It’s quiet. The kind of quiet that feels earned.
I’m standing at the kitchen sink, water running hot over my hands as I scrub at the dishes we used tonight. The soap smells like citrus and rosemary. Penny’s a few feet away, wiping down the counter with slow, swirling motions. Her hair’s up, a few strands falling loose around her face. My hoodie still hangs off her shoulders, oversized and slipping off one bare shoulder. She hums under her breath as she works. Something light. Old.
I don’t think she even knows she’s doing it.
She turns slightly, reaching for a clean rag, and the hem of the hoodie lifts just enough to show the curve of her thigh. I grip the edge of the sink and look away.
Because if I don’t, I’ll lose whatever restraint I’ve got left.
I don’t know what we are yet. I don’t know what she wants. But I do know this–if I could, I’d sweep her into my arms right now, carry her away to some place no one could find us. Just the two of us. A small apartment. A quiet life. A bed big enough for both of us and the safety of knowing no one else gets to touch her. That no one else ever will.
She asked me to stay. Earlier, in my room, she said it so softly it almost didn’t register.
Stay.
No one’s ever said that to me like that before. With the kind of fear that I’d walk away… and the kind of hope that I wouldn’t.
And I won’t.
After that last mission, I wanted nothing more than to get back out there. I hated being pulled out. Hated being told I needed rest. I was counting down the days until they’d clear me. Until I could do something
that mattered again.
Now?
Now all I care about is her. I’ll always be a SEAL–nothing changes that. It’s in the blood, in the bones, But something else is here now, someone else. And I care about her more than I ever thought I could.
She’s moving around the kitchen still, talking about the movie we watched earlier, something about the ending being “emotionally manipulative in a beautiful way,” and I can’t stop watching her.
lling her
She walks past me with the rag still in hand, and I reach out, catching her by the waist an toward me. She lets out a small sound of surprise as I push her hair to the side and press ass to her neck.
“You missed a spot,” I murmur.
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Chapter 176: Asher
“Oh, did I?” she says, breathless. “Where?”
I kiss the same place again. “Right here.”
She’s laughing softly, leaning into me, and I’m already thinking about carrying her upstairs, again, about-
The crunch of tires on gravel cuts through the moment.
I freeze.
So does she.
We turn toward the window.
Headlights. A car pulling into the driveway.
“What the hell-” I start.
The front door swings open hard enough to hit the wall.
And there he is.
Tyler.
His eyes are wild, rimmed red, his hair disheveled like he’s been driving for hours. He looks exhausted, furious–and something worse. Unhinged.
“What the fuck did you tell them?” he shouts, storming into the kitchen like a live wire. “My phone hasn’t stopped. Mom. Dad. Her parents. What the hell did you say?!”
I step between him and Penny immediately. I feel her fingers tighten around the back of my shirt.
“Answer me!” Tyler yells.
“I told them the truth,” I say flatly.
“That I cheated? That I what–held her wrist?” He’s pacing now, hands flailing. “Jesus, Asher, you made me sound like a goddamn criminal!”
“You grabbed her,” I say. “You scared her. You lied to her. I told them that.”
“I didn’t lie-”
“You knew about Zoe.“,
He freezes.
“You knew it was her phone,” I say. “And you didn’t say a word.”
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Chapter 176: Asher
He tries to talk, then stops himself. His jaw clenches. “Where are they?”
“Who?”
“Our parents,” he snaps. “The whole goddamn tribunal you sent after me.”
I sigh, already moving toward the counter down the hallway, where I left my phone. “They’re at Penny’s place.”
“Well then let’s get it over with,” he says. “I’m not hiding.”
I pick up my phone, open my messages. “I’ll text them. Tell them you’re here.”
Penny’s still in the kitchen. I glance at her briefly–her eyes are wide, unreadable. She hasn’t said a word..
I start typing, trying to keep my tone calm, my hands steady. He’s here. If you want to talk to him, now’s the
time.
Behind me, I hear her voice. “What are you doing, Tyler?”
Something in her tone makes me turn.
“No,” she says again, louder now. “No, stop–stop!”
I drop my phone and sprint for the door just in time to see it slam shut.
Penny’s in the passenger seat of a black sedan I don’t recognize. Her face is pale in the glow of the dashboard.
“ASHER!” she screams, pounding on the window.
The engine revs.
“Tyler!” I tear down the steps as the tires screech and the car pulls away from the curb.
He took her.
That bastard took her.
I’m already in my car before I know what I’m doing, the keys nearly slipping from my hand as I shove them into the ignition. My phone is still on the kitchen floor, so I hit the Bluetooth and call my dad’s number from the car system.
He picks up on the first ring.
“What happened?” he says.
“Tyler took her,” I bark. “Shoved her into a car and drove off. I’m going after them.”
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Chapter 176: Asher
“Don’t–Asher, don’t do anything rash-”
“Too late.”
I slam my foot down on the gas and peel out of the driveway.
He thinks he can take her? After everything?
He doesn’t know who I become when someone threatens what’s mine.
And Penny?
She’s mine.
And I’m not stopping until she’s safe in my arms again.
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