Bad Habit (Bad Love 1)

“Desperate much?” he asks, pointing his beer bottle in my direction.

“What?” I snap.

“Your dress. It’s so short that I can practically see your asshole,” Asher says, crude as always.

“Well, then, it should make it easier for you to kiss it.”

“Whatever you say, Sugar Plum,” he taunts, referring to my conditioner.

“We’re leaving,” I bite out, as heat crawls up my neck. I grab Jackson’s arm and shut the door with more force than necessary before giving him an apologetic smile. He waves me off, tells me I look pretty, and leads me to his sleek charcoal gray Mercedes. And then we’re gone.

Chapter 3

Asher

I flip my phone over on top of my thigh, checking the clock for what feels like the fiftieth time in the past three minutes. Eleven twenty-eight. Briar’s been gone for over five hours. What the fuck kind of dinner takes five hours? When she first mentioned her plans, I almost laughed. She wanted a reaction, so of course, I didn’t give her one. Her attempt at making me jealous was comical.

But then the douchebag from last night showed up. I thought after Dash’s warning, she’d stay away from him. He’s a couple of years younger than us, but his older brother was in our grade. He was on the swim team, and he had this list. It was more of a points system. Every girl was rated from one to one hundred. The harder to get with, the bigger the score. I never took part, never felt the need to brag when I got my dick wet. But the rumor is that Jackson is carrying on big brother’s tradition and bringing it back. And now, he’s out with Briar.

What I figured would take two hours tops turned into three, then four, then five. I couldn’t exactly voice my concerns. I’d already fucked up earlier by commenting on her choice of clothing, or lack thereof.

When I saw her come down those stairs, looking good enough to eat, I choked on my fucking beer. Between that, my sudden shitty mood, and my brand-new phone-checking compulsion, Dash had been eyeing me suspiciously all damn night. What was I supposed to say? Sorry, man. Your baby sister begged me to fuck her in your bed, then I left her. Oh yeah, and then she ruined my fucking life.

Eventually, I told Dash I was going to sleep because I needed to look for work in the morning. It’s not entirely untrue. I do need to do that, if I plan to stay in town. But the re

al reason was that I needed time to dissect my thoughts.

I’ve only been back for one day, and already, things are starting to blur. The hatred was starting to wane. With her wide, innocent eyes and angelic appearance, it’s hard to imagine that she’s capable of being vindictive. I need to stay away from her. I look down to her fluffy, pale pink comforter and ball it in my fist, messing up her perfectly made bed.

Tomorrow. Starting tomorrow, I’ll stay away from her.

The quiet snick of the front door closing alerts me to her arrival. About fucking time. I flatten myself against the wall behind her door right before she opens it then gently nudges it shut with the back of her foot. She kicks off her shoes and starts to pull her dress up to take it off. Standing with her back to me in front of the moonlit window, I can make out her brand-new curves. Her tight, round ass. The dimples on the small of her back. Her dress is just past her hips when I speak.

“Have fun tonight?”

Briar yelps and drops her dress back in place before spinning around.

“I was until I had some perv spy on me for the second time in as many days.”

“Oh, I’m the pervert?” I taunt, moving closer. She wants to back away, but she doesn’t. She stands her ground, and it only spurs me on. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe it was you who watched me jack off this morning.”

I’m almost sad the lights aren’t on to see her inevitable blush. I’m standing over her tiny form, and she has to crane her neck to look up at me.

“Momentary lapse in sanity.” She shrugs. “It’s nothing I haven’t seen before.”

Those words kick around in my head for a second before I practically tackle her onto her bed. She lands on her back, mouth parted in shock, with her legs spread and her dress ridden up. My hips fill the spot between her thighs, and I pin her hands to the bed.

Fuck, this was a bad idea. She smells good—sweet, like her conditioner—and she feels even better. I have to fight the urge to grind into her.

“Nothing you haven’t seen before, huh?”

“No,” she says between clenched teeth.

“Who was it?” I demand. “Was it the little golden boy from tonight?”

“None of your business.”

“Tell me, Briar,” I whisper, getting closer to her ear. “Did he make you come from a kiss like I did? Does he know what you sound like as you do? Because I can still hear you. I can still see you.”