Hayley glanced at the clock and a tremor of excitement shot through her. She would soon be free to go to Ashton’s cottage and resume where they had left off yesterday. Would he kiss her again? She couldn’t wait to return the tiffin case filled with delicious muffins she had baked early in the morning, surprising Elsa immensely. It seemed pleasing Ashton was the only thing on her mind these days. His kisses, his nearness, affected her so much that Hayley completely forgot to work on her assignment at college. It was the day of submission, and she had to sit in the library all morning to complete and submit it.
At work too, her mind was more on Ashton than on completing her work. Her dad checked the number of mistakes she made and shook his head with disappointment.
“Hayley, what is the matter with you? Are you tired? Do you want to go home?” asked her dad, closing his laptop to leave for a conference. Startled out of her dreamland, Hayley looked at her dad blankly.
“Umm, did you say something, dad?” Her dad shook his head and walked away with a deep frown on his face. He noticed a change in her for the last few days. The initial enthusiasm with which she started working under him had vanished. She looked restless nowadays! What could be the reason? Was she disturbed because of Jason? Or was there something he was missing?
It was evening already and a restless Hayley waited for her dad to leave so that she could rush to see Ashton. However, even after an hour, her dad was busy in a meeting with the administrative department and she couldn’t escape.
“Is dad still busy?” Hayley asked his PA.
“Yes, I don’t think it will be over soon,” she answered before disappearing into the conference room. Hayley couldn’t wait any longer. She went back to her office and picked up her belongings to leave. She could cook up some excuse later.
Sneaking out of the parking area, she made a dash towards Silver Spring Resorts, discreetly checking out if someone noticed her. No one did, and she ran up the porch towards Ashton’s door, releasing the breath she was holding.
The door was locked, and she smiled, realizing that he had listened to him. But before she could ring the doorbell, it opened wide and Ashton reached out and pulled her inside, straight into his arms. An excited giggle escaped her lips when he gazed into her eyes hungrily.
“Ashton, close the door at least. What if dad follows me here?” Ashton kicked the door shut and winked at her.
“I’ll hug him too!” He leaned to her level, his eyes twinkling with amusement and something more. He looked as excited as she did!
“It won’t work on him. You can’t melt him with just a hug.” He crushed her body into his, gazing at her lips with longing.
“So, am I melting you, Hayley?” he asked in a hoarse whisper.
“You are definitely melting the muffins with your warmth,” she said, chuckling at his jaw-dropped expression, and he released her a little.
“What muffin?” She grinned at him, pulling out the same tiffin case from inside her jacket. She had tucked it in the same way as he had to shield it from curious glances.
“I made them for you this morning. Elsa was so shocked that she just stood watching me with her jaws dropped to the floor!” laughed Hayley. Her infectious mood, her thoughtfulness, and her nearness, all made his heart skip a beat. He felt touched that she took so much pain to make something for him.
“Thank you, Hayley. I can’t wait to taste them.” Hayley smiled, but she couldn’t stop her inner self from chanting non-stop inside her head.
‘And I can’t wait to taste you!’ When did she become so desperate? She had little time to ponder over her excessively horny state as Ashton led her towards his sofa and sat down, pulling her onto his lap.
“Umm, Ashton, put me down,” she ordered, but the blush gave her away.
“No, Hayley. You belong here. Now let’s see what you’ve made for me.” Hayley relaxed and opened the airtight case for him to taste. “Feed me!” She rolled her eyes and picked up a muffin and held it to his mouth.
“Mm, this is good. I’ll return from work and you’ll keep these ready for me to munch on. Deal?” he said, reaching out to eat the entire piece. Hayley gave him a curious look and picked up a piece for herself.
“When? Are you planning to marry me because of these muffins?” Ashton chuckled and helped himself to more.
“You know me so well!”
“What will you have for dinner? I’m in the mood to make something special,” she offered excitedly. With the weekend coming up, she couldn’t wait to go out with Ashton. Would he ask her out on a date on Saturday or Sunday?
“I can have you for dinner!” Hayley smacked his arm, and he chuckled.
“We can make spaghetti and meatballs! How about that?” he asked, leaning in for a kiss. With his arm around her waist and his fingers playing with her hair, Hayley was too aroused to think straight. A powerful force that was stronger than a magnet pulled her to him, making her putty in his hands.
“Ashton,” she breathed, pushing a little at his chest.
“Hmm,” he responded, his eyes hooked onto her tempting lips.
“I need to go to the kitchen.” She blushed to see his gaze wander all over her.
“Why?” he whispered hoarsely, his focus now on the throbbing pulse at her neck.
“Dinner!” Her breath got stuck in her throat when his lips grazed the pulse ever so lightly, making her entire body quiver with need.
“I want you for dinner!” His hungry admission made her want to surrender to him.
His lips now attacked her neck, emboldened by her response to him. The way she surrendered to him made him want to lose his restraint and plunder her sweetness, but he couldn’t do that. She was just eighteen, and he couldn’t take advantage of her innocence. As far as he was concerned, he was a fu*ked up guy with too many hurdles to cross to make himself capable of her.
Suddenly, he wanted to do just that. He wanted to make himself capable of her. He wanted more than these stolen kisses with her! What was this strange addiction he had for her? It brought out a tenderness in him that made him want to protect her for life.
Sighing, he claimed her lips in a sweet, lingering kiss. The tenderness shocked Hayley as she had expected passionate lovemaking instead. It would have been her first time! The kiss forced her to reciprocate, and she cupped his cheek and kissed him back, just as lingeringly as he did.
“Let’s get something in your stomach before you go home,” he said, releasing her and easing her off his lap. A whimper escaped Hayley’s mouth, needing more than the kiss he gave her. Why was he restraining himself so much when she had given him permission to do what he wanted with her? Did he not desire her to that level?
“Okay!” she said breathlessly, her lips already swollen from his kiss. Ashton noted the disappointment on her face and grabbed her hand to pull her back into his lap.
“What now?” she grumbled, refusing to meet his eyes.
“Look at me, Hayley!” he said tenderly, holding her chin and forcing her to meet his eyes. “I don’t want to rush things between us. I want to give us time. I want to give us a chance, Hayley. Can you understand what I’m trying to say to you?”
Hayley gazed into his beautiful eyes, feeling pulled deeper into their depths. She couldn’t believe that Ashton wanted to have a relationship with her! Or did she misunderstand him totally? As far as she knew him, he didn’t believe in those! She couldn’t ask him for fear of his honest reply. What if he wasn’t promising her a future with him? It would dash all her hopes.
“You’re so complex, Ashton. I’ll make us dinner and leave.” She smiled awkwardly and got up from his lap to go to the kitchen.
Ashton sat watching her in a daze. Her behavior confused him. Here he was promising her a happily ever after and all she could think of was dinner? Didn’t she want a relationship with him? Then what exactly did she want with him? A few kisses or physical intimacy? He watched the disappointed look on her face as she made dinner and sighed. He couldn’t live a minute with her feeling so unhappy! Maybe he should give her what she wanted.
He got up and slowly walked towards her, his eyes sparkling with a desire that he was trying hard to restrain. He noticed her jaw-dropped gaze at seeing the sudden change in his gait. His feral, predatory moves might have given her an idea of his intentions. He reached her in two strides and picked her up in his arms, carrying her to his bedroom.