Page 13 of Where the Stars Heal

She takes the hint and moves to kiss and bite my neck as my hands slip the straps of her top down her arms. They move over her small tits and she moans in that sugary way. I bet Halle’s tits would fill my whole hand, they’d be soft and full. Heat rushes to my dick and I let out a groan.Fucking finally.

I thrust harder into her, and her nails drag down my chest, disappearing under my shirt, scratching me, and my mind grows hazy again.

Dark shoulder-length hair falls over my face, her sweet coffee scent consumes me, and those plush lips land on mine, biting down hard on my lip ring, causing me to hiss as her hand wraps around my throat. I’m lost in those blue-gray eyes when I feel my dick spring free and I hear a whispered gasp. My eyes flare open and I’m thrown back to the here and now with Piper straddling me, she’s staring down at my dick and wets her lips.

“Asher, baby,” she starts to say and I move so quickly she falls on her ass.

“Don’t call me baby.” I lash out as I stare down at her, tucking myself back into my jeans.

My head starts pounding, and I sway again.

“What the hell, Asher?” she screeches as she scrambles to her feet.

“Look, I’m sorry. I can’t. I’m just…” Stumbling on my words, I go to help her, but she bats my hands away and straightens her top.

“I’m sorry. It’s just, she’s in my head. I can’t get her out of my head, and it’s driving me crazy.” I start pacing back and forth in the office.

I’m about ready to rip my hair out. I came here to forget about Halle and all I’ve done is fucking fantasize more about her.

Piper’s hand lands on my arm, stopping me from pacing. She looks determined to help me. “Baby, it’s okay. You aren’t making sense. I’m the only girl here and in your head.”

Am I really drunk, or does she sound a little crazy right now?

I look down at her as she continues, “Let me just take you back to your place, and I’ll make it all better for you.” She practically purrs at me now.

Everything starts to blur, and I move away from her, bumping into the desk.

“Nothing will make it better, not until she’s out of this town. This is my home, not hers,” I say flatly as I storm out of the office, not caring about her at all.

I run out of the bar so quickly that none of the guys take notice. They probably think I’ve taken Piper home with me, but they’ll soon notice that wasn’t the case. Madison’s going to be so mad at me when she loses that bet.

Walking back to Hunter’s, my head clears in the fresh air that I breathe in. The pounding in my temples has calmed down, and I’m no longer swaying. What an epic fail of a night. I groan. It started out great. The guys and I ate our weight in chicken wings and fries, we joked around, I won all the games of pool, and the alcohol had me laughing sohard that I did forget about all the stress. I relaxed, and that’s something I haven’t done in a long time. But then she got in my head, and no matter how many shots I downed, I couldn’t get her out.

Hunter’s house is eerily silent and dark when I get back. It’s strange to see as usually, there’s always someone here or a gathering happening out back, people running in and out. I walk inside and fumble my way through the house to the kitchen, avoiding turning on the lights. Bright lights right now will not do me any good. Moonlight shines through the kitchen window, providing enough light for me to grab a glass of water to take to bed with me. Tomorrow’s hangover is going to be brutal.

I wake up to shouts and screams, my head pounding like someone is dropping boulders inside it. I roll over and moan in discomfort. There’s someone next to me, and we smell like sex and sweat. A glass smashes, and my stomach lurches. I bolt out of bed and run to the bathroom to empty the contents of the night before.

As I hurl, I hear my cousin yell, “We’ll have your money by the end of the month!”

Shit, what happened last night?

The memory fades, and I’m standing back in Hunter’s kitchen, my glass of water long forgotten on the counter as I stare out the window. My heart is pounding, and my hands are trembling. That morning was the start of everything changing. I sigh, feeling the confusion and panic that’s haunted me ever since that night. I don’t know why this is happening to me. Usually, the flashbacks only ever happen in my nightmares, but lately, they’re coming to me at any time, day or night. I’m so tired of it.

I hear shuffling down the hallway and the creak of adoor opening and closing. I turn my head to the side, listening out for Halle. She wouldn’t know I’m here. The house is still dark, and I haven’t made a sound. I look down at my watch, noticing it’s past midnight. What the hell is she doing leaving the house this late at night? Is she sneaking out to get more pills? She can’t bring those here, in this house, or this town. A rush of fear hits me, and I’m quick to move toward the front door. I quietly open it and peek out. It creaks on the hinges, and I make a mental note to spray it for Hunter tomorrow.

Looking around the front of the house, I can’t see Halle anywhere, and I begin to worry. My heart thumps hard in my chest. What if she got into a car with a drug dealer? Surely she’s not that stupid, but how else does she get those pills? I head down to the side of the street and spot her heading in the opposite direction of town. My eyes focus on her. She’s in these little sleep shorts, by the looks of it, and an oversized shirt with her black Chucks. What the hell is she doing walking the street at this hour? I should just go back inside and tell Hunter about this in the morning. She’s his problem, anyway. But there’s something in the back of my mind, telling me to follow her.I’m drawn to her, and I don’t know why.My eyes narrow on her as she gets further down the street, and I give in to this nagging feeling I have. Sighing, I head down the street.

The park at the end of the street only has one street lamp to light the whole area, but I see her dark hair shining in the light, her head tipped back, staring at the night sky. She’s just sitting there on the swing, holding onto the chains on either side of her. Is she high on those pills? What the hell is she doing? Moving quietly towards the swing next to her, I sit down and turn my head to look at her. She hasn’t moved or made a sound, but I can tell she knows I’m here.Her shoulders are tense, and she’s breathing in and out like she’s trying to calm herself down.

I take this opportunity to really take her in. She’s goddamn stunning. High cheekbones, plush lips with the cutest straight nose, but those eyes, even in this light, I can see how pale blue they are. Minutes go by, and the silence is unsettling. Not because I feel uncomfortable, but because it feels so right. My fingers twitch, wanting to reach out and grab her hand to feel her skin on mine, to ask if she’s okay, but this pull that I can’t seem to escape scares the shit out of me. So I do what I do best.

“Halle, what the fuck are you doing sitting here this late at night?” I break the silence, sounding harsher than I should.

I wait for her to reply, growing more and more annoyed at her lack of attention. Huffing, I push back and lift my legs, letting the swing glide me through the warm summer air. If she wants to be stubborn, then so be it. I can be stubborn, too.

Passing her for the fourth time, I glance at her, and her shoulders slump, causing me to drop my feet to the sand and skid to a stop. She pins those sad eyes on me.

“Sometimes, I like to just sit and stare. I don’t actually look at anything. I just stare in any direction, and I turn it all off.” Her eyes travel back to the sky as she tips her head back, taking in the night sky. “Sometimes turning it all off with the stars makes more sense.”

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