"I've never come so fast from a hand job before." He says the words like he doesn't know what to make of them. "Never come so hard." He reaches forward, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear. "Fuck, Ivy." He shakes his head, a grin pulling at his lips. "Fuck."
"So, it was good?" I ask, watching the way his Adams apple bobs in his throat as he swallows and nods.
"You did great. You were . . . perfect."
I smile back and push up on the pillows when a beep comes from Asher and his eyes widen.
He reaches back for his phone, eyes sweeping over the message before he curses quietly.
"It's Justin, Leon's looking for me. He's distracting him downstairs but he's telling me to get down there."
"So . . . Justin?"
"I didn't tell him anything, but he's not stupid. He knows something is happening; he just doesn't know what."
I nod, "you should probably get down there."
Asher nods and starts dressing quickly, before he's tugging his shirt over his head, swooping down to deliver a kiss to my lips, and rushing out my bedroom door, shutting it with a click as he leaves.
I crash back on my pillows. Staring wide eyed at my bedroom roof and I can't stop the grin from reaching my lips before I move for the bathroom to have yet another shower. And this time I'm in there for longer than the five minutes it took me to shower the first time, my skin cool from the cold water but flushed with heat none the less, legs shaky but body sated.
Chapter 24
Tip twenty-four; Eye contact can be a powerful tool to have in your arsenal. Use it. Make eye contact with your partner in bed, during conversation. Make eye contact with people who are speaking to you, look at that cute person you see across the room at a party or in the shops. Practice makes perfect.
Ivy
Istep into the coffee shop, the cool touch of air conditioning brushing over my skin. My mind is busy going over what I have due for class, but everything comes to a sudden stop when I spot the familiar blonde head sitting at a booth in the corner.
I weave through the tables and slide into the seat across from Charlotte. She startles, wide-eyed as she looks up at me.
"Ivy," she says in surprise, her fingers tightening around her coffee cup.
"Not excited to see me, Charlie?" I joke, offering her a grin, but there's a knot of tension in the pit of my stomach when I see the tension in her body.
She forces a small smile, the kind that doesn't quite reach her eyes. "No, I am. I just didn't expect you. Don't you have class?"
There are dark circles under her eyes I don't remember being there. Her shoulders look smaller somehow. Like she's folding in on herself.
"At nine," I say, studying her as she looks at her phone like she’s waiting for something. Her fingers trace the edge of her cup, a little too restless for my liking.
It's been like this for weeks now. Distance. Something feels off, and I'm not sure exactly what it is or how to fix it.
"We should hang out tonight. It's been forever since we've had a proper catch-up," I suggest quietly, searching her face for signs of what's wrong.
She looks withdrawn. Sad.
"Yeah, maybe," she says, but the lack of enthusiasm in her voice is impossible to ignore and I feel my heart drop, my stomach alight with nerves. Her phone lights up on the table, and she quickly picks it up, slipping it into her lap quickly, her jaw tightening for half a second before she smooths her expression.
"Is everything okay, Charlie?" I ask, trying to sound casual but knowing I'm failing miserably. "I feel like we haven't really talked in ages."
She glances at her coffee, avoiding my gaze, and takes a sip. "Yeah, everything's fine. Just... a lot going on, I guess."
I bite my lip, trying to push down the frustration bubbling up inside me. This conversation is dying fast, and I don't know howto stop it. I glance out the window, watching people walk by, but I can feel the tension radiating off her like heat.
The silence stretches, and I'm about to say something when Charlie suddenly shifts in her seat and checks her watch. "Ivy, I think I need to go."
"Really?" I say softly.
