When Asher came to, the first thing he registered was the cold press of something damp against his temple. The second thing was Kingsley's loud voice, cutting through the pounding in his skull."He's awake!"Footsteps rushed toward him. Groaning, Asher forced himself upright, the world tilting until he clutched the couch cushions for balance. The right side of his temple throbbed mercilessly. Fucking hell, it felt like someone was performing a lobotomy on him. Groaning again, he touched the tender spot and hissed when his fingers brushed a swollen bump.What the fuck happened? Where the hell was he?As he tried to piece everything together, a hot crack split across his right cheek. His head whipped sideways, and a blinding pain set off in his brain. But it was followed by another blow, hammering right on the swollen spot on his temple. Stars exploded in his vision, and a raw yell tore from his throat. Why the hell were they hitting him? He raised his hand to his head to protect it, wh
Asher's pulse roared as he gripped Zane's cock. The way Zane's head snapped to him, glaring at him with dark, cutting eyes, shouldn't have exhilarated him this much--but it did. Asher fed off it. His Alpha's glare was a hundred times better than that frigid, empty mask he'd worn since stepping into the room. He'd rather Zane be angry at him than give him a cold shoulder.So Asher smirked and pressed his luck even harder. He began to stroke over the seam of Zane's trousers slowly. Even while soft, Zane was thick and huge that Asher's mouth watered, and heat coiled inside him.Fuck, he wished he could go down on his knees and take that hot flesh into his mouth and suck it until it hardened and began to fuck his throat. It would be so fucking hard and thick in his mouth, the veins tantalizing all the nerves in his oral cavity. What exactly would happen if he did just that? Asher licked his lips and gripped it harder, then he tried to pull the zipper down.It lasted all of two seconds b
Hours later, despite his restless night, Asher's stride was smooth as he entered WestCare hospital. It seemed he arrived exactly as Robert did, so he walked side by side to his grandfather, security staff flanking them as they were ushered through the front doors.The moment they were out of view of the press, however, Robert's golden wolf-headed staff cracked against Asher's stomach. The blow stole his breath, and he staggered backwards, gripping his middle."Ugh, grandfather..."But the old man only hit him again, this time right against his ribs. OUCH! "You ignored my calls for days and dare to show your face?" Robert's guttural baritone voice said condescendingly. "Do you think everything is a joke? Now, do you have any idea what the press might ask? If you had answered my calls, you would have been briefed!"Grinding his teeth to wade through the hot pain in his chest from where Robert had struck him, Asher bit out. "I was busy, pops.""Busy?" The staff slammed against his kneeca
TEN HOURS AGO"Ready or not, here I come!"The woman's sing-song voice was light and full of laughter. A boy's giggle followed her voice, muffled behind tiny hands. His chest shook with the effort of holding it in, but another burst slipped out anyway.The blindfolded woman turned her head sharply, red lips curving into a smile that could light up the whole room. "Oh, I can hear you!"He squealed and darted away, bare feet slapping against the wooden floor. The game carried him into a dark blue room and out through another door. He didn't stop running and giggling until he ran out of breath.Then he paused and finally looked back.She was gone.A grin tugged at his pretty face. However, when he turned forward again, she was right there in front of him.He shrieked as her arms swept him off the ground."I told you," she teased, tickling him until he kicked and squealed in her grip. "The trick of the game is to be quiet.""Mom! Stop! Mummy!" His words came out broken by giggles, tears s
As soon as Zane exited his car, the swarm of reporters outside Westcare erupted, shoving their cameras and microphones forward at Zane as they fired questions at him."Mr. West! Is it true your grandfather fired Asher and made you CEO of Lexipharm?""Dr. Zane, over here! What's your role in the latest expansion of West Group?"Their noises were relentless, but Zane didn't even pay them any mind, his strides confident and unhurried. The security details of WestCare flanked him almost immediately, parting the sea of press so he could walk through them. Finally, with his mask intact, Zane made it through the glass doors into the hospital lobby, and the outside hum of the reporters dulled. Shoulders held high, Zane moved gracefully, his expression welcoming and charming as former colleagues greeted him. He matched every gesture with ease, so that everyone walking past him had moon eyes. No one looking at him would ever guess at the simmering bitterness coiled under his skin.Halfway to t
TWO WEEKS LATERZane's fingers deftly moved as he looped the silk tie around his neck, pulling it taut until it sat flush against his throat. He could hear Robert's gravelly voice droning through the phone he threw on his bed, and it irritated him to no end."You should stop by the villa first," the old man said in his commanding voice. "It will look better for the press if we all arrive together."Zane hummed low in his throat, but shook his head as he smoothed down his shirt. "I'm afraid not, sir," he answered coolly as he narrowed his eyes at his reflection in the mirror. "I have a quick stop to make before then, but don't worry, I'll be at the hospital promptly."Years ago, he would have thought it impossible to sit on the phone with Robert while pretending nothing had changed, and he didn't know that Robert had covered up the murder of his mother for the sake of his precious reputation. At first, the knowledge had burned in his gut, an acid he thought would eat straight through h