LOVE SOAKED

CHAPTER 12- Shiny things often break

ASHER

"Let's step outside for a bit," I suggested, ushering Trisha away from the curious gaze of her parents. We leaned against the hood of my car, the setting sun casting long shadows across the driveway.

"Alright," she mumbled, fiddling with the strap of her purse. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

There was a flicker of nervousness in her eyes, a blush creeping up her cheeks. "About last night," I said gently. "Specifically, the impressive display of Hindi vocabulary."

She winced, a sheepish grin tugging at the corner of her lips. "Yeah, about that..."

"Every word," I continued, watching the amusement slowly replace the embarrassment in her eyes. "Though, I'll admit, my hindi is a little rusty, so some of the finer points were lost on me."

A laugh bubbled up from her chest, a beautiful sound that chased away the remnants of tension. "See," she said, a playful glint in her eyes, "even billionaires can't understand everything."

"Apparently not," I chuckled, handing her a bottle of water. "Lemon water, hangover remedy, courtesy of the internet. Hope it helps."

She took the bottle, a grateful smile replacing the playful banter. Taking a sip, she sighed. "So, what now? You know about my drunken rant, and let's be honest, i dint exactly shower praises." She seemed unsure of how I felt.

"Honestly," I admitted, "it was... surprising. But more importantly, it was kind of... endearing. Seeing that fiery side of you."

Her cheeks flushed again, but this time with something more than embarrassment. "Endearing?" she scoffed, although the lack of conviction in her voice betrayed her.

Now was my chance. "Trisha," I began, my voice taking on a serious tone, "I owe you an apology. I should have told you about... Anna."

Her eyes narrowed. "Anna?"

"My fiancee back home," I clarified quickly. "Well, sort of."

A rollercoaster of emotions flickered across her face - confusion, hurt, and a flicker of something I couldn't quite decipher.

"It's not what it seems," I rushed on. "It's an arrangement, an alliance my parents set up years ago with Anna's family. She was my childhood best friend, and... well, it seemed like the comfortable choice."

"The comfortable choice?" she echoed, a bitter edge to her voice.

"I know," I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "Stupid, right? But things got a little twisted after that, i can't exactly tell you about that right now."

A beat of silence followed, thick with unspoken emotions.

"Here's the thing," I continued, trying to give a little more information so she would feel better about my request ."I recently found out something about Anna... something terrible... and I need out. But my parents... well, let's just say they're not exactly thrilled with the idea."

Trisha's gaze remained fixed on the ground, her expression unreadable.

"That's where you come in," I said, taking a deep breath. "I need a fake girlfriend. Someone to convince my parents and Anna that things are serious between us."

She finally looked up, her eyes blazing with a mixture of anger and something else.

"Me?" she scoffed. "Why me?"

"Because," I said, choosing my words carefully, "you blush every time I compliment you, even when you're mad. And your cheeks turn the most incredible shade of red when you're flustered."

She opened her mouth to protest, but I cut her off.

"Look," I pleaded, "anyone who saw the way you reacted today, to anything I said, good or bad, would think you were head over heels for me. Isn't that right?"

"Head over heels for you?" she spat, her voice shaking with a mixture of anger and... something else? "That's rich, coming from Mr. Smooth Talker Brown. Besides, If you want a favor, Asher, lose the smartass remarks and start begging."

The minute she the words left her mouth, the only thing I could imagine was her on her knees begging for my dick. If she wanted me to beg,I'd happily spend years begging her, just to let me have a taste of her.

Closing the distance between us, I roughly grabbed her waist and pulled her flush against my body. I bent down just enough to smell her hair and my mouth touching her ear, I almost growled, "oh Storm... you want me to beg baby? Arnt you scared you'll submit and give me exactly what I beg for?"

The question seemed to catch her off guard. She slipped from my grasp and said something that stopped me from reaching for her.

"Asher, stop. Don't play games with me, I've been hurt in the past and....I don't want to risk my heart again. I'm sorry..."

"Trisha, we can do this however you like, I won't Lay a finger on you if that's how you want to do this, if you don't want to risk your heart I'll have a contract drafted and sent to you, this will stay fake as long as you want it to. To make it fair to you, if youd like, I'll help you open up your own firm."

She dint say anything but the offer for the firm seemed to have worked, I could see her beautiful brain working and thinking of the possible outcomes. Although in mine? There was only one outcome, she will wear my ring and be mine. Only mine.But right now, I had to get rid of Anna, the kind girl she was back in school has become vicious and I need her to stay the fuck away from me and my family.