His hair was windswept and wild. His chest heaved from running. With one look at me, he rushed to my side and pulled me into his arms. “I’m here,” he said. Was I still saying his name? “You’re safe now.” That couldn’t be true. I had blood under my fingernails. “That other girl’s fine,” Ash
Make your choice. “That’s enough,” Asher growled. He stepped away from me, toward Nurse Irene. I grabbed his arm, keeping him from lunging. “How dare you threaten her?” “It’s not a threat. It’s a choice.” Nurse Irene backed away so that the bed was between her and Asher. “You think I’m not putti
“The baby is okay,” she said, and I exhaled in relief. “You and Lilith protected them. I’ve already had a few strong words with the girl who tried her luck against you.” Asher emitted a low growl from the back of his throat. “I spoke with her briefly. It seems there was a rumor about you being p
I had a couple of days before the next cheerleading practice, so I took that time to try and decide what I should do. I still wasn’t sure if I should come clean with the squad about being pregnant, or just deny everything and hope they didn’t report me. While I decided, I tried my best to continue
I agreed. And knowing the rumors were spreading made my stomach sink a little. But having Nicole here beside me, defending me like we were friends again, eased some of that discomfort. She caught me looking at her and tilted her head. “What is it?” “I’m sorry for not telling you everything,” I s
I organized an impromptu meeting with the cheerleaders first thing the next morning. Everyone met in the gymnasium, wearing their day clothes. I hadn’t invited the trainers, wanting just to speak with my squad. When everyone arrived, I stood in front of them while they sat on the bleachers. My ner
Elena scoffed. “She wouldn’t have told us if we hadn’t found out on our own. Don’t award her a damn medal.” That was unfortunately true, so I couldn’t dispute it. “Tell us the truth now, Cynthia,” Elena said. “You are only telling us this because you want something from us.” That was also unfo
Despite my prodding, Asher refused to give me any more hints about what promises he’d want to make me in the future. He did succeed in distracting me though, by resuming his massage. When he finished, he turned away from me as I redressed. He put his own shirt on too. Then I sat on the edge of h