Sweet Obsession (Nights Series #4)(5)

Ash studied the eclectic decor as the housekeeper showed him around before leading him to his room. The mansion was vastly different from Luke’s home in San Francisco—or more precisely, the ancestral home of the Rutherfords.

Descendants of wealthy Scottish migrants who had come to the US in the nineteenth century, the Rutherfords had amassed a vast fortune after investing in the myriad of businesses that had flourished during the American Industrial Revolution, establishing a dynasty that continued to grow over the next two centuries. By the time Luke—the last Rutherford heir—was born, the Rutherfords’ fortune was estimated to be over ten billion.

In comparison, Ash’s family, the Colbys, were relatively nouveau riche, with a construction empire that spanned only two generations.

Luke and Ash’s fathers had been firm friends since their college days. When the Colby Corporation moved its headquarters to San Francisco, Charles and Susan Colby bought the mansion next to William and Judith Rutherford. The two families grew even closer after that, the arrival of Ash shortly after Luke turned fourteen completing their tight-knit unit.

Ash had only wonderful memories of his childhood and growing up with Luke. It wasn’t until he entered puberty and had his first wet dream that he realized his feelings for Luke were changing. The adoration and hero worship he’d held for Luke over the years had slowly transformed into a different kind of love, one that confused and enthralled Ash in equal measures while Luke’s brotherly affection toward him remained unchanged. Ash became more reserved in Luke’s company after that, although he hardly saw the younger Rutherford during his mid-teens. Luke was away a lot, traveling the world and immersing himself in the business he would eventually inherit. The jealousy that speared through Ash whenever he overheard tidbits of gossip about the numerous actresses and models the Rutherford heir bedded during that time only reaffirmed his growing obsession with Luke.

No one had known then that the day Luke would take over his father’s mantle would come sooner than either Luke or Ash had expected.

“Dinner will be ready in fifteen minutes,” Xin said, bringing him back to the present. She bowed in the doorway of his room and started to walk off.

“Will Luke be home by then?” Ash said distractedly, his gaze riveted to the picture frame on the nightstand next to the beautiful, king-size rosewood bed dominating the floor.

Xin turned around. “Mr. Rutherford said he will be late today. He told me to serve you first.”

Ash frowned as Xin disappeared in the direction of the state-of-the-art kitchen.

I thought he wanted to talk.

He pursed his lips, headed over to the bed, and picked up the black-and-white photo.

It showed the Rutherfords and the Colbys together at one of their notorious summer barbecues, their faces full of joy and laughter as they posed for the camera.

Pain twisted through Ash when the memory of that day washed over him. He’d been thirteen at the time and had just started to realize that he liked Luke. He put the picture frame down, unpacked the meager change of clothing he’d brought, and placed his toiletries in the marble bathroom.



By the time Ash finished the splendid three-course meal Xin had prepared and watched the housekeeper putter down the drive on her Vespa on the way to her home, the anger that had filled him when Luke made his astounding proclamation in his office a few hours ago had returned with a vengeance, as had his headache.

Ash paced the mansion as he waited for Luke to return, his temper growing with each passing minute. When ten o’clock came and went, he headed behind the bar, poured himself a double Scotch, and plopped down on one of the deck chairs by the pool.

A modicum of peace settled over Ash as the fiery liquid burned his throat. He stared up at the dazzling night sky, the spirit slowly numbing his mind and his senses while he listened to the faint rustle of leaves in the trees hedging the lawn and the hum and buzz of insects.

Ash’s cheeks warmed when he recalled Luke’s arousal during the incident in his office. Was it anger that brought him to that state? And what about the way he kissed the wound on my hand, like he used to do when I was a kid? Does it mean he doesn’t hate me, like I think he does? If so, why did he have that look of rage on his face when I asked him why he was forcing me to relocate to Singapore?

Ash closed his eyes and tried to shut out the hundred thoughts clouding his brain, too exhausted to try to analyze the mystery that was Luke Rutherford. A wave of drowsiness suddenly washed over him. Ash startled. He sat up and put the glass down on the deck.

The Scotch had been a bad idea. He wasn’t used to drinking and the spirit was making him woozy. He patted his cheeks roughly. He needed to be awake and in full control of his mind when Luke returned.

A warm breeze blew through the garden and sent ripples skittering across the surface of the swimming pool. Ash eyed the crystal-clear green water. He hadn’t expected that he’d be staying the night in Singapore or that he’d have the chance for a swim. He hesitated.

Fuck it. It doesn’t look like that asshole is coming home anytime soon.





Chapter 5





Luke sighed as the car headed up the drive to the mansion. It was nearly eleven at night and he’d just left the office.

The events of this afternoon played through his mind once more. Luke had anticipated that seeing Ash again would be a challenge, one he knew he would have to grit his teeth and overcome if the urgent strategy he’d had to come up with in the last week was to work. That things hadn’t panned out exactly the way Luke had wanted them to didn’t totally come as a surprise.