Page 77 of The Stallion
“Did your new beau fuck the color right into it? Because that is a bright fucking red.”
“Ash!”
“What? I didn’t say I didn’t love it. But damn it’s intense…”
“You’re not mad?” I bit the side of my lip out of nervous habit.
“Now, why would I be mad at my best friend finding the man of her dreams?”
“Maybe because it all happened so fast? I mean… do people typically get married within a few weeks of knowing each other?”
I sure as fuck would’ve regretted this marriage if the man were Connor instead of Dallas.
Perhaps those situations varied depending on circumstance?
“Oh, shut up. Stop feeling so self-conscious. No one is judging your actions here, and certainly not me.” Asher waved me off with a flick of her wrist. “If any of those dancers askedmeto marry them after the show, I would’ve signed the papers and asked for my ring without a second to spare. At least you had common sense and waited a couple of weeks before pulling the trigger.”
Uhh… yeah… let’s go with that assumption for now.
She didn’t need to know the whole truth behind our marriage—considering she just nailed it right on the fucking head. We had several weeks of catching up with only a few days to get it all in, and some details were better left…unsaid.
Asher was never one to judge, and I loved her so much for that part of her vibrant personality. She was always a woman of acceptance and a breath of fresh air from the rest of the world.
The man who ultimately captured her golden heart would be one lucky son-of-a-bitch, without question.
Ihadjustfinishedperfecting my basket toss with a double full-down before the team stopped for a brief water break. There was still one more full-out practice before we could call it a day, andI was already beyond exhausted—my body screaming with every abrupt movement.
Asher wandered over and sat beside me while I lay on the cool grass, staring up at the sky as I caught my breath. My chest rose and fell slowly while I held a water bottle against the side of my neck, letting out a shiver from the initial touch.
“Two weeks, and you’re already out of shape. Shame on you.”
“I’m not out of shape, not even close.”The audacity…
The evening performances with my husband were doing wonders for my stamina—that, in addition to the bedroom cardio.
Although, there was that one time where we couldn’t wait for the end of the show and ended up fucking in the pool shortly after it was drawn back up to the ceiling—thank god they shut off the lights.
After the first few performances, I was always left sore the following morning. My muscles constantly ached from how I had to carry and focus my weight differently compared to my cheerleading stunts and moves.
Dallas—ever the doting husband—always took the time to massage my throbbing limbs until I fell asleep, and it absolutely sucked knowing I wouldn’t have that kind of attention and relief while I was here without him.
“Ahh… that look.” Asher teased as she followed my gaze to the sky with a serene smile. “I haven’t seen that look on you in years…”Since before Connor, no doubt.
“Should I feel bad?”
“Not in the least, and if you ever do, just remember what kind of man he was at the end of the day.”
The fact that Asher didn’t even mention his name at all this time reassured my guilty conscience. The validation from her was all I needed to know that I had made the right decision.
I didn’t ask about the investigation or how it was progressing, and she hadn’t offered any information either. Truthfully, I didn’t care to know what his parents had discovered—if they had found or caught whoever was responsible for his disappearance—or death. But my assumption for the lack of news gave me hope that the entire situation was resolved and that I wouldn’t have to hear his name being brought up in casual conversation again.
“Well, that’s our fifteen minutes. Let’s get back to it so we can have our girls’ night with Mick and Natalie before you head out in the morning. I require all the wine and juicy details of your newly married life—not like you haven’t disclosed enough, but I crave so much more out of you.” Asher patted my thigh and gave it a light squeeze before pushing herself up to stand and calling out to the rest of the team, “Let’s go, Savage Bitches! Final full-out, and you can go home!”
“I hope you’re not planning on changing the team name once I pass the leadership position to you.” I laughed, getting to my feet and nudging her playfully with my hip.
“Oh, don’t tempt me. That kind of power can go straight to one’s head—a very dangerous thing.” She winked, running the tip of her tongue along her teeth before taking off to her starting position.
“Okay,sowait.Tellus again how this whole thing came to be because if I remember correctly, you fucked him that last night in Vegas, right? The guilt was written all over that pretty little hungover face.” Asher laughed, handing me a glass of red wine before plopping herself next to me on the couch.
