I didn’t open my eyes. ‘What kind of sothing?’
His mouth brushed mine. Light pressure, nothing more.
Then his lips moved again, more deliberately this ti.
His hand hovered near my hip but didn’t touch.
The slower he went, the harder it was to think.
My fingers curled in the sheets.
My breath caught halfway out of my throat.
Ashton finally let go after what felt like forever.
He tugged the covers down a little and nudged my shoulder.
Oxygen-deprived, I felt more lethargic than before. ‘Not getting up. Let’s just sleep a bit longer. I’m not going to the studio today.’
I shoved my face against his chest and curled closer.
He let out a sharp breath near my ear.
‘You can continue to use the bed, but I demand more paynt.’
I mumbled, ‘What do you want then?’
He rolled over in one movent.
The mattress dipped under his weight, and when I blinked up, his face hovered inches from mine.
His eyes looked darker than usual, almost black.
I could feel the pressure of him everywhere, especially below the waist.
Sudden clarity hit.
I shoved both hands against his chest.
‘Alright! I’m up! I’m getting up now! I wasn’t planning to steal your bed, Jesus—’
I scrambled out from under him, caught my foot in the duvet, tripped halfway to the floor and bolted for the bathroom.
The door slamd behind a second later.
I heard his laughter.
By the ti I ca downstairs, it was past noon.
Lunch was already on the table.
Ashton sat across from , cutting his steak like he hadn’t just tried to ravage upstairs.
I stabbed a cherry tomato and glanced over at Geoffrey. ‘When’s the heating getting fixed?’
Geoffrey hesitated.
His eyes flicked to Ashton, who didn’t even pause chewing.
Geoffrey cleared his throat and said, ‘Mrs Laurent, we’re still waiting on a few parts. They need to be shipped in from Italy. Could take a week, maybe longer.’
I dropped my fork. ‘You’re telling the radiator needs Italian imports now?’
He nodded. ‘This heating system isn’t standard. It runs on a closed-loop radiator circuit, built for high-pressure flow. If the internal stabilisers aren’t calibrated with the original manufacturer’s components, the system becos volatile...’
Geoffrey droned on, throwing in half a dozen words I didn’t recognise.
Sothing about a thermostatic valve, a bypass manifold, and—Christ, was he talking about glycol now?
I stopped listening after thirty seconds.
My brain drifted straight into panic-planning mode.
Ashton was back. Which ant I had to move out of his room.
On paper, we were married.
In practice, we’d just started dating.
Sharing a bed with him was premature. And dangerous.
Especially with the way he kissed.
What if he decided to take things further?
What if I didn’t have the willpower to say no?
My face went hot.
My spoon slowed halfway to my mouth.
Ashton scooped salad onto my plate with the serving spoon. ‘What are you thinking about?’
‘What? Nothing.’ I shook my head too fast and laughed like an idiot. ‘Just zoning out.’
I looked up and caught Geoffrey’s eyes.
He smiled and launched straight back into it.
I caught phrases like ‘family-run factory’ and ‘founded in 1907’, and sothing about northern Italy’s copper industry.
I held up both hands. ‘Okay, okay, I get it. It can’t be rushed.’
Geoffrey nodded. ‘Exactly.’
I pushed back my chair. ‘Okay. I’m full. Completely stuffed. I need to swing by the studio. Gotta run.’
I grabbed a napkin, wiped my mouth, and bolted before anyone could stop .
I told them I was going to the studio, but I ended up at Sugar & Whim, wedged into the booth across from Yvaine, clutching a hot cappuccino.
Hotels felt too obvious.
And I wasn’t sure how Ashton would react to it.
Oakwood was out too.
Priya was living there and there was only one bedroom.
That left with one option.
‘Let stay with you for a bit?’ I asked.
Yvaine smacked on the forehead as an answer.
‘Are you thick? You’re the one who said you’d give the relationship a try. Now the universe throws you a setup with mood lighting and a king-sized bed, and you want to leave?’
I rubbed my temple. ‘I just—’
‘No. Shut it. Do you know how many won would stab each other with heels just to be in your shoes right now? I used to worry that ghost-of-girlfriend-past would co waltzing back into his life. But now he’s made it very clear he wants YOU. So you need to hold your ground. Keep your na on that mailbox. And for the love of god, stop acting like a coward.’
I groaned. ‘It’s not about the bed.’
‘Right, you’re just terrified of accidentally shagging your husband.’
‘Yes.’
‘Mira.’
‘I’m serious. If I stay in that room, it’s only a matter of ti before one of us does sothing stupid.’
I set the cup down and looked away.
My cheeks burned just thinking about the last ti he kissed .
My knees had nearly buckled.
Every nerve had gone loose and twitchy.
I couldn’t trust myself around that man.
It wasn’t that I didn’t want him.
That was the problem. I wanted him too much.
‘We barely even have a proper relationship,’ I muttered. ‘Jumping into bed with him now would be... stupid.’
Yvaine smacked the side of my head again.
‘Ow!’
‘Since when did you turn into a nun? You used to be fun. What, been fake-married for a few months and now you’re Mrs Moral Code?’
‘It’s not the sa,’ I said, rubbing my temple.
‘It’s sex, not a blood pact. You’re in charge, not him. Knowing him, he’s not going to push you into anything. What are you even afraid of?’
I narrowed my eyes at her.
Sothing felt off.
‘Why are you so desperate to keep out of your house? You hiding sothing?’
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