Deceit (Gallows Hill #1)

45. Chapter Forty Four

Chapter Forty Four

Skyla

M aggie and I are currently strolling through downtown Salem during their fall festival. Okay, to be fair the entire month of October so far has been a fall festival. The guys all came with me, but one-by-one, they all got pulled away for other things. Now the only one left with us is Asher, following from a few feet back and looking absolutely miserable to be here.

My eyes catch on a treat stand, and I turn a sharp left and hurry over to it. Once I’ve procured the goodie, I make my way back to Asher with a megawatt smile that’s only a tiny bit fake. I hold it out to him and his brows furrow.

“What?” he asks.

“Take it. I got it for you,” I say as he slowly lifts his hand, gripping the stick.

“Why?”

“Because, you look like death warmed over back here. A little sugar should perk you right up!” I smile brightly, taking a little fun in the way irritation amplifies in his eyes.

“It’s a caramel apple,” he says flatly.

I nod. “Practically dopamine on a stick. You have natural sugars and artificial sugars.”

He shakes his head as he holds it out for me.

“C’mon, please? One bite,” I ask with big eyes, they seem to be getting me everything that I want with my guys lately.

Not that Asher is one of my guys or anything.

Asher stares at me for a little bit before he lifts the apple to his mouth, keeping his eyes on me as he takes a huge bite. I want to grin in triumph, but I find myself focusing on his mouth. He savagely chews the apple, and when he took a bite some of the juices got onto his lips and chin. In a move I can only describe as witchcraft, his tongue flicks out licking his lips and upper chin clean.

My eyes track that tongue for longer than I’d care to admit. Memories of that lecture hall, his mouth mere inches from my naked flesh, his eyes full of heat and that tongue. God, I wanted that tongue more in that moment than I wanted anything else. I was curious, surprised, and so incredibly turned on. I never expected to care for Asher, let alone like him, but over the last few weeks or so, he’s been slowly tearing through my walls. Dare I say we are even friends now, as good of friends as he knows how to be at least.

Still, it feels better to know that in two weeks I’m not marrying someone I hate, but at least someone I kind of care for.

When Asher swallows the apple I track the movement, watching his throat work in a way that shouldn’t be nearly as sexy as it is. I feel Maggie pinch my arm and I jolt in place, forcing myself to be the first one to break eye contact with Asher as I turn away.

We begin walking again and I can feel her eyes on me, a teasing smile as I level her with a sideways look.

“Shut up.”

She’s been giving me shit about Asher ever since I told her about me and the guys. She obviously knew about Ronan and she assumed there was something with Liam. Then she noticed Vincent hanging around me more but didn’t say anything. That is until she opened my door one day, a door I very much thought I locked but apparently didn’t, while Vincent’s head was buried between my thighs. Ever since, she’s been asking me when Asher will join the harem and if I have a spot on my list for her.

She snickers, looping our arms together but doesn’t say anything as we make our way over to the carnival games. I’ve never been to a carnival before, so everything I know about them is from the TV. I’m not sure why Steph never let me go when I was younger. I remember a few carnival-like events happening around town, but she always came up with something better to do at home. I didn’t care very much in the end, but now it has me wondering why I had to miss out. It’s a little chaotic and noisy, and absolutely packed, but I kind of love the energy that is buzzing around here. It feels like joy and happiness. I wish I could trap this moment in a container and look back at it on the harder days.

We sit down on a couple of swivel bar stools as we hold this gun thing in our hands.

“See the circle?” Maggie says, as she points to the target in front of me.

I nod.

“You want to make sure you hit it right on the dot, it will make your balloon blow up faster.”

“My balloon?” I question as my gun starts squirting water.

Yanking it over the several inches that it’s off I hit the target, but the balloon blows up so slow it’s no comparison to Maggie’s. When her balloon pops, I’m assuming that means she’s won. She gets up and begins shaking her ass in my face, before the carnival guy hands her a little stuffed owl.

Asher steps forward, handing the guy some cash before crouching down behind me. His arms wrap around me, hands gripping the handles just below my own as he levels the thing out. I can feel his breath dancing against my neck as his head leans over my shoulder, his deep voice doing something to me it never has before.

“You hit the circle last time, but you want it to hit the little black dot in the circle.”

I turn to look up at him, our faces inches apart as I nod softly.

“C’mon, Bartlett. Double or nothing,” he says to Maggie, to which she happily accepts.

As soon as the water kicks on we are slightly off, but Asher adjusts us slightly and it’s a guaranteed win from there. Our balloon blows up huge and fast before it pops. Excitement rushes through me as I jump off my stool and into Asher’s arms. He catches me easily as he spins me around a few times, meanwhile I’m cheering like I just won the Olympics.

When he lets me down, my body slides against his slowly, my chest brushing against nearly every inch of him until my feet hit the ground. Those three golden flecks are on full display in this lighting, when a stuffed bear with a witch’s broom and a witch hat is shoved in between us.

Maggie gives us a knowing smile but doesn’t say anything as she casually strolls away.

“Do you want it?” I ask, offering the bear to Asher.

He gives a half laugh and shakes his head.

“All yours, Princess. You can cuddle it at night when you’re missing me,” he says with a quick wink.

It’s so fast I almost feel like I made it up, but his quick steps away from me tell me he’s embarrassed and doesn’t want to look me in the eye right now. Asher Putnam doesn’t get embarrassed, and he definitely doesn’t flirt with me. Maybe this whole celibacy thing is getting to him. What the hell is happening to us?

He keeps his distance for the rest of the night, following no more than five steps behind Maggie and me the whole time. Things are about to start winding down and despite being in canvas shoes, my feet are killing me.

“One last thing!” Maggie says as she points to the ferris wheel.

I let out a bitter laugh as I shake my head.

“Absolutely not.”

She pouts, practically dragging my arm out of its socket as she pulls us in line.

“Maggie, seriously. Stop. I hate heights. This thing doesn’t look safe.”

“Oh, don’t be such a baby. It’s fine!”

Before I can respond, she hands the ride attendant our tickets and suddenly we are brushing past him moving to the available chair in front of us. It’s the metal kind. The one that moves a lot and squeaks and moans when you sit on it. Also known as the super dangerous kind. Maggie all but shoves me into the seat before she pauses.

“Oh no,” she says with fake disappointment. “I forgot. I have dinner plans with my parents. I have to go. Asher! Will you ride with my girl?” Maggie says.

He looks at her for several seconds, before he hops up and over the ride’s fence as he comes up to pass Maggie. She whispers something to him, but I can’t quite hear it as she scurries off, heading in the direction where we parked. Oh my god, the little bitch is actually ditching me.

Asher plops down into the seat, consuming three quarters of the bench with how large he is. He pulls down what seems to be a safety bar before it clicks into place. My hands wrap around it, clinging to it for dear life, as a cold sweat begins to break out starting at my forehead and moving all the way to my toes.

The ride jerks forward, forcing us to begin raising as my stomach starts to churn. God, I hate heights.

“Hey, open your eyes,” Asher says gently.

I don’t realize that my eyes are closed until I slowly blink them open, the first thing I see being him. He watches me with a patient look as he nods.

“You’re okay. We’re safe. If this thing was gonna kill someone, it would have killed the hundreds of others that have ridden it today.”

The ride stops with an abrupt jerk, forcing our seat to rock. I do everything in my power to hold in the scream that’s begging to be set free. Looking around I see that they stopped us at the top. Fabulous.

“Or everything was loosening up from the hundreds of others, just in time for us to fall to our deaths,” I grimace.

“What’s the worst that could come of that?” Asher asks.

I look at him like he’s crazy.

“Uhm, dying?”

He nods. “But after that. Say you fell from here,” he says looking over the edge. “You’d no doubt have a quick and painless death. So, what is the worst that can happen? You get that free fall sensation for maybe five seconds and then nothing. Lights out.”

“Is this supposed to be making me feel better?” I scoff.

“It helps me,” he shrugs, as he looks away from me and out to the sunsetting sky before us. “I like to think that when I die, I’ll get to see my mom again. She was perfect, and there’s no doubt she is in heaven. I’ll definitely be on the fast track for the other side,” he says, pointing to the ground. “But, maybe I’ll get a few moments with her before I’m damned for all eternity.”

Blinking slowly, I tilt my head to the side.

“I didn’t know you were religious.”

He shakes his head, like he’s shaking himself out of a memory.

“I’m not. Not really. We’re all raised Puritan by faith, obviously, but times have changed. We aren’t forcibly bound by all of the things that our ancestors were. At least mostly.”

“Wow, you guys take family lineage really seriously around here.”

Asher faces me. “Everyone in Salem does, and beyond. It’s everything to the Brethren.”

I open my mouth to ask a question but he shakes his head, intercepting me before continuing.

“The point I’m trying to make is, what’s the worst thing about dying? Not living on earth anymore? You’d be reunited with your mom too, and you will definitely be going to heaven, so you’ll get to actually spend forever with her.”

The thought is nice in theory. I’ve craved to meet her, truly know her, my whole life. The older I get, the hazier the few memories I have of her become. I’d love to replace the muddled remnants of the past with some that are fresh and new, but not at the risk of dying. Not yet.

“As soon as you stop fearing death, no fear will ever have the ability to take hold of you,” Asher says, his eyes focused on the setting sun before he turns to me.

“Is that what you’ve done? You don’t fear anything?” I ask.

I’m suddenly acutely aware of his thigh pressed against mine, his arm in his lap that is practically on my leg. His shoulders are several inches taller than my own, but they are touching every inch of my arm as he looks down at me.

His eyes flick from my left eye, to the right and down to my mouth before back up again. He does this two or three times, his chest rising and falling steadily as he does.

I’m not sure who moves first, I don’t think it matters either. With our eyes on each other, we both lean in slowly, cautiously, giving the other plenty of time to stop. Neither of us seem interested in that, though. Our lips are less than two inches from each other, my heart hammering inside of my chest as I abandon all reason for this moment, allowing myself to just be.

The sound of the ferris wheel starting up again forces us both forward, and I tense immediately. I feel Asher’s arms wrap around me, tucking me safely against his chest as he shushes me softly.

“Shh, it’s okay. We’re heading down now. Almost done.”

I nod, burying my face further into his chest having no shame as I take a slow inhale of his cologne. It’s fresh and clean, with a hint of something oaky beneath it. I find myself wanting to get lost in the scent, who needs fresh air when I can have this?

The ride jerks to a stop and the attendant lifts the bar for us. Neither Asher nor I move for several seconds, though. Instead, we cling to each other, like we’re the only people in this world, in this moment. Okay, it’s really that I’m clinging to him and he’s holding me, but same thing.

Eventually, he’s the first to cave, a featherlight press of his lips against the crown of my head as he squeezes me encouragingly.

“C’mon, let’s get you home.”

I nod, slowly pulling away as Asher steps off first offering his hand to me. I take it as I step off the ride. When we’re out of the fenced part and joining the leaving crowd, I expect him to drop my hand. He doesn’t, though. In fact, when I try to pull my hand free, his fingers intertwine with mine, giving me no choice but to accept it.

Looking up at him, I’m desperate to read his face, to see what he’s thinking…what he’s feeling. He gives nothing away, though. That stoic look and rigid posture perfectly in place as he keeps his eyes forward.

I’m disappointed, as I slowly turn away and we walk wordlessly, hand in hand, the entire way back to the car.