Page 70 of The Ruse

“Yeah.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “It sucks, not only because that’s the last memory I have with her but also because someone apparently saw our disagreement and decided to report it to the police.”

That someone being Nash.

I could only imagine just how much worse the bad blood they had between each other would get if Asher knew that Nash was the reason he’d been under police investigation in the first place.

The reason why there was an invisible bubble around him everywhere he went at school because people were literally afraid of him.

Did I think what Nash did was wrong?

No, not exactly. Despite his feelings for Asher, I think he’d only reported it because he thought he was truly helping.

But it did suck for Asher.

His whole life had basically blown up at the same time that the girl he loved disappeared.

Talk about traumatic.

“Do you know who reported your argument?” I asked, curious if he’d seen Nash picking up his food that night.

“I never found that out,” he said. “Someone from school is all I can guess.”

“Well, I’m sorry you had to go through all of that,” I said, truly meaning it. “It must have been so hard.”

“It was.” His gaze lifted to mine in the moonlight. “I just hope Bailee is okay, wherever she is.”

And from the fondness in his voice, I could tell that he really must have loved her.

Was possibly still very much in love with her after all this time.

“Anyway,” he said, rolling onto his back once again. “I should probably let you get some sleep. I’ll try not to snore too much.”

Which, I’d guess, was his way of signaling that the conversation was over.

So I maneuvered onto my back and said, “And I’ll try not to say too many things in my sleep.”

“Are you a sleep talker?” He sounded intrigued.

“Not really.” I smiled. “Though, I bet you wish I was.”

He chuckled. “I definitely wouldn’t mind getting a little peek into what goes on in that lovely brain of yours.”

I was glad that he couldn’t. My brain was a really confusing place right now. Having lots of new strange thoughts about this intriguing boy beside me.

He rustled around again, this time turning on his side so his back was to me. After saying goodnight, it only took a couple of minutes for the rhythm of his breathing to change and convince me that he had fallen asleep.

I turned back on my side again, facing the center of the bed, and let my gaze run along the outline of his wavy hair in the darkness. He had great hair. So great that I kind of wished I’d taken the opportunity to slide my fingers through it last night when we’d kissed.

But then again, that probably would have tipped me off that it was him instead of Nash, and the kiss would have ended right away.

Which, though I’d never admit it to anyone, would have been a shame, since even though I shouldn’t have, I had really enjoyed those few moments I’d been in his arms.

I might have thought he was someone else at the time, but that didn’t change the fact that the kiss had been amazing—probably the best first kiss I’d ever had to be honest.

I let my gaze travel down Asher’s neck and across his shoulders. He had the shoulders of an athlete—broad and toned. And the fabric of his shirt stretched tautly across his shoulder blades. It made me wonder if he was involved in any sports when he wasn’t doing school musicals.

I looked at the rest of his sleeping form outlined by the comforter covering us both. And even though I should probably be freaking out that I was sleeping in the same bed as a guy as gorgeous as Asher was, I was surprisingly calm. He had such a soothing presence about him that I was really drawn to—you know, when he wasn’t teasing me about the fact that I’d accidentally made out with him.

I watched his shoulders rise and fall, and it was kind of hypnotizing in a way—the steadiness of it.

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