by Olivia Chase
“Fuck.” Asher’s low growl is all the warning I get before I’m yanked against his chest, and then his mouth is hard on mine, his tongue plunging in me, slicking along my own tongue. Months of pent-up frustration and passion spill into our kiss. He clutches me like a lifeline, like I’m the only thing anchoring him to this world.
I grip him back, pour everything into it, my whole body rushing to life. God, finally, I feel again. I feel him and his heat and his desire. His arousal is pushing against my belly, letting me know just how much he’s feeling right now.
Asher tugs his mouth away and glares down at me. “You’re insane, you know that, right? I was trying to give you space and not push myself on you. I didn’t want you to think I was trying to chase you for ass or anything.”
My cheeks burn. Now that he says that, it makes perfect sense. “I am insane. Sorry.”
“Kitten.” He softens. “First of all, you never have to apologize to me. And second, I want you to be able to trust me. If I go back to the way I was, it won’t seem like anything changed.”
The vulnerability in him right now blows me away. He’s sincere. He really is afraid of me leaving him.
“But I like your passion,” I tell him quietly. “I miss it. It’s a part of you that made you who you are.” I pause and then say, “A part that I loved and still love.”
I haven’t said anything close to the L word since his confession. I’ve been too scared. But right now, I want him to know that I still feel it. I need him to know.
The molten lava pouring from his eyes, off his body, makes me ache all over.
“I love you,” I breathe.
He takes my mouth in another hot kiss that ends all too soon. Then he grabs my hand and leads me across the square.
“Where are we going?” I ask with a laugh, taking long strides to keep up with him.
“My apartment.” The words are said roughly, thick with his desire.
Oh, God. I haven’t seen his off-campus apartment yet. Anticipation floods my veins.
We head to the parking lot, and Asher practically peels out as he drives. One hand is clamped on my thigh, like he’s afraid I’ll vanish if he stops touching me. The gesture makes my heart soften even more.
We pull up in front of an apartment complex. He practically rips the car door open and drags me toward a first-floor apartment. Keys the door and once we’re inside, closes it and then reclaims my mouth again.
His fingers are insistent, working to undo my coat. “I fucking need you so badly I hurt,” he says on a groan against my mouth. “Fuck, baby, I’ve been desperate to touch you again.”
“Please,” I beg him, helping him undo my coat, then tug my sweater off. My hair goes flying everywhere and I don’t care. I reach for his coat. “Please, I crave you inside me, Asher. I’ve missed it.”
We dump our clothes right there in the living room and then we’re both naked, facing each other, panting, mouths swollen, hair mussed. Then Asher is on me again, his mouth dragging down my throat to suck on my breast.
I give a needy sigh and press closer to him. “Harder,” I say.
“Fuck yes,” he murmurs and then bites the flesh. Pain and pleasure mingle together and make me gasp, floods my pussy with a hot gush of liquid. “Did you miss this, kitten? My hands and my mouth hard on you, making you come?”
I whimper. “Yes. Please.”
He pulls back and he’s so turned on he almost looks angry. “I’m going to fuck you breathless,” he swears. He pushes me to the rug on the floor in front of the couch. “Spread those legs for me, dirty girl. I need to smell your pussy and taste you again. Right now.”
I’m shaking as I lower my knees toward the rug, parting my legs. Asher leans forward and draws in a slow breath, inhaling my scent.
“Sweet Jesus, you smell like heaven,” he says, his breath hot on my thighs. He leans forward and his tongue swipes my clit, and I jerk from shock and pleasure. His fingers stroke my entrance, then push in, making me cry out. “Scream as loud as you want,” he growls. “I want to hear you come hard for me, Whitney.”
“Make me yours,” I beg. In every way. I want to be all his. I want us to be locked together, bonded, tied intricately. I need him plunging inside me, our bodies as close as two people can be.
Asher moves up my body, his mouth kissing the whole way up, his fingers still inside me. He stares down at me. “It’s only you, Whitney. It’s always been you.”
I wrap my legs around him. “Please, I need you inside me right now.”
He stops fingering me and pulls out. “I gotta go get a condom.”
“I’m on the pill.” I rub my pelvis on him, letting him feel how wet I am for him, how turned on he’s made me. “Asher, it’s only you for me, too. It’s always been you.” I’m burning alive for him, devoured by my emotions, by the intensity of the moment.
“I will never hurt you again,” he vows as he presses his cock to my pussy. When he slides inside me, we both groan. “Oh fuck, Whitney, fuck. I’ve never done this before.”
“Me neither.”
Being each other’s firsts in this makes me feel like we’re sharing something powerful. Sacred. Asher looks down at me, reverent, stroking my hair as he withdraws and pushes back inside me again. Soon though, his arousal begins to spike, and he starts to thrust harder.
I dig my heels into his ass, urging him to ride me. “Yes,” I pant. “I want it.”
Asher tunnels his hand in my hair and yanks my head back, exposing my throat to him. “Yeah? You need me to fuck this pussy, kitten? Fill you with my come? You want it dripping down your thighs?”
The dirty words spur me on. I arch my breasts toward him, and he takes the hint, leaning down to bite my breast right above my nipple. I howl at the flash of pain, and then he sucks the flesh into his mouth and laves kisses all over it.
My orgasm is edging close. Asher’s hand tightens in my hair. He’s pounding me so hard he’s almost hitting my cervix. The sensation of his pelvis thrusting against my clit, the cock stroking my inner walls, it pushes me right to the edge.
Then he bites my chin between his teeth, and I shatter, my world focused on the orgasm that spreads like wildfire through my torso and limbs, and I cry out and buck beneath him, writhing like an animal.
“Yes, baby, fuck,” he growls as he moves to suck on my throat. “God yes, come all over my cock for me.”
I dig my nails into his back so hard that he flinches and makes a guttural sound. He shudders, pushes deep in me, and then his back is a board and he’s crying out.
“Whitney!” he says as he spills his seed inside me. “God, fuck, yes, fuck—” His words cut off in an inarticulate groan.
As our orgasms ebb, we lie there on his floor, our bodies tangled. My heart is racing so hard I know he can feel it, and I feel his heartbeat hammering against my chest, too. Our breaths are ragged, shallow, our skin slick with sweat.
Asher pulls out and then curls on my side. “Holy shit.”
I give a weak laugh. “Holy shit is right.” That was the most powerful sex I’ve ever had in my life. “I think we moved a mountain.”
Asher looks at me, a cocky grin on his face. “I hope that answers the question of whether or not I still want you.”
I roll my eyes and laugh louder. “Duly noted.”
Asher draws me closer and nestles me against his chest. I rest my head on his shoulder, wrap my arms around him, savor the feeling of our bodies together. The way we belong. “I love you with everything in me, Whitney,” he says. “I need you. And I’ll try my best to never let you down again. You mean the world to me.”
I kiss his chin, his jaw, his throat. “I love you too, Asher.”
We lay on the floor for a while, connected, spent, glowing in the aftermath of our insanely hot sex. And for the first time in what feels like forever, I’m home, right here in his arms. This is where I’m supposed to be. This is my path.
I can have everything I’ve ever wanted.
Asher
Three months later
“Thank fuck, finally,” I declare as I push the building door open and step into the courtyard. The semester is over. I worked my ass off to keep my grades high, and Coach is excited for us to start practicing this summer.
But first, I’m going home to Rock Bridge for the weekend. It’s been several months since I’ve seen my family except for a quick weekend when I came home for the baby’s birth, and I miss them.
I actually miss them.
We’ve stayed in touch, with Mom keeping me updated on how Rock Bridge is. She’s actually pretty funny, something I’ve discovered during our frequent talks.
Whitney, sitting on a park bench where she was waiting for me to finish my final, claps when she sees my shit-eating grin and takes my hand. I press a kiss to her palm, and she sighs. “Excited for summer break much?”
“I’m excited to have a full summer of fucking your brains out,” I tell her. Yesterday, we moved her belongings into my apartment. Next week, we’re going to pick out some décor, since according to her, I kinda suck at making a house feel like a home. Guess the bland walls and brown blanket in the bedroom aren’t working for her. I laughed and told her to decorate to her heart’s content.
This morning, I woke up with my girl beside me, and I knew I was the luckiest fuck in the world. I spent far too long lingering in bed, staring down at her, touching her soft hair. Everything could have gone so wrong. I could have stayed the way I was, a total fucking mess, fucking everything in my life up.
But I took a chance. I stepped out of my comfort zone. I made changes. And it paid off in the best way.
Whitney and I walk toward our apartment—since the weather is nice in early May, we walked to school. I reach down and squeeze her ass, and she laughs, tossing me a side eye. “You’re feeling frisky today, aren’t you.”
I growl into her ear, “You have no idea.”
“I can’t wait to see the baby,” she says with a smile. Whitney had a big paper to write, so she didn’t get to come back to Rock Bridge with me before.
We enter the apartment, and as always, I press her back against the door once we’re inside and kiss her until she’s sagging against me. I can’t get enough of her taste. Her soft moans. The sensation of her breasts swelling and arching toward me. She lets me know in every way how much she wants me.
“If we don’t hurry, we’re going to be late,” she murmurs.
“Who cares?” I run kisses down her throat and then take a nibble. She sucks in a shaky breath and digs her hands into my hair to press my mouth harder on her.
My baby loves me being rough.
I give a growl of satisfaction and bite the delicate flesh, savoring her delicious shudder. When I drop to my knees and mouth her mound through her thin skirt, she says, “Oh God, Asher. You’re going to make me come if you keep that up.”
I slide a hand under her skirt, push her panties to the side. “Fuck,” I say in wonder. “You’re already so wet for me, kitten. I bet I can make you come in under a minute.”
Her knees begin to shake as I thrust my fingers into her, fucking her pussy and grinding the heel of my hand against her clit. She leans back against the door, panting.
I feel the telltale swelling of her cunt, the gush of liquid that coats my fingers, and I work my hand faster, harder. When I reach up to flick her nipple through her thin shirt, she gasps, and that does it.
Her entire body trembles with her orgasm. I hike her skirt up and lean forward to suck every drop of juice from her. Fuck, she tastes like ambrosia, like sin, like every sexy dream I’ve ever had. I’m addicted to her.
Her knees begin to sag, and I straighten and press against her to keep her from falling.
“Fuck,” I breathe. I kiss her mouth, and she gives a delicate mewl at the contact, at tasting herself on me. “You drive me crazy. I’m fucking you so hard tonight.”
“Yes,” she says. “Please. I need it.”
It takes strength to push away from her, but I release her from the door and walk into the bedroom. Toss some belongings in a bag, then my toiletries. Whitney has a shit-eating grin on her face as she does the same.
“Feeling good, kitten?” I ask, almost laughing.
“You already know I am.” She shoves her shoulder against mine. “Do you need me to feed your ego even more?”
“It doesn’t hurt to pump it up a little sometimes. Positive reinforcement is useful to encouraging behavior you approve of.”
She shakes her head and laughs. “Oh, you don’t get to use that against me, sir. I was in psychology, too.”
Whitney and I finish packing and make record time loading the car. We take the hour-long drive to Rock Bridge, the windows down, music pouring through the speakers.
“Hey, will you text my mom that we’re on our way?” I ask her. My mom. It’s still kind of surreal to say that. After two decades of her being gone, she’s now a part of my life.
Whitney grabs her phone and grins as she fires off a text. After a moment, it dings. “She says hurry, that we’re missing all the baby cuddling time.”
I groan. “God, I wonder when she’s gonna aim that baby fever at me. She needs to talk to Smith and Aubrey first—they’re already hitched and don’t have any kids yet.” I’ve learned that my mom is typical in many ways, including her desire to be a grandma multiple times over. While she hasn’t started in yet on me and Whitney, she has made it known…a lot…that she’s thrilled we’re together.
The drive home is peaceful. Whitney’s fingers are interlaced with mine, and we settle into a comfortable silence, listening to music and looking out the windows. Buds are erupting on trees, and new grass is poking through the ground. Green everywhere.
It feels like a new beginning.
I finally cross into Rock Bridge, and Whitney shifts in her seat. “I’m ready to get home,” she says. “I didn’t realize how much I’d miss everyone.” She’s kept in contact with her parents, talking to them regularly. But I know she’s looking forward to spending time with them.
“We can come back any time you want,” I tell her, squeezing her hand. “We’re only an hour away. It’s an easy drive.”
She looks over at me, and I shoot her a smile. “God, I love you.”
My grin grows wider. “I love you too, kitten.”
We pass the diner. Foley’s Sports Bar. The drive-in movies. The high school. All the things that glued me and her together in the past. The town that brought us to the place we are now I’m glad I’m back in school. But I’m also glad I moved back home for a while. Because coming back to win Whitney was the smartest thing I ever did.
When we get to Outlaws, it’s early afternoon. My stomach growls, and I pull into the parking lot. “I’m hungry enough to eat a fucking elephant.”
She laughs. “I’m hungry, too. Knowing your family, there will be a ton of food set up.”
We decided to have a little party to celebrate everything—me finishing my second-to-last semester of school. Whitney finishing her first semester. Baby Kennedy Beckett being born. Mom enrolling herself in an online course to work on getting her associate’s degree. Things are looking up for the Becketts, that’s for sure.
When we come through the door, I see my family milling around. Aubrey is curled against Smith’s side, and they’re both leaning on the bar. He’s gazing down at her, love clear in his eyes, and he rubs her side and kisses her brow.
Jax is holding Kennedy in his arms, bouncing him up and down and cooing. Who the fuck would have guessed my brother would be so good with babies? Brooklyn is sitting in a chair beside them, peering up at her family.
Mom is on Brooklyn’s other side, taking pictures with her phone. When she sees me and Whitney, she stands and says, “Hey, they’re here!”
Her first action is to come over and give me a big hug. Her walking is still a little stiff after her accident, but physical therapy has helped her come a long way. She’s hardly limping at all.
Mom
wraps her arms around me, squeezes. “So glad to have you back, Asher.”
It’s still so odd to me to have her here, to be touching her. But I’m getting more used to it. I hug her back and let myself really feel the moment. I give her a big squeeze, enough to make her gasp a laugh. “Go sit down, Mom. Do you need something? Want me to get you a drink?”
Mom waves her hand. “You spoil me, son. I’m fine. Go say hi to your brothers.” She reaches over and takes Whitney’s hand, hugging her too. “We’re glad to have you here,” she murmurs at my girlfriend.
They continue talking. I walk over to Jax and look down at my nephew. He has the Beckett hair, dark blond, his brilliant green eyes peering up at me. When he sees me, he smiles.
“Look at him. He loves me already.” I reach over and take him in my arms. He’s so light I’m almost afraid I’m going to drop him. I clutch him to me.
“Don’t be flattered. He smiles like that when he has to fart,” Jax says.
I shoot him a glare. “Don’t be a fucking ass,” I start to say, and then I stop when I feel a rumbling against my arm. Well, dammit. He was right.
Jax roars with laughter. “See? I told you. This baby has my gas.” He pats his belly.
Brooklyn reaches up and swats him. “Don’t be gross.”
I walk with Kennedy in my arms over to Aubrey and give her a one-armed hug. “Good to see you,” I tell her.
“You look like a natural with a baby,” she says with a wink.
“Very funny.” I shake my head then clap Smith on the back. “Hi, brother.”
“Hey,” he says, clapping me back. “Glad you made it in, fucker.”
“You’re saying fucker, but you’re really telling me you love me,” I joke.
Whitney appears by my side, and when she sees Kennedy, she gasps and touches his small forehead. “Oh God, he’s so precious and so perfect.” She looks up at me, tears in her eyes. “He looks so much like you guys. You have strong genes. Look at his chin. His eyes.” She draws her lower lip between her teeth and looks back at Brooklyn. “I’m so happy for you. He’s beautiful.”