May’s POVThat bastard was helping my stepfather again, and he wanted me to return every damn money he would be giving this time. Wasn’t I doomed?I really did have to work hard, because there was no way I could come up with that ridiculous amount of money Will had told me just on my basic salary.I was home now, with Emily still hovering around me like some big nanny. She was somewhere around the house, cleaning or putting something in order.But that wasn’t what was on my mind as I sat here on the couch. It was the he-gave-us-ten-million-dollars that gripped me in the gut and twisted hard the second I heard my stepfather talk about it. It was as if I shouldn’t have asked him at all, but I needed to know what the hell Asher was talking about.I remembered him offering to help my family if I attended his mother’s birthday which was coming up two weekends from now, but I couldn’t let him trap me like this again. If I took that option, I wouldn’t have to pay him back, but then again, he
May’s POVSeeing Asher again this soon after seeing him just before I was discharged from the hospital wasn’t what I wanted, but here he was in the same coffee shop I was getting some coffee from for the meeting this Monday morning.He was in front of me on the line that was moving toward the counter and I wanted to turn and leave, but this was a public place, and not his property. I wondered why he was the one getting the coffee on his own anyway when he had so many people who could have done that for him.When I was his wife though, making him freshly ground beans coffee was the first thing I did when I woke up every workday, and I would make sure to make it the old way, without the coffee maker, because I knew he loved that better.Now, he had to come here and line up to get himself one. This was so ironic and funny to watch. It was true what they say about not appreciating a thing until you lose it.I would say I wasn’t exactly proud of my dutiful wife duty, because I wasn’t even
Asher’s POV “What the fuck is wrong with this woman?” I asked myself mentally, clenching my teeth with my hands beside me folded in fists. The woman that was standing in front of me seemed oblivious to my discomfort, her flirtatious facade grating on my nerves. I was just reigning in my anger but she was making things worse. Didn’t I just tell her I was married, or did she purposefully not hear me mention that? I asked myself as I looked at her. She had on a pathetic act of flirtation going on and I couldn’t help but wonder what she thought she was doing. Her action was like a nail against my skin to the already frayed nerves. I fought the urge to snap at her, to express my complete lack of interest in whatever she thought she had to offer. “You don’t really have to play a hard to get man, I know I’m pretty and everyone wants me.” She said, and I wanted to scream at her that I didn’t want her. I wasn’t even in the least interested in whatever she wanted from me. I hated the fact
Asher’s POVThe world seemed to narrow to the space that was between us, or maybe it was my own accord with my hands that did that, bringing us together.Either way, I just wanted the warmth of her body against mine as I held her close, and she surprised me when she didn’t resist or push me back.For a heart-stopping moment, there was no one else, not the woman who had been too forward with me, trying to flirt her way into my bed and perhaps, my pocket, not the people waiting outside the bathroom in the cafe, just the both of us.When May looked up at me, her eyes were filled with concern, a softness there that I was used to before, but one I hadn't seen in a long time.Damn!I could tell that she still thought I had yanked her close to me because of the pain, when I didn’t even care even to notice it. "Are you sure you're okay?" Her voice was so gentle, so filled with the care that had once been directed at me no matter what. The concern she had shown me even when all I did was keep
May’s POVThe cool air of the office was a stark contrast to the heated atmosphere of the café I had just left, and it welcomed me with open arms, just like Asher’s arms had drawn me in.As I distributed the coffee to the people that were in the boardroom, I thought about the offer Gary had made me about not getting the coffee if I didn’t want to, and I wished I had taken it right before I said it wasn’t a problem.But I didn’t know I was going to see Asher in that café anyway, so I couldn’t be blamed. The people muttered their thanks, and light-hearted offer of gratitude made me glad I did went for the coffee.However, after that, I barely registered any other things they said through the haze of my own thoughts. “Thanks, May! You're so kind," Jenna said with a grin, taking a sip of her latte, but I didn’t even look at her long enough, or say anything in return.I just nodded. When someone else, I think Nora, thanked me for the coffee as well, saying something about me being a lifesa
May’s POV The humid air of the Lanzarote Airport clung to my skin as we strode through the arrival gate, and I just couldn’t wait until we were in the car already. At least, I was sure the car would have an air conditioning feature, so it would cool me down a little. I should have tried to tie up my hair in a bun before stepping off the plane but I didn’t think it was going to be this uncomfortable. My hair was sticking to my neck and making it feel itchy against my skin. If only I had thought of so many things, like the clothes I was wearing right now. I was wearing thick clothes, a form-fitting black pants that were free from the knee, with a black Cropped Grain de Poudre Wool Vest, so I was uncomfortable. I should have checked what the weather was like before getting dressed this morning. It was late afternoon, and we had been sitting on that plane for approximately seven hours if I hadn’t miscalculated. The sun was just about ducking in the sky, so you should know how uncomfo
May’s POV I started to say something, anything just to get them out of my face, but Gary beat me to it, his voice cutting through the attack, with a steady and unfazed look, and I wondered how he did that when I was freaking out inside like this. "We're here on a business trip, nothing more," he stated firmly, giving my arm a subtle, reassuring squeeze. That wasn’t even close to helping me at all, but I appreciated the gesture. Soon, a broad-shouldered man who I would later come to know as Alejo, Gary's bodyguard in Spain arrived at the place, and he walked towards us. "Por favor, hagan espacio," Alejo commanded, his voice deep and resonant. The crowd parted, although they did that reluctantly, and he walked to us through all the sea of questions and camera flashes. "Are you and Gary planning to stay long on the island?" a voice persisted from the crowd, and I wanted to haul my bag at whoever it was. Shouldn’t they just rest and stop bothering us? "We'll be staying as long as ne
May’s POVAs we stepped through the big front door of Gary's villa, I couldn't help but gasp in amazement. Holy shit, this place as swell.The grand entrance hall was even more stunning than I had imagined it would ever be. The high ceiling was decorated with a beautifully designed chandelier that cast a warm, golden glow over the marble floors.The walls were lined with beautiful artwork, and plush furniture filled the space, creating an air of luxury and opulence that took my breath away.This looked like I might have entered a queen's quarters in some century when that was in vogue. I said a queen quarters because one could clearly see all the touch of a woman around.As if Gary could hear my thoughts, he said. “This house belonged to my mother. Her husband willed it to her after he died, and then she passed it to me after that.”Her husband! I supposed her husband wasn’t his father, and as I started to wonder what the story there was, I told myself it wasn’t any of my business. In