Hayley’s plea made him freeze momentarily. He wanted to tell her the reason he took the extreme step. It was for her own good, to protect her from Gambino.
“I had my reasons, Hayley. Believe me, whatever I did was only to protect you.” He released her, his eyes filling up with remorse. Hayley frowned with curiosity, getting off his lap, picking up her tee shirt, and slipping it over her head.
“From whom? Gambino’s men?” Ashton stared at her, wondering what to tell her.
“Yes. Do you still want to be with me?” he asked, hesitating a little. Hayley held his gaze and cupped his cheek lovingly.
“I don’t care. I want to be with you forever, Ashton. Can’t you get it?” she whispered with so much conviction that it blew his mind away.
“I can’t promise you forever, Hayley. There’s no certainty about my life. There are many things you don’t know about me. I’m not the guy you can depend on,” he said bitterly, with a feeling of despair filling up within him. At that point, he wished he could have a normal relationship with Hayley. Why did he have to be so f*cked up?
“For me you are. Tell me about yourself. I want to know everything about you.” Ashton stared back at her, afraid to plunge into the depths of his dark past. He couldn’t afford to tell her. What if she hated him for it? What if she didn’t want to be with him anymore? This time, he would surely die. Now that he’d tasted her again, he couldn’t think of a life without her. She was like the air he needed to breathe, the water he needed to survive. She was his life!
How had he become so desperate for her? He closed his eyes, knowing the answer to that simple question. He was neck-deep in love with her! It wasn’t a simple desire or an attraction anymore but had grown into an all-consuming, burning love that only needed her to be fulfilled.
“Ashton, are you alright? It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about yourself.” He opened his eyes and gazed back at her, seeing her in a different light. The pieces of the jigsaw puzzle fitted in at last. He understood why he always wanted to date her, to kiss her, to see her, and to have her around him. He had always loved her!
“Ashton, do you work for the mafia?” Ashton came out of his daze and stared at her with horror. “Jason told me you do.”
“No, I don’t. I’m just paying off my father’s debt to them. That’s all!”
Hayley smiled with relief while Ashton rolled his eyes in disbelief. “Did you really believe that son of a b*tch?” He was surprised that she still didn’t run for the hills despite knowing his allegiance to the mafia world. Maybe he had misunderstood her, after all. Maybe she really loved him!
“I didn’t want to, but when they kidnapped you, I got scared.” He flashed another skew little smile and stood up, holding out his hand for her to take.
“No need to get scared, babe! This time I’m not going anywhere.” Her face flushed with color at the endearment. She placed her hand in his and he pulled her up. Where was he leading her? What did he have in mind? Would they sleep together? Would he continue where they left off? Her entire body was still aroused from the incomplete make-out session. She wanted more of him!
“It’s getting late. Go to sleep, Hayley,” he said softly while she gaped at him. Was he seriously that sleepy while she was so aroused?
“Good night, Ashton.” Hayley looked around for her bra, but it was nowhere around. Hadn’t he deposited it here when he took it off her? She was acutely aware of his glittering gaze hooked onto her. It made her nipples taut and aware, and the effect was quite embarrassing.
“Remember what you have agreed to. You’re mine and I can claim you whenever I want to. Good night, babe!” he whistled merrily and sauntered off towards his room while Hayley gaped after him. What the f*ck did he mean by that? Would he appear in her bed in the middle of the night to claim her? A tremor of excitement ran down her body at the thought. Well, in that case, she would leave her door unlocked for him.
Not finding her bra, she went to her room. How would she go to work without her bra? If the locksmith didn’t arrive early, she would have to go to the mall to buy herself spare clothes.
Hayley tried hard to sleep, but memories of the kiss, and Ashton’s parting words, all played havoc with her senses and she lay awake and aroused. This way, she couldn’t go to work the next morning! She counted sheep in her head, but strangely, it didn’t work.
A steady hammering sound from the bedroom next to her had her startled. What the f*ck was the guy up to now? As if his memories weren’t enough! He had to start hammering into her head to disrupt her sleep. She waited for the noise to stop, but it didn’t.
Muttering curses, she swung her legs out of bed and stomped all the way to his bedroom. The door was left ajar, and she stormed inside. Her jaws dropped at seeing a shirtless Ashton drilling a hole in the wall, clad only in a pair of black boxers! That too at eleven o’clock at night! Had he lost his mind?
She closed her eyes at the sight! If she looked at him, she was dead sure that she wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight.
“God! Can’t you wear something?” she yelled at him so that he could hear her. Ashton turned and smirked at her, seeing her condition.
“Stop the noise, Ashton. What the f*ck are you up to? I can’t sleep,” she scolded her, still with her eyes closed. Ashton chuckled and stopped.
“I’ve stopped, happy? So why have you closed your eyes? Do I look that bad?” Satisfied to have her in his room, he placed the drilling machine down and approached her.
“No, you’re naked!” she said, her cheeks still flushed with color. Ashton chuckled, his heart thumping wildly in his rib cage.
“No, I’m not. But I will be if you don’t open your eyes.” Hayley’s eyes flew open, and she looked at his appendage. Thankfully, he still had the underwear on, but the enormous bulge made her blush even more.
“See what you do to me? I can’t sleep, Hayley,” he whispered, coming closer to her and stopping inches away from her.
“Oh, umm, you’re so massive!” she blurted out, clamping her mouth shut with horror. Ashton laughed, grabbing her arm and pulling her right into his arms, flush against his bare body.
“Would you like to touch me?” he whispered hoarsely, grinding his massive erection against her cro*ch, slowly, erotically, seducing her to surrender to him.
“I, umm,” she stammered shyly.
Ashton lost his mind and picked her up in his arms, carrying her towards his bed. “Will you sleep with me tonight?” he asked, seeing her hesitation.
“Yes, please.” Ashton smiled, realizing that maybe she too was burning for him the same way as he was for her. He lay her down gently and followed her down, lying next to her. Hayley lay her head on his biceps and he wrapped her closer. She smiled, inhaling the warm, tingling scent of him. It was bliss!
“Comfortable?” he asked her with a tender smile on his lips. It was perfectly alright if she wasn’t ready for anything. As long as she was with him in his arms, nothing mattered to him.
“Very! I might get used to this, Ashton.” She said with a long sigh as her eyes grew heavy with sleep.
“I want you to, babe. I want you to sleep with me every night, as long as I’m alive!” he whispered back, but she had already closed her eyes.
All the restlessness left his body at seeing her sleeping peacefully cocooned in his embrace. It relaxed him a lot. This was what he had been craving since the moment he had left her and entered his room. Unable to calm the strange restlessness within him, he thought of fitting the painting that had been lying around in his bedroom.
He smiled, placing his arm across her curvy body possessively. A fierce need to protect her coursed through his veins. He would fight Gambino and his men for her! This time he wouldn’t give her up! Maybe it was time to seek police help, but he had to be very discreet about it. If Gambino would never release his dad, then there was no point in paying him anymore. He would plan his next step well before Antonio called him for the next installment. He had at least a month at hand!