Page 135 of Deceit

A bitter sounding laugh escapes his chest as he shakes his head, his eyes still forward.

“What feelings?”

I blink at that, before hurt and irritation flicker inside me. I jog the remaining distance between us, catching him by the arm before I force him to face me.

“For me! Don’t lie and say that you don’t have them, I’m not stupid.”

He looks down at me, assessingly, before trying to walk away again.

“Asher!” I snap, yanking on his arm and refusing to let go as he turns, throwing his arms out and screaming at the top of his lungs in the middle of the empty courtyard.

“FINE! You want me to admit that I have feelings for you? That I’ve fallen so fucking hard for you and I don’t know how to get up? You want me to sit here, and tell you how I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you from the moment I met you? How you have always occupied a majority of my headspace, but now…” he takes a long pause as he laughs hollowly.

“Now, I’m absolutely FUCKED. There is no room for anything except you. Skyla Parris, is practically inked into my DNA, there forever, and I can’t have her,” he shakes his head, taking several deep breaths before those chocolate brown eyes come back to me.

“You know what the worst part is?” he smiles angrily. “We’re going to be married tomorrow, you’re going to be my wife and Istillwon’t have you. Not in the way that counts, not in the way I want you.”

I blink at him several times but I don’t speak. How can I when my mind is racing a million miles a second. I was hoping he’d admit that he’s been having some feelings for me, but I didn’t expect all of…that.

Asher watches me carefully, his body language rigid and guarded but his eyes so expressive and so sad. Hesitantly, I take a small step towards him, softening my voice to match the emotion behind my words.

“What if…you could? What if…we could?”

His brows pinch together, not in confusion but almost like he is in pain.

Shaking his head he looks away as I take another step forward.

“Your roster is full, Princess. There is no room for me, and I wouldn’t exactly be welcomed by your little fan club.”

I reach a hand up to his face, forcing his cheek to look at me. Surprisingly he lets me, his jaw tight and those three golden flecks practically shining in the October morning.

“What if none of that mattered?”

He frowns but doesn’t respond.

“What if both of those excuses were gone, then what would you say?”

“They aren’t excuses, Skyla. It’s the facts. It’s—”

“Answer the question, Asher,” I snap.

His eyes roam over my face before he shakes his head.

“Then nothing could stop me from having you.”

My heart beats out of rhythm, the air practically buzzing around us as someone comes to stand between us.

“Everything okay? I heard yelling.” Liam asks cautiously.

Asher’s eyes close, as if he were to say, ‘See?’.

He pulls away from my touch and a stupid part of me hurts because of it. Asher faces Liam nods his head.

“It’s all good. We’re fine. Right, Skyla?”

I know it started out as a sarcastic nickname, but I can’t lie, I like it so much better when he calls me Princess. Maybe that makes me a little fucked up. I honestly don’t really care.

“Sure. We’re fine,” I say slowly, giving him the opportunity to speak up. Not that I’d really expect him to.

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