by L A Cotton
“That’s what you’re taking from this?” Asher gawked at me.
“You bring girls here a lot?”
“Are you kidding me right now? You followed me here.”
“I didn’t... it doesn’t matter.” I grabbed my bag. “I should go.”
“Mya come on, we should talk about what just happened.”
“Nothing happened.” I stood up but Asher caught my hand.
“I’ll let you run, for now.” His thumb smoothed over the curve of my fingers and I suppressed a shiver. “But this thing between you and me, it’s only a matter of time.”
I walked away and didn’t look back. Even though I felt his eyes burning into me every step of the way.
Chapter Six
Asher
“Why the fuck is your house full of people?” Jason hissed.
“Nice to see you too, man.”
“I thought it was just going to be the six of us?”
My eyes went over to where Hailee and Cameron were greeting a very confused looking Felicity. “It was, but then Dad called and said they couldn’t make it home, so... party central at your service.”
“You okay?” He eyed me carefully. “You seem... wound up.”
“Me? I’m fine. Nothing a little shot of Tequila won’t fix. Am I right?” I hollered and the house exploded with cheers as people raised their cups and beers, fist pumping the air like they were at a Black Hearts Still Beat concert.
“You could have given us a heads up. I’d rather not entertain the masses tonight.”
“You’re still pissed about the exhibition game?”
“I just thought it was going to be low key. The three of us and the girls.” His eyes flicked over to where Flick stood.
“Something going on with the two of you?” I asked. He seemed off, and if it wasn’t the game, it only left a handful of things. Felicity was at the top of the list.
“Nah, we’re good.”
As if she heard him, Flick came over to us, tucking herself into Jason’s side. “This is... wow. I was not expecting this tonight.”
“School’s out for the holidays. It’s almost a new year. Graduation is right around the corner. What’s not to celebrate?” I shrugged.
“Are you okay?” she narrowed her eyes at me.
“Jeez, what is up with everyone? Can’t a guy be psyched for the holidays?”
“Asher,” Felicity edged closer to me, laying a hand on my arm. “You can talk to us… if something’s wrong.”
Just then the front door opened and another swarm of people poured in. It was getting rowdy but I hadn’t exactly considered the consequences after the strained conversation with my father. His parting words had been to keep things respectable if I had friends over. But all I’d heard was, ‘throw the biggest fucking party you can’. Because this—rebelling against his orders—was the only way I maintained a tiny bit of control over my life. But no one knew that. Because I was Asher fucking Bennet.
Mr. Popular.
Skilled athlete.
Notorious flirt.
And persistent joker.
I was the life and soul of the party. Not the fun sponge, absorbing the good times away, and bringing the mood down.
“Duty calls,” I said to my friends, unable to stand their looks of concern for a second longer.
Tonight was about celebrating.
It was about getting wasted and having fun.
But most of all, it was about sticking it to the man I called Dad and the future he had all laid out for me.
“Don’t you think you’ve had enough?”
Cameron eyed the cup in my hand, and I raised it into the air; liquor—vodka, tequila, whisky, I’d lost count of what I was drinking—sloshing up the sides.
“Oopsie,” I hiccupped before chugging down the rest of it. “Now, I’ve had enough.” Wiping my mouth with the back of my hand, I strained my eyes to see better. Everything was spinning.
Whoa.
Why the fuck was everything spinning?
“Maybe it’s time to—”
“Party!” I yelled, grabbing the nearest body to me and thrusting its arm in the air. A girl’s laughter washed over me.
“Hey, Asher,” she said.
“Hey... uh...”
“Lucy.”
“Lucy, hey.” I smiled, turning on the Asher Bennet charm. “How about me and you—”
“Okay, that’s enough.” A heavy arm landed on my shoulder, pulling me away from the pretty blonde and marching me down the hall.
“Hey, man, I was just about to—”
“Hit on your teammate’s girl?”
“Shit, that was Felicity? I didn’t—”
“Jesus, how much have you had to drink? It wasn’t Felicity; it was Lucy, Peterman’s girlfriend.”
“Fuck,” I slurred.
“Yeah, fuck.” Cameron manhandled me into the bathroom at the back of the house. I stumbled onto the toilet and dropped my head into my hands.
“Everything’s spinning.”
“I’m not surprised. Ready to tell me what’s really going on?”
“What do you mean?”
“The party. You drinking your way through your dad’s liquor cabinet like you’re on a one-way mission to getting your stomach pumped.”
“We’re celebrating.”
“Celebrating, you really expect me to believe that? I know you, Asher, and something’s up.”
“You think you know...” I grumbled, swaying slightly. My hand shot out, steadying me. “You haven’t got any idea what it’s like sometimes.”
“So talk to me, man. I’m right here.”
“It’s my...” I slumped off the toilet and yanked the lid up just in time to empty my stomach contents into the bowl.
“I’ll get you some water.” The door opened and closed as Cam left me to nurse a stomachache—and my pride—on the expensive floor tiles.
After flushing the toilet, I managed to pull a hand towel off the rail and turn on the faucet. I cleaned my face and laid down on the tiles as the room spun around me.
When the door opened again, I held out my hand, not bothering to open my eyes.
“Here.”
Shit.
That wasn’t Cameron.
“Thanks.” I took the bottle from Mya and dragged myself into a seated position. The water tasted like shit going down, but it soothed my throat.
“When did you get here?” Mya hadn’t arrived with Felicity and I hadn’t seen her all night. Unless...
“I’ve been here long enough.”
Fuck.
“Want to talk to about it?”
“Is that why Cameron sent you in here?” I peeked up at her. “To try to coax the truth out of me?”
“No, I offered.”
“Why? I’m no one to you, right?”
“Asher, that’s not fair.” Mya perched on the edge of the bathtub.
My friends didn’t live in houses like this. Houses with an excessive number of bathrooms and guest rooms and jet skis on the lake. But their jealousy was misplaced because what they didn’t know was, money meant fuck all when it came at a price.
A price I’d never asked to pay but had to anyway.
“No? Well life isn’t fucking fair.” I closed my eyes, bringing a hand to my head, hoping the room would stop spinning.
“What am I going to do with you?” Mya sounded closer. She was closer. I felt her fingers on my forehead, softly brushing the hair from my face.
My eyes snapped open, my fingers curling around hers. “What are you doing?” I ground out, hating that I sounded like an ungrateful bastard. But her touch was like kryptonite. Hitting me right where it hurt most—my heart.
“Just because we can’t be together doesn’t mean I don’t care about you. Now stop being a stubborn ass and let me help you.”
Mya gently pulled me up until I was sitting. I still felt as sick as a dog but at least everything was stationary now. “Cameron and Jason must really hate me, huh
?”
“Hate you?” Her brown eyes softened. “Those guys love you like a brother. You’re lucky to have them.”
“Right, that’s me, Asher Lucky Bennet.”
Shit, I’d heard that one too many times over the years.
You’re lucky to have this life. This house, and everything that comes with it.
Don’t be so sensitive, Asher, you’re lucky to have parents who can provide for you.
You’re lucky I’m allowing you to play football at all.
“Did something happen, Asher? Because you’re not making any sense.”
“I drank most of my old man’s liquor cabinet. I don’t even know what day it is right now.”
Lies.
It was all lies. I knew exactly where I was, what day it was, and who was here with me. But I didn’t want Mya to see behind my façade. Behind the guy everyone loved.
Because I knew she might not like what she found.
“Come on, I think the party’s over.” Mya stood up and held out her hand, waiting for me to give her mine.
The second our skin slid together, I felt it. The electricity. The connection. It simmered between us. Hooking my other arm around her waist, I pulled her flush against me and pressed my head to hers. “Tell me you don’t feel that?”
“Asher…” Mya’s eyes shuttered as she sucked in a harsh breath.
“Tell me.”
“I… I feel it.” She sounded so resigned. So sad. “But it doesn’t change anything.”
“Because I’m white? Because you think I give a shit about that?”
“Not just that, no. We come from different worlds, Asher. I have… nothing, and you have everything.”
My eyes closed, swallowing down the bitterness. She didn’t get it. No one did. Because, on the face of it, I had the nice house and rich parents, and the Raiders jersey on my back. I was supposed to be grateful. I couldn’t possibly know hardship.
Easing back to look her in the eyes, I let out a heavy sigh. “I thought you of all people might look past all that stuff. I thought you might see me.”
“You’re talking in riddles, Asher, and your breath smells like something died.” Mya’s hands pressed against my chest, the corner of her mouth tipping in a small smile. But I knew she wasn’t pushing me away because I had puke-breath, she was keeping me at a safe distance.
“I’m not,” I whispered. “You just need to look harder.”
“You think you can stand?” Mya asked me and I grinned.
“I’m not falling at your feet... yet.”
“Even drunk you’re insufferable. Wait here, okay? I’ll be right back.”
Satisfied I was propped up against the counter, Mya yanked the door open and ducked into the hall. Part of me wondered if she was doing a runner, getting as far away from me as possible. But the other part, the part clinging to the idea of there being an us one day, was hardly surprised when she reappeared.
She felt it.
Mya felt this thing growing between us.
I just had to get her to see it was worth taking a chance on.
“Jason and Cameron are going to close the party down. Come on...”
“You trying to get into my room, Hernandez?” I looked at her with a lazy smile. She rolled her eyes not giving me an answer.
I figured it was better than an outright rejection.
Hand wrapped around mine, Mya led us into the already emptying hall. Fortunately for me, we were able to slip up the second, less used set of stairs without anyone noticing.
“Which one is your room?”
“Mya I’m quite capable of getting to my own room.”
She let go of my hand and gave me a pointed look. I took a small step and another but before I knew it, I staggered forward almost crashing into the wall.
Except Mya broke my fall.
“You were saying?” There was a teasing note in her voice, but her eyes held a glint of concern I didn’t want to see there.
“I’m never going to live this down, am I?”
“Oh, I don’t know about that, Mr. Football Hotshot. Come on.” She held out her hand again and I took it, relishing the way her skin felt against mine. So warm. So soft and smooth.
So right it left me a little breathless.
“I’m not tucking you in,” Mya threw over her shoulder. “So don’t get any ideas.”
Pouting, I let her pull me along the hall to my room. “You know,” she said, “I don’t think I’ve ever been in a house so big.”
“What’s home like? Your home in Philly?”
“It’s not like this, that’s for sure.” Mya pushed open the door and found the light switch, but I said, “Don’t. I just want to get into bed and forget this ever happened.”
Mya guided me over to the bed and I flipped down onto it face first. Her amused laughter echoed in my skull. “I’ll get you some water and Advil.”
I don’t know how many minutes passed before she returned, the liquor-haze making me heavy, pushing me toward the edge of oblivion.
“Asher?” Her voice pulled me back into consciousness and I rolled over, cracking an eye open.
“Thanks,” I said, eyeing the bottle of water, box of pills, and gum.
“You should get some rest. I’ll—"
“Stay, you should stay.”
“Asher, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“You’re right, it’s not. It’s probably the worst idea I’ve ever had.” I pushed up onto my elbows, kicking off my sneakers.
Mya hesitated, her eyes glittering with indecision. She wanted to go, that much was obvious. But something made her stay.
Padding over to the door, she closed it, before moving to the two-seater couch pushed up against the wall.
“You’re not sleeping there,” I said, suddenly feeling very awake.
“Who said anything about sleeping? I’ll sit for a little while and make sure you’re okay.”
“I think the chances of me hurting myself in my sleep are pretty slim.”
“You might choke on your own puke.”
My stomach lurched and I grimaced. “That is...”
“Disgusting?” Mya smirked.
“Can we pretend you didn’t see me half-passed out earlier, hugging the toilet bowl?”
“Too late,” she replied.
“You’re loving this, aren’t you?” I groaned, tipping my head back and taking in a deep breath. “This was so not how I saw this going.” The words came out small.
The bed dipped beside me and Mya’s hand rested on my arm. “What happened tonight, Asher?”
Our eyes collided.
Time stopped.
It would have been so easy to tell her, to let her see inside the guy with the world at his feet.
“I... My dad called, it was a rough conversation.”
Her brows furrowed. “You threw an impromptu party and then got ass over elbow drunk because of some argument with your dad?”
“Well, when you say it like that...” Strangled laughter spilled out of me, but it quickly died when I felt my stomach churn again. “Fuck.” I clambered off the bed, making a beeline for the bathroom adjoining my room, leaving Mya, and all thoughts of my dad behind.
Chapter Seven
Mya
“How is he?” Felicity asked as I entered the kitchen. Jason and Cameron had cleared the house in less than thirty minutes and were now bagging up all the empties while Hailee and Felicity wiped the counters.
“He’s finally asleep.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen him like that,” she said.
“I’m going to help the guys.” Hailee gave me a smile before leaving us alone.
“What do you know about Asher’s parents?”
“His parents?” Flick frowned. “They’re mega rich.” She glanced around the huge kitchen as if a person’s worth amounted to state-of-the-art appliances and sparkling marble counters.
“Yeah, but what do you know about them? Like, why are they never
around?”
“His dad is in the tech business. Developed some security system for rich celebrity types. So he’s away a lot schmoozing them and having meetings, I guess.”
“So you don’t really know?”
“I... I never really thought about it. It’s just always how it’s been. They’re good people though. You know they gave Cameron a room here for when he needed to get away from his family, and Mrs. Bennet used to help his mom out with Xander.”
Xander, Cameron’s little brother, was the cutest kid I’d ever seen, but it didn’t explain anything about Mr. and Mrs. Bennet.
“So they were around more when Asher was younger?”
“They went to his games when they could, but they’ve always travelled a lot.”
“Both of them? Doesn’t that seem a little weird to you?”
“Where’s all this coming from, Mya? Jason and Cameron seem to respect Mr. and Mrs. Bennet. They’re pretty cool parents. If you ask me, Asher’s lucky to have them.”
Lucky to have them.
Asher had mumbled something similar. But he was so wasted it was hard to decipher what was real and what was the liquor talking.
A couple of beats passed before Flick said, “You think something happened with his dad?”
“I’m not sure. He wasn’t making a lot of sense. Hey, don’t tell Jason any of this, okay? I’m not sure Asher will remember any of tonight and I don’t want to seem like I’m poking my nose in where it doesn’t belong.”
“I would never...”
“I know.”
“What will you do?”
“I’m not sure yet. Part of me wants to dig around and find out what’s going on with him, but the other part...”
“Is scared?” Her brow arched.
“I’m not—”
“You like him, don’t you?”
“Felicity, come on. You know I’m not looking for that.”
“I know, but sometimes it comes whether you want it or not.”
“I don’t want to give him the wrong idea about us.”
“Asher is a good guy, Mya. He would never hurt you.” The unspoken words glittered in her eyes.
“It could never work,” I said, mentally running over all the reasons me and Asher were a terrible idea.
