More Than A Favor

< More Than A Favor

Chapter 98

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Ashton had come looking for me quite a few times before, but this time, he was standing right at my door.

“What do you want now?” I asked, trying to mask my confusion and lingering unease.

“I agree,” he said simply.

I frowned. “Agree to what?”

“To date you and be your temporary boyfriend,” Ashton clarified.

I blinked in surprise, caught off guard by his change of heart. “Why did you change your mind?”

“If I didn’t, you’d keep putting yourself in dangerous situations, like going on blind dates with men who follow you home,” he said, his tone a mix of exasperation and sternness.

His blunt answer amused me. In the dim light of the hallway, his reluctant yet resigned expression brought a smile to my lips.

“You’d be doing something against your will,” I teased. “Won’t that make you unhappy?”

Ashton must have caught on to my playful tone because he took a step closer. Instinctively, I backed away, but the railing behind me left me nowhere to go.

He reached out an arm, placing it on the railing and effectively pinning me between him and the cold metal. My breath hitched.

“Ashton…” I murmured, my voice trailing off.

“How could you be so foolish to go on blind dates like that?” he scolded softly, his voice warm and close to my ear.

A shiver ran down my spine. His words chastised me, but his tone was laced with something tender, almost affectionate.

I didn’t move or speak, the moment stretching between us.

The silence wasn’t awkward–it was charged, alive with an energy I couldn’t quite put into words. Standing so close to him, I could hear his heartbeat, steady and strong.

After a while, Ashton withdrew his arm and stepped back. “You’re not allowed to come home this late by yourself again.”

“Okay,” I replied quietly, unable to argue.

A moment later, I remembered my manners. “Thank you,” I added, my voice soft.

I was thanking him for saving me earlier, for agreeing to help me deal with the Mercer family, and for being there when I needed someone the most.

at me. I gestured toward the stairs.

said, “That guy made it all the way

froze. He had a point. What if

night,” Ashton announced, extending

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< Chapter 98

asked, confused by his sudden

keys,” he said

“You want to stay

me to sleep at your door?” he asked, his

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my mouth to protest, but he added, “It’s not like we haven’t shared a

the same room before, and nothing had

my keys, and

Ashton glanced around. “I’ll sleep

over ten years old, small, and barely long enough for s omeone of Ashton’s height. His legs would

was another room in the apartment–my parents‘ room–but I couldn’t let him stay

room,” I offered. “I’ll take

a pair of my

didn’t argue. Taking the slippers, he walked to my room while I grabbed my pajamas and checked to make sure there was nothing

was about to enter my parents‘ room, Ashton called

to look at him. He was standing in the doorway

had calmly shared a hotel room before, but here, in this familiar

moment of silence, Ashton spoke. “I think it’s more appropriate for me to sleep on

at

your real boyfriend should sleep in your room,” he

left me feeling like I was

I knew what he was doing–he was trying to push me, slowly

the most cunning

him off

earlier still lingered, and my mind replayed the hallway incident over

meager defenses might not have been

have been disastrous.

decided to come see me tonight? The timing seemed almost too perfect.

wondered if he was really sleeping on the couch or if he had taken my room after all.

footsteps echoed from the living room. He was still awake, likely moving around or washing

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