He’s only here because I am. Because I dragged him unwillingly into my life, and now he feels obligated to stay.
I hate it, and I don’t want it for him at all.
I want him to leave and never look back. I want him to heal from the shit we did. I want him to let go of his guilt over everything that went down.
None of it was his fault, even if he’s not willing to admit it.
“I’m sorry,” I murmur, making him tense.
“It’s part of being a prospect,” he says as he pushes his cup to the side.
“That’s not…”
“Hey, what’s going on in here?” Calloway asks as he joins us, slamming the door shut behind him.
My brother has the worst timing in the world.
That, and he’s way too happy for how early it is.
“Just talking. What’s up?” Asher asks.
Calloway glances around. “Place looks good.”
“Thanks,” Asher tells him.
Calloway turns back to him. “I need you to go get ready. We’re going for a ride.”
Asher nods as he stands. “Give me twenty.”
I watch as he walks over to the sink and rinses his cup before setting it on the counter.
“I’ll talk to you later,” he murmurs as he passes by me, his hand lightly trailing on my arm before he heads down the hall toward his room.
My breath catches in my throat. The feelings he evokes in me thrill me as much as they scare me.
“What was that all about?” Calloway asks when we are finally alone.
“Don’t worry about it.”
He raises a brow. “I’m your brother. My job is quite literally to worry about it.”
“Asher shouldn’t go on a ride with you,” I tell him as I cross my arms over my chest.
“Oh, and why is that?” he asks, mimicking my stance.
“Because he hasn’t been to bed yet, and he’s tired. He stayed up to clean up after everyone went to bed.”
“He will be fine, Aspen.”
I shake my head. “If anything happens to him, I hope you know that’s on you, and I would never forgive you.”
For a minute, Calloway studies me, making my skin crawl.
“I didn’t realize you cared what happens to him,” he says after a minute.
“Well, I do.”
“Explain it to me then. Because from what I’ve seen, you hate him and want him gone.”
