Hayley closed the door to her apartment and leaned against it, breathing hard. The kiss had her on the brink of surrender! No, she couldn’t afford to go down that path again, only to be shut out of his life. For the last four years, she had struggled to get a grip on herself and move on. Now she had chosen her career over a relationship. She couldn’t accept Ashton back into her life. It was better to think of him as a player and hate him. She dragged her tired body to the bedroom to get ready for work. After fifteen minutes, she drove away to work without breakfast or coffee. It wasn’t working at all! She shouldn’t have moved into Ashton’s building! The entire day she was busy, grabbing a quick lunch at the hotel itself. “You look tired, Hails. Are you sure you aren’t skipping your meals?” asked her dad, noting how stressed she looked. “Mornings are hectic because I’ve started working out. Most days, I don’t get to make any breakfast.” Her dad frowned with worry, shaking his head

Ashton stopped strumming the guitar and looked straight into her eyes. The intensity of his look made Hayley’s breath get stuck in her throat. “How was it? Did I do justice to your favorite song?” he asked, flashing her a skew little smile. Of course, he did. He was a player. He knew the effect he was having on her. Hayley came to her senses and pulled a bar stool to sit down beside him. “Yes, it was mind-blowing! I didn’t think you would remember. When did you start playing the guitar?” she asked breathlessly. He smiled, keeping down his instrument and getting up. “I used to play on my dad’s broken guitar when I lived with him. He taught me to play. Then uncle Daniel bought me this one. I started taking formal lessons, but I stopped playing it in the last four years.” Hayley searched his eyes at his indirect admission. Why did he stop playing? Was it because of her? “Why did you stop?” She held her breath, waiting for his reply. Ashton stood watching her, his deep, penetrating ga

Hayley stretched her arms, not wanting to wake up from the best sleep of her life! Her hand suddenly touched something rock hard, and she caught hold of it. Where was she? A warm flush spread all over her as she felt the object she had grabbed. Her eyes flew open as realization struck her.She was on Ashton’s bed with him! To her immense horror, the object was none other than his hard morning wood! She released it as if burned and then looked up to ensure that he was sleeping. But he wasn’t! He winked at her, grabbing her hand and placing it back on his bulge. A groan of intense pleasure shook his body. “Good morning, Hayley! Why did you stop? Remember, you’re mine just like I’m yours,” he whispered, rolling over her, pinning her with his body so that she couldn’t escape. “Good morning, Ashton! Are you?” He nodded, guiding her hand, teaching her to please him. A gasp escaped her mouth and her cheeks flushed with color. “So hard!” she whispered, and he grinned at her, leaning in t

Ashton parked his car and helped Hayley carry the packets to his apartment. However, all the excitement left his body at the sight of Madison’s white Camry tailing him all the way home. What was going on? Why was she following him? Did she find out about his relationship with Hayley? He would call her and ask once he reached home. “Anything wrong?” asked Hayley, seeing the worried look on his face as they went inside the apartment. “No, I’ll just make a phone call.” Hayley nodded, and he walked over to his bedroom and locked the door. Although Hayley found his behavior odd, she refrained from prodding further and went to her room to freshen up. Ashton paced the floor, feeling annoyed with Madison. There had to be a way to throw that leech out of his life. She wasn’t a friend as he had thought her to be. She was indeed obsessed with him. As if Gambino and his men weren’t enough! Madison, too, had to add to his problems. He wondered what she would be up to now. There was only one wa

Hayley tried hard to concentrate on her work the next morning at her office, but failed miserably. The hurt from last night was still fresh in her mind. Ashton didn’t even bother to stop her from leaving. Apart from two missed calls, there has been no communication from him at all. It only proved that he didn’t much care about her. It was just a shallow fling for him. After a sleepless night, her head felt heavy, and all she wanted was to go home and sleep. She had expected Ashton to contact her in the morning, but he hadn’t. In fact, he didn’t log in to the messaging app after she left. Did he forget her so soon? She wanted to go to Silver Spring Resorts and meet him, but then thought against it. Let him miss her! Let him seek her out. However, the whole day passed by, yet he didn’t seek her out or contact her. Hayley was at her wit’s end. Should she go back to her parents’ house or to her rented apartment? Choosing the former, she went home to her parents’ house, still refusing t