eased back, sliding her finger underneath my jaw and lifting my face to hers. “Like I tried too hard?”
Silence passed between us.
“Did you?” I asked.
Her fingers curled into my shirt, anchoring us together. “This is all for you. I promise. It’s stage one of your present.”
“Stage one?” That had my attention. “I like the sound of that.”
“You should.” She smirked, toying with my lapels. Our bodies were flush; the rise and fall of our chests synchronized. “What did your father want just now?”
I stiffened, sensing the coolness in her words again. “Forget about him, Mya.” My lips brushed over hers. “It’s just you and me. No one else matters.”
“He wants you to be with someone like her, right? Someone like Kellie?”
Fuck.
This was so not where I wanted this conversation to go. But I knew better than to lie to her.
“I think it was a lame attempt at setting us up together, yeah.”
“She’s going Pittsburgh next fall?” Possessiveness dripped from her words and I liked it.
I liked it a whole lot.
Mya was jealous. It was usually such an ugly emotion. I knew, I’d felt it enough in the past. But knowing Mya cared enough to be jealous... well, it turned me the fuck on.
“You sound a little jealous there.” I brushed her neck again, unable to resist dipping my head and swiping my tongue across her collarbone, sucking the skin gently between my teeth. Mya moaned softly, her grip on me tightening.
“Kellie might want me but it’s not her skin I’l
l be tasting tonight.” I kissed and sucked her neck some more, letting my hands glide up and down her silk covered body. “It’s not her curves I’ll be touching. It’s not her I want inside of… God, do you have any idea how much I want inside of you?” Rocking against Mya, I made sure she could feel just exactly how much I wanted her.
“Ash...” she breathed.
“There’ll always be other girls waiting in the wings,” I said, my lips barely touching the corner of hers, “but none of them are you. And you, Mya Hernandez, are all I want.”
“I want to give you your Christmas present now,” Mya said, a little breathy. “But we should probably get back to the party before someone notices we’re gone.” She straightened her dress, smoothing out the material over her hips. “Shall we then?” Her eyes flicked to the door but all I could do was stand there and watch her.
She was mesmerizing.
Strong.
Beautiful.
Mine.
“You really got me a present?” I’d gotten her a little something but I hadn’t expected anything in return. So color me surprised when the corner of her mouth kicked up in a seductive smile.
“Yeah, I got you a present. Me.” Her tongue darted out, wetting her lips, as she let her gaze fall down my body and slide back up. When her eyes met mine again, she smiled. “Merry Christmas, Ash.”
Chapter Seventeen
Mya
“Mya, it’s so lovely to meet you,” Asher’s mom beamed at me. “You look stunning, sweetheart.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Bennet.” I blushed under her regard. “So do you.”
“I was so excited when Asher told me he had invited a girl. He’s never brought a girl home before.”
Asher’s fingers clutched my hip, and I wasn’t sure if he was reassuring me or cringing at his mom’s confession.
“I love the tree. It’s so pretty.”
Mrs. Bennet’s eyes widened with delight. “You do? We spent all afternoon putting together the finishing touches. I’ve always loved the holidays.” Her expression turned sad. “Well, you two love birds have fun, and I hope we get chance to talk more soon.”
As Mrs. Bennet excused herself, I couldn’t help but smile. She’d been nothing but nice to me. But it wasn’t meeting his mom I was worried about. It was Mr. Bennet.
He’d spent most of the evening watching us. I don’t think Asher noticed, too buzzed and high on us. Me. He’d barely let me out of his sight, completely oblivious to the way people watched us laughing with our friends. But I saw them. I felt their stares of disapproval brush up against my skin like tiny shards of glass. Even dressed to the nines in a dress I couldn’t afford, I still wasn’t good enough. Of course, in a town like Rixon, people talked. Everyone knew I was the transfer from Philly. They knew a girl like me didn’t really belong in a town like this. Yet, with Asher’s constant attention, and our friends’ presence, it was easy to pretend I did. To pretend that they were only staring because they envied me, envied the way Asher touched the small of my back or kept kissing my shoulder. He was so attentive and sweet. I was determined not to let the narrow-minded views of his parents’ friends ruin the night. Besides, I still had to give Asher his present. If I could only figure out how to get him alone later.
We wandered back over to our friends. The girls were busy making cocktail concoctions, so I took a seat at the counter.
“The boathouse.”
“Excuse me?” I said to Jason who was watching me, a knowing glint in his eye.
“You’re trying to figure out how to get five minutes alone with him.”
“I’m not… okay, I totally am. They have a boathouse?”
Of course they had a boathouse. There wasn’t anything this house didn’t have.
“They don’t really use it anymore,” he said. “But it’s warm and out of sight and you won’t be disturbed down there.”
My brows knitted. “Okay, this is weird.”
He shrugged. “There’s nothing we don’t know about each other, Mya, it’s just how it is.” Jason flicked his head over to Asher and Cam as they goofed around. “He’s falling you know.”
“I know,” I whispered, curling my hands around the stool.
If I’d learned anything about Asher in my short time at Rixon, it was that he wore his heart on his sleeve. Sure, it was usually wrapped up in layers of jokes and humor, but if you looked hard enough, you’d find it right there. Vulnerable and defenseless.
I knew what he felt for me was more than just some crush. Because I felt it too.
“Just do me a solid and make sure you’re there to catch him, yeah?”
Covering my mouth, I smothered a soft laugh.
“What?” Jason asked.
“Nothing.” Everyone seemed so certain it would be me who hurt him.
I didn’t know what to think about that.
“I’m glad he found you, Mya.”
“What are you two talking about?” Asher appeared at my side. He spun the stool and took my hand, pulling me up, letting his hand drift down over the curve of my ass.
“Oh, you know… life, the universe, all that other boring shit,” Jason grunted, giving me one final pointed look. “I’ll catch the two of you later.”
The guys exchanged a nod before Asher anchored his hands at my waist. “Having fun?”
“Surprisingly, yes.”
“You’d tell me, right? If anyone said anything to you.”
“Stop.” I kissed him. “Worrying. I’m fine, everything’s fine. In fact, I was hoping we could go somewhere…”
“Somewhere?” Confusion crinkled his eyes, but they quickly widened. “Oh, you mean…” He swallowed hard. “Fuck, Mya.” Asher pulled me closer, brushing the stray curls from my face and letting his lips linger near my ear. “You’re serious?”
“I know I said I want to go slow, but this isn’t about taking it slow or moving too fast, it’s about what I feel. What we feel.” I eased back to look at him. “I want you, Asher.”
Awe glittered in his eyes as he dipped his head and kissed me softly. “I can’t believe I’m saying this,” he groaned. “But we need to wait. At least until the adults have drained the bar.”
“Oh, okay.” Dejection cinched my chest, and I dropped my eyes to the floor.
“Hey, hey.” Asher tilted my face back to his. “I want you. I want you so fucking much it hurts. But the things I want to do to you, with you, require time. I don’t want to screw this up.”
“Has anyone ever told you, you’re a sweet talker, Asher Bennet?”
“It may have been said before.” He kissed me again, hard and long, making a total scene of it. I heard a couple of gasps of astonishment but refused to give them credence. I wasn’t here for them, I was here for Asher.
For us.
“So, Mya Hernandez,” Asher lifted his head, grinning at me. “Do you think you can wait a little longer for me?”
I gave him a salacious smile. “If you promise to make it worth my while.”
“Fuck, I deserve a medal for this.” His gaze raked over me for the hundredth time tonight. I loved the way he looked at me. His heated gaze made me stand taller.
Leaning up, I nipped his earlobe. “Maybe we should spike their drinks, speed things up?”
Asher laughed at that, letting his gaze drift past me to the party going on behind us. He went rigid and I knew he’d spotted them, our small audience. “Or maybe I should just fuck you right here against the counter and give them something to really lose their shit over.”
I pulled out of his arms, wrapping my arms around my waist, staring at the floor. Asher let out a heavy sigh, sliding his fingers underneath my chin and angling my face back to his. “Crap, Mya, I didn’t mean… I see them, you know. I’ve seen them all fucking night.”
“Ignore them.” I pressed a hand to his cheek. “I am.” He remained still, his hard eyes still staring past me. “Ash, look at me. No one else matters but us.”
Even if I didn’t fully believe
my own words, I’d believe them tonight for him.
“Thirty minutes. I’ll give them another thirty minutes and then I’m going to take you down to the boathouse and bury myself so deep inside you that all I can see is you, Mya.”
“Thirty minutes,” I repeated, my body on fire at his words.
It wasn’t long to wait but it already felt like forever.
We waited almost an hour. Teasing each other with barely there touches and fleeting glances while the party went on around us. Jason and Cameron teased us, fake gagging and rolling their eyes every time we fell into our own little bubble.
“Your dad is toasted,” Asher said to Jase as we lingered in the kitchen. It had been our safe haven for most of the night; the adults preferring to stick to the huge reception room, letting the catering staff wait on them with trays of canapés and flutes of expensive champagne.
“My mom isn’t much better,” Hailee mused, looking a little glassy-eyed herself. “But at least they made up.”
“That is one thing I never need to witness again. I still can’t believe I walked in on them almost... fuck, nope, not going there.” Jason shuddered, downing the rest of his beer. “Right,” he slammed it down. “I don’t know about anyone else, but we’re calling it a night.”
“We are, are we?” Felicity arched a brow.
He roped an arm around her neck and pulled her close. “Do you want to get fucked before I pass out, or not?”
“Jason!”
“Dude, there are some things I never need to hear,” Cam protested.
Laughter rumbled in Jason’s chest. “Like you aren’t going to be boning my sister in about twenty minutes time.”
“Dude!” We all shrieked this time.
“I think that’s our cue,” Asher whispered against my ear, sending a delicious shiver up my spine.
“Merry Christmas, Mya.” Flick launched herself at me, hugging me so tight I could hardly breathe.
“Merry Christmas,” I chuckled at her enthusiasm.
“I’m so happy you found each other,” she whispered, “be careful with his heart.”