“I can’t go slow. I want you.” He mutters in my hair with a harsh intake of breath.
“Take me.” I say with a moan. He unzips the top of my dress and pulls it off in one stroke. The poofy skirt is a little more difficult and I chuckle as he tries to get it off.
“This is like a damn wedding dress. When I saw you in it, I could imagine you walking down the aisle to me.” I’m shocked by his comment.
“And it didn’t freak you out?” I ask, teasing, but really wanting to know.
“Hell, no! I can’t wait for that day. I told you, you are it for me.” The breath leaves my body at his confession.
“Now, I scared you.” He jokes, but I can tell he is a little worried.
“Asher, I’ve loved you since the day I met you. I’ve told you that time and time again. One day, I want it to be you waiting for me at the end of that aisle. There is no doubt in my mind that you are it for me too.”
“You are only eighteen. Things could happen.”
He pauses from trying to get my dress off and strokes my leg. He looks sad and that uncertainty is still there from his parent’s marriage.
“Hey, look at me.” I say, grabbing his face with both hands.
“Don’t do that. Don’t question my love for you. I’m here. Stop living in the past and stop thinking about the could haves or what could happen. Live in the moment with me. Life is uncertain, but that’s what makes it so precious.”
“I love you.” He says and his handsome face is my undoing.
“Then love me now.” I say and kiss him. He starts moving his hand up my leg.
There’s a knock on the door.
“Shit.” He mutters.
“Room service.” A voice calls out from behind the door. I cover my bare breasts.
Asher grabs his discarded jacket and hands it to me. I pull it on and make sure I’m covered. He answers the door and I hop down from the table. The employee rolls in the tray and Asher tips him. When he closes the door behind him, I’m already lifting the tray.
“What did you order?” He asks.
“I have no idea. I was distracted!” I say with a laugh. There are cheeseburgers and mozzarella sticks.
“Looks good.” He says. He pulls off his jacket from my body.
“What are you doing?”
“We are going to have a picnic.”
“Naked?”
“That’s the plan.” He says and starts stripping. Oh my god… he is gorgeous. His body is the most magnificent thing I have ever seen.
“Sit.” He commands and I plop down on the floor in my poufy skirt. It bells all around me.
“You are beautiful.” He whispers and I stare at him in awe.
My hair is falling over my shoulders covering my breasts. He kneels down in front of me and holds his hands on both of my shoulders. He slowly brings his hands down my arms and then let’s go. He gently pushes my hair aside and teases my nipple with the back of his knuckles. I lean my head back, closing my eyes in ecstasy. He continues touching me so tenderly.
“Still hungry?” He practically growls.
“No.”
“Thank god.” He says and pulls me into his arms.
He takes me into the bedroom and tosses me on the bed. He crawls on the bed and crushes me with his weight. It’s delicious watching him lose control. We finally get my skirt off and in no time at all we are skin to skin. The intimate feeling of being with the one you love is something unimaginable.
He loves me fast and hard. Throughout the night, we finally eat the cold food and then love each other more gently. We take a bath together in the huge jacuzzi tub, caressing each other’s bodies. When we finally exhaust ourselves, I fall in a deep sleep in his arms.
I wake up to the sun coming in through the window. I’m cuddled against Asher’s side and I take the moment to gaze upon his handsome face. He looks so peaceful.
“Quit staring at me.” He says with his eyes closed. I laugh.
“I can’t help it, you are breathtaking.”
“Keep talking like that and I’ll never let you leave this room.”
“I could live like that.” I say and roll away from him.
I walk naked to the bathroom, feeling his gaze on me. I reach the threshold and lean against it, displaying my body for him to see. His gaze darkens and I hear a growl. Next thing I know, he is off the bed, rushing towards me. I shriek and try to shut the door, but he is fast and grabs me up in his arms. He kisses me and backs me into the bathroom. He grabs my hips and my legs go around his waist. He holds me with one arm and reaches with the other to turn on the shower.
“What are you doing?” I mutter against his mouth.
“Saving water.” He says back and hot water hits my back as he steps us into it.
“Mmmhmmmm….” I mumble between his kisses. The time in the shower is full of kissing and touching, nothing more.
We are toweling each other off and I’m wringing my wet hair out with my hands.
“I guess we are going to have to put our prom stuff back on.”
“I had Roxy pack you a bag. It’s in the other room.” He explains.
“We don’t have to go yet.” He says with a wink.
“I have a job today.” I say with regret. He wraps the towel around his waist and leans against the door.
“I know what you are doing! It’s not going to work!” I say, laughing.
“What am I doing?” He asks with a knowing look.
“Looking all sexy, trying to distract me from the real world.” I say.
He chuckles and goes back into the bathroom. He is brushing his teeth and I’m going through the bag Roxy packed. I’m putting on a pair of jeans and a shirt, when Asher’s phone goes off with a text alert. I glance over at it and I see Cala James’ name pop up with a picture.
I pick up his phone and it’s a picture of her in a sexy bikini. The caption says, I had a great time with you. Call me when you are back in town. I put the phone where it was.
There is a pit in my stomach. He told me nothing happened. Why is she sending him pictures like that?
Asher walks into the bedroom and notices I’m dressed.
“You have to go?”
“Yeah, I just got a message from Roxy. The shoot is starting earlier than I thought. I’m sorry.” I say, trying to stay calm.
“Okay, I’ll throw on some clothes and I’ll drop you off at the shoot. Maybe I can stick around and watch.”
“Oh, Roxy wants me to come by the apartment first. She wants me to try on some clothes before we get there. She can take me.” I say. I hate lying to him.
“I don’t mind waiting.”
“I know. but I’ll just see you after the shoot.” I say.
“Sounds good. I should probably check in with Michael.”
He puts on some clothes and we gather our stuff together. I watch as he picks up his phone. He glances down at it and then quickly shoves it in his pocket.
My heart breaks in two. He had the chance to tell me, but he didn’t. He is hiding it from me. I turn away from him quickly, so he doesn’t see the hurt on my face. I’m so sick of people taking advantage of me.
“Ready?” He asks.
“Yep.”
“Are you okay?” He asks, looking at me with concern. Shit, he can tell.
“Yeah, just tired. Someone kept me up all night!” I say with a forced smile. He gives me a sexy smile.
“Let’s do it again tonight!” He says, wiggling his eyebrows. I laugh, but inside I’m crying.
We leave the hotel and I try to act normal, but I can’t. My world is shaken. I just wanted him to be honest with me. After everything we said to each other last night, how could he hide this from me? If we are going to trust one another, we have to be honest.
We arrive at my apartment and I kiss him on the cheek. He grabs my arm and swoops in for a kiss on the mouth. I kiss him back, but my heart is breaking, and I just want to sob.
He breaks away with little pecks on my
lips. It’s so sweet, but everything is ruined.
“Are you sure everything is okay? You’ve been really quiet.”
“I’m fine, just tired, like I said.” I say goodbye and get out of the car before I break down in front of him.
He rolls down the passenger window.
“Hey, I love you.” He says, putting his sunglasses back on. I glance back at him and I know there are tears in them.
“I love you too.” I say and turn away quickly. I can’t hold them in any longer. I hear the car pull away and I rush into the apartment. Roxy isn’t here, thank god.
I open my bedroom door and collapse on my bed. My sobs soak my pillow. My heart is torn in half and I don’t know how to mend it…….
Chapter Twenty-Five
Three hours later I’m at the photo shoot and Roxy is trying to fix my puffy red eyes.
“Girl, you did a number on yourself. What happened?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.” I whisper, tears rushing into my eyes.
“Yeah, I get it.” She says, understanding.
We don’t speak as she does my makeup. The photo shoot is for a perfume. I’m wearing a long sexy gown and my hair is flowing. My guy interest in the shoot is wearing a white tux. Memories of last night and prom rush through me. It was so good and then…. don’t cry, Charleigh.
The photographer poses us and at least he doesn’t want us smiling. I don’t think I could even if I tried. The guy, Aiden is sweet. He goes through the motions and is really easy to work with. Four hours later the shoot finally wraps up. There was some technical lighting issues.
I have missed calls and texts from Asher asking where I am. I text him back that the shoot ran late due to some issues. He text back that he is with Michael and in the middle of a pool game. He will be home in about a half hour. I tell him I’ll meet him at his house. I decided through the shoot that I need to talk to him. I can’t keep quiet any longer. I’m just going to be honest and hope he does the same.
It will hurt if he tells me that they hooked up, but we were not technically together. I am upset about the fact that he lied to me if they did hook up. I give out an exhausted sigh.
“How are you holding up?” Roxy asks as we climb into her car.
“Fine. Just exhausted.” I say.
“That was a long shoot.” She says with a sigh of her own.
“Yeah.” We talk about the photoshoot and mundane things.
I appreciate the fact that she doesn’t bring up anything about prom. I know she is dying to find out about it, but she is respecting my silence.
We pull up to our apartment and I take my time to freshen up. I tell Roxy I’m leaving and head out the door. I jump in my truck and try to keep my emotions in check. I’m dreading this conversation. I wish with all my heart that she hadn’t text him, but I need to know the truth. I need to know what kind of relationship I’m going to have with Asher. I’m not stupid. I know girls are going to throw themselves at him. He is a famous Rockstar, but he is my Rockstar. I have to face him and see his expressions when I ask him about it.
I drive into the gated community and try to avoid looking at the house next door. I pull into the drive and I get a glimpse of movement at my house. Tim is outside staring right at me. He has a hose in his hand washing his car.
I don’t look at him and jump out of my car. I hurry up to the front porch and knock on the door. I pray Asher or Tammy let me in quickly. No one answers the knock or the ringing of the doorbell. Tim has turned off the hose and is starting to cross over the yard. I push the code in as fast as I can. I rush through the door and shut it behind me quickly. I lean my head against it. That was a close one.
I head to the kitchen to wait for Asher. I walk to the fridge and open it, looking for a bottle of water. I grab the water and shut the door. I turn back around. SHIT!
Tim is standing there, staring at me. What the hell? He rushes me and slams me into the wall. The back of my head bounces against the hard surface causing black dots to cloud my vision. His hands grip my neck hard. He rips me away from the wall and slams my head on the counter. He pulls me back up and smashes my pelvic bone against the edge. My head is coming close to hitting the back splash.
Pain is shooting through me and I’m trying to fight my way free. He is too strong. He is yelling stuff at me, but I can’t comprehend anything, but pain, horrible pain….
Don’t black out, fight!!! I finally cry out when he starts tugging my pants down.
He has me pinned against the counter, but I keep fighting. He slams my head down again and holds it by pressing his hand on my cheek. Tears flow and I blink to clear my vision. This is it… this is how it will end….
My eyes focus on anything to get my mind off what is about to happen. I realize I’m looking at a block of wood with knives sticking out of it. I reach my hand out as he gets my pants and underwear down to my ankles. My fingers wrap around the huge butcher knife. I don’t think, I act.
I reach around and slam the knife into whatever I can. Tim howls out in pain, letting me go. I spin around and see him clutching his side with the handle sticking out. I try to run past him, but I trip on my pants that are around my ankles. He starts coming after me and I crab walk backwards. He is almost to me with blood pouring out from his side. His face is red with anger and I curl myself up into a ball expecting his fists.
The beating doesn’t come. I hear yelling and flesh hitting flesh. I peek through my fingers and see Asher beating the hell out of Tim. Michael rushes over to me. He gently helps me pull my underwear and pants up. I look at the scene before me and scramble to my feet. I grab onto Asher’s arm.
“DON’T!” I scream. Asher’s eyes are wild as he looks at me.
“He is unconscious. Stop.” I command.
Asher pauses and looks at Tim. Tim is bleeding everywhere. From his side the knife is sticking out and his face looks like a scrambled mess.
“I should kill him.” He spits out with venom.
“He is not worth it. Let the police handle it.” I say softly. Asher grabs my shoulders.
“Are you okay?” He asks, looking me over.
I shake my head no. My head is pounding, and my nose is bleeding from hitting the counter. My pelvic bones are so sore that I’m sure I’m bruised there, or something is possibly broken.
“We need to call 9-11. It’s time we put this bastard away.” Michael states, already on the phone.
“Asher, I stabbed him.” I say, panicking.
“Charleigh, he attacked you in my home. He broke into my house! You did nothing wrong but defend yourself. You are not in trouble. This bastard will do time. I will make sure of it!”
He grabs me up in his arms and I flinch in pain. He immediately releases me.
“I’m so sorry!” He says, clenching his fists to his side and glaring at Tim.
“They are five minutes away.” Michael says. He gently takes my arm, pulling me close to him.
“Did he…” Michael chokes up.
I shake my head, but then the tears start falling and my chest heaves with sobs. Asher looks devastated and helpless. I feel like I should comfort him, but I can’t….
Tim was so close this time. Asher saved me again. Before I know it, Asher is there with his arms around me more gently this time. He is kissing the top of my head.
“Shhhh, it’s okay. Everything is going to be okay. I’m so damn proud of you. You defended yourself.”
“He almost… he almost…” I can’t even get it out.
“I know, baby, I know. I’m so sorry. I wish I killed the bastard.”
“He doesn’t deserve to live for what he was going to do.” He holds me and I’m shaking.
“They are here.” Michael says, letting the paramedics in.
They rush to Tim and start working on him. My eyes are drawn to them and I’m so afraid they are going to say he is dead. He is an asshole, but I don’t how I’ll be able to handle knowing that I killed him. A loud scream comes from the do
orway.
“OH MY GOD! TIM!” My mom comes running towards them and a police officer intervenes, grabbing her.
“WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM!???” My mom screams at me.
The police officer is holding her back and I look at her in disbelief.
“HE ATTACKED ME!” I scream back at her.
She starts shaking her head in denial and then points her finger at me over the police officer’s shoulder.
“YOU ARE A LIAR!!!!” She screams and starts sobbing as they load Tim up on a stretcher.
He is hooked up to some stuff and my mom is rushing behind him as they leave the room. The same police officer that held her back follows them out as well. My mother didn’t even ask me if I was okay. She just assumed I did something wrong. How stupid is she? How long is she going to live in denial?
A police officer comes towards me and I tense up.
“Miss, are you okay?” He asks with a kind smile. I shake my head no.
“We are going to get you checked out. I called another ambulance to come here.”
“I’ll drive her to the hospital right now.” Asher says.
“That’s okay, but we have one on route already. Looks like you should get that hand checked out too,” The cop says. Asher’s knuckles are bleeding.
“Now, I know you are probably feeling bad right now, but is there anyway you can tell me what happened tonight?”
I do as he asks. I recite everything and even the stuff from before. I tell him about my hospital trip and my mom and Tim’s lies. I’m disappointed in myself that I didn’t admit back then what had really happened. I lied then, how do they know I didn’t lie now. I pray everything works out. I have low expectations; it seems luck is never on my side when it comes to people hurting me. They always get away with it.
Lucky Me Page 23