excerpt #1
“Lainey, what the hell is wrong with you? You hate Asher.”
I don’t hate
Asher, but that doesn’t mean there is anything going on between the two of us
either. I know I should say something to let Liam know that Asher and I are
just friends, and that is a stretch, but I don’t want to feel like this
anymore. Like my every breath hangs on Liam’s approval or that my heart beats
for his sideways glances. Maggie was right all along, I deserve to be more than
someone’s dirty little secret.
“Why does it matter? You and I are only friends. Remember?”
“I know that.” Liam huffs. “I don’t think Asher is good enough for
you.”
“Lee Lee,” Corah coos. She steps in front of him, silently demanding
his attention, but Liam looks past her. To us. “Don’t be silly. You should be
thrilled your two best friends are together. We can double date now!”
“Yeah.”Asher wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me out of
Liam’s reach. “That sounds like fun. What are you two doing next Friday night?”
Liam’s eyes widen
and then narrow on me. His reaction to double dating makes me feel like I’ve
been gutted under the weight of his gaze. I hate it. I want the strength I had
moments ago, when I shoved it in his face that he lost all say in what I do
when he made us friends. I want to be the girl who lives freely without
worrying about what a guy who never gave two shits about her, until now,
thinks. Most importantly, I want Liam to realize that he’s an idiot for giving
up on us and I think the way to do that is to make him jealous. That’s the only
logical explanation for why he’s acting this way. He’s jealous.
Maybe that’s why I
reach my hand up and cup the back of Asher’s neck.
Maybe I’m
intrigued by the tiny flutter in my stomach from when Asher’s head dips.
And maybe, just
maybe, I like the rush of adrenaline that shoots through me when Asher’s mouth
presses against mine.
The kiss lasts a
fraction of a second, but it’s long enough to set me on fire. Even without tongue,
Asher’s lips make me weak at the knees. I don’t understand why he has this
effect on me. I gave up on my pathetic excuse of a crush when he called me
shark bait, but something inside me stirs to life. Something I’m not ready to
acknowledge.
Asher pulls back
and rests his chin on my shoulder. His heart beats wildly in his chest, and
mine mimics the rhythm. Hard thumps. Fast thrums.
“Liam,” he smirks, “it’s been fun, but there are only five minutes
left of lunch and I plan to use every minute of it. If you know what I mean.”
Excerpt 2
“If we’re going to do this, go to parties and be together outside
of school, there needs to be rules.” Because if I don’t set some kind of
guidelines, this could go horribly wrong. The last thing I need is to be caught
in a whirlwind of hormones and let Asher down my pants. I’m human. I have
needs.
But not with him.
“Rules are meant to be broken.”
“Asher,” I warn. He may be a rule-breaker, but I’m not. I’ve never
smoked a cigarette, let alone tried drugs. I’ve never stolen anything, not even
on accident; I’ve never even skipped school. Asher can break all the rules he
wants, but not when it comes to me.
“Fine. Fine.” He exhales a sigh of impatience but, judging by the
smile on his face, it's all for show. “Lay them on me.”
“I just have one.” Or ten, but I figure we should start with the
big one and add more as needed. So far, Asher has been sweet, caring, and most
importantly, respectful, but we’ve been at school. There’s only so much you can
do with hallway monitors around every corner. In the outside world, there’s no
telling what could happen, which is why I’m starting with the big one.
“Really?” One dark eyebrow arches. “I find that hard to believe.”
“Well, we’ve already kissed. So, people are going to expect more of
that and you’re not exactly known for keeping your hands to yourself.” I pause
to gauge his reaction. True or not, Asher is rumored to be as much of a player
as Liam. People may not be questioning the validity of our relationship yet,
but if we go to a party and he’s not touching me somewhere scandalous, they
will be. “So, your only rule is: above the clothes.”
Excerpt 3
I sit up and take the outstretched clothes.
Asher turns around and faces the wall. He still has his jeans and shirt on from
earlier in the night. My gaze falls to his ass, and how the denim hugs it just
perfectly. Feeling brave, I ask, “You don’t want to watch?”
Asher peeks over
his shoulder, a flash of purple meets my gaze before darting to my chest. “Do
you want me to?”
I reach back,
unclasping my bra, and let it fall to my feet. I’m not sure how much of me
Asher can see, but I hope he likes this view better than the last. I shimmy out
of my jeans and stand there in my matching lace panties. I crave the feel of
Asher’s hands. I want him to hold me and let that fire that comes from his
hands spread throughout my body. “I don’t know. Aren’t you supposed to want to
see your girlfriend naked?”
He’s quiet for a
long minute, then finally says, “Fake girlfriend.”
“Oh.” I'm gutted. It dawns on me that what I’m feeling is
one-sided and everything that happened between Asher and me tonight was for
show. I guess I can say we’ve officially crossed the line into friendship, but
aren’t going any further. Friend Zoned. “Right.”
I pull Asher’s
shirt over my head and slip my arms through the holes. It smells like what I
assume he smells like first thing in the morning, before sweat and deodorant
changes his scent, not that that's a bad fragrance. This shirt smells like
fresh laundry detergent and a hint of spicy cologne. I take a second to sniff
it again, then pull his gym shorts over my hips. They hang loose, so I roll the
waistband a few times to keep them from falling off. “Done.”
Asher turns
around. He stares at me, eyes trailing over my body, down to my toes, then up
to my face again. I’ve slipped into Liam’s shirt a few times after sex. He’d
always get the same goofy expression Asher has, one that says he likes what he
sees. I smirk, then step backward until I feel the edge of his bed behind my knees.
“I’ll… uh,” Asher stammers as a flush of pink colors his cheeks.
I bite my bottom lip to keep from grinning. I’ve never seen Asher like this
before. He seems nervous, which is crazy, because I know he’s been with other
women. Besides, it’s not like we’re about to have sex. He wouldn’t even look at
me when I gave him the chance. “I’ll take the floor. You can have the bed.”
I scoot across
the mattress, closer to the wall, then cross my legs in a sitting position.
“It’s a big bed. You don’t have to sleep down there.”
Asher sighs and
rubs the back of his neck. He looks pained and I can’t for the life of me
figure out why. “I told you I’d keep my hands to myself tonight. I don’t know
if I’ll be able to keep that promise sleeping next to you.”
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