by Harper Sloan
They show me how to ride for over three hours after I’ve changed into jeans, boots, and a leather jacket. Then finally, they let me go out on the road
I feel free. It's amazing. The landscape passes by quickly as I drive down a long stretch of. .
In the country, there is no traffic. You might come across a truck or two but normally you are the only car on the road for miles at a time. It is perfect. I am in love and know that I will be doing this often just to clear my head.
When I start up my dad’s driveway, I see Asher’s jeep and my good mood leaves just as quickly as it came. “Great,” I whisper to myself. I pull up in front of the garage. I get off the bike, take off my helmet, and shake out my hair. Asher walks up with Beast following behind him. He is wearing a red thermal and a pair of dark jeans with his brown boots. He's also wearing a white baseball hat with black writing. I have never seen him in a hat before and he looks hot. Well, hotter than normal.
“Hey,” I say and start pushing the bike into the garage. He takes over and pushes it all the way in then takes the cover from me and tosses it over the bike.
“So, I guess this is one more thing that I have to worry about?” he asks, and even though I know what he's talking about, I still ask.
“Sorry?”
“The bike,” he says, crossing his arms over his chest and narrowing his eyes on me.
“My dad and uncle got it for me. I like riding it and I'm going to keep it.” I cross my arms over my chest, copying his stance and daring him to say something stupid like, you’ can’t keep it.”’ Then I will have to inform him that he is going to be the only thing not kept if he thinks he can tell me that I can’t have my bike.
“Just promise that when you’re on this shit, you’ll always wear a helmet, jeans, boots, and a jacket.”
“Promise,” I smile and his eyes narrow on my mouth.
“Now tell me why you were out with Nick.”
“I wasn’t out with him,” I say, completely exasperated. “I went to his dad’s firm, he asked me to lunch and I said no thank you and that I had plans. I felt bad, so I asked him if he wanted to go with me and Liz for coffee.”
“Uh huh,” he says, pulling one of the belt loops of my jeans, forcing me to take a step in his direction.
“Uh huh?” I repeat with a raised eyebrow.
“Where are you sleeping tonight?” he asks, pulling me closer and dipping his head towards my neck.
“In bed,” I answer but my brain is being dragged into an Asher-fog with the way he kisses the skin below my ear.
“What bed?” he whispers as he bites my neck.
“What bed am I supposed to sleep in?” I breathe deeply as he starts nipping on my earlobe.
“Mine.”
“Hmm,” I moan as he presses into me.
“So, where are you sleeping, November?” He growls and his hand is fisted into the back of my head, his mouth hovering over mine. My eyes flutter open. “Where are you sleeping, baby?” he asks against my mouth.
“With you,” I whisper, feeling powerless against him.
“That’s right. Always with me.” My brain registers his words but before I can make him clarify what he means, his mouth is on mine and my brain goes deeper into the Asher-fog. His kiss feels desperate, like he is branding me with it. When he pulls away, he presses his forehead against mine. I run my hand along his jaw and his eyes open at my touch.
“Are you okay?” I ask.
“Better,” he says and gives me his cocky grin. He thinks he’s just gotten his way. I want to tell him that I have no problem sleeping with him. The only thing that worries me is that I can be a little clingy. My mom and my ex told me the same thing. They may have told me that so I wouldn’t nag them about where they were going or how long they would be gone. But I know I'm a people person, and if I know someone is around, I want to be where they are. I worry that I might be what my mom and ex say I am, and I never want Asher to feel like I am crowding him.
“Will you promise me something?” I ask.
“What?”
“Just promise that, when you start feeling like I'm around too much, you will let me know.”
“That’s not going to happen,” he says, cupping my cheek. His thumb slides across my lower lip.
“Just promise, okay?” I say again, feeling desperate for him to understand how much this means to me.
“Promise, baby.”
“Thanks.” I grin and he kisses my nose.
“Now, do you want to eat here or do you want to pick up something on the way back to my place?” I bite my lip, thinking about it, and his eyes drop to my mouth.
“Never mind. We’re picking something up.” He bends down and my belly goes into his shoulder as he picks me up and carries me out of the garage.
“Um, I have to go inside and get some stuff,” I say from my upside down position.
“You have shit at my place.”
“I packed everything.” He stops and my feet hit the ground. Luckily, his arms come up to my shoulders or I would have fallen on my ass.
“You packed everything?” he growls.
“I didn’t want you to feel like I was suffocating you,” I say in a huff.
“Don’t do that shit.” His hands go to my neck, his thumbs sweeping under my jaw then his face gets closer to mine. “Unless I tell you I want space, don’t read into non-existing shit and create problems. I swear,” he says, looking into the sky, “if I don’t want you around, I will tell you that shit straight out. No games, no bullshit.”
“Okay,” I whisper, never wanting to hear those words from him.
“Okay, now go pack your shit,” he says and I glare at him.
“Don’t tell me to pack my shit. It’s rude.”
“It’s rude?” he asks, tilting his head to the side. “Baby, I promise you when I get you in my bed, I’ll show you how much you like it when I’m being rude.” This makes me tingle in a couple different spots. I definitely want him to show me how rude he can be. “Just for that look right there, I'm going to make you beg me to be rude to you.”
Oh my God, I just had an orgasm standing outside my dad’s house in the daytime. I look around, hoping no one saw me have a mini orgasm. I know I have to play this off, so I do what any woman would do.
“Whatever.” I roll my eyes, and then run into my dad’s house as quickly as I can with his laughter following me the whole way.
Asher
As I watch November pull up in front of the club on that damn bike, I look over and see a group of guys staring at her too. She puts the kickstand down, takes the helmet off, and shakes out her hair. She looks like a fucking wet dream sitting on that bike. Her legs are covered in tight denim with black boots laced up to mid-calf. She has a leather jacket on and it’s zipped up half way, showing off a good amount of cleavage. I hear one of the guy whistle and her head comes up, spotting me.
“Hey, babe,” she calls and the guy goes to step in her direction. Her nose scrunches and I shake my head at him, walking toward my girl.
“You just had to ride the bike, didn’t you?” I ask, not at all surprised.
She smiles, shaking her head. “Uncle Joe would be disappointed if I didn’t ride it,” she says, lifting her leg over the seat and putting her helmet under her arm. I look at her and know she’s right. Joe loves his boys, but neither of them ride. Now that his niece has shown an interest in riding, he feels like he has someone to share it with besides Mike.
“Did you ride with him today?” I ask, taking the helmet from her.
“Yeah, we went out to the park and stopped for lunch.”
“Good,” I say and kiss her nose. We walk inside the club, past the group of guys standing near the door. It used to bug the shit out of me when men openly checked her out but not anymore. She never even notices. I spot Nico and Cash. They already have a table waiting for us.
“Hey, guys,” November says to Cash and Nico. They both stand to hug her. “Where’s Trevor?” she as
ks, looking around.
“He’s picking up Liz,” I tell her and her eyes light up. I shake my head. I have no idea what’s going on with Liz and Trevor. I know he likes her, but I think her innocent-vibe is throwing him off. He doesn’t know how to deal with a girl that has no experience. When he found out she needed a ride, he quickly volunteered to pick her up. Maybe they just need some time to get to know each other.
“Liz is coming?” Cash asks, rubbing his hands together. He’s been fucking with Trevor every chance he gets. Anytime Liz is around and any guy even looks at her, Trevor looks ready to snap.
“Be nice, guys,” November says quietly, taking off her jacket and revealing the low cut shirt she’s wearing under it. I feel my pulse speed up and I look around.
“You’re not cold, baby?” I hint for her to put the coat back on. I know if I tell her to put the coat on, she’s going to tell me where to shove it.
“Nah, I'm good.” She smiles sweetly. Her eyes go over my shoulder and I see her body get stiff. I turn to see Becky making her way over to us.
“Fuck,” I mumble, pulling out a stool, trying to get November to sit down.
“Asher!” Becky squeals, throwing herself at me. I remove her arms and hold her back.
“Where have you been?” she asks, looking around the table. Her eyes land on November and her face goes hard. “Oh, never mind. I see you’re still roaming the streets with the pussy peddler.”
“Excuse me?” I feel November stand beside me. “What did you just say?” she asks, trying to get around me.
“You need to leave, Becky,” I say, blocking November. Cash and Nico are now standing on either side of November, showing where their loyalty lies.
“Your daddy sells pussy,” Becky snarls.
“No, my dad sells entertainment.”
“You know some of the girls there sell pussy to their customers when no one’s looking,” Becky says, glaring at November.
“What’s your last name?” November asks and Becky puts her hands on her hips.
“Hudson,” Cash says. November looks at him then back at Becky.
“So, you were one of those girls who was selling pussy while no one was looking, weren’t you, Becky Hudson?” November smirks and Becky takes a step back. “My dad’s club is clean unless trash like you comes in to dirty it up. But then, you know what happens to trash, don’t you, Becky? It always gets thrown out. Don’t talk about my dad’s club again. You worked for him until you tried to make money on the side, and he threw you out like the trash you are.” After landing her final blow, November walks to the bar.
“I can’t believe you’re with a girl like her,” Becky says, shaking her head.
“You need to go and don’t come back,” I say, turning to the bar. When I reach November’s side, she’s already got her Corona.
“I hate women like that,” she says, shaking her head and not looking up from her beer.
“Yeah,” I agree, thinking that I wasted a lot of time on women like that. “You okay?” I ask, pulling her into my side and tilting her head back to kiss her.
“I will be when I finish this Corona and can order another one,” she mumbles against my lips and I smile against hers. I want to tell her so badly that I love her, but I keep telling myself to let her set the pace. “Let’s go back to the table and enjoy the rest of the night.”
It is Christmas Eve and I’m standing in the bathroom, trying to finish getting ready to go to Asher’s parents’. It’s been a month since I found out that I am a millionaire. The only person who knows about my inheritance is my dad. I finally agreed with him that I wasn’t going to give my mom half the money. She hasn’t even called since I’ve been in Tennessee. I tried to call her and even left a couple messages but she never returned my calls. I'm sure if I had mentioned the money, I would have gotten a call back, but I didn’t want that to be the reason she reached out to me.
My other dilemma is trying to find a way to tell Asher about the money. Every time I am going to bring it up, I wonder if it will change our relationship. I don’t think it will, but you never really know.
We’ve been together for over a month and I still sleep in his bed every night, not that I have any choice in the matter. Anytime I mention staying at my dad’s, he gets a look that tells me if I tried, he would drag me back to his house caveman style. But really, I don’t mind. I love going to sleep with him every night and waking up to him every morning.
“Hey, baby. You okay?” Asher asks, coming to stand behind me and placing his hands on my waist and his mouth at my neck. My hands are rolling my hot rollers into my hair. I haven’t even gotten dressed yet. I still have on my tank top and sleep shorts. We got up early and had breakfast, and then crawled back into bed.
“Yeah,” I whisper as the scruff from his jaw runs down my neck to my shoulder. “Um, actually. I need to tell you something.” I breathe deeply, hoping that I’m doing the right thing.
“Tell me.” He bites my earlobe, distracting me.
“I, uh…um.”
“Babe, uh and um isn’t saying much.”
“You’re distracting me. I can’t think when your mouth is on me.” His head comes up and we make eye contact in the mirror. His dimple is out and he has a cocky grin in place.
“You like me distracting you with my mouth.” He reminds me of something that I didn’t need to be reminded of right now. Not when I’m trying to tell him something serious. I glare at him in the mirror and he chuckles. “Okay, baby. Tell me,” he says, putting his chin on the top of my head.
“I'm a millionaire.” Okay, I didn’t mean to blurt it out quite like that, but now it is out in the open. I feel his body tighten around mine.
“What?” he asks. I swallow and bite my lip. There is no going back. I turn in his arms and put my hands on his chest.
“My mom’s parents left me their estate and it’s over a million dollars.”
“When did you find this out?” I really didn’t want to answer that question. I look over his shoulder towards the door.
“Eyes on me.” I look into his eyes again. “When did you find out about this?”
“Um…I…” I bite my lip and look away again.
“Eyes!” He growls this time. “When did you find out about this?” I look into his beautiful eyes and see sadness there and my heart hurts.
“When I went to the lawyer,” I whisper.
“Why didn’t you tell me then?” he asks as he steps back, taking his warmth with him.
“I didn’t want it to change us,” I whisper again, looking down at the tiled floor of his bathroom.
“Have I ever given you that idea?” he asks. I feel like a horrible person for not telling him from the start about the money. It was stupid to hide it.
“No,” I say, looking up at him. I can tell he’s hurt.
“You’re right. I haven’t. And I have to say I'm fucking pissed that you would even think for one minute that money would change how I feel about you.”
“I know it was stupid. I just wanted to make sure.” His eyes narrow and I know that’s the wrong thing to say.
“Make sure of what? That I wasn’t with you for your money? Jesus, what the fuck? I don’t understand what goes on in that head of yours sometimes.” This kind of hurts, but I know he’s right. “I’ve never asked you to pay for shit. I never want you to pay for shit.”
This’s i true. Anytime I’ve tried to pay for something, I get the look that promises I won’t like what happens if I don’t put my money away.
“You’re right. I know. I should have told you.”
“You should have but I understand why you didn’t. It doesn’t make me happy, but I understand.”
“Thanks,” I say, wrapping my arms around his waist and laying my head on his chest.
“Just don’t keep shit from me. I don’t like knowing you have kept that secret for over a month.” Crap, I never thought about it like that.
“I'm sorry,” I whisper into his chest,
feeling like a total dork.
“When you move in, we’ll talk about your money.”
“What?” My head jerks back so I can look into his eyes.
“You heard me, and know that shit will be soon. I don’t like you having to travel to your dad’s every few days to go get clothes and shit.”
“Asher,” I say, glaring at him and putting my hands on my hips for the full effect. “You are not going to boss me into moving in with you.”
“There will be no bossing, baby. You want to move in. Don’t you love feeding me breakfast in bed every morning?” he asks and I shiver. Every morning, he has me for breakfast before he gets out of bed, and yes, I do love feeding him. “Don’t you like lazing on the couch, watching movies at night?” I do love that too or even just lying on him while he watches a game. “Don’t you love cooking in my kitchen?” Yes, I love his kitchen. It is my favorite room in the house. I love baking in there or just sitting at the counter and reading on my Kindle. “Don’t you love me fucking you whenever you need to be fucked?” Um, yes! I bite my lip and look over his shoulder.
“Those are just a few of the reasons why I won’t have to boss you to move in with me.” He has a point. He won’t need to boss me into it. It is just too soon. Maybe in a few months, but right now, I like knowing that I still have my dad’s house to run to if I need it.
“Can we not talk about this right now? I need to get ready to go to your parents’ house.”
“Yeah, we can wait to talk about it, but we will be talking about it.”
“Great.” I roll my eyes. “Something to look forward to.” He kisses my nose and gives me his dimple smile then leaves me to watch him walk away. I shake my head. He’s such a jerk but I love him. Wait, what? I love him? Oh my God, I love him. Oh no, I love him. Crap! Oh my God, does he love me? I turn to look in the mirror. “So what, you love him. He doesn’t have to love you back,” I whisper to myself.