LOGINAsher’s POV“You think he’s gonna ground me?” Luca asked, dumping the final trash bag by the front door. He wiped sweat off his forehead with the back of his arm.I forced a laugh. “Probably worse. He looked ready to ship you off to military school.”Luca groaned. “Fuck. I’m never throwing another party here. Ever.” He paused, glancing at me sideways. “You okay, though? You’ve been quiet.”My stomach twisted. “Yeah. Just a little tired.”He clapped me on the shoulder. “Don’t beat yourself up. It was my dumb idea. You’re a good friend for even showing up.”A good friend. His words felt like a punch to my gut. If he only knew.We finally finished around one-thirty. The house looked spotless again. Luca stretched with a massive yawn, his messy hair sticking up in every direction.“I’m wiped, man. I need some fucking sleep. You staying over?”I nodded, avoiding his eyes. “Yeah. I'm good on the couch.”“Sure, if that's what you want. Night, Ash.” He headed upstairs, and a minute later his
Asher’s POVI stood frozen near the stove, Luca right beside me. My best friend looked like he’d been slapped across the face.His usual cocky grin was gone, replaced by a wide-eyed expression he only got when he knew he’d really fucked up.Nico stood in the middle of the kitchen with a frown of disapproval, his arms crossed over his broad chest. He looked exhausted and pissed off at the same time.“I trusted you,” Nico said, his voice low. “Both of you. You know my rules, Luca. No parties, and no strangers in my house.”Luca shifted beside me, rubbing the back of his neck. “Dad, it was supposed to be a small thing, I swear—”“Small?” Nico cut him off with a scoff. “There are cigarette burns on my hardwood floors. People were dry-humping on the staircase. And you—” His sharp gaze swung to me. “You couldn’t even warn him, Asher? You’ve been in and out of this house since you were a kid. You know how I feel about this shit.”My mouth went dry. I swallowed hard, trying to find my voice.
Nico’s POVI let out a tired sigh, gripping the wheel tighter than necessary.I’ve been stuck working for twelve shitty hours. Some days, all this crap makes me wish I’d just stayed in the military.My head was pounding. All I wanted was a quiet house, a cold beer, and maybe an hour in the basement gym to sweat the day out of my system.My phone buzzed with an unknown number. I almost let it go to voicemail, but in my line of work, letting it ring out wasn’t really an option.“Yeah,” I answered, my voice flat.A low, gravelly voice came through. “Rossi, I’ve got a job for you. It’s high priority, and I need it done quietly. You in?”I exhaled through my nose, keeping my eyes on the dark road ahead.I’ve been in the game for a long time. I did what I had to so I could take care of Luca, but lately it’s been leaving a bad feeling I can’t shake off.“I’ll think about it,” I said. “Send the details. I’ll get back to you by tomorrow.”“Make it fast. The pay’s double if it’s clean.”“Underst
Asher’s POV Elliott walked beside me, his green eyes flicking over the framed photos all over Luca's hallway. “Damn,” he said, a low whistle escaping. “This place is insane. Your friend’s dad must be some kind of big billionaire or something. How many rooms does this mansion even have?” I shrugged. “I honestly don't know. I don't think I've ever counted.“ Elliott shook his head. “My entire apartment back in LA could fit in the living room. What does Luca’s dad do? Tech mogul?” “Private security contractor,” I said, turning down the side hall toward the game room. “He's ex-military and he’s gone a lot. Strict as hell when he’s home, though. Hence why Luca only throws parties when he’s out of town.” Elliott grinned sideways at me. “So we’re basically breaking his rules right now? I like it. It makes me feel like a rebel.” He paused at the open door to the game room, his eyes lighting up at the pool table. “Okay, this is sick. You any good at pool?” “Not even a little,” I
Asher's POV I was trying—and failing miserably—to focus on the psychology textbook in front of me with all the cafeteria noise buzzing around. Jax rolled his eyes at me. “Dude. What the hell are you even studying for anyway? You’ve been glued to those books all day.” I scoffed dramatically, “I have a test coming up. It’s worth, like, thirty percent of my grade.” Jax snorted, shoving half a burger into his mouth. “Whatever.” Luca grinned at both of us. “Hey guys, I have an idea. I've been thinking a lot about throwing a party this weekend.” Jax’s eyes instantly lit up. “Hell yes! Finally! Your place? Tell me we’re doing it at your place.” Luca nodded. “My dad’s out of town for work. And the house is wide open. We can raid the liquor cabinet, set up the speakers in the living room, invite a bunch of people. It’s gonna be epic.” I closed my book halfway, raising a brow skeptically. “Wait… but your dad's pretty strict about that kinda stuff. The last time you had people o
Asher’s POVI pushed open the front door of Luca’s house with my shoulder.The living room was dim except for the massive glow of the football game on the TV.Luca and Jax were sprawled across the couch, their attention fixated on the screen as they played. Luca spotted me first. He didn’t even pause the game—just tilted his head back over the couch and raised both eyebrows.“Well, well, well,” he drawled. “Look who decided to grace us with his presence.”Jax didn’t even look away from the screen. I let the door click shut behind me and dropped my backpack by the entry table with a thud. “Yeah, yeah. I’m so sorry about lunch, guys. Something… came up.”Luca finally hit pause. The frozen players on screen looked as annoyed as he did. He twisted around fully now, one arm slung over the back of the couch. “Something came up,” he repeated slowly. “And you couldn’t be bothered to shoot us a text? One sentence, Ash. ‘Yo, I can't make it’”I rubbed the back of my neck. “I already said I’
Asher's POV I stared at the massive poster plastered on the bulletin board outside the student center, my eyes scanning the grid of class schedules.Fall semester was creeping up faster than I expected, and I needed to make sure my psych elective didn't clash with that godforsaken 8 a.m. calc clas
Asher's POV “Asher! Asher! ASHER!”I snapped my head toward the voice. Luca was staring at me like I’d just grown a second head, one of his eyebrows cocked so high it was basically in his hairline.“What the heck, man? Didn’t you hear me calling you? I said your name like five times.”“Uh… yeah, s
Nico's POV I watch the flush crawl up Asher’s neck like wildfire, painting that pretty skin crimson, and fuck if it doesn’t make my cock throb harder against the thin fabric of my gym shorts.He’s trying so damn hard to play it cool—his eyes darting between my face and my chest like he can’t decid
Asher's POV The lecture hall buzzed with a low hum of whispers as Professor Hargrove dove back into his boring explanation.Asher sat rigid in his seat at the back, his notebook still blank. His mind was a whirlwind, replaying that intense eye contact with the new guy. 'What the hell was that?' h







