When There Is Nothing Left But Love

I wasn’t planning to subject myself to further awkwardness that night. I stood up and prepared to clear the table. Ashton, however, was looking at me strangely. Bemused, I asked, “Do you want to head over to the living room and rest?”

Ashton didn’t speak. He wordlessly got up and brought the dishes into the kitchen.

I took a step forward to stop him. He was a guest, after all. However, Ashton’s dark gaze halted me in my tracks. I gaped at him, unable to muster a single coherent thought.

I lowered my head and turned to the sink. Before I could turn on the tap, however, Ashton had hauled me aside. “Get over there. I’ll do it,” he said roughly.

I could only look on apprehensively as his long, elegant fingers set to work cleaning up the kitchen.

I made another move to assist him but was arrested by his menacing gaze. All I could manage was to stand by, hovering over his shoulder and fretting inwardly.

After a moment’s thought, I asked tentatively, “Why did you suddenly move all the way here? Aren’t you returning to K City already?”

Ashton tilted his head and looked at me icily. “Are you saying that you don’t want me here?”

Good Heavens! This man is impossible. I thought exasperatedly.

To Ashton, however, I shook my head vigorously. “There’s so much for you to do in K City. Haven’t you more or less settled your matters here?”

“What about that?” Ashton replied curtly. He turned back to the dishes in hand, scrubbing and rinsing them off expertly.

He seemed reluctant to talk. I made up my mind not to put myself out on Ashton’s account.

I thus kept to myself as I waited in the corner, ready with a hand towel for him to dry off when he was done. Ashton took it, then turned his attention to the fridge.

Baffled, I broke my silence. “What are you looking for?”

aside cartons and several

you want eggs for?” I asked

sugar. He turned to me serenely and asked, “Don’t you feel

does that have anything to

his lip, considering. Then he ordered, “Go to the room and get changed.

off, but any fool would have understood immediately what Ashton meant. My face immediately turned crimson

large stain on my pants that I

arrived so suddenly without warning. It had been two months since I last had it

Ashton

I turned and

could exit the kitchen, however, Armond and Nora’s voices drifted in, getting louder as their owners approached the living

broke out in cold sweat and looked anxiously at Ashton for

his voice, he commented, “It’s cold.

front of us. At the sight of Ashton draping his jacket around my shoulders, Armond winked knowingly, teasing, “Did we come back at a bad

him a smile, then quickly replied, “I’m going to the bedroom to change

hung rather loosely on me. It

as I could. In my hurry to escape from Armond and

hover, frustrated,

the bedroom door. When I cracked it open, Nora

stuffed the tampon that she had been discreetly hiding into my hands. Nora batted her eyelashes at me slyly, saying, “You’ve got rather good

bed in deep thought. I took a seat beside her. “What were you discussing in the rear house with

about life. Can you believe it?”

the matter and merely commented, “I had plans to move in with you, but that’s turned out

Nora nodded. “Got it.”