Page 71 of From Asher, With Love

I pull out the condom I’ve kept in my wallet for the past few weeks and hold it between us. Charleigh’s doe eyes stare at it before swinging to mine.

“I don’t really know what I’m doing,” she confesses.

“It’s okay,” I tell her, giving her a kiss. “We can go slow.”

She nods and bites down on her bottom lip. Nervously, we both get undressed under the covers without talking. Once we’re both naked, I slip on the condom and climb over Charleigh.

“Are you ready?” I ask her on a shaky breath.

She nervously inhales and keeps her hands to her chest. I lean down to kiss her, hoping to wipe away any nerves.

“I’m ready,” she assures me when I pull away.

“Okay.” I center myself in front of her. “Tell me if it hurts too much, and I’ll stop.”

“You could never hurt me, Asher,” she says and fuck, I fall in love with her even more.

When I push myself inside Charleigh, I’ve never felt anything like it. I keep my focus on her, and for a few moments, she squeezes her eyes shut. But the more I move, the more she starts to relax, and it isn’t long before I can tell she’s enjoying it as much as I am.

After a few more movements, her body tenses around me, and I quickly cover her mouth with my hand to muffle her moans.

When the heat reaches my belly and I reach my orgasm, I stare into Charleigh’s eyes. They soften with an emotion I’ve never seen on her before. It’s as if she’s never felt anything like this in her life. Neither have I.

How is it possible to fall even further in love with someone?

When we’re both finished, I remove my hand and quickly replace it with my mouth.

“Are you okay?” I’m nervous. Why am I nervous? “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

“No.” She sweeps her tongue across her lips and shakes her head. “Not at all. In the beginning, it hurt a little, but it didn’t last long. I liked it.” She bites down on her lip again. “Was it good for you?”

I giggle. “Is that even a real question? Of course, it was.”

I give Charleigh one more kiss before I crawl off her and sneak into her bathroom to wrap the condom up with toilet paper before tossing it into the bin. I get dressed, then crawl back under the sheets of Charleigh’s bed. She’s still lying in just her bra.

We lie together in silence, and I trace her collarbone, my finger ghosting her skin, hypnotized by this feeling. A giggle erupts from her, but it abruptly stops when the light in her room turns on. The sound of the switch flicking causes my stomach to flip. I barely have a chance to look over my shoulder before I’m ripped from Charleigh’s bed.

Large hands grip my shoulders, and a sharp pain shoots down the length of my spine when I’m knocked to the floor. I’ve barely opened my eyes to see what the fuck is happening when I see Trevor Keeler hovering above me. One fist is clutching onto my hole-ridden shirt while the other fist is reared back. A sickening face fueled by rage stares at me, wide-eyed, filled with a fury I’ve never seen before.

“No, Dad!” Charleigh shouts. “Stop it!”

When his fist connects with my face, my ears fill with a piercing ring. Bones crunch, and I can’t figure out which part of my face he’s broken. My nose? My jaw? Radiating pain echoes everywhere. I don’t have the energy to fight back, too caught up in trying to understand what is happening. Blood must bespilling down my nose because my upper lip is warm and wet, and a metallic taste fills my mouth.

I turn my head on Charleigh’s carpet and crack open my eyes long enough to see Charleigh kneeled at the edge of her bed. She’s clutching onto the sheets, screaming and begging her dad to stop. Tears stream down her face, and all I can think about is how I want to wipe them away.

“Please, Dad!” she cries. “Get off him!”

I roll my head back to face Trevor above me. “You fucking piece of trash. How dare you touch my daughter.”

The sounds of Charleigh’s shrill scream and Trevor’s rage mix into his fist driving into my face again. Another round of pain radiates across my body, and when I don’t fight back, I’m surprised to realize Trevor suddenly stops.

“Trevor!” I turn my head to my right, seeing Charleigh’s mom standing in the doorway. She runs toward him, throwing him off me.

He falls back, his breathing savage and ragged. His rage and anger toward me hasn’t faded. I roll to my side, covering my face with my hand to try and figure out where the bleeding is coming from. I feel lightheaded and sick, but I manage to sit up. I consider speaking up, fighting back, but I know anything I say will only make the situation worse. I don’t care that Trevor has beaten me; my concern lies with Charleigh. After I leave, I don’t know what will happen to her, and I don’t want to add more fuel to the fire. As much as it fucking pains me and I know I’m going to regret it, I don’t fight back.

“Get the fuck out of my house,” Trevor barks. The veins in his neck pop, and his muscles tense. He isn’t paying attention to his daughter or his wife. He stands and stalks over to me, and I wince when he grabs another fistful of my now-bloodstained shirt, ready for another blow. Instead, he points an angry finger inmy direction.

“You’ll never see my daughter again. Do you understand, you worthless piece of shit? If I ever see you or hear from you again, I’ll call the police and tell them you raped her.”

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