Chapter 24

When Alicia got to the mansion, she was thankful that Asher hadn't arrived yet because she came back late and didn't want to be reprimanded by him, she quickly snuck into her room to freshen up herself, after she had finished bathing and washing her hair, she slid into one of the night dresses she bought and sat on the bed to dry her wet hair.

She was humming a song while working the towel on her hair up and down so it would get dried, the door suddenly opened revealing Asher. His green eyes stared at her as he moved his eyes up and down her body as if stripping her night dress off with his gaze, his lips curved into a smirk as he started walking towards her.

'What is he doing here?' Alicia asked herself as she slowly let go of the towel and stood up facing him, she didn't know why but her heart was thumping loudly inside her chest as if knowing that something outrageous was going to happen soon.

"You are just coming back aren't you? I remember telling you to come back before dusk, what were you doing pretty girl, huh?" he asked as he placed his hand under her chin while lifting her face up so their eyes could meet. He saw anxiousness in her eyes and he could clearly hear her heart beating like drum in her chest.

Alicia jerked her face away from his hold and took a step back so as to create space between them and she saw his eyes narrow slightly at her reactions, "I'm sorry I'll try to come back early, please excuse me, I need to sleep" she said as if shooing him away and she heard a slight chuckle escape Asher's lips.

"Are you trying to send me away from my own room?" He asked her amused as the corner of his lips raised, he saw her turn to him while she shook her head in a hurry so that he wouldn't misunderstand and throw

her back to that eerie looking dungeon.

"Good now get in the bed" he ordered her while taking off his shoes, 'huh?' Alicia asked herself because what was unfolding right now in her eyes was that he wanted to sleep here and that was not going to happen In any way, she couldn't sleep in the same bed with a man at least the man she didn't love or wasn't married to. she was a woman who protected her dignity!.

Asher took off his tie and then the shirt revealing a broad and toned shoulder, Alicia knew she wasn't supposed to be looking but geez, this man was a feast to the eyes, no matter how she tried to remove her eyes it was like a force was pulling her to keep looking, when he turned to look at her, her eyes almost popped out of their socket because of his abs, it looked so hard that she felt like trailing her fingers over it. Her cheeks burned red in embarrassment when she found him looking back at her with his eyebrows raised, she turned to look away from him.

He turned on his heels making Alicia think that he was about to leave the room but her heart started pounding again when she saw him padding his feet towards the edge of the bed, he laid on the left side of the bed. His eyes turned to look at her and he patted the space next to him so she could sleep on it. Alicia couldn't move from where she stood, something wasn't right here. The Asher she knew would never come to her room and would never lay on the same bed as her, the worst scenario was that he was getting married tomorrow, she felt like they would soon commit a sin.

"Stop wasting time, come here!" he ordered her again with his husky voice, he saw her pursing her lips with hesitation filled in her eyes, but when he gave her a scorn look she started moving her legs towards the bed. She laid on the other side of the bed while also maintaining a good distance between them, she felt her heart leapt of its cage when he drew her closer to him.

"Are you scared of me? I thought we are friends now?" He asked her as he raised his hand to caress the her cheek making it turn pink, "Hmm? are you afraid of me?" he reiterated his question while he kept his eyes locked on hers.

Alicia wasn't sure of what to answer so she shook her head so that he would let her be with his questions and would stop caressing her cheek, even though it felt nice and warm she still couldn't do this with him, it felt weird.

"That's good" He muttered while moving closer to her, he saw her body turn stiff and her eyes wide open due to shock which left a smirk on his lips, he was about to go further to kiss her when his nose caught a whiff of something and his eyes swiftly turned to look at her right cheek, there was a red stain there and it doesn't look like it was because she was blushing but someone had kissed her there and it wasn't him. The thought of another man leaning closer to her to kiss her cheeks made him livid and his eyes suddenly flared up with anger, "What's this? who did this to you?" He asked

"What?" Alicia asked surprised, she was startled when his expression had turned to the one of being angry and she couldn't help but pity herself.

"Who kissed you?" Asher asked again as he controlled the feeling in him, he just suffocated seeing that someone had kissed her cheek. He didn't even know what was happening to him anymore but he was surely angry with what he saw. Alicia remembered the time that ravn had placed his warm lips on her cheeks and kissed her goodbye, did he leave a mark there? she asked herself.

"N-No one, you see I bought this new paint and I didn't know it wouldn't clean till the next day, It mistakenly smeared on my cheek when I was trying to rub it, s-should u show you?" she asked him, what a quick lie she said in her mind as she watched his eyes, he still looked skeptical about what she had told him. His eyes gauging her expression to see if she was lying but then to Alicia's relief, he didn't ask anything again and just slumped back on the bed.

With his eyes facing the ceiling he told her, "Do not let anyone kiss you, I should be the only one to do that"

"You can't do that when you are getting married to another woman" she reminded him because he seems to have forgotten that he was getting married to another woman tomorrow and was here laying in bed with her. Asher turned his eyes to look at her, "And so?, what if I'm getting married? do you think you can go around letting anyone have their way with you, I'm not comfortable with it" he spoke his mind out making Alicia wonder if he own her or something, she was the owner of herself and she could decide to do whatever so what was his concern.

"Why? you would be since you would be getting married and your focus should be on your wife and not me, you don't have any right to tell me what to do and lastly I'm the owner of myself I can deci-" she trailed off but she was cut short because Asher suddenly kissed her mouth, the kiss wasn't gentle in anyway, it was harsh and rough as if telling her to shut the nonsense she was saying up, she felt him bite her lower lip and she whimpered in pain. He pulled away from the kiss and looked directly into her eyes "I'm claiming you, you are mine now Alicia and I'm the only one that should be allowed to touch you, I'll definitely kill anyone who comes close to you so if you want to save their lives, you'll do as I say" he said and with that, his mouth downwards her jaw and without much warning, he sunk his fangs into her neck causing Alicia to scream.