ASHER “I'm sorry.”Those were the exact words that had just come out of my mouth. I was more than shocked at this point, and the fact that I was holding a bouquet of flowers and a box of donuts in my arms shocked me even more. “I shouldn't have done that, and I'm sorry.”Claire seemed as shocked as I was, and I didn't blame her; if the same person who I was convinced was hell bent on making me miserable was coming to me with flowers and donuts, I'd be shocked as well.I was honestly in awe when she came to the door with an expression on her face that I didn't want to dare cross.If looks could kill, I would have been six feet under, possibly even deeper.All I could think of when she went off on me was how beautiful and passionate she looked, with her brown hair framing her face as her cheeks progressively became so flushed and red I thought she was about to pass out and her eyebrows that were furrowed together ever so slightly. I couldn't help but find her breathtaking, even if
CLAIRE I don't know why I kept pondering how Asher looked when he came out of the bathroom. You definitely know why.No matter how much I would try to focus on something else, my mind would still double back to Asher's body and how much he looked like Greek god with the towel tied dangerously low, practically hanging for dear life around his waist, the water dripping off of his dark hair and his chiseled, perfectlu tan torso, and how I kept imagining if he had actually dropped the towel like he had said. Stop it, Claire.“You haven't changed out of your clothes yet.” I didn't even notice him coming back into the room. I felt my cheeks flush as I thought about all the things I was thinking about before he came in.Obviously, he wasn't aware of that, but still.“I'll go take a shower and get changed right now.” “Alright,” he said, “since it's still way too early to go to bed, you can meet me downstairs when you're done, for dinner.”I nodded without a sound as I watched Asher put on
CLAIRE I placed my hands on his chest and pushed him away. Though I was not strong enough to budge him, I was really sure that he got the message. His eyes were dark with desire as he stared at me, and I could feel every inch of my skin igniting in heat. I felt alive and overwhelmed at the same time. Every part of me was dying to remind myself what his lips tasted like. I wanted to divulge my desires, and I was almost close. I wasn't going to divulge into whatever was happening. One year and all of this would be over, and if I invested myself in this, my heart wouldn't be able to take it when it was over, and I only had myself to blame. I was emotionally ready to stomach any more hurt.And what if things didn't end up so bad and it got serious? How the hell was I going to break it to him that I couldn't give him children? That I was a half-dead woman. I felt a sharp tug in my chest at the realization.I couldn't believe that I was so deluded into thinking that I could have a happy e
CLAIRE My eyes fluttered open and I stretched and yawned. It had been a long night. A peaceful one at that. I couldn't remember the last time I slept this peacefully. My eyes were still heavy with sleep, but I felt that it was time to get up. I wasn't going to miss another day of work. No matter how hard Asher might try to convince me. It seemed that he had a thing for doing that these days. Asher.At the thought of his name, my gaze snapped towards the other side of his bed. It was empty. My heart crashed instantly with disappointment, and yet his side of the bed felt warm like he’d been here not too long ago.I didn't want to feel like I was imagining things, so I discarded the thought immediately. My brow furrowed when I realized I didn't make my way to bed. I couldn't sleep until the early hours of the morning. I remember the portrait of me that Asher had sketched. I remember sitting on the recliner and admiring it until I fell asleep. Everything that happened after was kind of
ASHER“I told you that dropping me off at work wasn't necessary,” she said, raising an eyebrow at me in question. Her expression was slightly puzzled. I was disappointed when we finally stepped in front of the tower. The more time that I spent with her. The more that I realized that I didn't exactly want to let her out of my sight. And yet I knew she had a lot of things to attend to today. Staying home wouldn't be an option for her. There would be possibly no way that I could convince her. No way at all. This morning I wanted to devour her right on the spot. I don't know if she had intended to, but her subtle flirting had awakened a certain kind of warmth that dug deep at the pit of my stomach. It was becoming a difficult task to resist from claiming her lips as the days went by. “Are you even listening to me?” She scoffed. I blinked. My attention was immediately reverted back to her. I hope she couldn't tell what it was that I was thinking.“You were not listening to me, were you?”
CLAIRE “Good morning” I turned towards my assistant and shot her a warm smile. Every inch of me felt warm. The thought of this morning flashed through my mind. I thought about the fact that Asher was the last person that I saw before I dropped from the office. Unconsciously, the corner of my lips tilted into a smile. He could be a pain in the ass but he was becoming someone else these days. Someone I never thought I would encounter. There was no explanation for the warmth that I felt in my tummy whenever he looked at me or how it was a struggle to catch my breath whenever he kissed me. “Hello? Claire?” My assistant raised an eyebrow at me in question. My attention was immediately reverted back to my assistant who stared at me In confusion. “Yes Barbara?” I raised an eyebrow. My cheeks flushed in color at the embarrassment that I had lost focus earlier. “There's someone waiting for you inside your office” she said. My heart immediately picked up race as I wondered who it could be.
CLAIREMy gaze traveled over to the blonde-haired guy that stood at the doorway. My cheeks flushed with color as soon as I realized we had an audience. He observed the both of us with a smirk that he didn't bother to hide. His eyes lingered on me for a little longer than necessary, and I felt uncomfortable. “It's hard to believe that my best friend would get married before me,” he said. The tone of his voice was a mixture of amusement and awe. My brows furrowed, and I shot Asher a look. “You have a best friend? I didn't know that.” I stared at him in wonder. He looked almost... shy? As he averted my gaze for a brief moment. "Oh, so you never talked about me with your wife. Now I feel insulted, Asher,” he said. “What were you expecting when you thought it was completely okay to abscond and relocate to fucking Paris without letting me know?” Asher raised an eyebrow at him. “But that's a little bit too far for revenge. Don't you think so?” He said it dryly and then stretched his han
CLAIREBefore I could process whatever was happening, Asher lips slammed against mine. I could barely comprehend what was happening at the moment. My state of mind was a whirlwind of chaos and heat. Whatever was happening right now. I absolutely wanted it to happen, and there was absolutely no way that I wanted to ruin this moment.“I've been wanting to kiss you all day. I thought I was going to burst,” he whispered huskily as he pulled away. I don't know how I managed to stand up right. My legs were wobbly and unstable, and I was doing the best that I could to maintain my balance. If he wasn't supporting me with his hands. I might have fallen to the ground.My chest heaved up and down as I tried to catch my breath. I wondered if I looked exactly as he looked. Hungry and unsatisfied. Waiting to devour me at the slightest chance.I looked for the right words to say, but somehow t
CLAIREThe good news is, it wasn't Regal.The bad news is, it was even worse.The moment I opened the door and saw Annabelle standing there, her perfectly styled blonde waves catching the sunlight, I knew my day had taken a turn for the worse."Hi, Claire!" She chirped, her voice disgustingly sweet, like honey laced with arsenic. It was the kind of greeting you couldn’t outright ignore, no matter how much you wanted to. I forced my expression into something resembling neutral, though every instinct screamed to shut the door in her face."What are you doing here?" I asked, unable to keep the sharp edge out of my voice. My fingers gripped the door tighter.Annabelle, in all her unbothered glory, waltzed past me as though she owned the place, her designer heels clicking against the floor with a rhythm I already despised. She took a deliberate glance around the living room, her sharp gaze sizing up everything in sight."Nice place," she said, running a perfectly manicured finger along the
CLAIREAsher held my hand the whole ride back home. We didn't even bother telling anyone goodbye. They didn't even know that we had left. Not to be a vindictive bitch, but I didn't care what anyone thought about me now. I wasn't bothered about what Gregory thought about me. I was simply relieved that I got the opportunity to get out of that place.Being around Regal and Annabelle made me choke with so many sensitive memories that there was a high possibility that I might explode on the spot. “You're tired,” Asher said the moment he got into the house. He crouched and undid the buckles of my shoes, and I automatically slipped out of the shoes. My legs felt relieved almost instantly. A small laugh escaped me when he automatically hoisted me up into his arms, bridal style. “What are you doing?” I asked, breathless with laughter. There was no need to ask any questions. I trusted him, but that didn't mean that I wasn't curious; I was curious to know what he was planning to do. “Just gi
CLAIREThe room was shrouded in silence for a brief second, and I couldn't stop myself from wondering if it was because of me or because of the tension that traveled through the air. I didn't regret my outburst.I guess this would count as the first time that I had the luxury of putting Annabelle in her place without thinking of consequences. I took my time chewing into the chicken tenders. They were juicy and delicious. The only privilege of being in Gregory's company was that at least we had access to delicious food. That was the only thing that I was going to give him credit for. I was still trying to wrap my head and my mind around it. Asher and Regal were family. It dawned on me that there was a high possibility that I was going to be seeing more of Regal. Just when I hoped that I was done with him. “So tell us, Regal. Simply for curiosity sake. How did you two separate considering the fact that the both of you were once married?" Liah asked. I could see her lips curled up in
CLAIREThe drive to Asher’s father’s house felt way too short, like the universe was speeding things up just to mess with us. The closer we got, the heavier the air seemed to get. I glanced over at Asher. His grip on the steering wheel was tight, his knuckles pale, and every so often, I could see his jaw tighten and then relax, like he was trying—and failing woefully—to keep it together.Neither of us had said much since we got in the car, and the silence was almost worse than any awkward small talk we could’ve tried. The tension between us wasn’t the kind you could ignore. It just sat there, heavy and obvious, like a third passenger we couldn’t throw out of the car.Outside, the scenery blurred past, but I barely noticed. My stomach was in knots, and my hands were clenched in my lap, fiddling with the edge of my sleeve just to give myself something to do.“You okay over there?” I asked cautiously, though I already knew the answer.“Absolutely not,” he muttered. “Going to see my dad i
CLAIREAsher had this way of making me feel like the only person in the world. It was the little things—the way his hand hovered near mine like he was ready to catch me at any second or the way he smiled like he knew a secret no one else did. It was comforting, almost addictive, and I found myself wanting it more and more.When we left the coffee shop, the city seemed alive in a way I hadn’t noticed before. Maybe it was the buzz of morning activities—people moving around, talking, going about their days. Or maybe it was Asher walking next to me, his hand brushing against mine every so often, sending little sparks of electricity through my skin.“Where to first?” I asked, glancing up at him.“You’ll see,” he said with a sly grin.Of course, he didn’t tell me. Asher loved a good surprise, and while it usually annoyed me, today I decided to let him take the lead.We ended up at a small flower market tucked into a corner of the city that I had never explored. Stalls lined the cobblestone s
CLAIRERegal was becoming a thorn in the flesh. I couldn't think of any way to get him to stop bothering Asher and I. The more that I tried to get him to stay away. The more he would keep coming back to prove a point and I was getting extremely tired of entertaining his antics. How could I not see that he has been such a pain when I married him. I closed my eyes and sighed.I shivered when Asher ran a finger over my bare arm tenderly. My gaze met his. Somehow, he had been awake and I didn't even know it. He had a way of taking his time to observe me before I became aware.“Whatever is bothering you. It's best you tell me so that I can take care of it,” he said softly. But then I still couldn't find the courage to bring up Asher. Bringing him up is going to ruin the mood completely and I wasn't so sure that I could have that. Regal had already caused so much tension between us. I wasn't going to let him ruin the morning too. “Nothing. Just thinking about the pile of work that I had
CLAIREI toweled off quickly, feeling the residual heat from the bath clinging to my skin. Asher's gaze lingered on me with a mixture of affection and intensity, which had me fighting a blush that I knew was already creeping up my neck. He wrapped his towel around his waist, his eyes never leaving mine. Back in the bedroom, I watched as Asher moved with ease, the muscles in his back flexing as he reached for clothes. For a moment, I just stood there, taking him in—the effortless confidence in his movements, the way the faint light caught on his skin. I found myself unable to look away."You're staring," he said without turning, but there was a hint of a smile in his voice, as if he had been watching me and not the other way around."You're too smug for your own good," I shot back, rolling my eyes to hide the flush creeping up my neck. "Maybe put on a shirt before your ego inflates."He turned around, one eyebrow raised. "So you admit you were enjoying the view?""Maybe I was just adm
CLAIRE“So what's in it for her?” Asher asked after a few seconds of silence.“That's the thing,” I told him, “I have no idea, and I can't seem to figure it out.” “That's very strange...and suspicious. Liah wanting to help someone for no reason? That's practically impossible, to be honest. The Liah I know wouldn't be caught dead doing someone a favor without getting a single thing in return.” He went back to massaging my scalp. It was more of him running his fingers absentmindedly through my hair while he spoke than it was a massage. "Well, I don't think it's for no reason. She kind of said she might be doing this for you when I asked what she would get out of it.” “Oh, that definitely sounds more believable. So what exactly did she ask for?”My body tensed up a little bit as I thought of answering his question, and he seemed to notice. “Anything wrong? You seen tense. What did Liah tell you?” He placed a hand on my shoulder gently, and I started to feel slightly relaxed. Then I r
CLAIREThe proximity between us evaporated as he clutched my face tenderly in his hands. My breathing heightened. I was still trying to recover from the heat of his kiss. I was drowning in the heat that threatened to consume me. My hands were on fire as soon as I realized they were still placed across his torso. It was impossible to concentrate. “I've been waiting for you all day. I thought you were going to take forever to get back home. Get back home to me,” his voice drifted into a whisper as he placed his head against mine.I closed my eyes. My heart was threatening to give way from my body. I couldn't breathe, but it was a good kind of discomfort. “I've been thinking about you all day too. I-” I paused as my eyes watered with tears. I was terrified that Asher was going to see me in a more vulnerable state than he has ever seen me in his life. I wondered if it was the right time to be vulnerable with him. I closed my eyes. I needed to breathe. I need to pause every negative thou