Page 117 of Law Maker
I traced the back of his hand with my fingertip. “Aren’t you happy you won?”
His shoulders rose and fell under his black T-shirt. “I am. It was easy. It had more to do with my focus than with the level of the competition.”
Easy? I wondered if he was bored—or if staying with Forward Racing kept him close to me at the cost of his own growth. He played with my fingers, thumb smoothing the nail beds. The things he wouldn’t say hung between us.
“Do you think you made a mistake signing with my father’s team?” I asked.
“I don’t know.” He looked at the road. “At the time it felt right. I need to win this season.”
“Because of Ethan?” I pushed.
“And my future.” He met my eyes. “If I want a shot at a bigger team, my record needs to be spotless. Not tonight, peque. I’d rather know how you’ve been.”
As he drove, I told him about my first week at Willowbrook, about Alba, and what happened to Bree.
“Poor girl,” Asher said. “It doesn’t make sense that they ban phones and can’t even keep students safe. I went in without using the gates.”
I kept my failed escape plans to myself. He looked worn, and I didn’t want to add to that—he’d want to fix everything, and he had races to win. He’d already given up sleep to be with me.
“What would you have done if you couldn’t get in?” I asked.
His mouth tipped into a soft smile. “I would’ve found a way, peque. But you can’t rely on your roommate to call me. Open the glove compartment.”
What I found there made me stare. “Ash—this is too much.” My chest warmed. The distance hurt him too.
“What’s too much? Being able to ask for help, call me when you’re homesick, or just talk?”
I smoothed a fingertip over the small box containing the phone he’d bought me. “Thank you. You shouldn’t have spent so much—after paying Ethan, you need to save.”
He snorted. “Who else am I supposed to spend it on? Ale? There’s nobody more important to me than you, Kaia. Just take the phone. I slept like shit all week wondering if they were treating you right. I’m not asking for constant texts; I just want to be able to reach you.”
I’d have to be careful with Teagan, but being able to talk to Ash beat the risk of her tattling.
“Okay,” I whispered and brushed my knuckles over his jaw. He kissed my hand and changed lanes. The thought of spending the night together made me giddy. Luckily, we didn’t have check-ins with Sarah at bedtime for now, or I’d be in trouble.
After a while, Asher turned off the highway. We drove down a narrow country road flanked by century-old pines, then veered onto a sandy track. The tires sank into something soft; Asher kept his eyes fixed ahead. The headlights lit patches of dune grass.
I pressed my forehead to the glass to make out the shapes, and a soft chuckle came from the driver’s seat. “I hope you like it.” He rolled his window down. The wind whipped, scattering sand and filling the car with salty air that smelled of ocean and freedom.
“The beach?” I couldn’t hide the excitement in my voice. We got so few chances to be together without worrying about being seen. This felt like a reward for surviving the distance and loneliness.
“The beach.” Asher wrapped his hand around mine as the car stopped. “Come on, peque. Unless you don’t want to see.”
I fumbled free of my seatbelt. “Are you kidding me?”
He got out first and opened the door. The salty wind lashed at me, lifting my skirt; I gripped the hem. Asher raised a brow and smirked. “Can’t say I hate your school uniform, peque.”
I jabbed his ribs. “Such a guy.”
He looped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me close. “Let’s walk.”
We rounded the car and walked toward the dark ocean, stopping a few inches from the tide. Waves lapped the shore; moonlight made a glistening path across the inky water.
“Reminds me of Spain,” Asher said, brushing his lips against my temple. “I want to take you there. You’d love it.”
I leaned into him, resting my head on his shoulder. “I know I would. We can go once I’m done with school.” I’d imagined us traveling together so many times—impossible now, but maybe college would change that.
A blast of cool air raised goosebumps on my bare arms. “Wait.” Asher jogged back to the car, unlocked the trunk, and rummaged for a few seconds.
