Four Brothers and a Bride-Chapter 77

ASHLEY

The warm rays of sunlight slant across my face, stirring me awake. I rub my aching head and prop myself up on the bed with a small yawn. A little frown creases my forehead at the sight of the brightness of the sun. Despite being my own boss, I still hate going late to work.

I barely have time to register my annoyance when a small, purring sound comes from my bed. I rub my eyes in shock at the sight of Demi sleeping soundly in my bed. When did she come into my room? What happened between us? Was she really here the entire night?

Something warm blooms in my chest as I watch her sleep. It reminds me of the first night we shared together in her room months back.

Flashes of my night start clouding my memory; the nightmare and the gibberish I can’t recall saying. Bile fills me as my eyes droop in embarrassment. I never wanted anyone to see me like that, after the throes of an intense nightmare, least of all Demi. I feel the tug of shame now. What must she have thought seeing my cry like a wimp?

Her eyes flutter open, startling me. While I slide off the bed and pull on my robe, she merely sits up and yawns softly.

"Am I dreaming? This can’t be real."

My utterance makes her chuckle a bit. How can someone look so cute at the crack of dawn? I think to myself. She comes around the bed to feel the temperature of my neck and stroke my face.

"You gave me a fright last night. I’m glad you’re all better."

So, that’s all it was? She was only being sweet and nice because of the nightmare I had? I close a hand over hers on my cheek and let my eyes linger on her pretty face.

"I’m sorry about that. I didn’t mean to scare you like that."

"You don’t have to feel embarrassed. I hate that you hid that from me. You shouldn’t have to endure that alone."

She continues to streak her hands across my face while I stifle the urge to pinch myself awake from this good dream. What exactly happened between last night and this morning to make Demi too comfortable around me? We are in my bedroom and she hasn’t made up an excuse to flee in over two minutes!

"Forget the rubbish I must have said. I wasn’t in the right frame of mind."

I wrap a hand around her waist but she doesn’t flinch. Is this an alternate universe where she likes me instead of Ashton? "What and what did I say anyway to make you so receptive this morning?"

She breaks into a small smile. "I don’t recall much of it. I was in too much of a panic trying to give you a cold water compress to stabilize your flaring temperature." Her eyes soften with concern. "Do the nightmares happen often?"

Would she spend more time with me if I said yes?

"Not exactly but they’ve gotten worse and frequent since the Shay Woodley strikes. I’ll be fine."

She surprises me by brushing the pad of her thumb along my cheek before planting a soft kiss on my forehead. My pulse hammers in my throat at the lustful glint in her eyes. I skim a finger over her ruffled hair.

My gut churns delightfully when she throws her head back with a soft sigh. Impatient with desire, I capture my lips to hers in a sensual kiss The shock of her returning my kiss sends flares of heat straight to my center.

My hand moves in, slamming her body into mine and rocking against the warmth of her. Slowly, the kiss grows rough, almost brutally hot as she kneads the muscles on my back and moans with pleasure. My breath shudders in back in my lungs when she finally jerks back, her face flushed and her lips swollen.

Panting, I blink to clear my vision. I was seconds away from ripping her clothes and pulling her down to the bed to impregnate her this morning.

"I’m sorry. Was that too fast?"

"No, it was just fine." She shrugs her night robe that had almost slid off her body tighter and secures the knot by her side. I can’t tell if she’s shy or pissed with the way she’s actively avoiding my eyes now so I go closer and wrap my arms around her chest.

"Please tell me that this isn’t a dream."

"It isn’t."

I whirl her towards me and cup her chin. Her eyes glaze over with something so unholy I have to fasten my mouth to hers again, briefly, teasingly. Again, she welcomes my touch. It’s not a dream after all. She’s really here in my arms and open to satisfying my craving.

I remember when Nicci had called my phone, screaming obscenities over the way I had treated her in my office because of Demi. I was back in Brellis so I knew she was talking about Ashton. She had used my secret door to get in and he must have mistaken her for my blackmailer.

What I found interesting about Nicola’s version of events was the part where Demi wanted to claw her eyes out for kissing Ashton. I didn’t realize her feelings for him had grown that strong so I knew I had to act fast or she could very well cross the line with my brother before our contract is up.

I am not sure if it’s a matter of pride or jealousy but I can’t stand her yielding to another man (my brother) while she’s married to me. I should be the subject of her affection. I should be the man in her sex dreams. It just seems fair since I was the one forced to marry her when no one else wanted her. Call me petty and insecure but Demi will only be mine as long as she has my ring on her finger.

I’ve had my fair share of torture from romantic relationships. I will no longer condone any woman making a fool out of me. I won’t allow Demi call me her husband in public while masturbating to Ashton’s name in private. I can’t take it.

Hence, I ran my thoughts about bonding with Demi by mother and managed to rally her support for our union. Now, mother thinks it’s all her own idea and continues to do whatever she can in her position to draw my wife and I closer. That was why she did as I asked at her birthday party.

I hate that I have to use my mom to achieve my selfish dreams but it’s the fastest way I know how. If I am to rely on my personal charm, it would take Demi forever to give me a double take since she’s not like every other girl. Given how deep Demi’s feelings for Ashton runs, I have no choice but to be fast with my plans. That is where mom comes in.

I just need her to keep poking Demi and I in the right direction that allows us to enjoy some intimacy in our empty marriage. I am certain that if Demi gives me a chance to be a proper husband, she’ll fall in love with me too and soon, Ashton will be a faint smear in her memory.

"Is that a yes to my offer? Please say yes and give me a chance to make the next six months unforgettable for us."

"It’s a maybe."

I don’t mind the hesitance in her eyes. It’s not a flat No so that’s a huge progress. She holds my gaze.

"I’m willing to give you a chance, Ashley. I really am but I have a condition."

"What’s that?"

"Our relationship initially began with a lie when my marriage claim was denied by you all. I want us to start this new Chapter on a clean slate. I just need you to truthfully verify something for me."

"Verify what?"

"Is Asher truly the brother whom I met at the Blue Cove and later got married to that wild night?"

***

Clinging to control, I watch her curious eyes watching me intensely. Why wouldn’t she let this go? Why is she pressed to find the man from that night?

I also silently wonder why Asher had lied to her about being the one. What game was he trying to play with my wife? What if Demi truly has a thing for the guy from that night and wants to pursue it. Could Asher have been meaning to manipulate her that way by making false claims so she lets her guard down around him? I’ll have to ask him.

I want to tell her it’s me but that could also backfire. Instead of being swarmed by love, I could be the subject of her hatred for denying her that day.

"Can I ask why you’re obsessed with finding out this truth?"

"No, you can’t."

Fierce, are we?

"That seems a little unfair. Why are you the only one entitled to ask questions?"

"I am not entitled to anything. I didn’t say you had to answer. You reserve the right to answer or not like I just did. However, answering is the only way we move forward with our conversation and should you choose to answer, I am particular about your truthfulness on the matter."

"You wouldn’t believe a word I say anyway. This is merely an exercise in futility."

"If you give the right name and I confirm it, I’d believe you."

"Confirm it?"

"You’re stalling." She slips on her flip flops and tries heading for the door when I grip her shoulder.

"What happens to us, to what we just shared, if you don’t get the answer you’re looking for?" Mom had already hinted at Demi’s readiness to forego my offer. "What happens to the offer I made to you, Demi, about our future in this marriage? Are you really going to throw all of that away?" I spin her to face me and cup her chin.

"I know you’re worried and scared of the change. Trust me, I am too but at the same time, I am willing to try, for you."

"Why? Why do you want a piece of my heart now, Ashley? You have Nicci and all the women you could ever want to have fun with. How am I supposed to believe you want to throw all of that away for a few months with me?" Something flits across her eyes. "Did you suddenly realize you want more from this marriage after you saw Ashton and I? Is that where all of this is stemming from?"

"My desire for more out of this marriage doesn’t stem from anything you had with Ashton. If anything, it’s inspired by it. I was always ready from the outset to give you whatever you wanted from this union. I made a lot of changes you didn’t have to ask for. You were the one who had reservations and restrictions from the jump. I thought you weren’t interested in my brothers and I and you would never allow yourself to feel love for any of us."

I drop back on the bed with my head in my hands. "I know we don’t exactly have glowing reputations in our different dealings with women and for a conservative bride, I respected your decision. Demi, my feelings for you is not entirely limited to sex. I am not a fucking animal. I’ve always been intrigued by you and wanted to know you better. I just held myself back because I didn’t want to upset your boundaries. Imagine my surprise when I started noticing your affections for Ashton and his for you. I felt like if I had been bold enough to try and tell you, maybe what you feel for him would actually be for me right now."

"Ashley, there is no competition..."

"I know that."

"Listen to me...."

"I will but I need you to listen to me first, Demi." Up on my feet, I stare deeply in her eyes. "I want you. I want us. Forgive me if I am not willing to give any name regarding the man you met at the Blue Cove because I am skeptical about how you would react if you knew the truth. There’s already too much tension around the house, around my brothers and I to risk another strain in our relationship by breaking a promise."

"You guys made a promise to keep the truth from me?"

"That night wasn’t just about you, Demi. Do you know why the man you met was in such a bad state that he was getting so drunk? Getting tangled up with you wasn’t something he did in his right senses. If the roles were reversed and the stranger you accidentally married while wasted comes to assert his claim over you the very next morning while you’re still nursing a hangover and can barely recall what a wild night you had, how eager would you be to accept him? Have you ever thought about it like that?"

She hasn’t. I can tell from the way the anger in her eyes lighten to surprise and pity.

I cup her cheeks. "I am more than prepared to give you everything you deserve. Why won’t you just give me a chance, Demi? Why this steep condition? Can you really not see me as anything more than a philanderer?"

She pulls away from me. "I have to go."

I watch her leave and stifle the urge to punch a wall. Did she seriously just walk out on me after everything I just vomited? I literally just wore my heart on a sleeve and this is what I get? Scoffing, I run my hand through my hair.

"So much for being a nice guy." I mutter irritably. If she likes jerks and assholes, then that’s exactly what she’ll get.

***

This is why I hate playing the nice guy. You get your heart stomped on repeatedly. Your kindness is thrown back in your face. Your respect is elusive even in your own home. Good girls always end up gravitating towards the bad guys. They love them. They secretly pine for them.

Maybe I should have been gruff from the start. Then an ice queen like Demi might have had her walls shattered around me instead of Ashton. I wouldn’t have been bothered about their feelings for each other if I wasn’t compelled to take her as a wife. I was dragged into this mess and now my ego is suffering.

I sometimes resent mom for her decision but it’s easier to blame Demi for my frustration. Well, I am roped in now but I refuse to be the butt of a cosmic joke twice over. Nicola already dealt with my heart and my pride as a man once before. There will be no repeats.

I am not going to be like Ashal. I won’t beg a woman to stay with me when I can have anyone I want. The only problem is that Demi is the one I want right now. I don’t care if the reason I want to attain her is because I don’t want my brother to take her from me. Like I said, I don’t care. I won’t let him.

But Demi is more stubborn than I envisaged. I still won’t beg her but I will secretly pull such strings that she’ll be forced to realize that my offer is the closest thing she can get to the whirlwind romance she probably envisions with Ashton, especially while she’s still a member of our prestigious family.

"What are you going to do now?" Asher asks me over the phone.

"I don’t know. I really have no clue. I don’t know why she won’t let it go. Why is she obsessed with finding the guy from that night? I can’t tell her anything about it because I am not sure how she means to react. It could be counterproductive to my future with her."

"I understand."

I gulp in some air. "Asher, she mentioned that you told her you were the guy from that night. Why did you tell her that?"

Asher exhales. "I was trying to get her to tell me what she means to say to him. Despite my efforts, she still didn’t budge. She suspected I was lying and refused to say anything to me." He sighs.

"What would you do if you were in my position and your wife was in love with your brother?"

"She’s just your wife on paper, Ashley but Ashton is our brother and he will remain so for life. Demi was just a temp plan, remember that."

"I know but what would you do if you desperately wanted her to redirect her affections towards you?"

"Why don’t you ask Ashal. The two of you are in the same boat after all. He figured out a sick way to win back his wife’s loyalty. I’m sure he’ll have some nice ideas to run by you." He hisses out a breath. "I’m sorry man but I can’t in good conscience devise a plan for you to keep Demi when that runs contrary to my wish for our family. Look what she’s done to you and Ashton. I can never forgive her for that and I’ll do my best to kick her out. You better have all the fun you want while she’s still around."

"I can’t fault you for the way you feel. Bros over Babes."

"Bros over babes." He repeats before hanging up. A gentle knock on my door gets my attention.

"Sir?"

"Yes, Levon. Come on in." I wave in the leader of my strategic planning committee to bounce off some ideas with me regarding our promotion plans. We get to work comparing notes. After we are done, Levon pauses by my door on his way out.

"Anything else?"

"I’m sorry Mr. Ashley but I couldn’t help but overhear your call earlier. Seems like you are having trouble winning your wife’s affection because it’s already set on someone else."

My fingers tighten around my pen as I watch him through my glasses.

"You don’t know what you heard, Levon." My low voice is edged with a warning.

"I understand boss. Mum’s the word but I really want to help. Can I just make a suggestion?"

My ego wants me to tell him I got it but I am too desperate to ignore help. I gesture him forward and he comes over to whisper in my ear. freewebnσvel.cѳm

"Let me know if you need more help after that." He says with a smile that mirrors the one on my face.

***

"An award ceremony?" Demi asks me in disbelief.

"Yes. I was nominated. I have to make an appearance. I can’t bail or send a proxy after my unusual absence at the Gala. People will start talking again."

"Ashley, this is..."

"Impromptu. I know and that’s why you don’t have to come with me if you don’t want to. It’s outside of the state. I won’t be back for three days. I also want to go because I have a launch coming up and I need this to boost promotion for my new collection. I was hinted by a reliable source that I am actually the winner of the award."

I stop throwing things into my suitcase to give Demi a reassuring smile.

"It’s too much to ask and too sudden, I get it. I just wanted to let you know so you make your decision rather than assuming you would say no." She bites her lips nervously. I know she’s afraid of sharing a room with me for two nights.

"Maybe we can go some other time?"

I chuckle at that. "Maybe. This could have been a fun, getaway trip but we’ll probably be badgered by the media about baby talk. I think it’s best for you stay back too."

I can tell from the corner of my eye that she’s contemplating something.

"Is Nicola going to be there?"

"Yeah, she also got nominated in a different category. Her new boyfriend might accompany her." I pull open a drawer and run a hand over my watch collection while Demi broods.

"Is mom going to be mad that I let you go off on your own?"

"She’ll probably be disappointed but I wouldn’t say mad."

I should probably go with you then. I can’t stand her being disappointed at me again."

I smile and pluck a few watches to take with me. Whirling, I arch a brow at her. "Don’t force yourself to come along if you’re worried about mom. I’ll just tell her I didn’t inform you because I was in a haste. It’s fine."

"I’ll go pack my bag."

"No. It’s fine, Demi. You don’t have to. I’ve been to these events countless times alone. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea. I told you I’ll handle mother so relax." Her shoulders sag with relief at my reassurance. She helps me put my things together and very early the next morning, I leave.

I didn’t lie, well not about everything. The award show is indeed happening and I was nominated as the fashion icon of the year. I only lied about wanting Demi to come with me and needing the show to promote my new collection.

Levon was right. I can’t get Demi if I keep fussing around her. I need to give her some space to figure out what she wants while I go about my life and make it painfully obvious that I will still be good without her in it. It’s good enough that I have made my intention clear. The ball is in her court now.

Women are mostly thrilled by men they can’t have. In my case, Demi considers me within her grasp but Ashton, out of her reach. I have to remind her that she equally has to work for my attention. Hence, I will be with her but I won’t be hers, until she wants me to.

I took Levon’s idea and gave it a wicked spin. I won’t be giving Demi any unnecessary attention or importance, at least not ostensibly but through my actions, Demi will be compelled to stick to me like glue. That is why I ensured that I show up to the award a loner. I’m going to use the same forces that brought us together to keep us together; media pressure.

At the red carpet, in my custom-tailored suit, I pose for the cameras with a sexy smile. My hands are in open view where my wedding ring is noticeably absent. I continue to strike poses that will ensure that minute detail isn’t missed.

That night, the headlines sound like music to my ears.

’Billionaire and fashion Icon of the year, Ashley Rollins shows up to award ceremony alone and without his wedding ring: Trouble in paradise?’

’Is Ashley Rollins having a baby or having a beef with his wife, Demi Rollins?’

The divorce rumors continue to gain momentum across social media. People even pull up clips of Demi’s reaction when mother declared her birthday wish and start reading her body language. There are clips of us leaving the birthday celebration in a hurry too. The reactions and interpretations are wild. I can only imagine how Demi must be feeling reading these. She’s going to have a meltdown for sure.

I don’t feel bad that I had to resort to this. Demi gave me no choice. Maybe this way she’ll come running into my arms to prove to the people of Danvarr that we’re still very much a couple.

I spend the night smoothing the feathers that have been ruffled by the incident and explaining to my parents that forgetting my ring was an oversight. Then I defend Demi’s absence from the event. When I manage to get all that out of the way, I sink into bed and shut my eyes.

My doorbell chimes as the room service I ordered arrives. After gifting a heavy tip, I sit down to eat. When I uncover my dishes, I notice a note sticking out from under the bowl of soup. Nervously, I reach for it and unfold the paper.

[Hello, Ashley. How did you like the note in the gift box I sent you? Shall I send another? Shay.]

I ignore my racing heart to focus on the text. Did she say note, as in one note? Demi said there were two notes!