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
CLAIREGet your mind out of the gutter, Claire. But somehow the task seemed impossible. My eyes kept traveling towards the sight of Asher's bare torso. I didn't know that the sight would affect me so intensely. I closed my head and sighed. I needed to regain whatever composure I could gather. It suddenly felt so hot here. Was it a little hot? Was I going to pass out from the intensity of the moment? I could already feel the panic that was beginning to well up in my chest. Was it because I was so close to him? Was it because he was looking at me like that?“Are you okay? You've been looking like you've seen a ghost for over ten minutes,” he said, and my attention suddenly reverted back to his gaze instead of his chest. Shameless, Claire. Shameless. You're acting like some love-sick high school girl. When it came to Asher. I didn't exactly know what else to do anymore. “I was just lost in thought for a while. Nothing too major,” I said. “Are you going to tell me?”“About?”“About wh
ASHER Seeing Claire's face turn a bright shade of crimson, similar to the shade of her nightgown, as a result of my simple comment awakened something feral in me. And it wasn't just her blushing or the sheepish ‘thank you’ she gave along with a sheepish smile; it was her in that dress.That fucking red nightgown. I didn't even know what my favorite color was until she asked, and all I could think of was how much I liked her in that night gown and how much I loved it on her, whichever one you prefer.Hell, she could have been dressed up in something that was neon pink, and I'd say it was my favorite color.Her cheeks flushed as the words ‘Easy, red.’ flowed smoothly from my lips.I even had to bite those same lips to hold myself back from saying all the thoughts flooding my mind at that moment. I wanted to bite hers.Claire's gaze dropped slightly, and it was clear that she was trying to gain composure from that as well. It was somewhat comforting, knowing that she was in the exac
CLAIREMy heart pounded frantically within my ribcage as Asher fingers drove in and out of my core. The words coming out of my mouth were jumbled up together and meaningless. I knew it was gibberish mixed with a repetition of Asher's name. He whispered from dirty promises as he effortlessly delivered mind-wrecking pleasure with his fingers.I tried to recover, but it wasn't easy; it was almost impossible. Especially when his hands were all over me. My thoughts were as jumbled up together as the words in my mouth. I should have known that this moment was going to happen between us, but eventually. There was already too much chemistry between us.The sexual tension was becoming difficult to ignore with each day that passed by. I didn't want this moment to end. I wanted many other moments like this. I wanted to feel. I needed to feel like this every day. I paused as I felt myself heading towards the brink of release.My grip tightened on Asher's shoulders as I tried to steady myself. Ev
CLAIRE My eyes fluttered open. I don't know how long I've been asleep. I only knew that I felt too comfortable to move. This was the most relaxed that I've been in a long time. Somehow I wanted to pause this memory and capture it forever. I closed my eyes and sighed with contentment. It was then that I registered the warmth from the body that was coming next to me. I was buried in the crook of Asher's arm. His grip was firm and tight, like he was too afraid to let go. I didn't mind it. I could stay here all day if it were possible. I took my time admiring his features. The corners of my lips tilted up into a smile unconsciously as I stared at him for a moment longer than necessary. The hard edges of his face had become softer. His lashes framed his face, giving his cheekbones some sort of lift. I didn't know why it was alluring to look at him. I only knew that I never got tired. “If you keep on looking at me like that, I'll take that as an invitation to kiss you,” he mumbled sleep
ASHER I don't have a reason while I've seen smiling like an idiot. I just know that my chest didn't feel heavy. Heck. I can't even remember the last time I felt sick. I can't remember the last time I went for a checkup. I didn't see the need to. Besides, no checkups meant no more bad news from the doctor.It was almost as if Claire came in and suddenly everything was better. I couldn't go a second without thinking of an elaborate way to make her happy. Tonight I was thinking about surprising her with a candlelit dinner. We've been having dinner at home, and I wanted it to be different. You're just using it as a cover-up to see her in a dress. I didn't bother denying it. I was completely and utterly infatuated. I settled in the office ten minutes later before my assistant walked in. “You have a meeting scheduled for today,” she said. I could tell she was anxious from the way she twisted her fingers nervously. I looked at the file on my desk and realized that I've missed four meetin
ASHER“You're back to stay?” I asked, I didn't want to believe I had heard her correctly. Surely, Liah didn't think she could walk into my life just like that.“Yes, darling. I've been gone for so long, and I know you miss me,” she replied, placing the tip of her index finger on my shoulder.I gently pushed it off. Silently, I slid my hands into my pockets, taking in the atmosphere.One glance at my secretary, and she knew her presence was neither required, nor wanted. She walked out.“How about we have a seat? Maybe we can catch up on things,” Liah suggested,As much as I wanted to toss her out the window, I knew I couldn't.For starters, I needed her father's investment. “Yeah, let's get seated,” I agreed,We walked to the conference table, and I took my rightful spot.On seeing that she had literally any spot to sit, she took the one to my right hand.“So, how have you been?” She asked in that cute, light tone of hers.I sighed. There was something about Liah’s presence that alw
CLAIRE Awkward silence lingered between the both of us for a moment. It was like we were unable to say anything else after that. My heart raced within the confines of my chest as I waited for his reaction. I closed my eyes and sighed. I was exhausted and I wasn't sure that I was emotionally strong to endure another fight.“You're really not going to say anything?You're just going to keep quiet and be silent,’’ I finally broke the silence between us when I couldn't find it within me to endure it any longer. He remained silent as he headed over to the pool and settled down on the edge of the pool. He dipped his legs in and ran his fingers through his hair. I could feel the irration radiation from him in waves and I was unable to say or do anything about it. I struggled for the right thing to say. I could feel the words on the tip of my tongue but no matter how I tried. It was almost as if I wouldn't be able to get anything right. I was caught in-between the need to go back into the
CLAIRE Awkward silence lingered between the both of us for a moment. It was like we were unable to say anything else after that. My heart raced within the confines of my chest as I waited for his reaction. I closed my eyes and sighed. I was exhausted and I wasn't sure that I was emotionally strong to endure another fight.“You're really not going to say anything?You're just going to keep quiet and be silent,’’ I finally broke the silence between us when I couldn't find it within me to endure it any longer. He remained silent as he headed over to the pool and settled down on the edge of the pool. He dipped his legs in and ran his fingers through his hair. I could feel the irration radiation from him in waves and I was unable to say or do anything about it. I struggled for the right thing to say. I could feel the words on the tip of my tongue but no matter how I tried. It was almost as if I wouldn't be able to get anything right. I was caught in-between the need to go back into the
CLAIRE “There's nothing to talk to you about,” the tone of my voice came off as cold and dismissive and no regret accompanied after. All I wanted to do was to be rid of his presence so I could make my way over to Asher. I closed my eyes to put my emotions under composure. I watched something flash across his eyes at the tone of my dismissal and I felt nothing whatsoever. I didn't feel the fear that I would usually feel each time I looked at him. All I felt was discomfort and irritation rising to the surface of my skin. I held back any insult that might have been stuck on my tongue. This wasn't the time to get into any arguments. “I know. After last night, I realized-” he paused like he was rethinking his words. I watched as the hurt flashed through his eyes as he held my gaze and I felt surprised. The Regal that I knew didn't care about anyone but himself. He didn't bother to think about the impact that his decisions might have on his emotions. He didn't care about anything else.
CLAIRE “I'll have you know that you're abnormally quiet. When you wanted us to join them for breakfast. I was getting the idea that you were beginning to feel better. Asher shifted the stray strand of hair that almost fell into my eyes as I laid back on the bed. The soft surface of the bed was comforting, and at least I had the luxury of time to relax.I closed my eyes and sighed. I was exhausted as I closed the small distance between Asher and me. In these past few days that passed by, he was the only thing that made sense. The only thing that stopped me from running out of my damn mind. If not, I doubted that I would be able to keep it together. I nuzzled my nose in the nape of his neck and sighed. He smelled divine. As usual. “I am better. I just wished I had the power to just make them disappear, you know,” I said as I furrowed my eyebrow slightly. “When I accepted Liah into the house. I was only doing it because I didn't want you to go through the stress of the tantrums that
CLAIRE Dinner at the dining table was awkward. Silence lingered between all of us at the table. The mint tea had dulled my headache earlier, so my appetite had returned. Not fully, but enough to put something in my stomach. Liah stared at me like she couldn't recognize me. I ignored her. I wasn't really in the mood to exchange comebacks, and if she made any attempt to get under my skin,. Then I was going to let her because I didn't know what else I could do. I closed my eyes and sighed for a short moment. I scanned my mind for whatever fun activity Asher and I could do. Our vacation was already coming to an end, and there were only two days left before we would return back home to our busy schedule. I didn't want to spend the rest of the days indulging in the drama that seemed to generate whenever Annabelle and Liah were present. I wasn't going to be indulging them. Not when there was so little time. “Do you feel better now?” Annabelle broke the silence between us. I was speechless
CLAIRE I groaned as I turned around. All I could feel was the loud pounding in my head. I turned around to see Asher staring at me with a small smile on his face. I was disconcerted for a short moment. My eyes were half closed. I raised my eyes to the clock. It was well into the afternoon. “How long have I been out?” I said. His fingers tenderly traveled through the strands of my hair. My eyes fluttered closed at the tenderness of his touch. I leaned into him. I cringed as the pounding in my head intensified. I closed my eyes for a brief moment. “I feel like I'm in hell,” I muttered under my breath as I relaxed my head against his chest while his arms wound around me almost immediately. “Trust me when I tell you that it could have been worse if you hadn't been hydrated yesterday,” he said. Before I could say anything in return, I felt the bile rise in the back of my throat. I quickly stepped down from the bed and rushed into the bathroom as far as I could. I closed my eyes and
CLAIREI could feel my heart screaming in disappointment as Asher pulled away. I captured his face in-between my hands and leaned forward to kiss him but he pulled away before I could. I felt the ache in the pit of my stomach and brows furrowed. Even if I was drunk, I could still feel the pain in my heart. I was tired and exhausted from being outside for so long and having a squabble with Annabelle and my stupid ex husband but for some reason, I couldn't seem to drag my attention away from the throbbing in-between my thighs. I wanted him. No. I needed him. “I'm not going to repeat this again. You're sober and you need rest. I'm not going to take advantage of this situation. You're drunk and your emotions are all over the place,” he said softly. I blinked in surprise. I didn't know what to reply that exactly. I was caught in-between convincing him or letting it go. I settled for the first. I leaned into him, wrapping my arms around his neck to steady myself. “I'm not drunk, I promi
CLAIRE “Take it easy. You've had too much to drink. I knew giving you more cocktails was a bad idea. Asher steadied me gently as I almost staggered in the other direction. His hand wound around my waist, and for some reason, I leaned into him. Everything was a blur. We had been drinking, and we had been laughing at the spot on the rooftop with so much to drink at Lance's diner. Lance couldn't come around because he had been busy and occupied by the customers that he had. And I couldn't blame him. I didn't blame him. It was such a busy night. I closed my eyes and sighed in satisfaction. The chicken wings and the tacos were literally the best that I had ever tasted. And I ate until I was sure that there was no space left in my stomach, and I insisted that we stay back and have some more cocktails. Of course, Asher had a weakness for my request, so he agreed, and now here I was. Barely able to keep it together, but it wasn't a problem because he was always there to hold me. “Everywh
CLAIRE Evening approached, and Asher insisted he wasn't going to be in the same room with him while I got changed. I didn't blame him. Neither did I see the need to argue. I knew if he remained here, dinner would be next to a no, and we wouldn't be able to get anything afterwards. I didn't want to be sentenced to dinner with my sister and the other dreadful company. I was almost done. I had taken time to get ready. The warm bath was nothing short of soothing. I smelled of lavender and, well, Asher, because I used his shampoo. I was certain that he would mind that I smelled like me. I settled for packing my hair into a messy bun; my makeup was minimal. My face is almost bare with nothing but mascara, a lip tint, and slight blush. I ended up settling for a sundress. The weather seemed to be hot. So I guess it was going to have to do. I turned around, and my shoulders flinched in fright at the sight of Asher leaning casually against the doorway. He laughed when he noticed how startle