Ashton Jacob Cooper was not in a very good mood. In fact, he was in a horrible mood. And damned if he knew why. Nobody was approaching him in the office since he was acting as ferocious as a wounded bear. For the past week. Ever since that damned stupid woman had left his office and his life.

It was pure hell working without her. Not because of the workload; he was managing that all right thanks to the processes she had put in place. It was hell because every time someone was passing by his office door, his foolish heart missed a beat thinking it was her. And it was irritating him so much that he had to find some other things to keep his mind busy.

And as if it was not enough, yesterday he had caught her moving out. On top of that to California! To Somerville. He had not slept a wink last night; had been tormented with thought of Selena with that damned Somerville. How was she so readily willing to hook up with that man anyway? Ashton believed he could offer him more than that damned man.

He missed her. Not a single minute of the past week had gone by without him thinking of her. Thinking of the time they had spent together in California. The way she had kissed him back; the memory was playing over and over in his mind driving him crazy. It had been like hell and he had been trying to tell her that he needed her. Wasn’t that enough for her? Why the hell was she being so difficult?

Well, he was not prepared to let her go and would blackmail her about it being Uncle Devin’s last wish if need be. He would do anything to bring her back to him. But he could not understand the reason why it was so important to him. When he had heard about her going to Somerville, his blood had boiled and he had wanted to strike something.

He was sure she was moving in with that damned man. Could be dating him already. That damned businessman had to be the reason why she was refusing him. He must have offered her a better deal and being the business woman that she was, she was keeping her head like she always had. While he had lost his heart on the way.

It was something he had seen coming but still the revelation hit him with a force that pierced right through his heart. Reeling from shock, he clenched his jaw as he realized he could no longer deny that he had fallen head over heels in love with his enemy. While his heart wanted to jump with joy, his mind was warning him that Selena might not feel the same way for him.

With a new resolution, he took out his mobile and sent her a message. Can we talk?

Sighing again, he tried to concentrate on his work but all his attention was on his mobile phone which was not responding. He could hardly blame her if she did not love him back. Nothing had changed for her; but the fact that she had not kept the money might be a positive thing.

What did it mean? Did it mean she loved him too? Was that the reason she had returned him everything? Did his heart dare hope? Or did it simply mean she did not want anything to do with him in the future. For the hundredth time since the past two minutes, he checked his mobile again but still nothing.

On remembering the way he had acted with her, he was not feeling too proud about it. He had not only ill-treated her but had royally ignored how difficult it had been for her to achieve that position. Selena did not hail from a rich background as he had but she deserved a better future than him. She was such a hard worker; the one who had subconsciously taught him how to be a better man.

Selena had taught him to a better man in every way if he looked at his situation more closely. She had taught him to respect his team, to earn his money by working hard and to love without any ulterior motive.

Now he could say he was a better man. But he wished Selena could see him in that new light; he wished he could convince her that he was now a changed man. Love had taught him both humility and piety. Even if it was hard to admit, he knew he had an ego the size of a mountain but for the love of his life, he had to swallow it even if it meant leaving him nowhere.

The fear of losing her to another man was gnawing him so much that he would stop at nothing to have her back. And to think she had been his even if temporarily but he had been too damned proud to stick to her. Now all he wanted to do was talk to her and try to convince her that the man of her life was only him.

And she was going away to Somerville! Even if he was offended by her attitude, he could hardly blame her. He realized that he wanted her back and had no other option but to go after her. His foolish heart was left hanging as he waited for his phone to buzz and it could have stopped when it did buzz indicating him an incoming message.

About what?

Damn! Quickly he tapped in the only thing he knew would convince her to come rushing to him like he wanted her to. Family. To her, family was the most important thing and if he had to blackmail her, so be it.

Uncle Devin.

This time, the phone immediately buzzed.

What happened? Is something wrong?

No Jake found a letter in his drawer. It’s urgent.

Okay. I’m free now. Where do you want to meet?

Bingo! She was ready to meet him.

Immediately, he asked her to meet him in his apartment as soon as she could and he left the office in a hurry asking Damien to take over for the day. He was the boss and he could therefore afford a day without work because of an emergency. Nothing was more important to him than Selena right now.

His heart could hardly contain the excitement at the prospect of seeing her again. Everything was falling into place. Why he had always bothered about her even when she was still her enemy. Why he had fought with her so much and had been so offended when she had refused all those years ago. Hell, he had fancied her at the age of seventeen but his damned stupid ego had come in his way.. His heart had recognized her at the first sight while his mind had taken years to figure it out. He felt more optimist as he drove back home with his foolish heart was free to love again.

Taking a quick shower, he paced his living room thinking what he would tell her to convince him she was going to accept her destiny. Then he remembered Uncle Devin’s cunning ways how he had succeeded to trap first his son and then himself and he decided to get inspired from the cunning old man. Selena Rose McKenzie would not know what hit her.

When she arrived approximately one hour later, she was dressed casually in a simple blue dress which was making her look sexy and he felt his revealing budge yet again. Now he understood his so ready reaction to her; he understood why he was always so hard hungry with desire for her. That he had felt so jealous at the thought of her going out with Somerville.

Everything was fitting like a jigsaw puzzle. Of course! How could he have been so dumb? It was all so very obvious now. She was the only woman for him and that was why he was always so hungry at her mere sight. And to handle that damned attraction, he had used his ego as s shield.

Trying to act tensed, he allowed her inside and continued pacing the floor and watched as she frowned at him as he had expected.

“What’s wrong?”

“I can’t believe that damned Uncle Devin!” he shouted trying his best to look outraged.

“What now!”

“Jake found a letter in his drawer. He has always wanted to match make the two of us! Can you believe it? I don’t know what…”

“What?!!” There was no way she was faking it; she appeared even more shocked than he had been. He grinned inwardly masking his smile with a fake frown. “Come again!” she shrieked.

“Yes you heard me right. He wanted us to be a couple all along.”

“But.. but..” she stammered and sat down for support. “I thought he wanted to fix you up with Kyra, Rach’s best friend.”

“No, no” he answered as he was expecting her question. “Kyra was only a trap; he knew that I would never have agreed to marry her and so he made it obvious while all the time he had been planning for me to hook up with you eventually.”

“Oh,” she said after some time. “And we fell right into the trap?” she asked in a small voice.

“Yess!” he hissed giving her a frustrated look.

She let out a laugh without humor and shook her head, her curls moving erratically around her head making her look cute. “Well, thankfully we were smart enough to get out of the ordeal before it was too late,” she replied.

His heart sank. Hell! She still believed what they had was a mistake. While to him it had been a complete makeover and his only chance at happiness.  So he had to kill his conscience if he wanted to conquer her back. Especially when there was Somerville in the picture; he was tough competition and so Ash had to resort to extreme measures.

“Yes but Jake had asked me one thing. It was Uncle Dev’s last wish to see us together and Jake wants us to be together,” he said feeling his lips going parched and palm moistening with anticipation of her answer. Except he was not showing his discomfort.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” she exclaimed and said nothing more.

And he felt as if he was hanging on the edge of a cliff his breath halting as he listened to what she had to say. If she was willing to play along it had to mean she felt something for him.

“Are you still planning to move to California?”

Seeming to snap out of a haze, she looked at him in surprise and hesitated before answering. “I don’t know yet.”

“Are you going out with Somerville? If you are I will ever dream of getting on your way of true happiness,” he lied.

He watched in joy as she shook her head and the relief that cut through him was apparent.  The competition was off. He still had a chance with her.

“No, we’re not together,” she confessed as if her gesture had not been enough.

“Great. So I suggest we go along with the initial plan after all. Minus the last part of the drama of course,” he said automatically wishing she would just accept. How the hell would he convince her that without revealing his feelings to her.

“Ash? Are you out of your mind?!!”

“No, listen. It will work out. We will get married and…”

“What?!! Are you prepared to marry me just to fulfill Uncle Devin’s last wish? It does not make sense! I don’t understand.”

Hell what could he say now? He didn’t understand either; he just wanted her to agree to marry him without any questions. But he was afraid to tell her that he loved her. It was not his pride but his heart which had taken over now.

Then he decided to show her.

Without answering her, he marched up to her and twisted a curl round his finger as he always wanted to do whenever she was around. Her curls fascinated him and he wanted to get lost in the spiral form of them and never find his way back.

He watched as she swallowed at his nearness showing that she was nervous and he could not help feeling thrilled at the effect he was having on her. Slowly, taking his time, he cupped her face in his hand and gently brushed his lips against hers.

Then, he opened his mouth to rain hungry kisses on her mouth ravaging her driving her senseless except he was losing his sense in the process as well. When he came up for breath, he saw her looking at him her eyes hooded and his control snapped.

He kissed her again pouring his very soul into the kiss and liking the feel of her against him. When she snuggled even closer, he increased the pace of the kiss and devoured her raining kisses along her neck and breasts. Short of breath after the electric interlude, he caressed her skin trying to get his breathing back to normal.   

They could barely contain their hunger for each other and while Ashton knew it meant love for him, he knew that for Selena it could only mean lust. Wanting to stop, he growled when she arched her body to him offering him more and he knew then that she wanted him as much as he wanted her. The desire between them had simmered long enough and was out of control now.

Kissing her again fiercely, he lifted her up and pressed her against the wall of his living room to get a better support. In sync with his movements, she lifted her hips up and grinded against him as well making him lose the last remnant of his control. Ripping off her dress, he nearly whimpered at the touch of her skin against his raw skin and he could not get enough of her.

When his lips touched her breast, she moaned with pleasure sending ripples of satisfaction down his spine. Never before had he found pleasure in pleasuring another woman. But with her everything was different. It was no longer sex but something else. Something more intense and it was if he was finding more pleasure making her discover the new pleasures.

When he moved to the other breast, she was a quivering mass and her feet lost balance and fell to the floor.

Unprepared for the diversion, the haze of desire still blocking his mind, he tried to absorb the fall but as soon as he found themselves on the floor, he continued his seduction with another deep kiss worried that she might change her mind.

And as if she had read his mind, she was already pulling herself away from him trying to break off the kiss. Desperate, he tried to cling to her but when she struggled, he let her go trying to catch his breath.

“What’s wrong?” he asked. If she stopped right now, he would beg, he decided.

And then to his elation, she said shyly “Let’s go upstairs in your room.”

He could have howled out of sheer exaltation and wanted to pound his chest like a bloody caveman. Without waiting for another second in case she changed her mind, he lifted her up and carried her to the master bedroom.

Putting her gently on the bed, he removed her dress completely and watched in admiration as the naked body lying down in front of him. She was simply gorgeous. Then he untied her hair and watched as the curly mass fell from her ponytail and pooled behind her head. It was a fantasy coming true.

“I’ve never seen a more beautiful sight,” he said roughly trying to keep the emotion away from his voice but the huskiness betrayed his feelings.

In response to his compliment, Selena lifted her hand to frame his face and he dropped a light kiss on the palm of her hand loving the feel of her. Words no longer mattered between them; actions were indeed louder.

Deep inside his heart, he had a feeling that she was in love with him to offer herself so readily for he knew Selena was not the kind of woman to sleep around. And he vowed he would cherish the gift she was offering to him.

As he joined her on the bed, he found himself wishing he was the only one to have drunk from her treasure. She was the kind of woman who had reformed a devil like himself and he saw her as something pure and unique.

Portraying his reverence in his eyes, he bent to kiss her again and continued his exploration before they were so rudely interrupted. As his descent went down further to her core, she groaned again and shivered when his lips touched her clit.

“Ohhh Ash please, please,” she begged in a strangled voice he could barely recognize as hers.

“Please what?” he teased licking her with his tongue and stopped.

“Pleeeeeease.. I want mooooore,” she moaned in ecstasy.

He was more than happy to oblige. She tasted so good and drunk with desire, he ate her vigorously until she collapsed into a mass of sensations after her orgasm

Feeling happy to have pleasured her as she deserved, he mounted her and entered her slowly and met her barrier. Filled with joy, he pushed harder and stilled when she cried out in pain.

“Am I hurting you?” he asked still basking in the knowledge that he was her first and without warning, she thrust forward in one swift movement and brought him down to her at the same time before he could react.

And he forgot everything as sensation after sensation gripped him and he felt close to his orgasm already. Damn! He wished he would not embarrass himself like some horny teenager. He wanted her to know what it was to make love to Ashton Cooper. He would take her to heights she had never dreamed of. When he was finished with her, she would never want to leave him and would have no choice other than falling for him.

Words were forgotten as every thought flew out of his mind and he had to concentrate hard so as to gain some control over the situation.

As he moved inside her, he felt his muscles stretch with the effort of maintaining his control and finally when he thought he could take it no more, he felt her spasms and he climaxed just as she started to let go. When the waves subsided, he collapsed on her and had to make an effort to move over so as not to crush her.

Never had he found sex so fulfilling before and he wished that she would never leave him again. After he got back some energy, he turned to her and found her sound asleep right beside him and he could not help smile inwardly.

She was tired, wasn’t she? All because of him. His chest bloated with pride at the thought that he was the only one who had made her feel that way.

Even if she did not love him yet, his heart was sure that he was getting there. As they all said, slowly but surely. Before he knew, his eyes closed too and he was snoring as well within a few seconds tired like never before.