As the car passed the hotel hosting the team's banquet after the red light, Wendy gazed out the window, her mind racing—what if...
Then she stiffened at the scene across the street. Under the hotel's portico, Asher, Simone, and the others were preparing to leave.
Both Asher and Edward had driven, so logically Simone should have ridden with Asher while Edward returned alone. But a slender girl in pure white stood beside Asher—a beautiful blonde with long straight hair, perhaps a year or two younger than Wendy—clinging to his arm and twisting petulantly as if refusing to leave.
The group appeared to be negotiating. Asher remained expressionless, coolly stuffing his hands in his pockets, yet made no move to shake her off.
Wendy couldn't bear to watch further, her heart pounding. She didn't doubt Asher, but who was this girl attending the team's parents' banquet? Could Edward be trying to matchmake?
Simone had once asked Asher at home
With a vast difference in skill, the Lightning team won effortlessly.After the game, there was homecoming, but neither Wendy nor Asher had signed up for the dance. So Simone decided to invite Sam and Wendy to join them for dinner instead.Of course, the restaurant wasn't near Syracuse University. Thanks to Edward's connections, they managed to secure a last-minute reservation at an upscale Italian restaurant downtown.With six people, they needed two cars - Edward and Sam as the drivers. Things got interesting as the two men subtly competed over who Simone would ride with.Edward took Zara while Sam took Wendy, leaving Asher and Simone as the prizes in their unspoken contest.But the final arrangement surprised everyone: Sam's car carried Simone, Wendy, and Zara.Asher sat in Edward's passenger seat, glanced at Wendy in the other car's backseat, then unbuckled his seatbelt abruptly."I'll drive separately. I need to return to campus
Zara stared at Wendy in awe, suddenly filled with admiration. Where had this girl come from? Was she even human?That peninsula question—Zara hadn’t even understood it, yet Wendy had already answered correctly.Zara wasn’t one of the smart students, but that had never affected her popularity. Girls copied her fashion, and boys bragged about talking to her.She usually hated bookish nerds at school, but watching Wendy calmly solve one difficult problem after another, she had to admit—she was impressed.The next challenge involved math problems. When the question panel appeared, Zara felt inexplicably irritated just seeing the numbers.Yet Wendy, as always, quickly provided the correct answer."Wow! You’re incredible!"Hearing a familiar voice from the stands, Wendy turned to see the speaker.Zara?!Why was she gazing at her with such worship?And was that look too intense? Wendy got go
In the room, Wendy sat on Asher’s lap, squirming relentlessly to escape his embrace.Fine, if he disliked her, then he shouldn’t kiss or hold her."Zara, has no one ever told you not to gossip behind people’s backs?"Asher kept Wendy trapped in his arms, tightening his grip each time she pushed away. The voice outside made his temple veins throb.Zara was having fun, but he was the one who had to calm Wendy down."Hmm, I just... okay, I know you hate this talk. I’ll stop. See you tomorrow," Zara said."Mm."Footsteps retreated down the stairs.Wendy’s cheeks burned, her eyes wet with unmistakable desire, yet she forced a cold tone: "Put my clothes back on. I don’t want to do this anymore."When Zara knocked, Asher had been kissing Wendy while sliding her pajamas open.Their lips had barely parted when Zara asked her questions, the heat still lingering at their mouths.Ash
As the car passed the hotel hosting the team's banquet after the red light, Wendy gazed out the window, her mind racing—what if...Then she stiffened at the scene across the street. Under the hotel's portico, Asher, Simone, and the others were preparing to leave.Both Asher and Edward had driven, so logically Simone should have ridden with Asher while Edward returned alone. But a slender girl in pure white stood beside Asher—a beautiful blonde with long straight hair, perhaps a year or two younger than Wendy—clinging to his arm and twisting petulantly as if refusing to leave.The group appeared to be negotiating. Asher remained expressionless, coolly stuffing his hands in his pockets, yet made no move to shake her off.Wendy couldn't bear to watch further, her heart pounding. She didn't doubt Asher, but who was this girl attending the team's parents' banquet? Could Edward be trying to matchmake?Simone had once asked Asher at home
The black SUV cruised along the winding coastal road, the endless blue sea outside glittering like diamonds under the blazing sun. But even the breathtaking view couldn’t salvage the tension between them.Asher drove in silence, his lips—so annoyingly kissable—only parting to sip water. He even wore a pair of cool sunglasses, refusing to speak or even make eye contact.This only reinforced Wendy’s belief that Asher genuinely disliked her. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to talk—he just didn’t dare.For those few hours, she felt like an unwelcome guest, tiptoeing around, desperately trying to make herself invisible so she wouldn’t accidentally say something to set him off and get herself dumped on the side of the road.Recalling those feelings now, Wendy felt so wronged it overwhelmed her.This was the same man in front of her, with the same annoyingly handsome face. He was the one who had made her
The night grew deeper, and Asher reluctantly released Wendy, whose body had gone soft from their kisses."Wanna do it?"Wendy looked up. "I don’t want to."Her emotions had been up and down these past few days, her nerves stretched thin. She was exhausted—all she wanted was a good night’s sleep."Alright, goodnight," Asher murmured, gently stroking Wendy’s back."You go shower first."Later, as Wendy lay in bed, she heard Asher’s footsteps in the hallway. He had finished showering—time to sleep.She closed her eyes, her body weary, but her mind stubbornly awake.A few minutes later, Wendy got out of bed and knocked on the door across from hers.The man who answered was shirtless. Wendy lowered her gaze, avoiding the censored "beautiful temptation" before her."I want to sleep with you… but just sleep," she said.No sooner had the words left her mouth than she was s