CLAIREMy eyes fluttered open as I sensed Asher's warmth. I wanted to believe that JH was a figment of imagination, and it could easily be my mind conjuring up things since I craved his presence so much. I closed my eyes, sighed, and turned to face Asher’s empty bedside. His scent became stronger. My eyes flew open, and my lips parted open in surprise as my eyes caught his. I don't know how long he's been awake. My cheeks flushed with color as I thought about how long he might have been watching me. He was here, and somehow I wanted to believe that it was a figment of my imagination. After what happened yesterday, I was convinced that it would only be a matter of time before he let me know that he wanted nothing to do with me. “Hi,” he said quietly.I closed my eyes. Somehow the words were stuck on the tip of my tongue. Somehow I couldn't even come up with the right thing to say. My heart was soaring wildly within the confines of my chest. Hope. I felt it a lot of times to recogni
CLAIREI couldn't stop thinking about the look in Asher's eyes. Every inch of my body awakened each time my mind went to it. It was impossible to do anything else. Every inch of my body awakened each time I thought about how he confessed that he couldn't keep his hands off me. I knew that the both of us were on a tough path, but at least it was another sign to stay hopeful.I closed my eye and got out of the car almost immediately. I needed to stop thinking about Asher for the time being. I wasn't going to be able to attend to all that I had to today if I kept on thinking about his bare torso.As I headed closer to my office, dread engulfed me. This was certainly not the day where I had the mental capacity to tolerate Asher. I closed my eyes and sighed, and I breathed with relief when I spotted no one waiting for me by the door. I closed my eyes and sighed. It was indeed a great relief. “Good morning, miss. I've been expecting you,” Ella smiled at me. I wasn't really in the best of
CLAIREIt was a good thing that I had a very firm practice of keeping my temper on a leash. The sight of Liah seated comfortably on the chair from across made me want to lung out in frustration. I was exhausted from feeling so many intense emotions in a day. Everything about her irritated me, right from the sight of her perfect legs to the cold, sassy smile on her face. My headache intensified and I inhaled deeply to at least regain composure because my anger was already beginning to rise to the surface. “I'm not sure I'm going to need your forgiveness for anything. I'm also certain that you're imposing on my private time. So if you're done spewing your BS. You can as well leave my office,” I said. I gave myself a mental pat on the back for sounding unbothered.I could have almost sworn that I saw irritation flash through her eyes, and when I looked again, the same smug smile still remained on her face.When she remained on the chair, making no attempt to move, I raised an eyebrow a
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
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
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
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
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
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
CLAIREIt was a good thing that I had a very firm practice of keeping my temper on a leash. The sight of Liah seated comfortably on the chair from across made me want to lung out in frustration. I was exhausted from feeling so many intense emotions in a day. Everything about her irritated me, right from the sight of her perfect legs to the cold, sassy smile on her face. My headache intensified and I inhaled deeply to at least regain composure because my anger was already beginning to rise to the surface. “I'm not sure I'm going to need your forgiveness for anything. I'm also certain that you're imposing on my private time. So if you're done spewing your BS. You can as well leave my office,” I said. I gave myself a mental pat on the back for sounding unbothered.I could have almost sworn that I saw irritation flash through her eyes, and when I looked again, the same smug smile still remained on her face.When she remained on the chair, making no attempt to move, I raised an eyebrow a
CLAIREI couldn't stop thinking about the look in Asher's eyes. Every inch of my body awakened each time my mind went to it. It was impossible to do anything else. Every inch of my body awakened each time I thought about how he confessed that he couldn't keep his hands off me. I knew that the both of us were on a tough path, but at least it was another sign to stay hopeful.I closed my eye and got out of the car almost immediately. I needed to stop thinking about Asher for the time being. I wasn't going to be able to attend to all that I had to today if I kept on thinking about his bare torso.As I headed closer to my office, dread engulfed me. This was certainly not the day where I had the mental capacity to tolerate Asher. I closed my eyes and sighed, and I breathed with relief when I spotted no one waiting for me by the door. I closed my eyes and sighed. It was indeed a great relief. “Good morning, miss. I've been expecting you,” Ella smiled at me. I wasn't really in the best of
CLAIREMy eyes fluttered open as I sensed Asher's warmth. I wanted to believe that JH was a figment of imagination, and it could easily be my mind conjuring up things since I craved his presence so much. I closed my eyes, sighed, and turned to face Asher’s empty bedside. His scent became stronger. My eyes flew open, and my lips parted open in surprise as my eyes caught his. I don't know how long he's been awake. My cheeks flushed with color as I thought about how long he might have been watching me. He was here, and somehow I wanted to believe that it was a figment of my imagination. After what happened yesterday, I was convinced that it would only be a matter of time before he let me know that he wanted nothing to do with me. “Hi,” he said quietly.I closed my eyes. Somehow the words were stuck on the tip of my tongue. Somehow I couldn't even come up with the right thing to say. My heart was soaring wildly within the confines of my chest. Hope. I felt it a lot of times to recogni
CLAIRERegal’s words haunted me. The taunting look in his eyes was something that I wasn't sure that I would be able to forget. I was certain that the universe had sent him to haunt me. I was more than certain that was the case.I closed my head and sighed. I couldn't shake off the feeling that he was right. I couldn't keep running from the truth forever. I closed my eyes and sighed. It was becoming more and more difficult to ignore the lump that was beginning to form at the back of my throat. The more I tried to focus, The more the anxiety swept up the remaining thread of composure that I had left. Wasn't he supposed to be in prison? Wasn't he supposed to be facing law charges. Regardless of whether he was supposed to be in prison or not, it didn't divulge from the fact that I was supposed to tell Asher the truth.I wanted to go to bed and preferably not wake up the next morning, but I couldn't keep running away forever. “Hey,” my attention reverted back to the present moment as As