Ashton gazed into her beautiful eyes with so much sincerity that it took her breath away.
“Yes, I can and I will. I didn’t ever date, but you made me want to date you. I didn’t believe in relationships, but I wanted to be tangled in an everlasting relationship with you. I didn’t think I’d marry, but you make me desperate to marry you. So now that I’ve sailed through every obstacle and gravitated towards you, I want this thing to last forever. So will you marry me, Hayley, and make me the happiest man in the universe?”
Hayley grinned and nodded at his heart-warming lines. “Yes, Ashton, I’m crazy about you. It had been my dream to marry you and it’s coming true now.” He pulled out a beautiful pear-shaped ring with numerous diamonds encrusted all around the sparkling solitaire in the middle. Pushing the ring on her delicate finger, he sprang up to grab her and claim her lips in a gentle kiss.
Dazed, Hayley kissed him back, unable to believe that now she was an engaged woman. Everything happened so fast that she could hardly get a grip on her emotions. He led her towards the fog cloud for another dance and she just wrapped her arms around his neck, rested her head on his shoulder, and swayed to the music. A sense of completeness filled her and they stayed in that position till the music ended.
“How does it feel to be engaged to me?” he asked, leading her towards the door.
“Complete and blissful. How about you?”
“Alive! Intoxicated!” He winked at her and she rolled her eyes.
“Seriously? Are you intoxicated?”
“Yes. Don’t you know you’re more lethal than alcohol? I can never get enough of you.”
“Shh! They will all hear you! Remember, you’re the CEO of this place?” she reminded him in a hushed whisper.
“Let them. CEOs are also humans.” Everyone congratulated them as they went up to the penthouse. Ashton smiled with satisfaction, seeing his wish come true. He had wanted to announce their engagement to the world, and it was done now.
They went up the cubicle elevator to the penthouse, eager to end the special day in a special way. The urge to pick up where they left off in the morning had them excited.
“Now comes the best part!” breathed Ashton with a magical gleam in his eyes. Hayley blushed, thinking along the same lines. It seemed she too had become desperate for him since morning. If she could, she would never have left his bed, but that wasn’t possible. They couldn’t let Simon Baylor down.
There was an urgency in his movements as he locked the door the moment they entered his penthouse, blocking the world out. Now, there were only the two of them inside, lost in their magical bubble. He held out his hand, and she placed hers in his. Without a word, Ashton led her to their bedroom, looking devilishly handsome in his formals. In sharp contrast, Hayley looked like a freshly bloomed rosebud, all soft and delicate. The intense look in his eyes, as he stared at her, made the butterflies inside her stomach go crazy.
She stopped at the foot of the bed, unsure of what to do, when Ashton came up behind her.
“Baby!” he whispered in a husky, tender tone that turned her insides to mush. That single word had all the love he felt for her. She gazed up at him, and the next thing she felt was his lips on hers. It was a lingering kiss, more soulful than wild, tasting every recess like he was addicted to her mouth. She responded to him with equal fervor, her arms wrapping around his shoulders and pulling him closer.
“I’m addicted to you baby!” came his breathless admission against his lips. Her heart skipped a beat, but before she could catch her breath, he smashed his lips back to hers. This time, the kiss was passionate, hungry, and uncontrollable. It was exactly what he had been craving since morning. Hayley kissed him back with a passion matching his. At last, he released her mouth to catch up on their breaths.
“Turn around Hayley. I want you out of this dress.” His roughened hands worked on the zipper at the back and he gently eased it out of her. The dress fell to the floor in a heap, as he picked her up and deposited her on the bed.
Ashton quickly stripped out of his tuxedo, leaving him only in a pair of boxers. His whole body was on edge, alive in anticipation of finally getting what he dreamed of doing all day. He lay down, hovering over her, his heart pounding excitedly just as hers was.
“God! I wanted this so badly!” he whispered, his mouth showering soft kisses along her neck, leaving a trail of fire in its wake. Her heart pounded wildly in its ribcage as his hands roamed all over her body. It inched slowly towards the clasp of her bra, unhooking it and pulling it away from her body.
“Oh, I want you so much!” she whispered, tugging at his briefs. He raised his head and looked down at the pieces of clothing covering them.
“I want you more.” He hooked his fingers into the waistband of her panties and tugged them down. She did the same to him, pulling his boxers out of him and exposing his massive bulge for her eyes to feast on. Just like in the morning, Hayley had awakened him to a point of no return.
“F*ck babe! You’re driving me crazy!” he lifted her legs and parted them only to lie between them, skin to skin, while his lips descended on her breasts. She writhed in pleasure as he took turns with them, his mouth on one while his palm massaged the other. This time, his fingers explored every curve of her body, not in any hurry to plunge in.
“You’re so f*cking beautiful, Hayley! I’m so lucky that you’re all mine, only mine. ”
His words, his mouth played havoc on her senses, making her stomach knot as a wave of fervent desire struck her like an unbidden storm. She arched her back to give him more access to her body while her arms snaked around his shoulders.
“Please, Ashton!” she gasped, when his fingers slipped between the cleft. He caressed her feminine folds, so wet with desire and totally ready for him.
“I could never get enough of you. Every time I’m with you, it feels like the first time,” he whispered, making her heart skip a beat.
“I feel the same ‘coz I’ve loved you all my growing-up years!” He ground his hard member against her and a gasp of unexpected pleasure escaped her lips. It felt so good!
“Have you dreamed of doing this?” he whispered hoarsely, thrusting two fingers into her weepy slit. A moan escaped her, and she shook her head in shock.
“No, I stopped at a kiss. I was so innocent! What have you done to me, Ashton?” she smiled, but he thrust deeper in and out of her, building up a rhythm and all the jest left her mind. She grasped onto his shoulders, digging her nails into his skin as he build up pace. His mouth worked on her neck and claimed her lips in a lingering kiss. She held onto him tightly until her core convulsed around his fingers and she came undone.
Ashton released her mouth and licked her fingers clean, all the while holding her gaze. With her breath coming fast and hard, she had just gathered herself when he reached out for a condom and pulled it over his throbbing shaft. Parting her legs, he entered her in one thrust. Wave after wave of pleasure swept over her. This was what they both wanted.
The lovemaking was intense as he rocked his hips against hers, building up a rhythm until they both climaxed together.
“I can go on all night, but I don’t want you sore tomorrow.” He eased her against his chest, both breathing hard.
“Yes, it’s a long day tomorrow with back-to-back meetings with all the GMs. How many hotels are there under the Baylor Group?” asked Hayley as they pulled on their clothes.
“Six right now. The one in New York was under construction when Simon Baylor went bankrupt. Then there’s a twenty-room lodge near Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona that has a lot of scopes if built into a full-fledged hotel.”
“Wow! Let’s visit them together and plan this out.”
“Great! We’ll turn this into a pre-wedding honeymoon!” Hayley rolled her eyes, but deep in her heart, she knew she wanted this more than anything else right now. A few days alone on a trip with Ashton was a dream come true.
“It’s a work trip, Ashton!” She pointed out, but he just winked and pulled her closer.
“All work and no play can make us unproductive!” he whispered, biting her ear. She could feel his hard arousal grinding into her.
“Again?” she rolled her eyes in disbelief, but her heart thumped wildly when he pushed her panties down.
“You make me this crazy. So deal with it!”