Lahat ng Kabanata ng Falling For The Bad Boy Captain: Kabanata 21 - Kabanata 30

ASHERMy muscles locked up instantly at the sound of the word slipping from Abby’s lips.*Baby.*I snapped my head sideways, my dark eyes cutting straight toward Leah. The moment my gaze landed on her, she flinched slightly, her chin jerking away as she looked somewhere else quickly, fixing her eyes firmly on the lockers down the hall. A tight, suffocating knot pulled together in the center of my chest.I turned my head back to Abby, my jaw clenching so hard my back teeth ached against the strain. "I want to talk to you privately," I said, my voice dropping low, Abby glanced over her shoulder at Leah, offering a sweet, dismissive wave. "I will see you later, Leah."Without waiting for Leah to respond, I forced my injured leg into motion, limping past the open hallway. Abby fell into step right beside me, the click of her heels echoing against the polished floorboards. I kept moving until we rounded a quiet corner near the stairwell, completely cutting us off from the main corridor and

ASHERI didn't know what made me announce that to the entire crowd, but I did. The impulse had flared hot and sudden, driving the words straight past my teeth before my brain could filter them. And out of every single shocked, pale face staring back at us in that suffocating corridor, Abby's shocked face satisfied me the most. She always had a habit of tormenting me with my father, dangling his name and his authority over my head like a leash she owned.And right now there’s nothing more i enjoyed than her shocked face. I turned my head toward Leah, keeping my arm firmly around her waist, my voice dropping low. "Let's go."Thankfully, she didn't protest. She let me guide her away from the gaping crowd, her body rigid against my side as we cut down the side hallway. The moment I took her into an empty classroom and closed the door behind us, the illusion vanished.Leah violently broke free from my grip, taking three sharp steps backward into the center of the room. "What is wrong with

LEAHI broke the kiss, pulling my face back just far enough to break the seal of our lips, and stared blankly at Asher.The silence in the empty classroom was deafening, broken only by the sound of the two of us breathing hard. Every nerve ending in my skin felt raw and exposed, buzzing with a terrifying static that made my hands shake. He hovered above me for a second longer, his dark eyes searching my blank expression.Asher reached out again, his broad hand hovering near my shoulder as if testing whether I would flinch away, his voice dropping low. "Let's go home."I gave a short, mute nod, adjusting the strap of my bag over my shoulder as I stepped back from him and smoothed down my clothes.I couldn't look him in the eye—not while my cheeks were still burning and my breath refused to settle.We cut through the side doors toward the parking lot. We met Caleb on our way to the car, leaning casually against the driver's side door with his arms crossed over his chest. The second Cal

LEAH"Yeah, I'm fine, Mom," I said into the receiver, pressing the phone close to my ear as I paced the quiet bedroom.Her voice crackled through the line with suspicion. "Is there no problem over there?"I let out a slow quiet sigh, smoothing a hand over my forehead to settle the tension brewing under my skin. "There's no problem at all.""I promise to be back soon, sweetheart," she murmured, the background noise of her travel faint through the speaker.I leaned against the foot of the bed, another breath escaping my chest. "Goodbye, Mom.""I love you," she said warmly."I love you too," I replied softy, waiting for her to speak before tapping the screen to hang up.It was already late, the dark night pressing against the bedroom window, and Asher still wasn't back yet. Lord knows where he is. I walked over to the bed and sprawled out flat on my back across the duvet, staring up at the white ceiling. The room was completely silent, but my head was buzzing. Unbidden, memories of the

LEAHI stepped out of the carpeted restroom corridor and back into the golden glow of the main room, my eyes searching the crowded floor. Asher wasn't where I had left him."You must be looking for Mr. Romano."A deep, rough voice sounded directly behind my back, cutting through the roulette wheels and clinking glasses.I spun around on my heel, my heart leaping straight into my throat as I faced the burly man looming over me. He was dressed in a black suit that made his broad frame look massive, his face entirely unreadable. I took a small step backward, my knuckles tightening into fists inside my pockets."Yes," I said, forcing my voice to stay even despite the sudden prickle of anxiety on the back of my neck. "Who are you?"The man didn't answer my question. He simply tilted his head toward a private hallway off to the side. "I can take you to where Romano is."I swallowed hard, the oppressive atmosphere of the casino suddenly pressing down on my chest. Every instinct I had told me