The Space Between Us(36)
“Would you have kissed him? Would you have let him touch you?” Asher asked with a gentleness in his voice.
“Never,” I said with absolute conviction.
“Then you're getting all worked up over nothing.” He rubbed his thumb over my cheek and I could see him thinking hard about something, figuring out a way to put it into words. “We're going to be tested, Bit. There are going to be a million different scenarios in which we'll be given an option to choose us, or ruin us. I know we're going to be ok. Everything I do is for us. There will never be a day or a time when you aren't my first priority, and I know you feel the same way.” He placed the smallest and most chaste kiss against my lips then rested his forehead against mine. “The hardest part will be having faith in each other's ability to keep choosing us. You will have to trust me and I will have to trust you.”
“I trust you. I trust us. And you can trust me. I promise.”
“What else can I do with you?” He asked, his voice suddenly darker and deeper. Bolts of excitement shot through my entire body and I shuddered when they ended at the core between my legs. Asher saw my reaction to his words and laughed softly. “I haven't even touched you yet, Bit.”
“I'm pretty sure you could make me come with just your words,” I whispered against his mouth, wanting him to take mine so badly.
“Hmm...” he groaned as he rubbed his mouth across mine. Not kissing me, but teasing me. “That sounds like a challenge. I accept the challenge, however, we'll have to test your theory some other night. Tonight I want you. All over me.”
And there was a challenge I would accept. He gripped my hips and picked me up so I was level with his eyes. I always felt like a feather when he picked me up and I'm pretty sure it made him feel big and strong. No denying his size, he started growing one summer and never really stopped. When he stopped growing tall, he started growing muscle. I loved all his muscle. He wasn't bulky or beefy, he was hard and powerful. His arms were just big enough to hold me and make me feel protected and safe.
His lips crushed mine and my hands found the back of his head, hanging on to his hair. He walked me over to his bed and laid me down. He stood over me, undoing his belt, looking at me like he hasn't eaten in days. He was hungry. His pants fell to the floor and he crawled over me, trailing kisses all along my body where his mouth could reach my skin. Up my forearms, the sliver of skin between my jeans and my shirt that rode up my stomach, along my collar bone. Everywhere he kissed I felt warmth bubbling to the surface of my skin. His mouth traveled along my jaw, over my chin, and when he finally made it to my lips, there was a knock at the door.
“No f*cking way,” Asher nearly growled. “Go away!” His face came back down to mine and he tried to start his seduction over.
“Asher?” I heard the voice and immediately I was off the bed and ran to the door. I yanked it open and saw Reeve on the other side, tears streamed down her face.
“Reeve, what's the matter?” I asked as she walked past me into Asher's room. She hadn’t noticed that he wasn’t wearing any pants, and he hadn't tried to cover up the fact that he was only wearing a pair of boxer briefs. Luckily for him the interruption was enough to calm him down a bit so that even though he wasn't necessarily covered, he wasn't indecent.
“I was hoping,” she said between hiccups and tight breaths holding back sobs, “that you would be ready to go back to the dorm.”
“What happened, Reeve?” I brought her in and sat her down on Asher's bed. Asher exhaled loudly and started putting his clothes back on. Reeve wiped at the skin below her eyes, trying to erase the wetness from the tears streaming down her face.
“I was downstairs dancing with Caleb. We were having a good time and he told me he had a drink in his room he wanted me to try. At first I didn't want to go, but I guess I figured there were drinks all over the house, and that was the whole point of this stupid party.” She shook her head and I could tell she was starting to blame herself for whatever had happened next.
“So, I went with him to his room, but once I saw that his room was locked and no one else was in there, I stalled. I told him I forgot my purse downstairs, I tried to leave.”
My stomach began to turn as she was telling me the story. I didn't know exactly where the story was headed, but I could guess and my blood was starting to boil through my veins.
“What happened?” I heard Asher ask, his voice sounded just as on edge as I was feeling.
“He told me my purse was safe, grabbed my hand and convinced me to go in.” She started crying harder, but still silently. “When he shut and locked the door behind me I started to panic. I told him that I needed to go, but...” She couldn't continue. She cried uncontrollably now. I brought her head to my shoulder and ran my hand along her smooth hair. I looked over her head at Asher and recognized the rage in his eyes. He tried to control himself and I wasn't entirely sure that I wanted him to exercise control in that moment. But I knew we needed to hear the whole story before he went off to confront Caleb.
After a few minutes of holding her and trying to soothe her, I softly asked, “Reeve, can you tell us what happened?” She pulled back from me eventually and tried to dry her eyes and nose on the back of her hand. Asher produced a box of tissues for her and she gave him a small smile, but it was only on the corners of her mouth, it didn't light up her face like it usually did.