Page 52 of The Backup

“Coming,” she whimpers.

My hold on her tightens as I bury myself deeper, the release rushing through me in waves, searing into my memory as I pump my release into her.

As we collapse together, tangled and spent in the wee hours of the night, she lets out a soft laugh, her chest rising and falling rapidly against mine.

“Okay,” she murmurs, her voice shaky but satisfied. “I might be a little addicted. Just a little, though.”

I grin, brushing a kiss across her temple, my hand lazily trailing along her side. “Told you.”

“I might have to wake you up again in the middle of the night though, if this is how it’s going to be,” she jokes, her lips curving into a mischievous smile as her fingers trace absent patterns on my chest.

I chuckle, the sound low and content. “Careful what you wish for, sweetheart,” I murmur, my voice still laced with a teasing edge. “You’re the one who started this, remember?”

She arches an eyebrow, her playful smirk returning. “And I don’t regret it one bit.”

sixteen

. . .

Sloane

The first thingI notice is the warmth. The second is the faint sound of breathing—steady, soft, and way too close.

I blink my eyes open, the early morning light filtering through half-closed blinds. It takes me a second to register where I am. The navy-blue walls. The desk cluttered with textbooks and a Sigma trophy. And the bed…Asher’s bed.

Oh, God.

And we did it not just the one time.

We had a hot,hotmiddle of the night rendezvous that is now seared in my memory for all time.

I sit up slowly, careful not to disturb him. He’s lying on his stomach, one arm thrown lazily over my waist, his face half-buried in the pillow. His hair is a mess, and the blanket’s slipped low enough to reveal the sharp line of his shoulders.

He looks peaceful. Ridiculously handsome. Like he doesn’t have a care in the world.

Meanwhile, my heart’s pounding like a marching band in my chest. And then there’s that ache between my legs.

What did I just do?

The night comes crashing back to me. Not that I was even drunk. I was barely buzzed.

But the fact that he took me bare…the dirty things he said to me…the things I said to him…

Jesus.

I swing my legs over the side of the bed, grabbing the edge of the blanket to cover myself as I scan the room for my clothes. My dress is crumpled on the floor, along with my heels, but before I can make a move, his voice stops me.

“Leaving so soon?”

I freeze, then glance back over my shoulder. Asher’s watching me, his head propped up on one hand, a slow smile spreading across his face.

“I—uh—” I stammer, my face heating.

He chuckles, sitting up and running a hand through his hair. “Relax. You don’t have to do the whole sneaking-out thing. I’m not that kind of guy.”

I cross my arms, clutching the blanket tighter. “I wasn’t sneaking out.”

“No?” he teases, raising an eyebrow.

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