“I hope you’re hungry, Mya. I took the liberty of making us all some lunch.”
“Oh, you didn’t have to do that, Mrs.... Julia.”
Asher moved to my side, taking my hand as we followed his mom further into their huge house. “Thirty minutes,” he whispered against my ear. “She gets you for thirty minutes and then you’re all mine.”
Desire licked up my spine but it was nothing compared to how my heart went haywire when he kissed the sensitive skin beneath my ear. “Ash...” I breathed, shooting him a look that said, ‘behave’.
He slowed our pace a little, waiting for his mom to disappear into the kitchen. Then he pressed me against the wall, pinning my hands at either side of my head. “You want me to behave when all I can think about is being inside you again?” Asher’s eyes turned as dark as night. “You drive me crazy, Mya.” He leaned in, flicking his tongue against my damp skin, dragging it up toward my jaw, setting off a flight of butterflies in my stomach.
“Ash, we should—”
His mouth crashed down on mine, hard and demanding. I melted against him, my lips parting with surprise, letting his tongue invade my mouth. Asher rolled his hips into me, swallowing my soft moans.
“Asher, Mya?”
“Shit,” he rasped as I gently pushed him away, trying to catch my breath.
“Thirty minutes,” I said, willing my heart to calm down.
“Thirty minutes,” he repeated, heaving a deep sigh, his eyes still burning into mine. Silently promising me so many things. Things I’d thought I didn’t want but craved so intensely I felt a little lightheaded.
We could manage thirty minutes without tearing each other’s clothes off, couldn’t we?
But as Asher took my hand again, his fingers brushing mine, I knew he wasn’t the only one who was going to suffer over lunch.
I already missed his intense touch.
“There you two lovebirds are.” Mrs. Bennet gave us a wistful smile as we entered the kitchen. “Sit, sit. This food won’t eat itself.”
“It looks amazing, thank you so much,” I said, letting Asher pull out my chair and help me get seated. Something I’m not sure had ever happened in my entire life.
Once we had our plates loaded, Mrs. Bennet started with the questions. “So, Mya, what colleges are you applying to?”
My eyes flicked to Asher and back again. “I’ve applied to Temple University and two out of state schools. Michigan and Cleveland.” I knew Asher was supposed to be going to Pittsburgh. I also knew Cleveland was only about a two-hour drive from there.
I also knew it was far too soon to be thinking about any of this.
“Cleveland, how lovely,” she said, smiling knowingly, as if she knew exactly what I was thinking. “Pittsburgh is only about a two-hour ride from Cleveland, if I’m correct.” Mrs. Bennet gave her son a meaningful glance, but Asher didn’t share her enthusiasm.
My heart sank.
“Mom,” he ground out, rubbing a hand over his face. “Can we not do this?”
“What? I’m just making polite conversation.”
“I haven’t made any decisions,” I rushed out, no longer hungry. Asher’s eyes burned into the side of my head, but I couldn’t look at him.
“Of course,” Mrs. Bennet added, sensing the sudden tension settling over us. “It’s a big decision and you have plenty of time. Unlike Asher who’s been destined for Pittsburgh his whole life.”
Steeling myself, I finally met his eyes. His face was pale, drained of blood and humor. His eyes so full of pain my heart ached for him. “Yep,” defeat clung to his voice, “Pittsburgh here I come. Go Panthers.”
Mrs. Bennet sniffled, clearing her throat. “Excuse me, I need to use the bathroom.” She hurried away from the table, leaving me and Asher sitting there, staring at each other, neither of us able to find the words to fill the silence.
“You really applied to Cleveland?” he finally asked, surprising me.
“It’s one of my choices, yeah.”
“You never said anything.”
“You never asked.” We hadn’t gotten that far yet; sharing our hopes and dreams for the future. But I guess that’s what happened when you were so caught up in defending your present to everyone around you; you didn’t think much past tomorrow or the next day or the one after that.
Silence filled the space between us again. I didn’t really understand what was happening, but everything felt wrong. Reality forcing its way into the cracks of our new relationship, pushing us further apart.
“I’m sorry,” Asher’s voice punctuated the air. “I didn’t mean… shit, Mya, I don’t know what I’m doing here. I thought we could have lunch with my mom and everything would be okay. But he’s always there, standing over my shoulder, pushing me toward the future he wants for me.”
“It’s okay.” I reached across the table and held out my hand. Asher slid his palm against mine, exhaling a shaky breath, his eyes shuttering.
“I should let you go.” He might as well have reached inside me and grabbed my heart. “I shouldn’t drag you into this shit with my dad. It’s only going to get worse.” Asher’s eyes flicked to the door his mom had disappeared through.
“I’m right here,” I said. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“Mya, I said I should let you go, not that I will. I’m too selfish to give this thing up. I need you.”
I need you.
Three little words I’d heard before. Three little words that, in the end, weren’t enough. This time was different though. I had to believe this time was different. That those three little words were enough.
That I was enough.
That how we felt about each other would be enough.
Asher’s room looked different in daylight. It was as big as I remembered, but now I could take a proper look at his space, while he made himself comfortable on the bed.
“I’m over here and you’re all the way over there.” Asher stuck his lip out, pouting dramatically.
“I want to know you.”
“You can learn everything you need to know about me over here.” His brow waggled suggestively as he patted the space beside him. I ignored him, running my fingers over a shelf full of football trophies and awards.
“Football really is at the heart of Rixon, isn’t it?” Picking up a small bronze statue, I brought it closer to inspect the engraving plate.
“MVP for my Pee-Wee team. I was twelve.” His warm breath danced over my skin, making me shiver.
“I thought you were staying over there?” My gaze went to the bed.
“Why would I be over there, when you’re over here?” Asher kissed the sliver of bare skin along my shoulder. “Football is my past; I think I’ve finally accepted that.” He took the statue from me. “I’m going to play one last time with my team and then I’m going to focus on other things. Like you.” Leaning around me, he placed the trophy back in its rightful place before turning me in his arms.
“But you love football,” I said. “Maybe there’s a compromise? Maybe you can have both. Football and—”