Spiked by Love(40)

Amelia gawks at him as she says, “Will you hush?”

“No, you’re with Boon. He’s a nice guy.”

Wes feigns hurt. “That’s not fair. I’m nice.”

Chandler shakes his head. “No, you’re single, and my wife is hot.”

“Yes. Your wife!” Amelia stresses. “Shit, you knocked me up again. Am I really in the position to be looking for someone else?”

It’s obvious Amelia didn’t mean to say that, and she slaps her hands over her mouth.

Chandler scoffs as he shakes his head. “Like I said, you can dance with Boon.”

Shelli strikes her hips. “Amelia! You’re pregnant?”

She nods tentatively. “Yes?”

Shelli throws up her hands. “Great, now you’ll be super big at my wedding.”

Posey rolls her eyes as she hugs Amelia. “I’m so happy for you, even if you being pregnant at Bridezilla’s wedding makes her stabby.”

Everyone laughs, but then we’re all congratulating Chandler and Amelia. It’s such a ruckus as always. And soon, as we always do, Asher and I gravitate to each other. Our arms are touching, and I want so much to hold his hand. Or for him to hold me as we watch the insanity that is our family.

“Why are these people so crazy?”

“These people are family,” I say simply.

Asher scoffs. “Not Wes, whom I don’t want you dancing with.”

I look up at him. “Jealous?”

“Yes,” he says. “Both his eyes are normal.”

Laughter explodes in me, and when he sends me that quirky grin, my heart soars.

“Okay, fine!” Claire says above the noise. “Ally and Wes, and Amelia and Boon. Bam. Let’s get started.”

“Boo,” Asher taunts Claire since he wants to be paired with me. Claire looks at him, confused, before I smack him.

“Shut up!” I scold, but he leans in, his eyes so wicked.

He turns his back to me, poking his ass toward me. “Smack me like that again. I like it.”

I smack his arm, giggling. “Quit, I can’t resist you.”

“Damn right, you can’t,” he says with those dark rainstorm eyes, and I look to see if anyone is paying attention to us, but everyone is looking toward Boon and Posey.

“Guys don’t get butterflies,” Boon says then, and Posey looks up at him from her phone with a grin on her face. “We get semi-chubs.”

“Semi-chubs?” she asks, and of course, I’m intrigued.

“What are y’all talking about?” I ask with a grin.

Posey looks over at me. “This meme asks, ‘Do guys get butterflies for girls like girls do for them?’ I asked Boon, and he said no, he gets chubs.”

Aiden snorts. “Total chubs.”

Wes nods. “I don’t even get chubs. You gotta touch my cock for that.”

“Which is why you pay for sex,” Boon says, and that has everyone sputtering with laughter.

I shake my head. “This is insane. Surely guys feel more than just erections when they see a girl they like.”

Boon shakes his head. “No, semi-chubs. Our dicks do the talking. The heart is always second.”

“I’m never going to be able to teach this dance,” Claire says, sitting down, and I almost feel bad, but this is a discussion that needs our undivided attention. Wedding dance? No one even wants to do that, but chubs, everyone wants to talk about that.

“You only felt a chub for me?” Shelli asks Aiden, smacking him.

Aiden gives her a blank look. “Shelli, I kissed the shit out of you, and we banged all night. Yes, I got the chub first.”

We all laugh at that, and of course, this is a complete shitshow.

“Wait—” Posey starts to ask, but Boon stops her.

“Baby, I wanted you naked. I wish I could lie and tell you you gave me butterflies, but all I got is chubs.”

More laughter ensues, and when Amelia turns to Chandler, he grins. “I got the chub now.”

I can’t with these people. Suddenly, Claire decides she is just going to film the dance, which pisses Shelli off, and more arguing starts. It’s a mess but a fun mess. As I stand there, watching everyone argue about chubs and dances, I feel his gaze.

I look over, and he’s grinning at me. “Hey.”

“Hey,” I say, wanting so badly to touch him. “This is insane—”

“I feel a full chub with you.”

I press my lips together to hide my grin. “Full? Not semi?”

He shakes his head, grinning. “Nope, full. Always full when it comes to you.”

I smirk. “Well, for me, it’s a butterfly garden up in here.”

He moves a little closer to me and links his pinkie with mine. I look around to see if anyone notices, but then he says, “We’re good, Ally T.”

I bring my attention back to him, and I feel my heart thumping hard in my chest. “We are?”

“We are,” he says simply and so unequivocally.

They should be enough, his words, yet I’m scared he’s doing what he did with Jasmine for all those years. How do I know he isn’t just comfortable with me and doesn’t want to lose me?

Wait. Why am I thinking that? It’s Asher—I can ask.

“You’re not just saying that to keep me, are you?”

He squints in confusion. “That’s exactly why I’m saying it, to reassure you.”

“But do you feel that?”

“Yes. What is wrong with you?”

“I just don’t want you to do me how you did Jasmine.”

His eyes widen slowly as he nods. “I hear you.”

“I don’t want to lose us.”

“You won’t, but I hear you.”

“What does that even mean?” I ask, and his eyes burn into mine.

“It means that what happened with Jasmine is one thing. But this, us, is different.”

It’s at that moment that the shitshow ends, and it’s time to learn a dance. I wish I could say I feel better. I wish I could accept that the difference he speaks of means what I want it to. That he is falling for me, giving me his heart, and we’ll live happily ever after. That his future is nothing without me.

But something inside me tells me otherwise, and all I can do is worry that I’m truly fucked if it isn’t what I hope it is.





Chapter Twenty-Three





Ally



“Thanks for helping me with the Bullies’ jumbotron.”

I grin over at him, holding his hand in mine. I didn’t mind helping; I actually enjoyed watching him work. He’s so meticulous and loves what he does. With a teasing glint in my eyes, I say, “I figure I owe you after making you my personal makeup tester.”

I send him a forgiving smile, but he just gives me a dry look. We have the same color complexion, and since I am wearing a long-sleeved shirt and he isn’t, it only made sense to test on him. Asher didn’t agree, but he went with it. He holds up his arm that is covered in different eye shadows and rubs at it, though it doesn’t budge much. He needs remover, but he won’t listen to me. Instead, he insists on rubbing at it like this is the first time this has happened. “I will never wear a tee around you again when we go to the mall ‘for a quick second.’”

“You act as if we haven’t been through this before.”

His eyes narrow. “Yes, but you promised me remover. I thought as your boyfriend now, I would be given that luxury.”

I feign innocence, holding back my grin. “I thought I had some in the car.”

“You’re a liar.”

I snicker as he pulls me into him, still holding my hand but wrapping his arm around my neck. It’s awkward but so him. We head across the parking lot of his mom’s restaurant, still wrapped up together since her restaurant closes early on Sundays and no one is here. We’re only here to grab something for his mom. He takes out the keys and unlocks the door before pushing it open. He lets me in before him and then relocks it behind us. I bring in my brows. “Are we not leaving?”

“Yeah, but I don’t want anyone coming in behind us and surprising us.”

“Oh, true,” I agree as he pulls me in close to him, bringing my hand to his chest. He kisses my knuckles and guides me to the side doors where the private dining room is. We hold all parties here for our families, but for Shelli and Aiden’s engagement party, they’ll have the whole restaurant because, duh, a single room isn’t enough for Shelli. I always knew she loved the finer things, but this wedding is like something out of a magazine. Totally extravagant.

“It’s in here.”

“Okay,” I say as I walk close to him. We’ve had such a great day together. We always have fun, but now, it’s special. The quick kisses he gives me. The sneaky grins and sultry looks. It’s all just so perfect. So us. I could honestly spend every day like this, and I hope I get to. I refuse to let the unknown ruin today, so I sigh happily as I lean into him.

When he pulls open the doors, I’m taken aback. The room is lit only by the fireplace that is roaring in front of a buffalo plaid blanket. A tray of marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate is laid out on the blanket.

S’mores.

My favorite.

I look over at Asher in confusion, and he grins that grin that takes my breath away. “What is this?”

His eyes soften when he pulls me into his arms, pressing us close as he moves my hair out of my face. “Well, you see…”