More Than A Favor

Chapter 173

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I needed to come up with a reason… The phone in my hand vibrated twice. It was a message from Nora. It was a GIF of a woman in a sexy nightgown striking a seductive pose after a bath.

Nora had added a note:

“You could give it a try.”

I rolled my eyes and sent back a facepalm emoji. Though I scolded Nora internally for being inappropriate, I couldn’t deny that her suggestion had merit. It wasn’t a terrible idea–I just needed to come up with a good excuse to show Ashton this side of me.

I walked to the bathroom to shower while brainstorming ideas.

Using Jeremy’s message as an excuse wouldn’t work–if I mentioned it, Ashton would surely stop me from responding. Asking him to fix the water pipes was out too, as there wasn’t anything wrong with them (and I couldn’t exactly go breaking them).

Saying I was hungry and asking him to cook seemed like the best option.

With this plan in mind, I hurried through my shower. When I finished, I pulled out the sexy nightgown I had hidden away in the back of my closet.

The nightgown was one I had bought when Logan and I got engaged. Back then, I had imagined us building a life together, sharing our home, our dreams… and moments like this. But Logan had never even seen it. Now, Ashton would.

The black silk fabric hugged my curves perfectly, its sheen accentuating my figure in all the right places. The delicate lace trim added an air of mystery, and the way the fabric contrasted with my fair skin made it impossible to ignore.

Even I found myself staring in the mirror, thinking, This is enough to make anyone’s mouth go dry.

“Knock, knock.”

A knock on the door startled me out of my thoughts. At this late hour, it could only be Ashton.

My cheeks flushed instantly. I raised a hand to pat them, trying to calm myself as I glanced at my reflection one last time. Then, I walked to the door, calling out, “Who’s there?”

“It’s me. I made you a bowl of oatmeal.”

voice carried through the door, muffled but still unmistakable.

nervously, my heart pounding. Ashton’s timing was impeccable–he had saved me the trouble of finding an excuse to go to

tugged the straps of my nightgown a little lower for good measure, and

the door.

said, leaning casually

a bowl of oatmeal, but his gaze quickly fell on me. I saw his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed hard. His reaction was immediate and obvious.

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mind, four words floated by: It’s working. It’s working.

(–)6882) Mery

for the bowl while playfully praising him,

turning bright red. He handed me the bowl, but I couldn’t resist

before he steadied it. Then, he looked back at me, his

my spine. Suddenly, I had a

pull my hand back,

hard I thought it might burst from my chest. I had been the one to

I stammered, my

distance between us. Instinctively, I stepped back, but this only allowed him to move into the room, shutting the door behind

wall. Both of us still held the bowl of oatmeal, and I couldn’t

stood there, impossibly close, his gaze locked on

washed over me as I thought, Why

me, but she had also warned me that men couldn’t resist being teased. I had acted on a whim, and now I

calm. I could tell Ashton was holding himself back–that he

to maintain control.

I said, trying to sound composed,

ightly.

Ashton didn’t move.

“Ash-”

and hoarse, like a feather

sound of his voice sent a shiver down my spine. My nerves felt like they were on the verge

managed to reply, though my