#Chapter 76: Rumors and Secrets

I reared backwards in my chair at Asher’s words. He couldn’t be serious? How many other boyfriends do you have? Immediately his hands came up, palms forward in a defensive position. Yet his face remained blank. And a blizzard raged in his eyes. “I’m not judging you, I swear,” he said, voice tight. “I just need to know how many other guys are in the picture, so I can properly protect you.” I didn’t know whether to believe him. He certainly sounded like he was judging someone, if not me. I bet if I gave him a list of names right now, he’d be out the door in an instant to throttle the lot of them. He looked like he wanted to punch something, his whole body tense as a coiled up spring. I hadn’t noticed before. And now his hands fell to grip both sides of the table like he might take flight without it. “Asher,” I said, scolding. “Elena is lying.” He relaxed – marginally. Not enough. He didn’t fully believe me. That hurt worse than his initial assumption. “I don’t know what Elena’s