Chapter 157

Ashton’s jaw was tight again. I raised both hands. ‘Alright, alright. I’ll take a couple of days off. Happy?’ Barely. His eyes narrowed. ‘Was it you?’ I asked. ‘The Harper clean-up? It was too fast to be Cassian’s work.’ I gave him a thumbs-up. ‘Thanks for the help.’ His expression darkened. ‘I wasn’t “helping” you. Protecting my wife is part of the contract clauses.’ I blinked. ‘I don’t remember that.’ ‘I wrote the contract.’ Fair point. I dropped it. ‘I’ll assign you bodyguards,’ he said. ‘No.’ I didn’t hesitate. ‘I’m not walking around with shadows. I want to live, not be babysat.’ His glare didn’t budge. He looked like he was weighing whether to fight me on it. So I rose from the sofa and kissed him on the cheek. ‘Thanks for caring,’ I said. ‘But it was a one-off. Not happening again.’ He stared at me. ‘I’ll carry pepper spray,’ I added. He exhaled. ‘Fine. I’ll get you a gun permit.’ ‘I’ve never fired one. I don’t even know how.’ ‘Then you’ll learn.’ I glanced at his hands. Not sof