Page 23 of The Harder You Fall (Rixon Raiders 3)

“Is it over between you and him?”

I nodded.

“Do you still love him?”

“I... yes.” A pained sigh rolled off my lips. “I think a part of me will always love him.”

“But you’re not in love with him?”

“N- no.”

Asher inched closer; so close I could feel the warmth of his breath. “I can work with that.”

His hand slid along my neck, teasing my curls. My head knew it was a bad idea; was silently screaming at me to stop him. But my heart, my battered bruised heart, craved the attention.

Craved his attention.

Asher’s lips hovered over mine, my heart crashing in my chest like a heavy base. Ba-boom. Ba-boom. Ba-boom.

“I can’t wait to taste you, Mya.” His voice was thick with lust, his words laced with intention.

“Asher,” my fingers curled into his hoodie. “Kiss—”

“Mr. Bennet,” Mrs. Hegarty, the librarian boomed. “This is a library, not your own personal flirt shack.”

He sank back in the chair, pinching the bridge of his nose as he expelled a long breath.

“Ms. Hernandez, I am most surprised,” she said, as if she didn’t notice it was me as she approached us.

“Sorry, Mrs. Hegarty. It won’t happen again.”

“Yeah, sorry, Mrs. H. It was my fault, not Mya’s.”

“Oh, I don’t doubt it, Mr. Bennet. Now if you’re not in here to study...” Her unamused gaze flitted to the doors behind us.

“We’ll be out of your hair in a minute.”

“Good.” She spun on her heel and disappeared behind the stacks.

“Well, that was not how I saw that going,” Asher said but I was too fixated on the librarian’s words.

“What did she mean? Your own personal flirt shack?”

“That’s what you’re taking from this?” Asher gawked at me.

“You bring girls here a lot?”

“Are you kidding me right now? You followed me here.”

“I didn’t... it doesn’t matter.” I grabbed my bag. “I should go.”

“Mya come on, we should talk about what just happened.”

“Nothing happened.” I stood up but Asher caught my hand.

“I’ll let you run, for now.” His thumb smoothed over the curve of my fingers and I suppressed a shiver. “But this thing between you and me, it’s only a matter of time.”

I walked away and didn’t look back. Even though I felt his eyes burning into me every step of the way.