Page 87 of Exactly What I Needed
I’m just chilling in the living room.
Drake burned the food, so now we’re waiting on delivery while he cleans up.
Shit, I looked out the front window and know why you didn’t come.
Where are you now?
I giggled and then tried to reply as quickly as I could. Dropping a pin to my location, I added a few words.
Just a few blocks away, sitting in my car. I have something for you, too;)
Bubbles appeared and then disappeared. Except he didn’t respond with a single word. Not even one letter. I furrowed my brows, staring at the screen. Sighing, I locked my phone and leaned back against the headrest. What was that? Maybe Drake almost burned the house down and thatsuddenly sidetracked him. Maybe I came across as clingy. I mean, we only made things secretly official a couple days ago.
Was I being too much, too soon?
I should just go home. Whatever confidence brought me here was waning quickly. Throwing my car in drive, I glanced in the rearview mirror, ready to merge back on the road, when a familiar motorcycle turned down the street. I quickly put my car back into park and stared at the approaching bike.
Pulling directly behind me, I watched the rider dismount and grab a very familiar helmet. Smiling to myself, I killed the engine just as Asher rapped his gloved knuckles against my window.
Kicking the door open, he lifted his tinted visor and wiggled his brows. “Security won’t be able to hold them off for long, so hurry up, Princess.”
I grinned, snatched up the poster from my passenger seat, and jumped out.
“Is that for me?” He pointed at the delicately rolled up vinyl.
“Yes. But you can’t look at it until you’re absolutely alone,” I replied and tugged my glasses from my face. He shoved the helmet over my crazy hair and buckled it up while I put the glasses back on and flipped the visor down.
The moment the helmet was secure, I hustled over to the bike and climbed on. He swung a leg over his motorcycle, covered his face with his visor, and I wrapped one arm tightly around his waist. Carefully, I placed the poster around his body, holding it as gently but securely as I could. There was no worry within me as I settled behind him. There was no wayany paparazzi would be able to see my face, leaving me just another mystery woman like the night before.
The engine roared to life, and he patted my thigh before pulling the kickstand up and cruising forward. He took us on a roundabout route to the house, making sure that when he turned down the street, it was from the opposite direction of where I’d parked and locked my car.
My heart began racing in my stomach as we rode closer to the crowd surrounding the house. Closing my eyes, I pressed my helmet into his back and braced. The bike slowed to a turtle’s pace, and despite the roar of the engine, I could hear the voices screaming and shouting around us.
Some were yelling to keep people back. Others were screaming in desperation to get closer. His fingers found my leg once more, and he ran a thumb back and forth over the dress before I felt the sun fade from my figure. The voices began to drift away, and Asher killed the bike’s engine.
The rattling of a garage slowly muffled the outside crowd and then plunked against the ground.
“You’re good now, Princess,” Asher softly said, reassuring me. I cracked open an eye and slowly peeled myself away from his back. Prying myself off his body, he swung himself around and climbed down.
Helping me off so I didn’t wrinkle or drop the poster, Asher guided me toward the ground and then removed the helmet. I shook out my hair, slipping my glasses back onto my face. The moment his own helmet was off, he hung it over the handlebar and grabbed my cheeks. He planted a kiss against my lips, and I closed my eyes, falling into him once more.
“What’d you bring me?” he asked, breaking the kiss.
I shook my head. “Not in here.”
He pursed his lips, obviously annoyed. Sighing, he grabbed my free hand, and we walked toward the garage steps. Entering the house felt like a weight off my shoulders.
Nova and Ava were sitting on the couch, loudly talking to the other three guys about who knows what.
“Hell. No.” Drake narrowed his gaze, oven mitts covering his hands that were thrown on his hips. Eyes slid Asher’s and my way.
“Even Cosi would agree with us!” Ava quickly said, climbing up to lean on the back of the couch.
“Agree with what?” I asked, kicking my shoes off by the pile beside the door.
“They think that we should all go camping. I don’t do bugs and shit,” Drake grumbled, and I chuckled as Asher began stripping out of his protective riding gear.
“I have to go with Nova and Ava on this one. Camping is actually quite fun,” I replied, and Jaxon threw a fist of agreement in the air as the two girls shouted in glee.
