The Billionaire's Offer

Chapter 35

Emma

The feeling of Asher's arms around me as he carries me to my room floods me with a profound sense of love that transcends words. It's a feeling that has been building between us, a connection that surpasses mere physical attraction.

For the first time since fate intertwined our paths, we find ourselves in a space of open and honest communication. He explained about Clare and everything that happened between them. I shared about my abusive relationship with Zack and the manipulative web my father weaved around me.

Nothing else is hanging over our heads now. Gone are the secrets that once weighed heavily on our hearts. No longer are we haunted by past misunderstandings.

It's just him and me, stripped bare emotionally and physically, vulnerable yet filled with an unspoken new sense of understanding.

The mattress dips beneath us as Asher places me gently in the center of the bed, his touch igniting a soft moan as he pulls me into a tender kiss

With deliberate slowness, he takes his time undressing me, his hands roaming all over my body as each piece of clothing is shed.

The moment I'm finally naked in front of him, he stands up and quickly gets rid of his clothes.

Then he's settling over me, his body aligning perfectly against mine. "I've never wanted you more in my life..." Asher whispers against my lips before claiming them in another kiss.

"Ah..." I moan when his mouth moves down my throat.

"I want to make fuck you..." His lips surround my nipple, suckling it. "I want to make love to you..." he murmurs, his breath hot against my skin.

"Yes." I run my hands over his back, loving how his skin breaks into goosebumps.

"I want to make all the pain you've experienced go away." He pulls away a little to look at me, and I notice his eyes are filled with tears.

"Ash..." My heart tightens in my chest.

"I want to kill this guy." He closes his eyes. "I want your father to pay for all the things he's done to you... I..."

"Shhh..." I cup his face, touching my forehead to his. "It's all in the past now."

"God, and the way I treated you before when I thought you were lying to me... I'm so sorry..." He opens his eyes and I hate the pain I see in there.

"I never thought I'd be able to trust anyone after Zack." I swallow past the lump in my throat. "I was so broken and vulnerable that even after building the shelter and undergoing lots of therapy, I thought love was not in the cards for me. But then..."

He supports his weight with one forearm on the mattress as his other hand cups my jaw. "Then?"

"Then I heard your voice for the first time after so many years apart and my whole body awoke with awareness." I smile when his eyes widen with surprise. "I was desperately trying to put the shelter back together and I couldn't believe I was still affected by you."

"Jesus, I was such a jerk to you that day," he groans, and I let out a chuckle when I see he's flushing.

"You've already apologized for that," I say, running my fingers through his hair. "What I'm saying is that... Well, without even knowing, you got me in touch with the part of myself who believed and wanted to find love again."

"Seeing again was... I had convinced myself I was over you but one look at you was enough to see I was actually a fool for letting you go in the first place."