Unexpected betrayal.

KAILEE

The first rule of dancing for Ashton Lancaster was simple: he could look, but he couldn’t touch.

He’d established that rule, but for the longest time, I’d wanted to break it.

“You still haven’t said anything, Ash,” I whispered. “What’s your deal with me?”

He turned his face away, pushing his glass to his lips. I stood there, in the Midnight room, the music still playing in the background.

“You’ve finished your performance, now go to bed.”

I shook my head. “You’re always like this. One minute, you’re staring at me on that pole like I’m someone you want, and the next, you’re chasing me away.”

“You’re dismissed for tonight.”

He turned around and walked to his golden arm chair, leaving me standing there.

For eight months, I’d danced for him. We’d never crossed our boundaries, but we’d come dangerously close three times.

Each time we were that close to breaking the first rule, Ashton pulled away and apologized for even thinking about crossing that line.

Tonight made it four.

I stepped forward, desperate to confront him about it once and for all.

“I’m not leaving until you give me a straight answer, Ash. Do you want me, or are you just leading me on?”

“We had an agreement, Lovie.”

That damned nickname.

I could never fight the butterflies that swam in my stomach whenever he called me that.

He raised his head to me. “We can’t break any of those rules.”

“Even if I want to?”

Ashton set his glass down and his jaw tightened. “I can’t take advantage of you, Kailee. When I agreed to help you, I had no ulterior motives.”

I stepped closer until I was standing right in front of him.

“Ashton, you’re not taking advantage of me. I know what I want.‘’

“You don’t. You just feel that you owe me something.”

“That’s not true.”

He sat upright in his chair, his eyes darkening for a moment.

“Maybe I feel something that isn’t ‘pity’ for you. Something that makes me want you close every fucking time, but… I’ll be no different from B-lord if I act on it.”

I gasped softly. Ashton wasn’t only deliberately holding back; he was comparing himself to that animal.

“You’re never going to be like B-lord.”

“And we’re not breaking any rules.”

“What if I want to?” I cried. “What if I want more than your eyes watching me every time I dance on that pole?”

I moved closer, not stopping until our faces were inches apart.

Ashton stared into my eyes, still repeating the word ‘no’ but he didn’t even try to pull me away.

“I’m not supposed to touch you.”

“I want you to.” I brushed my lips over his nose. “You don’t have to worry because I want this.”

I kissed him first, still feeling his restraint. But when I pulled away, searching his eyes for an answer, Ashton caught my waist and pulled me into a deeper kiss.

He was no longer holding back. I briefly broke the kiss to look at him. Ashton brushed the hair away from my face before leaning closer to whisper.

“You have no idea what you’re asking of me, Lovie.”

I cupped his face, holding his gaze.

“Then stop making me ask you, Ash.”

~

The next morning, I woke up in Ashton Lancaster’s bed.

For a moment, I lay still, staring at the ceiling as memories of the previous night came rushing back to me.

A small smile crept onto my lips before I turned to the other side of the bed, only to find it empty.

Ashton was gone.

I sat up, pulling the sheets closer to my chest as my eyes wandered around the room. He wasn’t anywhere nearby, and I couldn’t tell how long he’d been gone.

Then I heard voices outside the bedroom. Ashton’s voice came first, low and familiar.

“Why are you here so early, Lavinia?”

I froze.

Lavinia?

“I wouldn’t have come if it wasn’t important,” she said.

I rushed out of bed, grabbed my panties from the floor, and pulled them on.

While they kept discussing, I hurriedly got dressed.

“Then it can wait,” Ashton said. “I have less than thirty minutes to get ready for work.”

“No, it can’t. Not when it concerns Kailee.”

I hesitated, staring at the door as it opened. Lavinia walked in first, her eyes widening when she saw me struggling with my dress’ zipper.

Ashton halted behind her, his eyes falling on me before moving to his stepsister.

She gave a bitter laugh, smacking the envelope in her hand against her palm.

“Now I’ve seen the main reason you didn’t want me here.”

“Good morning, Lavinia.”

“Save it,” she snapped at me. “You dirty slut.”

Ashton stepped forward, his voice stern. “Lavinia.”

“What? Don’t tell me you slept with this pole dancer.”

“Don’t disrespect her in front of me.”

I grabbed my heels and made my way towards the door. She caught my arm, her lips parting into a taunting smile.

“You’ll stay right here. After all, I’m here for you.”

My chest tightened with an indescribable feeling. I glanced at Ashton for support, and he gave me a small nod.

“Get this over with, Lavinia.”

“Absolutely.”

She stretched out the envelope to Ashton. He hesitated before taking it, but she added.

“You’ll be speechless to find out what your darling Kailee has done.”

I watched him retrieve the papers in the envelope. He stared at them quietly, his expression neutral.

Slowly, he pulled out the photographs. His jaw tightened as he studied them.

A minute passed without Ashton saying anything, and fear kicked into my guts.

“Is something wrong?” I whispered.

He looked at me, his eyes void of the affection I’d seen a few minutes ago.

“You’ve been meeting with B-lord?”

My thoughts shattered. Before I could respond, Ashton threw the pictures at me. They fell to the floor, and my breath hitched when I saw them.

“A-Ashton.”

“Where did you get this?” he asked Lavinia, holding up one of the papers. “This was…”

“Supposed to be locked in the vault like you told me,” she completed the words. “Yet it somehow got into B-lord’s hands.”

Tears formed in my eyes. I couldn’t deny meeting B-lord, but explaining why would mean risking my only chance of finding my biological parents.

I saw the betrayal in his eyes, heard it in his voice, and it broke me.

“You said you wanted to be free of his captivity, Kailee.”

“That’s what I wanted.”

“How could you do this?” He tossed the paper at me. “I trusted you. I gave you the pin to the vault because I was fucking losing my mind keeping all this to myself.”

My lips quivered. I had no idea how that got into B-lord’s hands, but I never gave it to him.

I tried to hold Ashton, but Lavinia grabbed me instead and slapped me hard across the face.

“You little liar. After everything my brother has done for you? This is how you pay him back?”

I couldn’t hold back my tears. “Lavinia, I swear, someone did this.”

“Nobody else had the pin to the vault. Are you also denying meeting with B-lord in his strip club?”

Ashton grabbed me and forced me around to face him.

“Did you go to him willingly?”

Tears blinded my vision. The proof was right on the floor even though it didn’t tell the whole story.

“Yes.”

His fingers loosened around my wrists. Ashton’s shoulders slumped and he looked devastated.

“But I didn’t give this to him. I went there because—‘’

“My brother risked his life to rescue you,” Lavinia said harshly. “Do you know how much your freedom from B-lord cost him?”

“Ashton,” my voice croaked. “Ashton, please look at me.”

He didn’t.

“Ashton, do you really think I’ll do this to you? I never gave him those documents. I didn’t even go close to the vault.”

His silence hurt more than any accusation. I searched his face for the man who had held me last night…

The man who had called me Lovie as though no one else had the right to call me that.

But he wouldn’t even look at me.

“Say something,” I whispered. “Anything… Just don’t stand there and turn your face away like I’m a stranger.”

“You’re a stranger,” Lavinia muttered. “A mere guest whose time here is over.”

“What do you mean?”

She reached for the doorknob and opened it, gesturing at me with cold eyes.

“Go. Get all your miserable things, and leave this house.”

“What?” I glanced at Ashton again. “Is that what you really want, Ashton?”

I waited for him to deny it.

To tell Lavinia that she had no right to throw me out. To give me even one reason to believe that last night had meant something to him.

Instead, he looked away and walked out of the room.

And just like that, I understood.

He wasn’t going to ask me to stay.