Chapter 12
The night was truly beautiful, and the city had outdone itself. The park was alive with warm, flickering lights from the food stalls lining its edges, while people laughed and mingled in the open center. Excitement buzzed in the air, an almost tangible thing, as families, couples, and groups of friends gathered to witness the much-anticipated meteor shower.
A long line had already formed behind the cotton candy stall, little children tugging eagerly at their parents' hands, their faces alight with pure joy. Nearby, a rowdy group had set up a dartboard under a streetlamp—though the lamp had been switched off in preparation for the show. The board bore the faces of some unfortunate souls, and they were throwing darts at them, hollering every time someone landed a hit.
The benches scattered around the park had long been claimed by elderly couples and groups of friends, but Andrea and Asher had no such concerns.Asher had come prepared.He squeezed her hand—at some point, he had slipped his fingers through hers, and she hadn’t even noticed. It just felt natural. Like they had always been like this.
They wandered through the park together, stopping at stalls, soaking in the atmosphere, buying little things just for the fun of it.Andrea bought fried chicken with ranch, savoring the crispy, salty goodness, while Asher disappeared for a moment and returned with a hotdog and a soda.“I was gone for five minutes, and you’re already halfway through yours?” he teased, eyes glinting as he leaned in close, stealing a fry straight from her hand.
She swatted at him, but her pulse quickened. He was too close—warm and solid and smelling like something dangerous.
Slowly, the night deepened, and the energy in the park shifted. The sky darkened into a velvety black, and one by one, the streetlights around the park shut off. Stall lights flickered out. Conversations softened into murmurs.People turned their eyes upward.Waiting.
Outside the park, just far enough from the crowd, Asher and Andrea settled into the back of the pickup truck. He had laid everything out—pillows, thick blankets, warmth, comfort. Their own little haven under the endless night.Andrea curled up beside him, her body sinking into the softness, into him. He reached over, draping a blanket around her shoulders, his fingers lingering at the base of her neck for just a second too long.
The heat was instant.Slow, smoldering.It wasn’t just the warmth of the blankets or the hot food they had picked up—it was him. His presence. The way his body stretched out beside hers, his muscles shifting with the smallest movement, his scent filling the cool night air.She swallowed, fingers clenching around the edge of the blanket, forcing herself to focus on the sky.
The first streak of silver cut through the darkness.Andrea gasped softly, watching as the meteor blazed across the heavens, followed by another, and another—like fire painting the night.It was breathtaking.The meteor shower was nothing short of magical.
The sky had transformed into a canvas of burning silver, streaks of light tearing across the darkness in brilliant, fleeting trails. Some meteors fell in graceful arcs, slow and mesmerizing, while others sliced through the heavens with fiery intensity, disappearing in the blink of an eye.Andrea lay back against the soft pillows, breathless, watching as the universe danced above them. The crowd in the park gasped and murmured, their excitement drifting toward them in the distance, but here, in the quiet of the pickup truck, it felt like another world entirely.
Just her. And Asher. And the stars.She closed her eyes.A moment later, she heard Asher’s voice, low and amused.“What are you doing?”Her lips curled into a small smile. “Making wishes.”
He huffed a soft laugh. “You think falling stars grant wishes?”“There are hundreds of them right now,” she murmured. “It would be a waste not to try.”Asher didn’t reply, but when she opened her eyes again, the meteors were gone. The sky was still and dark once more, as if the universe had exhaled and let the moment slip away.
Silence stretched between them, warm and intimate. The distant sounds of the festival seemed a world away.“Andrea?”She turned toward him, meeting his gaze. “Hmm?”Asher shifted closer, his silhouette illuminated only by the soft glow of the distant lanterns. His face was achingly beautiful, strong lines and dark eyes filled with something she couldn’t name.Something dangerous. Something irresistible.Her pulse quickened.He was moving toward her, slow and deliberate, his gaze flickering over her lips. She should stop him. She should look away.
But she couldn’t.She didn’t want to.How could she deny him?More importantly—how could she deny herself?He was fire and warmth and safety all at once, and she had been cold for far too long.So she let him.The first brush of his lips was soft—tentative, almost questioning. But the second was not.It was a claim.A slow, devastating drag of his mouth against hers, his fingers slipping into her hair, tilting her head just enough to deepen the kiss. He tasted like warmth, like heat, like something she had no right wanting this much.
A sigh escaped her, and that was all the encouragement he needed.His other hand slid around her waist, pulling her closer, erasing every inch of space between them. The blankets, the cool night air, the world itself—it all faded.All that was left was him.Asher kissed her like he had been waiting for this—like he had been holding back for far too long. His lips parted against hers, coaxing, demanding, his tongue teasing the seam of her lips until she gave in, until she let him in completely.And God, she melted.
Her fingers curled into his shirt, gripping onto him as if he was the only thing tethering her to reality. Heat pooled low in her belly, spreading like wildfire as he pulled her even closer, his hand splayed against her back, pressing her into him.Her breath hitched when he broke away—only to press a slow, open-mouthed kiss to the corner of her lips, then along her jaw, then lower—his breath hot against her skin.
Andrea’s fingers trembled where they rested against his chest, her heart hammering wildly.When she finally found her voice, it was barely more than a breath. “What… what was that?”Asher smirked, dark and lazy, his fingers still tracing slow patterns against her waist.“Fulfilling one of my wishes.”When Asher finally let her go, they were both breathing heavily, their chests rising and falling in frantic, uneven rhythms.
The night air felt thick between them, heavy with something neither of them could contain.Andrea’s lips were swollen, tingling from his kiss, her body still trembling from the fire he had ignited inside her.She swallowed hard, trying to steady herself.“I thi—” she began, but Asher cut her off instantly.“Don’t say it, Andrie.” His voice was raw, a warning wrapped in something dark and desperate.Her brows furrowed. “But you don’t even know what I was going to say.”
“Yes,” he growled, his eyes burning into hers. “I do.”His jaw clenched, muscles ticking beneath his skin. “And I’m telling you right now—don’t.”She had never heard him sound like this before.Hoarse. Hurt. Angry.That should have been enough to stop her.It wasn’t.“We shouldn’t do that.” She said it anyway.And Asher snapped.There was no hesitation, no warning this time—just action.His hands shot up to the back of her neck, his grip firm but reverent as he pulled her forward, crushing her mouth against his.
This kiss wasn’t soft.It wasn’t slow.It was fire.Rough. Desperate. Consuming.His lips slanted against hers, claiming, devouring, as if he was determined to make her forget every argument before it could even form.And God, she did.Andrea gasped into his mouth, her fingers tangling in his shirt, pulling him closer even as her mind screamed at her to stop.But there was no stopping this.No stopping him.
Asher’s hands roamed over her, slow and deliberate, like he was memorizing every inch of her with his fingertips.From her shoulders—To her collarbone—To the front of her dress, where he fumbled with the buttons, his frustration mounting when they refused to budge.A low, guttural sound rumbled in his chest.They weren’t real buttons—just for decoration.She barely had time to react before he grabbed her shoulders, gripping the fabric in his fists as he hauled her against him.Her breath hitched.Now, there was nothing between them.Her body was flush against his, pressed so tightly against his chest that she could feel every hard plane of muscle beneath his shirt.
Her swollen belly nestled against his stomach as she straddled his lap, their bodies fitting together in a way that sent molten heat licking through her veins.Andrea gasped again as the friction made her already-sensitive nipples tighten, the soft fabric of her dress doing nothing to ease the delicious torment.She could feel him.Everywhere.
Asher exhaled harshly, his forehead dropping against hers.He was silent.But his body spoke for him.His hands flexed against her hips, holding her there like he couldn’t bear to let go.His breath fanned against her lips, hot and uneven, as if he was battling the same storm raging inside her.Her fingers curled against his chest, trembling.She should say something.Stop this before it went too far.But the way he was looking at her, holding her—Like she was something he couldn’t live without—It stole the words right from her lips.