CHAPTER 10
Ashton slowly and quietly made his way up the stairs towards his old bedroom where his fiancΓ©e lay sleeping.
Since her parents arrival in London and they were staying at his parents' home Chevonne refused to sleep in the same bedroom with Ashton. Relegating him to the living room couch. She told Ashton her parents wouldn't approve and sleeping in the same bedroom with him while they were in the house made her uncomfortable.
Ashton was surprised that he found falling asleep difficult without Chevonne in the room with him. He wondered how he'd become so accustomed to her being in the room with him in such a short time. But he couldn't deny the fact that he spent half the night fighting the urge to go up to his old bedroom and lie on the floor next the bed Chevonne was sleeping in.
The only thing stopping him was the idea of possibly running into her parents (especially her father) and having to explain why he was going into or coming out of his bedroom.
But he didn't have to worry about running into her parents this morning because his parents had taken Chevonne's parents out for a real U.K. breakfast.
A shiver ran through Ashton's body as he stood at the bedroom door knowing that Chevonne was on the other side and he would be seeing her again. He reached out to quietly ease it open. He made his way over to the bed and gingerly laid down on the mattress next to Chevonne. He positioned himself on his side, rested his head against his hand and waited for Chevonne to awaken. He knew it would be soon.
Chevonne slowly opened her eyes and brought her hands up to wipe the sleep from her eyes. After wiping her eyes she brought her arms above her head to stretch her body awake to greet the morning.
"That's the sexiest thing I've ever seen."
Chevonne froze. She turned around and saw Ashton lying on the other side of the bed.
"What're you doing in here?" Chevonne asked lying on her side to face Ashton, resting and her head on her hand aping his position.
"Don't tell me you forgot about last night," Ashton said moving closer to Chevonne and putting an arm around her waist.
"I didn't forget about last night," Chevonne said removing Ashton's arm from around her waist.
"You're the one whose forgetting about last night."
"How could I forget about something so beautiful, so satisfying, so right?" Ashton asked putting his arm back around Chevonne's waist.
"It was only a kiss, Ashton," Chevonne said rolling her eyes towards the ceiling.
"You mean it started with a kiss," Ashton said leaning over and kissing Chevonne on the neck.
Ashton smiled at the shiver he felt make it's way through Chevonne's body.
"We're not going through this again," Chevonne said.
"Are you saying you didn't like it the first time," Ashton said kissing her neck making his way up to her jaw and slowly up to her earlobes where he gently bit her.
"Have you thought about what we discussed last night?" Chevonne asked removing his arm from around her waist once again and putting some distance between his lips and her body by getting out of the bed.
"Refresh my memory," Ashton said getting out of the bed and making his way over to her unable to stand the distance between them.
"I asked you if you noticed that our parents seem very much in favor of us getting married," Chevonne said, "Even though they didn't know we were seeing each other, they haven't put up any argument whatsoever against us getting married. I asked you if you found that strange?"
"And how did I answer that question?" Ashton asked pulling Chevonne into his arms and once again making a meal out of her neck.
"You didn't answer it," Chevonne said. "You did what you're doing now making a meal out of my neck."
"Oh, yeah," Ashton said as he tried to slip the sleeve of the nightgown Chevonne was wearing off her shoulder. "I remember that."
"And do you remember what happened after that?" Chevonne asked.
"Yes, I do," Ashton said as he froze, stopped kissing Chevonne on the neck and returned the sleeve of her nightgown back to it's proper place on her shoulder. "You didn't need to knee me so hard."
"I only kneed you hard enough to get your attention," Chevonne said. "How did you get into my room?"
"Snuck in," Ashton said. "You're a very heavy sleeper."
"You're going to be a heavy sleeper if my father catches you in here," Chevonne said.
"Your parents aren't here. Our parents went out to breakfast and to check out halls where our wedding can be held."
"Why are you so calm about this?" Chevonne asked almost screaming at him. "Can't you see how crazy all of this is?"
"There's nothing crazy about it," Ashton said. "Our parents are behaving the way any parents would behave when their children have made what they feel are wise choices about whom they want to marry."
"But we aren't really engaged," Chevonne said trying not to give into her desire to hit Ashton up side the head to bring him back to reality. "So we won't be getting married. This whole thing between us is fake, a scheme."
"There was nothing fake about the two kisses we shared last night," Ashton said raising his eyebrows up and down. "And did you or did you not say that you're attracted to me. Well, I'm attracted to you too."
"No," Chevonne said putting her hand on her hips and shaking her head, "you're not attracted to me. You're in love with Katina."
"How long have you been here?" Ashton asked.
"Almost two weeks," Chevonne replied.
"And how many times have I mentioned Katrina besides the times when she's called me?" Ashton asked.
"Never," Chevonne said. "But that's only because you've been trying to keep this farce of a plan from being discovered. You haven't had tome to think of anything else."
"You're right," Ashton said. "I have been trying to keep this farce of a plan from being discovered. But that hasn't kept visions of you out mind. It hasn't taken away my desire to kiss you, hold you and make you scream my name as I make wild, passionate love to you."
"You don...."
Ashton cut off her words by pulling her into his arms and covering her lips with his. He tightened his hold on Chevonne when he felt her body seem to melt into his.
"We can't do this. I won't do this," Chevonne said trying to push her way out of his embrace. "I won't allow you to use me as a sexual stand in for Katrina. We're going to end this mess today. My parents have been here for almost a week and things have only gotten crazier since their arrival."
"What do you mean?" Ashton asked.
"My mother and your mother are going on and on about a wedding that isn't going to happen and grandchildren their not going to have."
"Both of those things could and might happen," Ashton said.
"What about Katrina?" Chevonne asked. "Isn't she the woman you really love?"
"Katrina has been cheating on me," Ashton said.
"Cheating on you?" Chevonne replied her voice showing her surprise. "How do you know she's cheating on you?"
"I received these last night," Ashton said pulling out his cell and showing Chevonne pictures that someone sent to him through his email.
The pictures showed Katrina with an African-American man eating dinner, dancing, kissing and holding hands around the city of Atlanta. Ashton thought the surprised look that appeared on Chevonne's face as she looked at the picture was of it showing Katrina kissing a black man.