Part 14 (1/2)

Asher faces me, breathing heavily, his eyes untamed. ”I'm sorry, Ember. I didn't mean for things to get so out of hand.”

My heart knocks energetically in my chest. I feel alive, high on adrenaline, like I could conquer the world. ”It's okay. Trust me when I say I'm used to bar fights.” I touch the tip of my finger to his bottom lip. ”You cut your lip open.” I wipe the blood away and I start to pull my hand back. But he covers it with his and presses it against his lips. He kisses my palm and his eyes penetrate me, making me feel exposed. Our breaths quicken, in sync and matching each other's desire.

”Can I kiss you?” he whispers with begging eyes.

I nod my head once and his lips crash into mine.

My first kiss. And it's as beautiful and exciting as everyone makes it out to be.

Maybe even better.

He covers my lips with his, quickly, like how he moved during the fight. But his touch is gentle. My skin ignites with heat and I wrap my hands around his waist. My lips part and his tongue slides in. He caresses the roof of my mouth with his tongue ring and I let out a moan.

He withdraws slightly, and I worry he's repulsed by my enjoyment. But then he growls, wraps his fingers around my thighs, and picks me up. I enclose my legs around his waist as he continues to taste every inch of my mouth and backs us against the wall, beneath the shadows and florescent lights. There's no s.p.a.ce remaining between our bodies and I can feel every inch of him. His kisses bring me a feeling of ecstasy for the first time in my life.

His hands are tangled in my hair. They trail down my neck, finally settling on my hips. He slips a hand up the back of my s.h.i.+rt and the contact sends a jolt of electricity down my spine. He holds onto me like I'm his lifeline, as if letting me go will kill him.

”I've wanted to kiss you forever.” He groans against my lips and steals my breath away. It's like we've unleashed a hungry animal in each of us. But the sound of the sirens makes him pull back, although it looks like he doesn't want to. His eyes are as black as coals and his lips are swollen.

”We should get out of here,” he whispers, looking like he might kiss me again.

I nod and untangle my legs from his waist. Holding hands, we sneak around the side of the building and quickly hop into the car. Red and blue lights flash through the dark parking lot and cops hop out of squad cars. A swarm of people are barreling out the front door, distracting the cops enough for us to drive off into the night unnoticed.

From the corner of my eye, I watch Asher. He meets my eyes and gives me this look that makes me wonder what he could possibly want to show me.

”Now where are we going?” I ask, buckling my seat belt.

He smiles and winks at me. ”You'll just have to wait and see.”

I lean back in the seat and watch the trees blur by, feeling alive and carefree for the first time in my life. I wish I had a pen so I could write about this moment and preserve it forever. Then I could remember what it felt like when it vanishes.

Chapter 11.

We drive along the highway, making small chitchat about the fight. Asher doesn't ask questions about what was said. When he looks at me, it feels like he's really looking at me, instead of at the girl who was brought in to the police station for the suspicion of her dad's disappearance.

Asher finally turns off the main road and parks his car in a gravel turnout overlooking the lake. He turns the car off and dabs the cut on his lip with the collar of his s.h.i.+rt.

”You know, this whole night really didn't turn out how I was planning it,” he says.

The lake s.h.i.+mmers and the moon reflects against the surface, the water rippling a dance against the breeze. The mountains are black and the trees dark silhouettes.

”How were you planning it to go?” I ask.

He puts the parking brake on. ”A little less bar fighting and a lot more making out in the back of the bar.”

I look at him to see if he's being serious. He stares at me with hunger in his eyes. I touch my lips. ”How did you learn to fight like that?”

His jaw tenses. ”My dad taught me.”

”Yeah, mine too,” I mumble, lowering my hand from my lips.

He relaxes a little. ”Yeah, I saw you knee that guy... You didn't so much as hesitate.”

”Hesitation shows weakness.” I sigh. ”At least that's what my dad used to say. He was a do-or-die kind of guy.” I pause. ”I didn't kill him.”

”I know.” His voice and gaze is rock steady.

”So you don't believe the rumors at school?”

He shakes his head and a wisp of his inky black hair falls into his eyes. He leans over and tucks a strand of my hair behind my ear. ”Come on, there's something I want to show you.” He grabs a flashlight out of the glove box and hops out of the car.

I climb out and meet him at the front of the car. We walk down a dirt path, holding hands. It's pitch dark and he lights the way with the beam of the flashlight. An owl hoots from in a tree and the crickets' melody haunts the night. It's strange but peaceful knowing we're the only two out here and that we are sharing a private moment no one else can ever touch.

Asher unexpectedly makes a sharp veer off the path into the trees. The leaves and twigs crunch under our shoes as we hike deeper into the woods.

”Where are we going?” I whisper, forcing my eyes to adjust to the night. The branches form eerie shadows above our heads and the soft swish of the lake's waves whisper in my ears.

He shoves a branch aside and lets me walk through first. ”There's something out here I want to show you.”

”What? A roll of tape and a shovel,” I say sarcastically.

He spots the flashlight on my face. ”Am I scaring you?”

I shake my head. ”I think it would take a h.e.l.l of a lot more than a creepy walk in the forest with a really hot guy to scare me.”

”You think I'm hot, huh?” It's nearly pitch black, but I hear the smile in his voice.

I roll my eyes, playing off my slipup. ”So what's really-”

He silences me with his lips crus.h.i.+ng into mine. We melt together, steaming up the woods as he presses his body against mine. His fingers find my waist and I wonder if it's possible to stay like this forever, in the darkness of the woods, away from the world and death.

He pulls back, breathing ravenously. ”You're beautiful, you know that? Especially when you're embarra.s.sed.”

”I don't get embarra.s.sed,” I a.s.sure him. ”Only uncomfortable.”

We finish the rest of the walk holding hands and taking in the serenity of each other's company. We finally emerge out of the trees and onto a flat spot of land. Asher sweeps the light across the area, highlighting a stone statue of an angel with wings pointing at the sky and its head and back is curled toward the earth. Surrounding it are small wooden crosses staked in the ground, covered with vines of rose bushes.

”How did you know this was here?” I roam through the tiny cemetery, feeling as though I'm stepping on forbidden territory. ”And does anyone else know it's back here?”

”My father took me here when I was younger.” He watches me with the flashlight in his hand. ”And I don't think anyone else knows it exists.”

”How'd your father know about it?” I stare up at the angel statue.

”His father showed it to him.” He spotlights an engraving on the foot of the statue.