The Bad Boy's Dance

by Vera Calloway

  Ivy climbed out of the car, leaves crunching under her boots as she circled the vehicle. Asher had rolled the sleeves of his shirt to his elbows, and Ivy had to check to make sure drool wasn’t dripping at the sight of his strong, tan forearms.

  On the left side of the car, the last tire had gone flat, and from Asher’s frustrated curses, it was a huge problem. “Don’t you have a spare?” Ivy queried, squatting to poke at the shredded tire.

  “No, that was the spare,” he pointed to the flat. “And the engine died, so we would need a jump start.”

  “How much do you want to bet that our phones have no signal right now?” Ivy sighed.

  Asher helped Ivy to her feet, his brow furrowed. “This sucks.”

  She shrugged. “I’m not too upset.”

  “You’re happy we’re stranded in the woods again?”

  Ivy hooked her arm through his as they made their way back to the main road. “No, I’m happy I get to spend more time with you.”

  Asher’s cobalt eyes softened, and a smile curved his delicious lips. “Most girls wouldn’t want to spend their Valentine’s Day walking a deserted road.”

  Ivy widened her eyes dramatically. “What? How could girls not love walking with this lovely scenery surrounding them?” she gestured to the expanse of trees surrounding them.

  “They don’t know what they’re missing,” Asher declared. He halted, stopping Ivy with him. “Hop on.”

  “Er, what?”

  “Get on my back. You keep looking at your shoes, and I’m willing to bet Dex’s life savings that your feet hurt.”

  “Asher, you’re wearing clothes that cost more than my dorm. I’m not-hey! Put me down!” she protested as he grabbed her arms and yanked her onto his back.

  “Hurry or I’ll start running!”

  Ivy wrapped her legs around his waist quickly. “You’re an ass!”

  “So I was told, about an hour ago.”

  Ivy couldn’t object to being wrapped around him like a second skin. Asher walked easily, as if having an extra hundred something on him was no biggie. His muscles flexed under her palms, and her hormonal lust returned savagely.

  “Ivy, how long is it going to be like this?” Asher asked suddenly.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, how long are we going to be so far apart? I’m tired of not being able to see you whenever I want. Phone calls aren’t enough for me. I want to be with you, angel.”

  “I want to be with you too, Asher. You have no idea how much I miss you. But what can we do? It’s the hand Fate dealt us.”

  “But don’t you ever get tired of it? Don’t you ever want more?”

  Icy terror clenched Ivy’s heart in a vise grip as his words hit her. He couldn’t be…surely he wasn’t…did he want to break up with her?

  The sky was darkening overhead, the last reddish orange rays fading in the horizon. Soon the only illumination would be from the street lamps, and Ivy wasn’t even sure how far away from town they were.

  “I do want more,” Ivy agreed carefully. “But that’s kind of impossible since you live in California.”

  “I think there’s a way we could have more with such a huge distance between us.”

  Ivy slid off his back and crossed her arms over her chest tightly. She could already feel the pain beginning to slice in her chest. How could he break up with her after everything they’d been through? And on Valentine’s Day, too? Was there someone else? The thought made her nauseous

  “Ivy, what’s wrong?”

  “Hmm, maybe the fact that you’re telling me you want to see other people?”

  Asher stopped walking, turning to gape at her. “Are you shitting me?”

  Ivy placed her hands on her hips. “What else could what you’re saying mean? We can’t have more if we live thousands of miles away from each other, so clearly you’re tired of having to stay loyal to a girlfriend so far away. So go ahead, sow your wild oats, Asher! God forbid I keep you down!”

  Asher looked utterly confused and slightly angry. “What just happened?”

  A horn blaring interrupted Ivy’s inner turmoil and jolted them both. Asher quickly yanked Ivy behind him and reached down, un-strapping the gun from his calf.

  “Really? You still do that?” Ivy hissed.

  “Stay quiet!”

  A large truck pulled to a stop beside them, and a bearded man stuck his head from the window. “Hey, you guys need any help?”

  “We’re good-” Asher started, but Ivy interrupted him.

  “Actually, our car broke down. You wouldn’t happen to be driving towards town, would you?”

  “Guess it’s your lucky day, hun. I have a delivery to make near Darwin High. You know the place?”

  “Yes! You’ll give us a ride there?”

  The driver shrugged. “Why not? And son, you might want to out that away. There are plenty of police who ain’t gonna be happy about a college student with a gun.”

  “Cops around here are practically my best friends,” Asher said sarcastically, but he returned the gun to its hidden holster.

  Ivy stared at the high seat and at her boots. Preparing to make an ungraceful leap, Ivy was surprised to feel Asher’s hands on her waist as he hoisted her up. She slid into the seat as Asher climbed in gracefully.

  “Happy Valentine’s Day, kids. Y’all look like you were headed somewhere special.”

  Neither of them spoke.

  “Trouble in paradise, huh?”

  “Were you just waiting for a chance to dump me?” Ivy asked tightly. For some reason, it felt like she could speak freely in front of the truck driver. And she knew it would make Asher uncomfortable to talk about personal matters in front of a stranger.

  Asher clenched his jaw. “Ivy, you’ve got things all wrong. We’ll talk about this later, okay?”

  “I don’t see why we shouldn’t talk about it now. You keep secrets from me all the time, but I would’ve thought you’d at least be honest about wanting to see other people.”

  This spurred Asher into responding. “I don’t keep secrets from you!”

  “Really? Then how is it I still don’t know why you vandalized that strip mall? Or why you didn’t mention you were still seeing a parole officer when we started dating?”

  “You never asked!”

  “MY BAD!”

  “Would you calm the hell down? I vandalized the strip mall because my father had just been sentenced to fifteen years in prison, and I was pissed. I was an angry teenage boy who didn’t give a fuck about how my actions affected others. I didn’t tell you I was seeing a parole officer because I was lucky that you wanted me, for some Goddamn reason. I wasn’t going to make you question it.”

  Ivy buried her face in her hands. “Asher, sometimes I legitimately wonder how you got into UCLA. You saw how messed up I was, and you thought I’d change my mind about you because you were seeing a parole officer? Seriously?”

  The truck driver, who had been silent throughout the argument, interjected. “Actually, I think he has a point. Most guys don’t believe they deserve their girl.”

  “B-but, I’m no prize! He is! Jeez, he’s considerate, sweet, gorgeous, smart…who wouldn’t want him?”

  Ivy heaved a sigh and turned towards Asher. “To be honest, I can see why you want to see other people.”

  Asher, who’d had a small smile on his face as Ivy listed his attributes, scowled. He grabbed Ivy’s chin, forcing her to gaze into his stormy cobalt peepers. “I. Do Not. Want. To See. Other. People. Do you understand?”

  She stared at him, dumbstruck.

  They were pulled from their stupor as the truck driver stopped in front of their old high school. “This is my stop. Good luck, kids,” he said gruffly.

  Asher thanked him and opened the car door, jumping down. Ivy was preparing to follow when she felt a thick hand on her elbow. The truck driver watched her shrewdly. “Tell his mother first.”

  Ivy blinked. “Um, excuse me?”

  “Ivy, c
ome on. Take my hand,” Asher said urgently. With another bewildered glance at the truck driver, she accepted Asher’s hand, allowing him to pull her to the ground.

  With a honk and a wave, the truck driver drove away. Asher flicked a strand of dark hair from his forehead. “What a strange dude.”

  Ivy couldn’t agree more.

  She turned to look at the school, the place that was throbbing with memories for her, Asher, and all their friends. It was where they’d met, where they’d fallen in love, where they’d both battled their demons to submission. It was where she’d shoved a red velvet cupcake into Brenda Curtis’s smug face, where she’d danced with Asher for the first time.

  And now Asher was picking the lock to the front entrance.

  “Hey! What are you doing?” she whispered, coming up behind him.

  “Breaking in.”

  “No, I thought you were making out with the door knob.”

  The entrance opened with a swish, and the next thing Ivy knew, they were standing in the halls of their old high school. They walked down the linoleum halls, the only sound the clicks of Ivy’s boots on the floor. Asher turned right with no warning, and Ivy followed him as he made his way through the school.

  When he stopped at a familiar door, Ivy bit her lip worriedly. Asher quickly picked the lock and pushed open the door to the dance class, where they’d had their first dance to a Britney Spears song. He flicked on the lights as he walked, stopping in the center of the studio. He held out a hand. “May I have this dance?”

  “There’s no music,” Ivy said nervously.

  Asher extracted a remote from his pocket and clicked on a button. Soft music began to play, and Ivy flushed as Asher took her hand, tugging her against his hard body.

  “Smooth,” Ivy chuckled, not the least bit surprised.

  They began to sway, and unable to help herself, Ivy rested her head on his shoulder. “I don’t want to see other people, Asher,” she whispered.

  “Good. You’re stuck with me, angel.”

  Ivy laughed, wrapping her arms around his waist. “Sounds good to me.”

  Asher drew small circles on her shoulder. “Do you love me?” he murmured.

  Ivy startled, pulling away slightly to look up at him. There was an intense look of concentration on his face. “You know I love you. I’m hopelessly in love with you, poopy-bear.”

  Asher snorted, and Ivy was relieved his strange anxiety was momentarily forgotten. “I still hate that nickname,” he pointed out.

  “Aw, sucks I don’t care.”

  Asher gently extracted himself from her embrace. She watched him curiously as he paced the floor restlessly. He grabbed her hands and held them tightly to his chest. “Close your eyes,” he whispered. “Don’t peek.”

  Anxiety was starting to flutter in Ivy’s stomach, but she did as she was told. Asher dropped her hands and she stood there for a few minutes, wrestling with the desire to peek.

  “Open your eyes, baby.”

  Ivy gasped. Asher was on one knee, and a sparkling ring was nestled in a velvet box in his palm.

  Oh God, I’m going to start hyperventilating and sobbing and I might pass out again, she thought faintly.

  “Ivy Robello,” Asher said, his cobalt eyes shining with pure love and adoration. “I love you with all my heart and soul. I think I fell in love with you the first time you called me a jerk in this classroom. You saved my life. You gave me purpose. I love you more than my own life, angel.

  “I went to spend the rest of my life with you, until we’re old and gray, and you’re a demented old woman ranting about moon cheese. Ivy Robello, will you be my wife?”

  Tears tracked down Ivy’s cheeks, and she let out a watery chuckle. “Well, when you put it that way…” she said. “How can I say no?”

  When Asher just stared blankly at her, she laughed and nodded vigorously. “Asher Grayson, I would love nothing more than to be your wife. So yes, I will marry you.”

  With a heart-stopping grin, Asher took her hand and slid the sparkling diamond onto her finger. He kissed the ring, and her palm. “It belonged to my grandmother,” he murmured. “She was sure one day some girl would break me of my ‘naughtiness’. I never thought she’d be right.”

  Ivy waited until he got to his feet to launch herself at him. “I doubt anyone could ever break you of your naughtiness, thankfully.”

  “You like me naughty, Mrs. Grayson?” Asher waggled his brows, lifting her so they were eye-level.

  Ivy marveled at her new name. Ivy Grayson. It was so strange…yet oddly perfect. “I love you naughty, Mr. Grayson.”

  Winding her fingers in his dark locks of hair, she bought his lips to hers and kissed him with everything in her. Asher braced his hand on the nape of her neck, deepening the kiss, molding her body against his.

  When they broke apart, panting, Asher flashed her a wicked smile that shot tingles all the way to her toes. “So, where are we spending the night, my lovely fiancé?” he queried.

  Ivy opened her mouth to answer, but a thought sidetracked her.

  “Tell his mother first.”

  How…who was that truck driver? He couldn’t have possibly known…

  Shaking her head to clear her head of the puzzling thoughts, she beamed at her amazing fiancé. “Let’s go to your house. I think we should tell your mother first. She’ll be really happy to hear it.”

  Asher closed his lips over hers in another searing kiss. “Thank you.”

  She was a little too scatter-brained to reply.

  “So does this mean you’re moving back home?” she asked hesitantly.

  “I was thinking you’d finish up your year here, I’d finish mine, and then we’d spend a semester abroad.”

  “Really? In France or England or Italy?”

  Asher tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. “Wherever you want, angel.”

  It was information over-load. Ivy tucked it away for later examination. They walked out of the school, Ivy smiling wistfully at the memories, and Asher re-locked the entrance to the school.

  “Asher? Ivy? What are you two doing here?”

  Ivy jumped and turned to see Caleb, Dana, and Kyle. She could also make out Phoebe’s head in Caleb’s car, fast asleep. She lunged for her friends at the same time they ran for her, enfolding her in their arms.

  “Some weird truck driver took us here after we got a flat,” she explain in a rush.

  “Us too!” Dana exclaimed. “So weird!”

  Ivy disentangled herself from them and tugged Asher forward. Dana’s was the first to notice. “Ives…is that a…” she trailed off, pointing at her hand.

  Caleb’s eyes bulged, and Kyle’s jaw dropped. Asher slapped the guys on the back cheerfully and mussed Dana’s hair affectionately. It was a sign of their surprise that none protested.

  Ivy grinned at her best friends as she winded her hand with Asher’s. “Oh, you guys didn’t know?”

  Asher smirked at their expression. Caleb was muttering something like, “this is even weirder than the ducks,” and Kyle was scratching his head in confusion.

  Dana shrieked at leapt at Ivy, enfolding her in her arms. “You’re getting married. Oh my God, my best friend is engaged!”

  “Can’t…breathe…”

  Kyle pulled his girlfriend away forcefully. “Don’t kill her, Dana.”

  Asher’s deep laugh made her want to crawl up his body like a spider and kiss him stupid. “Yes, please try not to kill her.”

  He smiled at Ivy. “I’m not quite sure what I’d do without her.”

  Yep, she was definitely kissing him stupid.

  “Happy Valentine’s Day,” she quipped, and pulled Asher’s head down for that kiss.

  Jodi

  “Is he embarrassed to be seen with you or something?” Asher, her brother-in-law, growled. “What was this punk’s name again?”

  Jodi laughed and switched channels, kicking her feet up on the footrest. Spencer had left an empty box of donuts lying on the coffee t
able, and she made a mental note to throw it out before Momzilla descended with the cleaning tools from hell.

  “His name is Derek. Try to control yourself, he’s not a serial rapist,” Jodi rolled her eyes.

  “Asher?” she heard her sister’s voice faintly on the other end. “Are you still talking to Jodi?”

  “Why are you not as disturbed by this as I am? Do I need to spell it out for you ladies, what it means when a guy doesn’t want to be seen with a girl?” Asher sounded frustrated.

  “Poopsy-bear, let me talk to her.”

  “No.”

  Jodi sighed and balanced the phone on her chest. Those two could go at it for a while.

  “Asher Grayson, you give me that phone right now!”

  “Go away. What the fu-get the hell off me, woman!” They sounded like they were wrestling, and Jodi figured he would let his wife win, seeing as manhandling pregnant women was generally frowned upon. Especially with Asher, who treated Ivy like she was porcelain.

  “Hey girl,” Ivy, sounding winded, answered the phone.

  “Hi,” she answered. “How are you?”

  “Dandy, anyway, what’s this I hear about a guy not wanting to be seen with you in public?” in the protective department, Ivy was only slightly easier to deal with than Asher.

  “Argh. It’s not how it sounds, okay? We dated publically last year, and his sister kept messing with me in school, stuffing crap in my locker and turning me into a social pariah. I was willing to deal with it, but Derek was having screaming fights with his sister all the time, and I know he loves her, so I broke up with him. We tried to move on, we really did, but…” Jodi smiled slightly at the remote. “There’s something about him, Ives. I missed him, he missed me, and we skirted all the drama by dating in secret. End of story.”

  “Did you hear all that?” Ivy addressed her husband.

  There was a grunt in response.

  “That school never lacks a head Plastic, does it?” Ivy mused to herself. “Look, honey. If you really care about Derek, and he cares about you, then do whatever you want.”