Page 102 of Exactly What I Needed
“What are you doing in there alone?” Nova spoke again, latching her fingers around my wrist and dragging me out of the bathroom.
I sniffed. “It’s a long story.”
“Yeah, well. Asher noticed your ex or whatever, plus the look that your so-called best friend was giving you,” Nova grumbled and hooked my hand in her elbow. “Anyway, he told the guys, they relayed it to us, and when you disappeared from the room, we followed.”
Ava jumped to my other side and slid her arm into mine. “And we are here to drag you back. To hell with Danny and Sydney. You’ve got your man in there and real friends.” She grinned, and I glanced between the two girls. Nova smugly smirked while Ava giddily grinned. Two very different personalities, two very selfless girls.
All the worry swept away. Okay, so Danny might expose us, and Sydney was going to be pissed at me. But these two girls were right. Asher was waiting. Fun and excitement were waiting. My release from the prison I’d been sentenced to for fifteen years was waiting in another room.
In a blurry rush, I was whisked back to the meet and greet. Chaos echoed through the room as I waded into the crowd, blending in like normal. Elysia eventually found me and snaked up to my side, standing beside Nova and Ava.
The three girls grinned from ear to ear while I rocked onto my tip toes, trying to get a good look of that very handsome man that I was craving.
A polite smile lifted on his lips as he chatted with someone I recognized.
Benson.
I raised a brow as Dane shoved through the crowd and hooked an arm around Benson’s shoulders. They grinned and took a selfie with Asher and the band. Then, a pair of eyes flicked to mine, seeing me above the sea of people that swayed in such a small room.
“MISS DUVAL!” Dane shouted, pointing at me. Benson followed his gesture as nearly every gaze swung to me. It was as if a spotlight snapped on, silencing everyone except for me. The entire world dimmed, only illuminating the small space around me.
Until a second one joined, crashing on. Asher cocked a hip and grinned. Crossing his arms in front of his chest, he watched me, a sly, hungry look upon his face. I studied him for a moment, tracing the tattoos that started at his fingers and snaked up his skin, disappearing briefly beneath his cut-off before continuing up his neck.
Damn, he was absolutely gorgeous.
And he knew exactly what was running through my head as the grin widened.
“COME HERE! We can get pictures together!” Benson shouted, snapping me out of my ill-timed desire. Gentle hands urged me forward, and I managed to snag one last backward glance at those three girls before I was dragged up with the band.
The meet and greet turned into something of excitement as picture after picture was taken. With most of my second-hour class plus a few other students, my phone was filled to the brim with snapshots including them and the band.
It was exciting, and I forgot entirely about Sydney or Danny. Or any of my worries as Asher casually threw an arm around my neck and pulled me toward him, posing for another picture with my students.
They gushed about how awesome it was to see me there and as the meet and greet came to a close, I realized that Danny didn’t do a thing. Sydney didn’t either. The entire nausea-filled anticipation had been for nothing.
Everything was fine. Eerily calm, which flicked a suspicion button in my head, but it hummed so quietly I managed to shove it aside.
And tonight, instead of going to an afterparty or home with Sydney and the girls, I snuck out back quietly with Ava, Nova, and Elysia.
We waited for the stadium to eventually clear before being driven back to the little home the band was leasing—yes, even Elysia. Her eyes continually flickered to Kieron, shooting him bashful and flirtatious glances that he lapped up the entire ride.
Asher kept his arm hooked around my shoulders as we all walked into the home, exhausted, sneaking past the paparazzi that wasn’t quite as thick today. Most of the cameras and reporters were off at some sort of afterparty, hoping to catch a glimpse of the guys.
But the band was here, quietly slipping into our blissful solace, where for a moment, everything was normal. Everything was at peace.
Kieron plopped down on the couch after kicking off his shoes and pulled Elysia with him. She straddled his lap, whispering quietly to him as his eyes filled with rose-colored hearts. I paused, tugging Asher to a stop for a moment, and smiled.
His eyes like autumn leaves flickered to mine, and he chuckled, placing a quick kiss against my forehead. “Well, your friend looks very comfortable with Kieron,” he muttered, and I giggled, glancing Asher’s way.
His eyes darkened, the exhaustion wiped away within a moment’s glance. I studied him, my heart pounding in my chest. There was something different, though, about this. A shift in the tension between us, just as desperate as every other time but something heavier, deeper.
And I found myself in his bed once again.
No protesting.
No fighting.
Whatever he wanted and craved, I wanted it too. I took as much as I gave, and he gave as much as he took. We stayed up past the sun rising, enjoying his body and his skin against mine.
