Page 102 of Penalized Love

Heat rushes to my cheeks as Asher chuckles softly beside me.“One step at a time, Avery,”he says, his tone gentle but firm.

At least his reaction is calm, cool, and collected because it takes every ounce of control I have to keep my reaction down to just blushing.

“Why don’t we all grab a bite to eat? I’m sure Asher’s starving after that game.”We are saved by Clara’s quick thinking.

Asher responds this time.“That sounds perfect, Mom. My treat.”

Although I don’t know her well, I can tell that Clara is about to tell Asher that he doesn’t have to pay, but I speak before she can get the words out.“It might take a bit, but I can see if my parents would like to come too?”I offer without giving it too much thought.

“That’s a great idea! I’ve met your father several times, but haven’t been introduced to your mother,”says Clara.

That needs to be rectified. I pull out my phone to contact my mom.“We can try to fix that tonight.”

“I should probably get to the locker room,”Asher interrupts us.

“Oh yes, go, go! I’ll bring your family down to the tunnel, where we can meet up with you,”I reply.

Asher gives me a quick kiss and waves goodbye to Clara and Avery before he makes his way back to the ice.

I text my mom, hoping she and Dad are available to join us. Moments later, my phone buzzes with a response from Mom.“She said they’d love to come,”I announce.

It takes a little while for Asher and Dad to wrap up their duties, but once we are at the Riverstone Grill, dinner goes well. Everyone chats with one another in an effort to get to know each other. I wish Grace could have been here, but she’s back in California, dealing with something she won’t tell me about. I swear she’s gone through all the stages of grief, but I wish she would let us in so that we can better help her. We’ll have to see if we can schedule some time for everyone to get together around the holidays or something.

I can’t believe I’m already thinking of that.

Once dinner is over, Asher and I drive back to his house, where we already know the guys are throwing another banger. The main floor of the home is mostly silent, but when I think he is going to hit the stairs to head up to his room, Asher seems to have another plan up his sleeve.

“There’s something I need to grab from the kitchen. I’ll meet you upstairs, and I want you completely naked, lying on my bed, waiting for me,” he says.

I’m left stunned, trying to process his words. Did he just say what I think he just said? Did that kiss we shared at the arena affect him as much as it had me ready to melt into a puddle on the floor?

Shit.

It is only going to take him a second to come back, I assume, so I dart up the stairs, enter his room, and slam the door shut a little louder than I intended due to my excitement. I quickly toe off my sneakers and remove my Crestwood hoodie and jeans. I still my movements for a second to see if I can hear Asher on the stairs. When I don't hear anything that resembles footsteps, I remove my underwear and ungracefully plop down on the bed. I'm grateful he isn’t in the room to witness that because I would be embarrassed by how eager I am.

How did he want me to lay? Did he want me to?—

The door opens, forcing any thoughts from my mind. Asher steps into the room, his eyes immediately finding mine. He makes sure to close and lock the door behind him. That’s when I notice he's holding his hand behind his back. It’s clear that he’s hiding something. But what it is, I have no idea, though I assume I will find out shortly.

"You followed my instructions perfectly," he says. His voice is lower than normal as he drinks all of me in.

I feel exposed under his scrutiny, but there's a thrill there as well. He moves closer, and with every step he takes, I swear the pounding in my ears gets louder. When he reaches the edge of the bed, he reveals what he's been hiding: a can of Reddi-Whip.

"I wanted to have a little fun with two of my favorite things," Asher says. He tosses the container on the bed, and it’s followed by a condom before he begins getting undressed.

"Two of your favorite things?" I whisper.

"You and dessert, of course."

“Not gonna lie, I expected you to say hockey.”

He chuckles as he kneels on the bed, completely naked. The mattress dips under his weight and I can tell he knows exactly the effect he is having on me when he slowly and deliberately shakes the can of whipped cream.

"Now, Isla, I'm going to trace every line of your body. And then..." He pauses for a second, leaving me hanging off of his every word. "I'm going to savor every last bit."

The nozzle of the can hovers over my collarbone, and goosebumps appear along my skin in anticipation. The first touch of the cold cream against my body makes me gasp. Asher's steady hand moves lower, leaving a delicate trail of white across my chest, paying special attention to my breasts.

I close my eyes because all of this feels like too much. The coldness from the whipped cream, the heat radiating from my body and from Asher, plus the tension in the room.

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