Page 46 of The Love Penalty

Covering my mouth, I can’t control my gagging as my physical reaction to that moment rears its ugly head again.

I’m gonna puke.

I’m gonna puke in Asher’s lap.

CHAPTER 20

ASHER

I stand with a jerk and race to the bathroom. Flipping up the toilet lid, I place Lani on the ground in the nick of time. She’s throwing up as she drops to her knees, hurling into the toilet bowl with these aching sobs that are killing me.

It’s torture watching her go through this. Hearing what that fucker did to her turned my insides to ash.

No wonder she kept pulling away from me.

Scooping her hair back, I hold it away from her face while she leans forward and heaves into the toilet again.

I grimace, aching for her, raging for her, wanting to smash my fist through the bathroom tiles, then leave this house on the manhunt of the century. I want to find that motherfucker and end him.

How dare he.

How dare he take a woman that way.

How dare he use Lani like she was his sex toy to do what he wanted with.

That fucker!

I want to kill him!

Lani lets out a shuddering groan, pulling my attention back to her.

“You done?” I ask gently.

“I think so,” she rasps. “I hate it when that happens.” She wipes her mouth with the back of her hand, and I quickly stand to wet a washcloth for her.

She stays on the floor, leaning back against the bathtub. Ringing out the cloth, I hand it over, then stand there helplessly while she wipes her face down.

Once she’s done, I crouch in front of her again and ask, “What do you need?”

Licking her lips, she gives me a weak smile and whispers, “Clothes.”

“Do you want to go home? I can take you back to Huxley Hall if you?—”

“Is it okay if I stay?”

“Of course.” My voice has never been this tender before. Probably because I’ve never felt like this before.

I mean, I’m nice to girls. I treat them right. I’m a gentleman, but I’ve never felt like this before. Because I’ve never been with someone so vulnerable.

I like to play the shallow game. Keep it fun and light. Impress them, feed them fancy food, make them come—whatever they’re in the mood for.

But girls don’t open up to me like this.

Maybe because they figure I’m not deep enough. Maybe because I’ve never shown any of them who I really am.

But I showed Lani. I couldn’t help it. She drew me out without me even noticing.

And now she’s let me in.