Kaia
“One more.”
Grinning, Asher fed me another tiny sushi roll. We sat on the couch in front of the fireplace, savoring the meal the hotel had delivered. I was so full I could barely breathe, and we still had desserts waiting.
I finished chewing and shook my head. “No more. I don’t want to burst.”
He chuckled and popped another roll into his mouth. After he swallowed, he winked. “Sex burns lots of calories.”
“You’d know,” I teased.
He pecked my lips. “Now you do, too.”
I slid down and rested my head in his lap while he finished the bites on his plate and set it aside. “I hope it stops raining so we can walk tomorrow,” he said, rubbing his thumb over my bottom lip.
I didn’t want to think about tomorrow and Willowbrook. Being away from Asher would hurt worse now that we’d been this close. “I don’t want to go back to school,” I admitted.
Asher slipped his hand under my robe and rubbed my bare stomach. “Do they treat you right there, or do I need to have a word with them?”
“They do.” The school was fine—distance, not mistreatment, was the problem. He’d already gotten in trouble because of me once; I wouldn’t drag him into anything more.
“No lies, Kaia.”
“I’ve never lied to you. They treat me okay, but being apart sucks. Not your fault—you need to win this season.”
Hesighed and moved his hand to my hip. “I’m sorry, peque. The next races are far. I’ll still try to see you.”
“It’s okay. I’ll be busy with camp. Hate to admit it, but experienced teachers and long hours do help.”
“They better. I’d be pissed if you’d changed schools for nothing.”
I scooted up and leaned my head on his shoulder. After a beat he asked, “Do you ever think about the future?”
“Sometimes.” Until recently it had looked bleak. Now I had hope.
“I had this thought while we were making love,” he said. “I thought we’d have beautiful children.”
I grinned up at him. “You thought about kids while trying not to get me pregnant? How cute. Also—did the condom break?”
A corner of his mouth twitched. “No, smartass. I want you to go to college, get a degree and the job you want, and then—when you’re ready—we’ll have some. They’ll be beautiful because you are.”
I hid my smile against his chest. “Some.”
“Two, if you don’t mind. Not having a sibling can be lonely.”
“Was it for you?”
He rubbed my shoulder. “I would’ve liked someone to mess around with. Javi was the closest thing to a brother I had growing up. What about you?”
“After Mom died, I lost most of my friends because it was too depressing to be around me—even for my father. Then I had to repeat a year. Mandy stuck by me, but our friendship was never like yours with Javi. Mostly I was just lonely.”
“Pobre,” Asher whispered, kissing the top of my head. “I don’t want you to ever feel that way again.”
“Then you better not go anywhere.” I meant it as a joke, but losing him would feel like losing Mom all over again.
“Nunca,” Asher said. “I can’t promise it’ll be easy or that we won’t have to be apart—you know how racing works—but I promise I’m not going anywhere. I won’t ever leave you.”
I traced his lips with my fingertip. “Promise?”
