13

Asher

Present

I’d hoped tonight would be the night I won a million dollars.

I didn’t expect it to be the night I finally fucked Blair Bennett.

Fuck, she had felt so good. Better than I ever could’ve imagined. Hotter, tighter, wetter. Needier. I’d imagined it enough, touching myself in the darkness because she wasn’t there. Or fucking all those other girls over the last few years, half-trying to stop myself imagining it was her, half-wishing it was.

Part of me thought that if I could just fuck her, I’d get over it. Like I was just holding on because I never had her like I did all those other girls; she was left as this unattainable daydream-slash-nightmare.

But it pisses me off how wrong I was. Because now, I don’t just want Blair Bennett. I need to own her completely. Now I know what she looks like bent over and begging for my cock. I know what it feels like when I fill up her sweet little cunt with my cum. But I need fucking more of it.

Now, I feel more alive than ever. My senses are heightened, every nerve electric, like I just snorted a line. She’s still here in my mind, the feel of her skin, her breath in my ear.

Hate, lust, and need all wrapped up in one frustrating as fuck package.

Suddenly, the digital screen blinks to life, its harsh light flooding the dim room. The crowd goes silent, eyes fixed on the screen as the speakers ring out.

"We dare you to take the leap.”

A platform extends from the wall above us, the spotlight fixed on a ladder leading up. We’re instructed to climb, one by one, up the cold metal rungs until we reach the top. I take each step with growing unease, flashes of memory slipping through me—that night where Blair fell, and everything got fucked up.

At the top, we reach a wide wooden platform. Across from us, maybe ten feet away, is another platform, identical except for the long drop between. The expanse seems to stretch forever, even though I know it’s just a matter of feet. But that distance is all that stands between us and winning this round.

The announcer’s voice crackles overhead. “Let the jumps begin. Each player must clear the gap and reach the opposite side to advance.”

The crowd roars below us, and the first player steps forward. First up is Ivan, a broad, hulking guy who I heard once was ex-military. He takes a running leap, flinging himself across the chasm. He lands with a stumble but makes it, arms raised as the crowd cheers.

Beside me, I see Blair’s fingers curl into fists, her knuckles whitening. For a moment, her gaze flicks to me, determination blazing in her eyes. I smirk, but there’s a strange twinge of something else—a reminder of what she’s always been capable of. I watch her jaw tighten.

“Blaze!” the announcer calls.

Blaze, a wiry dark-haired guy, takes his turn, and I can already see his timing’s off. He jumps too soon. His scream echoes through the warehouse as he plummets, hitting the ground with a sickening thud. His howl rises from the floor below us like an animal that’s just been shot and needs to be put out of its misery.

Blair flinches, squeezing her eyes shut. When she opens them, her focus sharpens.

“I’m not going to let you beat me, Asher,” she whispers.

I feel the rush, my pulse pounding harder as the challenge amps up. This is the high I live for, the one that drowns everything else out.

“You don’t want me as an enemy,” I reply. I push down the sweat forming on my palms, embracing the thrill.

I catch sight of Lex in the distance, watching us like we’re his prized spectacle. He’s a master manipulator, and I know he’s relishing every bit of tension between us. The crowd must be eating it up. I don’t give a fuck about that, though.

With a deep breath, I sprint forward and throw myself across the gap. The air rushes around me, my muscles coiled, my mind clear. My feet slam into the wood, the impact jarring up my legs. I stand, facing Blair as the crowd’s cheers fill the warehouse. She looks like she wants to kill me.

Blair’s been a ballet dancer for as long as I’ve known her. I remember her leaping through the air like a goddess who could actually fly. But a small, uneasy feeling gnaws at me. Everything changed the night she fell.

That night. At the Meridian. She was desperate to escape her parents’ bullshit, and I tried to get her to see reason. But not hard enough. I can still hear that awful fucking pop as her ankle twisted, the way she screamed in pain. I’ll never forget it. I carried her out, drove her to the emergency room. She told me to leave, and I did.

Focus, I tell myself. Lex said I need to cut out the part of me that’s still clinging to the past.

“Blair,” the announcer calls.

I can feel the tension in the air as Blair steps forward, rolling her shoulders. She’s good at masking it, but I catch her quick glance down at her right ankle. She’s already running before I can second-guess her.

Blair’s muscles tense, and she springs forward. But as she takes off, I catch a slight tremor, a faint hesitation in her right leg. My guts twist.

She jumps.

The crowd lets out a collective gasp as Blair’s feet miss the edge of the platform. Her fingers latch onto the wooden edge, and she swings, hanging by one arm, her face contorted with fear as she struggles to hold on.

Cut out the past and let it fucking burn.

Lex’s voice echoes in my mind, urging me to let her go.

But I can’t.

I can’t let Blair fall again.

I sprint to the edge, crouching down. My hand shoots out, gripping her arm just as her fingers start to slip. With a hard yank, I pull her up, stumbling back as she collapses on top of me.

“Asher,” she gasps.

For a moment, we’re both frozen, catching our breath. Her chestnut hair has loosened, touching my face. Her blown-out pupils fixed on me as she wears the expression of a woman who just cheated certain fucking death.

Silence stretches through the room, and for a heartbeat, it’s just us.

Then the crowd explodes.