I grab my clothes from the floor, my tank top and panties. Then I reach for his sweats because I don’t have any pajama bottoms nearby.
I slip on his pants. He won’t care, or even notice for that matter. I’m quiet as I patter out of the bedroom, careful not to wake him.
I head into the kitchen, grabbing a glass of water. I’m parched and drink the entire glass in one shot. I grab the pitcher in the fridge to refill my water glass and hear footsteps behind me.
One swift glance over my shoulder, and I see it’s Ashton.
He’s wearing sweats and a white t-shirt that clings to his body. His hair is ruffled, like he’s been running his fingers roughly through the ends, or maybe Nova has been—best not to ask.
“Can’t sleep?” I guess, assuming that’s why he’s awake and joining me in the kitchen.
“Not with the sounds you were making,” Ashton says, startling me.
I take another sip, hoping to cool off my rosy cheeks.
“Shit. You heard that?”
“The whole neighborhood heard you two.”
Ashton steps closer, invading my personal space.
“You must really be trying to convince Luca you love him with a performance like that,” he says.
“It wasn’t a performance.”
His eyes tighten as he studies me. “I don’t believe you.”
I take another sip of water. “I don’t care what you believe. It doesn’t matter to me.”
Luca knows that what we have is real. I don’t have to convince him.
“Come on, Harper. You don’t have to lie to me. You were really loud back there.” Ashton gestures toward my bedroom. “A girl doesn’t make those kinds of sounds unless she’s trying really hard to sound convincing.”
“Your best friend rocked my world,” I say, staring Ashton dead in the eye. “Not that it’s any of your damn business.”
Ashton leans back against the counter. “I’m just saying, the offer still stands about the wedding. There’s still time to choose?—”
“Are you seriously suggesting I marry you?” Why is he bringing up this asinine idea again?
“You don’t have to decide until the wedding day,” Ashton says.
“I’m not marrying you, Ashton. I don’t even like you very much.”
“Ouch.” He holds a hand up to his heart. “I’m just trying to save Luca, help him out.”
I take a step back, bumping into the refrigerator. I don’t see how him offering to marry me is helping Luca at all. “How do you figure?”
“Come on, Luca never wanted kids. He only offered to marry you to protect you from his father.”
“And what you’re doing is so different?” I glare at Ashton. “You have a girlfriend!”
He throws his hand up, a finger against his lips, warning me to keep it quiet.
It’s not like I said who his girlfriend was, but Nova wouldn’t be happy with me if I married her boyfriend. “Is this your way of breaking it off with her, Ashton? Because that’s a really shitty way to end a relationship.”
Ashton steps closer. “Keep your voice down,” he whispers. “And, no. I really like her.”
I thought I was being relatively quiet, but I nod, agreeing not to wake the entire house. The last person I want to wake is Zeke. It’ll take me forever to put him back down to bed, and he’s already going to be up at the crack of dawn.
