Chapter 307 Bad Mood
+15 BONUS
Chapter 307 Bad Mood
‘Are you tired?‘ I asked.
He made a sound that could have meant yes or no.
“Too tired to have sex with your wife?‘ I teased.
‘You want it?‘ He rolled over suddenly, bracing himself above me, eyes fixed on mine.
‘Why wouldn’t I?‘
‘But you said you needed a break.‘
‘When did I say that?‘ I feigned amnesia.
“This morning. At 9.15. When you kicked me out of bed.‘
‘You remember the exact time? What, have you been keeping notes?‘
‘Hmm.‘ He wasn’t easily sidetracked. ‘So, yes or no?‘
‘If I say no, would you really just go to sleep and not touch me?‘
‘I respect your wishes,‘ his mouth said. His eyes and hands said something else entirely.
‘That doesn’t sound like you,‘ I teased, looping my arms round his neck and pulling him closer. ‘Let’s try
something different tonight.‘
The nightstand buzzed.
Ashton swore under his breath, pulled back, grabbed his phone and answered. “This had better be urgent.‘
It must have been, because he swung out of bed at once. ‘I’ll be there right away,‘ he said, hanging up.
I watched him get dressed. ‘Who was it?‘
‘A business associate.‘ He leaned down to kiss me. ‘I might be late. Don’t wait up.‘
Business associate?
I stared at the door as it clicked shut behind him.
Why didn’t he give me a name?
And was it my imagination, or had I heard a woman’s voice on the phone?
I meant to wait up, but sleep won.
Half in a dream, I felt warmth wrap around me. Cracking one eye open, I caught Ashton’s stubbled face.
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Chapter 307 Bad Mood
+15 BONUS
‘Go to sleep,‘ he murmured.
I’d wanted to ask about this urgent midnight business, but sleep dragged me under.
The alarm woke me.
Eyes shut, I groped for my phone on the nightstand.
Ashton reached over and silenced it.
‘Whattimeizit?‘ I mumbled.
‘Still early. Sleep.‘
And I did.
When I woke again, his side of the bed was cold.
I grabbed my phone. Past nine thirty.
Damn, that was beyond late.
If I weren’t my own boss, I’d have fired myself.
I rushed through teeth, face, clothes, then dashed downstairs.
Ashton sat at the breakfast table. ‘Morning.’
‘You should’ve woken me,’ I complained. ‘I’ve got to get to the studio early today.‘
‘You can take the day off. You’re the boss.‘ He pulled out a chair for me. ‘Sit. Eat first.‘
He watched while I ate.
The longer he watched, the more my irritation simmered.
Ten hours since that call. He’d left in the middle of the night, right when we were about to get down to business, and now he still hadn’t offered a single explanation.
I didn’t want to be the kind of wife who checked her husband’s whereabouts by the minute. But when your husband walked out on you at midnight, didn’t give a name, and skipped the explanation altogether, surely you were entitled to a little curiosity.
If it had been Dominic, or any assistant, he would have said so without hesitation.
So who was it?
Maybe he wasn’t hiding anything. Maybe he’d forgotten. Maybe he just didn’t think it important enough to explain.
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Chapter 307 Bad Mood
+15 BONUS
I knew if I asked, he’d answer.
But what if I asked, and he still refused?
I stabbed at my eggs with my fork, thoughts tangling worse with every bite.
Morning, pre–coffee, was not the time for this kind of heavy thinking.
I forced down another mouthful, waiting for Ashton to say something first.
He didn’t.
When the painfully long breakfast was over, I shoved my chair back and stood.
‘I’ll drive you,‘ he said, standing too.
‘No, it’s fine. I’ve got my car. The studio’s nowhere near your office anyway.‘
‘I can drop you first. It’s not much of a detour.‘
‘No. I wouldn’t want you to waste time, not when your company’s so busy you’re taking calls in the middle of the night.‘ I thought the hint was obvious.
He let it slide.
I left, got into my car and drove. I felt oddly deflated, though I couldn’t quite say why.
I drove aimlessly until a new mall came into view, one that had opened last month.
In this mood, I wasn’t going to get much work done anyway, so I circled back. The mall had to have a jewellery shop or two, and I needed the distraction.
I walked into Verris & Co.
‘Can I see this one?‘ I asked the woman behind the counter, pointing to a bracelet with an unusual clasp.
‘Of course.’ She opened the case, took it out, and was about to hand it over when someone snatched it first.
I’ll take this.’
I turned.
The woman with the grabby hands had pink hair and enough jewellery on her to stock her own shop.
I’d never seen her before.
But the woman who walked in after her told me exactly what was going on.
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