Ashes of Us

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: SHADOWS BEHIND THE SMILE

The drive was quiet at first. The tension between us was thick, heavy.

Then he asked, "Still thinking about what’s happening at home?"

I stared out the window. "I don’t want to talk about it."

Tobi tapped the steering wheel, glancing at me. "Fine. Then let’s talk about something else."

I turned to him. "Like what?"

He smirked. "Like how f*****g beautiful you look when you’re pissed."

I rolled my eyes, but I couldn’t help the small smile that crept onto my lips. "You’re impossible."

Tobi reached out, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. "And you, Shuga, are irresistible."

My breath hitched.

But before I could say anything, his phone rang.

Tobi’s entire presence shifted. Cold. Sharp. Dangerous.

He answered, speaking in low, clipped Yoruba. I didn’t understand much, but I caught words like "shipment," "delay," and "handle it."

Then, he laughed. Soft. Dark. Amused.

The call ended, and he turned to me with that signature smirk. "You were eavesdropping, weren’t you?"

I swallowed hard. "I—"

He leaned closer, whispering, "You should be careful, Shuga. Some things are better left unknown."

My heart pounded.

Who the hell was he?

---

A Mansion, A Mystery, and a Million Questions

I leaned back in the car seat, my arms folded as the city lights blurred past. Tobi hadn’t told me where we were going, and I hadn’t asked.

Not yet.

My mind was still tangled in the last conversation we had. That beach house. The chilling phone call. The way he smirked when I asked, "Who are you?"

I had let it slide, let myself be drawn in again.

But now…

My heart skipped a beat as the car slowed in front of another house.

No. Not a house. A mansion.

A high gate slid open silently, revealing a massive estate bathed in golden lights. The driveway was long, lined with palm trees, leading up to a structure so breathtaking that I couldn’t breathe for a moment.

This wasn’t a regular rich man’s home. This was power, wrapped in luxury.

I turned to Tobi, my throat suddenly dry. Another house.

I had accepted the first one without much thought. Maybe he rented it. Maybe it was a vacation spot.

But now?

Something wasn’t adding up.

Tobi killed the engine and turned to me, his expression unreadable.

"You good?"

I licked my lips, my voice quieter than I intended. "Tobi… how many houses do you have?"

He smirked like he had been expecting the question.

"Enough."

That wasn’t an answer.

I stared at him, refusing to let it go this time. "What do you do?"

Tobi didn’t move. His fingers tapped the steering wheel lazily, his gaze locked onto mine.

"You ask a lot of questions, Shuga."

"And you avoid them," I shot back, my heart hammering.

A slow smile. "That’s because I don’t like ruining beautiful things."

My stomach twisted at his words.

Because deep down, I knew—I was the beautiful thing he didn’t want ruined.

But ruined by what?

I forced myself to hold his gaze. "This isn’t normal, Tobi. You’re not just some businessman. No one owns houses like this unless they—"

I swallowed hard.

Tobi leaned in slightly, his voice dropping. "Unless they what?"

My body tensed. He was playing with me. Letting me almost reach the truth, but never quite touching it.

I wanted to demand answers.

But I was afraid of them.

---

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: A Taste of Power and Possession

Inside, the air was thick with something unspoken.

I barely noticed the lavish furniture, the dim golden lighting, or the way Tobi moved so confidently through the space—like he owned the world and didn’t need to explain it.

I was still stuck on that conversation outside.

The beach house. The chilling phone call. The way he had smirked at me when I asked, "Who are you?"

I had let it slide. Let myself be drawn in again.

But now…

I watched him as he poured us both drinks, my mind racing.

Who the hell are you, Tobi Blaze?

He handed me a glass, his fingers brushing against mine for just a second too long.

I sucked in a breath. It was always like this with him. A battle between curiosity and desire. Between fear and fascination.

"Relax," he murmured, watching me over the rim of his glass. "I don’t bite."

Liar.

He did bite.

Not in the way that left scars on the skin.

But in the way that left marks on the soul.

I took a slow sip, trying to settle myself.

And then—

Tobi’s phone rang.

The shift was immediate.

His lazy smirk disappeared. His body tensed, eyes darkening.

He turned away, answering in a low, clipped Yoruba.

I tightened my grip on my glass.

I caught pieces of it—just like last time.

"Shipment." "Delay." "Make sure it’s handled."

Then, that laugh.

Soft. Dark. Amused.

A chill ran down my spine.

Tobi ended the call and turned back to me like nothing had happened.

"You were eavesdropping again, weren’t you?"

I put my drink down, my pulse hammering.

I couldn’t do this anymore.

Couldn’t pretend not to notice.

"Tobi." My voice was steady, but I felt anything but. "Tell me the truth."

He tilted his head slightly, amusement flickering in his eyes. "About what?"

I gestured around us. "About this. About you. Because I know you’re not just some rich guy who enjoys teasing me."

Silence.

Tobi studied me for a long moment, then leaned closer.

"So what do you think I am, Shuga?"

His voice was velvet. A slow pull into something dangerous.

I swallowed, but I didn’t back away.

"I don’t know," I whispered. "But I want to."

A ghost of a smile touched his lips.

"No, you don’t."

And for the first time…

I believed him.

The room was thick with tension—the kind that made every breath feel heavier, every movement charged with desire and danger.

Tobi’s eyes burned into me, his gaze sliding over my skin as if he were already undressing me in his mind. I swallowed hard, my pulse racing.

I knew I should leave. I knew I should run. But when he stepped closer, invading my space, my body betrayed me.

"Tobi," I whispered, my voice softer than I intended.

A slow, knowing smirk curved his lips. "Yes, Shuga?"

Before I could answer, his fingers reached for me, grazing the side of my neck—light, teasing, sending shivers cascading down my spine. My breath hitched as warmth spread across my skin.

"Tell me you don’t want this," he murmured, his thumb brushing over my lips with an almost tender command. "And I’ll stop."

I should’ve spoken. I should’ve turned and walked away. But instead, my lips parted, and my silence sealed my fate.

Tobi’s smirk deepened. Then, without another word, he kissed me—hard, deep, possessive. His hands gripped my waist, drawing me close, pressing my soft curves against the hard planes of his body.

I gasped into his mouth as he deepened the kiss, his tongue sliding against mine until dizziness overtook me. My fingers tangled in his hair as my body melted into his, each touch fanning the flames of desire.

His hands roamed down my back, gripping my hips as he carried me effortlessly toward the bed. With raw, unyielding passion, he pressed me onto the mattress, the sheets crumpling beneath us. His lips traveled—first along my jaw, then my neck—nipping and kissing, leaving delicate marks that seared into my memory.

"Tobi," I whimpered, my hands gripping his shoulders as I arched into his relentless assault.

"Shh, Shuga," he murmured against my skin. "Let me take my time with you."

And take his time he did—peeling away my clothes inch by inch, touching, kissing, tasting every inch of me until I was completely bare and burning with need. He spread my legs slowly, his fingers tracing, teasing, his warm breath fanning my most sensitive skin.

"You’re so beautiful like this," he murmured in a husky, fervent tone.

Then, his mouth claimed me once more. In that moment, I forgot how to breathe. My back arched, my hands fisted the sheets, and as he pushed me higher, deeper into ecstasy, my mind surrendered entirely to the storm of sensation.

And when I shattered—when pleasure ripped through me in relentless waves—Tobi didn’t stop. He wasn’t done with me yet. Not even close.