I wasn’t terribly impressed with Aimee’s ex, Brent. He was handsome enough, I supposed, and had nice, long blond hair. But the obvious greed in his gaze was off-putting, and I didn’t much care for the calculating way he sized up Asher. Asher, for his part, seemed thoroughly disinterested in anythi
Asher didn’t owe me anything. But as the father of my baby, Joseph did. I had agreed to meet with Joseph to set things straight. I still felt bad for what happened the other day outside of the bus. He had said horrible things to me, but… he might have been right about my feelings for Asher. I
Returning from my dinner with Joseph, I moved my feet slower than before. The weight of his words, like the weight of this new pendant on my neck, dragged me down. I had hoped to set things right between us. I supposed this necklace gift was a part of that. But more and more, I felt like I was the
So I lifted my chin, and told Asher, “No.” His eyes narrowed, and his jaw locked. But he didn’t demand again. His mask slipped for just a moment, and among the anger that furrowed his brow, I could have sworn I saw a dash of hurt in his eyes. But when I blinked, any trace of feeling had vanished a
Aimee was so stubborn in her blind defense of Brent. Was I the same with Joseph? I suspected I might know the answer, and it scared me. No, we had to be different, right? If we weren’t… If Joseph never changed… I couldn’t bear to think of it. Yet looking at Joseph’s necklace around my neck, all I
If I could snap her out of her blind loyalty to Brent, maybe she wouldn’t be so trapped in the past, and would be able to move forward with her own life. I met Asher outside of his dorm. When I’d mentioned my plans for the night on the phone, he’d insisted on joining me. Together, we walked to Bre
Asher planted hot, open-mouth kisses up and down the column of my neck. Both of his arms were solid around my waist, keeping me firmly locked against the hard lines of his body. I clutched at his shoulders, bunching his shirt in my fists. I was grateful to have something to hold onto, and for him t
I couldn’t believe my eyes, despite what was in front of me. Asher, or rather, an apparition of him, partially see-through and glowing. “How is this possible?” I whispered, as if speaking too loudly would make him disappear. “Asher?” “It’s not the real him,” Lilith said. “This is merely a projecti
“Please.” That all sounded so good. I wanted it. I wanted everything. He stood to kick off the rest of his clothes. I watched, my mouth watering as he exposed his dick. He was so big, so hard just for me. Carefully, he moved me how he wanted me, stretching out my legs farther, and then slipped
Asher guided me back into the bedroom. As I stood near the bed, he walked behind me and slowly tugged down the zipper of my dress. His knuckles traced the newly-revealed skin inch by inch, following down the length of my spine. When the zipper had lowered as much as it could go. He spread his hand
I held my breath as Dylan threw the first punch. Asher dodged back and Dylan’s fist flew through the open air. Asher then stepped forward, ready to retaliate. Dylan backpedaled, placing a few feet between them again. In a flash, Dylan moved close again. His speed was lightning-quick. I barely even
“’Might?’” He squeezed me gently. “It will be fine. Trust me.” I did trust him, with my life and more. But… this was my brother. My brother and the love of my life were about to fight a challenge with yet unknown terms that would undoubtedly involve me and my baby. I couldn’t help but be a b
I opened my mouth to begin to explain, but the truth seemed worse than even Dylan’s worst assumptions. No, Asher isn’t the father of my baby. The father is actually a terrible person who is now in prison. But Dylan wasn’t waiting for me to figure out a softer way to explain, and Asher was no hel
On the evening of the Academy’s winter dance, I slipped into my shining purple gown and checked myself out in the bathroom mirror. Gone were the days when I could pass as not pregnant. Now, my bump was a distinctive round bulge, pressing out the front of my gown – which I had bought in the materni
“I… um…” I had no idea how to answer Dylan. Panic set in, sending my heart into overdrive. Should I admit to Asher being beside me? It was getting late at night. Surely Dylan would have follow-up questions. Like, why was Asher in my room after dark. “Oh, shit, I have to go,” Dylan said suddenly.
Asher’s words stole my breath away. For a long moment, I simply stared at him, desire coiling inside of me. He stared back, his blue eyes deep as the ocean. I swallowed thickly. I couldn’t wait to go home with him and see all of his promises in action. Nancy cleared her throat from the doorway.
The real Asher was safely behind the line of fake wolves. He glanced back at me in concern. I understood his worry. Holding this many projections was a strain. But I was done running. I was done standing back. Joseph would lose. And I would help bring him down. In the circle, Joseph started to