CLAIRE Nothing prepared me for the hard thrust of his length. My breath escaped me. My body was sweaty and sticky with sweat and at this point. It was impossible to focus on anything else but him, on me. My gaze lingered on his sweaty bicep, on how the edges of his face were contorted with pleasure as he moaned my name. I closed my eyes and sighed. It was nearly impossible to concentrate. Each thrust brought me an overwhelming wave of pleasure. Each moment made it difficult, too difficult to recover from the last. He paused to press a soft, sweaty kiss on the inside of my thigh. I shivered. My lips slightly parted at the wave of pleasure that pummeled through me. It was impossible to breathe. It was impossible to become conscious of what was happening. I was running out of my mind. But in a good way. For a brief second, my eyes caught his. And I wondered. I wondered how it was possible for this man to want me so much. I could spot the primal hunger coupled with the love he held for
CLAIRE “Asher. You made it,” Lance approached us with his arm stretched wide. I tried to make sense of what was going on until he engulfed both of us in a hug. I had no idea how to make sense of all that was happening. “What are you doing in Italy? I didn't know you were coming here as well and why the hell are you dressed in an apron” I said as I raised an eyebrow at him. I knew my flood of questions might almost be considered rude but there were so many things that were happening and I just didn't know what to pinpoint. Asher and him both shared a look that screamed mischief as they both of them turned to look at me. My gaze traveled from Asher to Lance as the both of them laughed. They both genuinely looked so happy that it was hard for me not to smile. “This place used to belong to Lance's father,” Asher said. “And now it belongs to me now” Lance smiled at me with warmth. “Oh” I suddenly went quiet..I guess everything was beginning to make sense.“Follow me. Asher wanted y
I felt the soft breeze blow through my hair and once again, I turned to the side to admire the view. I don't think I would be leaving this place anytime soon. I listened to Asher tell me more about his childhood. I listened to him to tell me about how the taste of the food gave him nostalgia. I listened and in some moments, I laughed and he joined in. I wondered if his chest felt airy and light as mine felt. I hoped it did. The next batch of dishes that arrived was chicken wings. Asher wasn't exaggerating when he asked me if I had enough space in my stomach. Fortunately, I wanted to experience the taste of everything that he had told me about. I picked up the nylon gloves that came along with the wings and I wore them. I took a bite. It was different from the other chicken wings I've tasted. And yet it was so delicious that I couldn't get over it. With the way I was eating. I doubted. I would have any space left for dinner. Asher joined in. Conversation flowed. More cocktails were b
CLAIRE“Liah?” Asher growled, and she immediately turned around. My gaze lingered on the luggage beside her. I didn't know what to make of the whole situation of her being here. It was obvious that she was uninvited and still decided to come here anyway. I wondered if I had any energy left for her tantrums and schemes. I could feel my temper rising to the surface. My eyes fluttered closed almost immediately as I tried really hard to keep it at bay. It was difficult and overbearing, and for some reason, I was barely able to sleep with myself. I closed my eyes and sighed. I was sincerely and utterly exhausted. “What the hell are you doing here?” Asher snapped. His brows furrowed as he stared at her. I could tell he was trying to keep his rising temper under the surface as well. My eyes fluttered open, and I met her gaze. She was looking directly at me. I raised an eyebrow at her in question. I was neither going to look away nor allow myself to be intimidated. I wasn't going to let her o
CLAIRE The warm feeling of Asher's body against mine was comfortable. I had woken up before him and now I guess I had the luxury of looking down at him while he was asleep. But now I guess I could never be too sure. He had a way of taking me off by surprise. I never really knew when he was genuinely asleep and when he was awake. My eyes fluttered closed as I let my fingers travel through the strands of his soft hair. I could have almost sworn that I was imagining but. The arm he had wrapped around my waist was wound tighter and tighter. My eyes fluttered closed in satisfaction at the feel of his arms around my waist. I don't know how long the silence lingered between the both of us and I was just about to drift into sleep when I heard the loud knock on the door. Asher's eyes sprung open almost immediately. I guess because it was an uncommon thing to have maids knocking at your door at this hour of the morning. But I felt I already knew who was behind the door. Instincts. He was ab
CLAIRE Tension lingered between us at breakfast. Everything was so awkward that I was almost tempted to speak up and start a conversation. I closed my eyes and sighed. Liah attempted to start a conversation. Asher wasn't giving her the audience that she needed. I was here, silently chewing on some bacon and replying to her in the most polite way that I could. She wasn't the best to have around, and yet I still felt sorry that she had to feel awkward. She stood up in the middle of breakfast when she couldn't take it anymore. “Going off to run some errands,’’ she said as she left the table. She walked out of the dining room without looking back. It was easy to notice the tension in her shoulders. I turned towards Asher and shot him a look that screamed displeasure. Everything was so overwhelming to the point that I could barely concentrate. He raised an eyebrow at me as he casually sipped his tea. “I said I was going to allow her to stay here. I didn't say that I was going to be nice
CLAIRE“Stop staring at me like that, princess. I told you not to test me. Asher growled slightly as I splashed him some water from the people. I could see the smile that he was trying so desperately to hide. I don't know how long we were here. I only knew that my chest felt lighter and lighter. It's been up to an hour since we had been emotional. I closed my eyes and sighed. And now here we were, playing around in the pool like we weren't vulnerable with each other a couple of minutes ago. There was a slight flutter in the pit of my stomach when I remembered Asher telling me how much he needed me and he wanted me to stay. If only he knew that it was the other way round. If only he knew that he was the one obviously doing me a favor by staying. I watched as he swam towards the end of the pool. I inhaled deeply as he disappeared under the water. I was settled at the end of the pool, watching. With only the tip of my legs buried inside the pool. A breath of relief escaped me when he r
CLAIRE Sitting there listening to Liah's suggestive comments, I could feel my emotions simmering just below the surface. It was like a pot of water, slowly coming to a boil, and I knew it was only a matter of time before I lost my cool.Inside, I was a mess of conflicting emotions. On one hand, I knew that Asher had made it clear that he wanted me, that I was the one he was interested in. But on the other hand, Liah's comments were like a constant drumbeat, eroding my confidence and making me feel like I was just a temporary distraction for Asher.I felt a pang of jealousy, sharp and stabbing, like a knife to the heart. I knew it was irrational, that I had no reason to feel like this because Asher had made his intentions towards me extremely clear. But I couldn't help it. I tried to push the thoughts away, to tell myself that I was being ridiculous, to remind myself that Asher had chosen me, not Liah. But the doubts lingered, refusing to be silenced. And as I sat there, watching Li
ASHER “Who’s been kidnapped? Do you know the person personally?” She inquired.“It’s my wife, I’m going to get her now,” I answered. “Sir, I’d advise against that. Why don’t you let the police officers do their job,” she advised. I let out a slight laugh, “this is my wife we’re talking about, I can’t sit back and let some asshole take her so it’s either you guys arrive quickly or you’d have a dead body on your hand”. “A dead body?” I ended the call and increased the speed of the car till I arrived at Glory Avenue. I scanned the houses on the street, searching for a deep blue roof. On searching it, I swerved to the right, slowing down as I edged into the lawn of the house, unintentionally. I pulled out the key, wearing it in one finger, curling my fingers into a fist, letting the key rest against my knuckle. My heart raced with adrenaline, and my brows furrowed. I kept walking till I arrived at the front door. The windows were closed, and the lights were turned off. I stepped, tu
ASHER'S P.O.VEverything happened in a blur. My father tried to reason with me, but I wasn’t interested in what he had to say. How could he take Regal as his son? Even after what he did to Claire. My Claire. Speaking of Claire, she must be waiting for me. She’s probably worried about me. I didn’t mean to leave her with Regal and Annabelle, the people who hurt her, but I couldn’t bear seeing their faces. If I stayed there any longer, I might have done something I’d regret. I excused myself. My father agreed with a nod, and I left the room. “Claire,” I called as I approached the living room. I received no answer in return. My eyebrows furrowed. Why wasn’t she saying anything? If it was any other scenario, I’d think she didn't hear me, but she was with the people who caused her harm, of course she’d want to leave. She’d rush towards me, and I’d be more than happy to welcome her into my arms. I quickened my pace, still calling for her, just in case she didn’t hear me the first time.
CLAIRE“Unbearing?” I blinked. “Then your sister swooped in,” he kept pushing me down the street, until we arrived beside a car. With one hand on my waist, he pushed me towards the door, releasing his other hand from my arm and grabbing the knob of the back door. “Get in,” he demanded.I shook my head. “Get in, Claire. I don’t want to be violent towards you,” he advised. “You’re very important to me, I don’t want to do anything to hurt our child”.“Our child,” I was taken aback. “Get in,” he demanded, rasing his tone,not intending to correct himself any time soon.Did he really think he could ruin my life, kill our baby turn when his life doesn’t turn out the way he plans, he swoops on and tries to clam what’s not his.“Get in,” he pushed on my waist and I drop onto the seat. I lift my head up to find Liah sitting at the further end, her body resting against the car door, wearing all black. “What are you doing here?” I question. She didn’t say a thing. I turn to face Regald who
CLAIRE I was amused, to say the least. I watched Regal stumble over words. Annabelle turned away from me, spinning her head towards Regal and grabbing his arm when he revealed her name. Her eyes grew wide, trying to silence him. He tore his arm away from her and began speaking, but she talked over him, causing chaos. I picked up a glass of wine from the table, raising it to my lips. I didn’t drink any, I just needed something to keep me busy and stop me from speaking. The air is thick with tension as Regal leans forward, his voice tight with frustration. Regal had everyone’s eyes on him, and he suddenly burst, words spewing out of his lips uncontrollably, “You all think I’m some heartless bastard for what I did, but you don’t understand, It wasn’t just me. Annabelle and I—she was the reason. She made me see that bringing a child into a relationship that was already dead was a mistake. We made the decision together.”I stiffen, gripping my wine glass, my knuckles turning white.
CLAIRE Dinner. I dreaded it. We'd barely arrived home before Gregory began to interfere with our privacy again. We've barely settled back in and here we were at dinner, surrounded by the very people that I have sworn to avoid. But considering the miracle that had happened to Asher and I. It was almost impossible for anything to bother me. Not even Regal and Annabelle's presence was enough. I Blake my eyes and sighed. I was beginning to feel tired. It was always easy to feel so tired and worn out from the stress. I closed my eyes and sighed. I was exhausted as I leaned my head against Asher's shoulder and closed my eyes for a brief moment. Just a sliver of time to get it back together. “Are you alright?” Regal said and my eyes opened as my gaze met his. I wasn't even irritated, the hate that I felt for him that I had carried for him for years began to wear off. Not entirely. Buy maybe enough to fixate on what he had done to me years ago. His eyes were full of concern as he looked a
CLAIRE I was glad she didn’t make mention of the pastAsher exhaled a laugh. “That’s the best news I’ve heard in a long time.”Dr. Patel went over a few more details. “We’ll schedule you for your next ultrasound around 20 weeks,” she said. “That’s when we can check for anatomy details—and if you want, find out the sex.”I exchanged a glance with Asher. “I think we want to wait,” she said.Dr. Patel smiled. “That’s great. Any questions for me?”I hesitated, then asked, “What are the chances of anything going wrong because of what i went through in the past?”Dr. Patel softened. “I understand the worry, but at this point, your risk of a miscarriage or any issue at all has dropped significantly. I’d say just enjoy the moment.”I squeezed Asher’s hand, feeling lighter than she had in weeks.We left her office with glee. My eyes still glanced around until the got glued to this particular lady who looked a lot like Liah. She turned and I could see her fully.I halted and so did Asher, alth
CLAIRE The fluorescent lights glowed softly above as Asher and I. The air carried the faint familiar scent of disinfectant and that of hope. It ached to think about the possibility of not having a child but there was still I change i could have one. I took a deep breath, her fingers instantly tightening around Asher’s hand as we walked toward the receptionist’s desk. He moved his thumb gently against mine and when we arrived in front of the desk, I looked over at him and smiled. “Good morning,” the receptionist greeted, her fingers clicking across the keyboard. “You must be Claire Henshaw?”“Claire Henshaw,” I was slow to respond, turning away from Asher and facing the nurse. The surname still haunted me, like a roof over my head, something I couldn’t get rid off. Asher’s face said no less, his jaws clenched and his fingers folding as their slowly pulled away from my shoulder. The knots tightened and the tension grew. I could recall sitting here as well with an unresponsive Regal
CLAIRE My body trembled slightly as I wretched into the toilet. Whatever was left of my dinner last night escaped my body as I threw up. Some strands of hair clung to my forehead because of the sweat that broke out and even if I didn't want to admit it. My body was heavy with exhaustion. I felt the breeze on my neck as my hair was being raised up gently. I could sense Asher behind me as he rubbed tender circles against my back. The movement was comforting. Everything about it was comforting. I closed my eyes and sighed. I was exhausted. Everything was exhausting. With my exhaustion, I also sensed fear. No matter how much I tried to force my mind not to linger on it, it was there regardless. As much as there was fear, there was hope. Or maybe I was afraid to hope. My eyes fluttered closed for a brief moment as I placed my hand gently against my belly. It couldn't be. There was no way that it was possible. It certainly wouldn't be possible. But each time I tried to deny it, my hope
CLAIREWe made our way to the car and he helped me in. “I can walk,” I laughed lightly. He was treated me gently, way more than usual, like a fragile egg that was at risk of shattering. He looked amused, “I just don’t want anything to happen to you”. He stood between the door and I. “Is it because the doctor said I might ne pregnant?” I joked bit he took it more than just a joke. His straightened his face, his lips stretching into a thin line. He stepped closer and I blinked, staring at him confused. “I love you with or without the pregnancy,” he said in a stern tone. “A child won’t make me love you more or less, I love you just the way you are, you’re an amazing woman and I can’t imagine my life without you”. I blinked. “Understand?” He asked. I nodded, “I know, you’ve told me”. “Don’t you ever forget it,” he said, slamming thr door shut then walking towards his side of the car. He got in, placed his hand on the steering wheel, reached for his key, inserted it and started th