Chapter 78

Ashton’s mouth crushed mine with no preamble, no warning, no hesitation. Hot, forceful, and absolutely unrelenting—he kissed like he owned my lips, my breath, my goddamn soul. I gasped, trying to pull back, but he was already in, already taking. His tongue pushed past the resistance of my lips like it had every right to be there, and maybe it did, because my body sure as hell wasn’t protesting. My hands shot up instinctively, palms flattening against his chest—but instead of pushing him away, they curled, gripping the fabric of his shirt like it was the only thing keeping me tethered. ‘Ashton—wait, just—’ I tried to speak, but all I got out was a breathless jumble against his mouth, broken by the sheer force of him. He didn’t wait. With a smooth, dizzying motion, he wrapped one arm around my waist and hauled me into his lap. The seat creaked beneath us, the whole car shifting slightly with the movement. Darkness swallowed us, the only light a faint, flickering neon glow bleeding throug