Ashton's voice rang out.
"Only the people in this room knew I'd be at The Corner Table. So let's see. Which one of you thought you were clever enough to set this up?"
Someone blurted out, high-pitched, "It wasn't me!"
Another chimed in at once. "I swear, I didn't even know you were coming until you walked in!"
"I didn't have time to call anyone! I just got here—"
"It wasn't me either!"
Their voices overlapped, rushed and clumsy.
Ashton's gaze shifted past the group and landed on Cassian.
Cassian raised both palms. "Don't look at me. I worked my arse off getting you here. Why the hell would I sabotage it with a camera crew? What do you think I am, brain-damaged?"
Everyone had spoken now.
Except Rowan.
She straightened, forced a strained smile. "It definitely wasn't me. I just got back to Skyline. I don't even know how to contact someone like that. And I wouldn't do something this underhanded."
A
Even the handful still trying to insult me were shouted down.Ashton tossed the phone on the bed and caught me before I could climb out.His arms locked around my waist."I don't like watching you get trashed by strangers.""You've been dodging interviews for years," I said, frowning. "Now you're dropping back-to-back posts like a wannabe influencer. That's not going to look good.""Who cares how it looks?"He dragged the duvet up and over both of us, stole my phone mid-reach, and flung it to the other side of the mattress.His voice dropped low near my ear. "Now there's no more bullshit to deal with. We have time."Time to pick up where we left off last night and earlier this morning.His eyes telegraphed the message to me.I blinked back a reply.He yanked the covers up again, sealing us in.We didn't get far.Someone started knocking, fast and loud.Ashton cursed."Mirabelle?
He reached across the sheets and nudged my shoulder. "They're discreet. I promise. No smirking, no awkward looks. You won't see it in their eyes."I didn't reply, just pulled the duvet over my head and stayed buried.The mattress dipped again.Ashton slid under the covers and kissed my ear."They dropped it off hours ago. You were asleep... But you're not asleep now."I knew exactly where this was going.I felt his arm stretch across me, heard his fingers skim across the nightstand.Foil crinkled.Last night had been... impulsive.I got caught up in the moment.The way he looked at me, the way he said those three little words—it was all heat and no brakes.But morning light did something to that kind of madness.I could tell it was bright out.I could almost feel the sunshine warming the edges of the room.Whatever courage I'd had last night had vanished.But his body was h
I pulled harder, dragging Ashton back to the bed. "Let it go. We're not doing this tonight."Ashton looked down at my hand, his arm still trapped in my grip.He let out a slow breath and let me drag him back down beside me.His fingers slid against my palm, firm and warm."You really think you can hold out?" he asked."Yes," I said quickly. I even faked a yawn for effect. "I'm exhausted. We've got the sponsor event tomorrow, and I'd rather not show up looking wrecked."I started to lie back, but he didn't let go.He pulled me straight into his chest, his voice brushing past my ear. "I can't.""Then take a cold shower," I muttered.He let out a short, incredulous sound. "It's freezing outside. You want your husband to freeze his balls off? Seriously?"My face heated again. "Then I don't know... figure it out yourself. We're not doing this tonight."He dropped against me like his spine had given out, heavy an
My breath caught.I blinked. Once. Twice.I had no idea what to do with that.My chest tightened. My eyes burned.I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.His thumb brushed over my lips."You don't have to say anything. Just listen." He kept his gaze locked on mine. "You said you'd go public. Let's do it now. Post it."My throat scratched when I spoke. "You're serious?""Dead serious." He didn't blink. "Before you change your mind."I let out a small breath. "Fine."My head felt stuffed with cotton.I didn't even think before grabbing my phone off the bedside table.I opened X, found Ashton's name and his latest post, hit repost, then hovered over the caption box, biting the inside of my cheek."Should I copy yours? Just 'Married.' Or should I write something like, 'The other ring's on my hand'? I don't know. What the hell am I even supposed to say?"I kept staring at the screen.
My phone buzzed again before I had even finished reading his last message.Ashton: [If I ask properly this time—can we go public?]The screen lit up with the text, plain and cold.But somehow, I could feel him in it—tense, holding back, waiting for me to say yes.I just sat there, staring.A minute ago, I had been ranting about the event organizers and reminding him to stay the hell away from Rowan Hale.I was about to say goodnight.Then this?I reread his message.My mind stalled.My limbs felt heavy, as if I had just come in from the snow.The phone dinged again.Ashton: [Would you be okay if I tag you in my next post? As my wife?]Okay, so I definitely hadn't misinterpreted his last message.A long moment later, all I managed to come up with was: [Let me think.]Ashton: [Okay.]I tossed the phone aside, slapped my cheeks lightly, and sat up straighter.
Mirabelle: [I'm not telling you who to eat dinner with. Just... two photo leaks in a row? Keep your guard up next time.]Ashton: [The guy who took them is already in custody. We'll find out who paid him.]Mirabelle: [Good.]Ashton: [Did you see what I posted on X?]Mirabelle: [Didn't know you had an X account. Give me a moment.]Ashton waited.Then—Mirabelle: [You announced it? Publicly? Without even asking me???]Ashton sat stiff in the back seat, fingers curled tight around his phone.The screen glared back at him, the three sharp question marks lined up like little knives.She was angry.She hadn't said it outright, but he could see it in the spacing, the punctuation.He should've waited.Now he understood what Dominic had tried to hint at earlier.But at the time, it had felt necessary. Urgent.He'd wanted to shut it all down.The speculation. The fake flings. T