Nodding, Asher rose from his seat and came to stand beside me at mine. He was protecting me, even as we sat in the relative safety of our stakeout spot inside the mostly-empty café. He placed his hand on my shoulder. His fingers curled, not so much to hurt, but enough for me to feel his presence.
“Over my dead body,” Asher snapped. “That sounds like a great idea,” Joseph said, flashing his teeth. He jumped forward with the knife. “Asher!” I gasped. Asher jumped out of the way, snatched Joseph by the wrist, and disarmed him. The knife clattered away against the concrete sidewalk. Jose
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
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.
“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.
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 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
“’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