Chapter 262: Penny
My legs ache.
–
more like I went to war with inflatable grenades,
Not in the delicate, graceful way ballet leaves you sore- crawling through a minefield of glitter and getting smacked with a pool noodle by Max… twice.
I’m sitting cross–legged on the edge of the mat, the toe of my sock snagged on a glittery duct tape seam, watching as the party slowly unravels into goodbye hugs and half–hearted clean–up efforts. There’s cake smeared on someone’s shirt. Balloons are wilting against the walls. Someone is still wearing the ridiculous cardboard vest that Rooster dubbed “tactical couture.” It’s chaos. Beautiful, earned chaos.
I let out a breath, slow and long.
“Hey,” Mila says, crouching beside me with a sleepy smile. “That was insane. In the best way.”
Boomer stands behind her, his arm slung across her shoulders. “Yeah. You really pulled this off.”
Rooster walks past, bucket in one hand, a fistful of used napkins in the other. “Don’t get emotional on me now, Ballerina. You’ll make me cry sparkles.”
—
I laugh because I’m too tired to do anything else. I glance at the clock. It’s late. So late I’ll regret it tomorrow, but right now… I don’t care. I glance toward the windows. Asher’s already waiting by the door, his coat draped over his arm, his eyes on me like I’m the only thing that matters in this room.
They all start moving, collecting cups and plates, un–taping balloons from the floor.
“You guys sure?” I ask, standing up slowly. “I can stay–help get everything perfect. Madame Loretto will lose it if
she-”
“Go,” Anna says firmly, waving me off.
“We got it,” Luc adds, already stacking chairs. “We’ll scrub the glitter out of the mirrors if we have to.”
“You earned the exit,” Mila grins. “Now get out of here before I change my mind and make you mop.”
I blink at them my chaotic, weird, wonderful little circle and my throat tightens with something warm.
–
“Thank you,” I whisper.
We hug. Each of them. Quick, squishy, lingering goodbyes that smell like sugar and cheap party beer. And then I slip out the door with Asher beside me, the cold air outside washing over my skin like permission to “ly
breathe.
The car ride is quiet. Soft music playing low from the radio, the city outside blinking in sleepy yellow lights. My head is resting against the window, my body humming from too much laughter, too much sugar, too much adrenaline.
Asher drives like he always does one hand on the wheel, the other resting near the gearshift, fingers tapping
–
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Chapter 262: Penny
against his thigh to a beat only he can hear. Ife’s still wearing the gear someone stuck him in camo pants. black long–sleeve shirt, and the plastic army vest Max insisted he had to wear for “authenticity. His Jaw is relaxed, but there’s a slight upward curve to his mouth that he’s not trying to hide.
He looks… happy.
I shift in my seat. “Hey,”
He glances at me.
“Did you really like it?”
At the red light, he turns toward me, eyes catching the soft red glow.
His voice is low, sincere, no hesitation. “It’s the best birthday I’ve ever had.”
Just like that, I feel full again. Like all the stress, all the planning, all the little details were absolutely worth it.
I smile and look out the window. “Good.”
We get home a few minutes later. The apartment smells like lavender and the faint traces of cinnamon from the
candle I left burning earlier. Asher locks the door behind us and shrugs out of his jacket.
I toe off my shoes, then turn to him, hands behind my back, pretending like I’m just another tired ballerina girl
winding down from a long night.
“I have one more gift,” I say softly.
He raises a brow, smirking. “Yeah?”
“Mm–hm.” I bite my lip and reach for the waistband of my jeans.
His eyes darken immediately, locked on my every move like a predator clocking his prey.
I slowly slide my pants down, inch by inch, until they pool around my ankles – and what’s underneath makes the room temperature spike ten degrees.
It’s black lace. Tiny. Delicate. More suggestive than anything I’ve ever worn in my life. I bought it last week and nearly chickened out twice before tonight.
His breath catches.
A slow, almost warning growl escapes him as he takes one step toward me.
“You sure about this, princess?”
I nod, biting down a smile. “So do you want your last gift or not?”
He closes the space between us like a panther stalking something fragile and delicious. Every inch of him is heat and control and command.
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Chapter 262: Penny
I reach for the army vest across my chest, fingers slipping under the strap to unclasp it-
His hand still grips my wrist.
Firm. Certain.
I’m frozen in place, but my body’s burning from the inside out. My pulse beats like a second heart between my legs, and the way he’s looking at me like he’s memorizing the sight, like I’m something he’s about to devour – makes me feel like I’m unraveling under my own skin.
“Keep it on,” he repeats, voice low and dark and ragged at the edges. “All of it.”
I breathe out a shaky laugh. “You’re into army roleplay now?”
He doesn’t smile.
His mouth drags against my jaw instead, rough stubble scraping just enough to make me gasp. His fingers slide up the open edge of the vest, trailing over the thin lace underneath – featherlight, like he’s trying to decide if I’ll shatter or combust.
“You planned a full assault,” he murmurs against my neck. “Party. People. Games. Then you bring me home like this…” He bites down, gently, just under my ear. “You started this war, Penny.”
My knees nearly give out.
“You gonna finish it?” I whisper.
His hands are on my thighs in a second, gripping hard, and he lifts me like I weigh nothing. My legs wrap around his waist instinctively, and the second my back hits the hallway wall, his mouth is on mine – hot, relentless, consuming. The kind of kiss that doesn’t just make your heart race – it changes it. A kiss that owns you.
He pins me there, fully clothed but somehow making me feel completely exposed.
My hands slide into his hair, fingers tugging like I need something to hold on to. He groans into my mouth, deep and low, and the sound slides straight down my spine.
“You really bought this for me?” he mutters, lips brushing my collarbone.
I nod, breathless. “Just for today.”
His eyes flick up, locking on mine. “That tiny little piece of lace is barely there.”
“That’s the point.”
He presses his forehead to mine for one long beat.
“You’re gonna kill me, princess.”
But his tone says he’d let me.
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Chapter 262: Penny
He moves, carrying me through the apartment, steps unhurried like he’s savoring the build–up, like he knows the suspense is killing me and he’s enjoying every second of it. The door to the bedroom swings open with a shove
ess of limbs and breath and urgency of his foot, and then we’re falling onto the mattress in a
He doesn’t let me take the vest off. Not even the hat.
Instead, he worships every inch of what’s underneath it
mouth and hands and body moving with a kind of
reverence that makes me feel like I’m both holy and forbidden. The lace doesn’t last long. But he makes sure I do.
It’s not gentle.
It’s not soft.
It’s intense. Consuming. Desperate in all the ways I never knew I needed.
Every word he whispers is rough and possessive and impossible to forget.
Every time he touches me, I burn for more.
And afterward, when I’m curled against his chest, skin still tingling and heart still pounding, he presses a kiss to my forehead and whispers:
“Best birthday of my life.”
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