Chapter 172

I got to the studio just after nine. I’d barely gotten any sleep last night, my lips felt swollen, and I was still smiling like an idiot. Last night seemed to have jolted something loose in him. This morning, right after I’d come downstairs and before I even had the time to say good morning, Ashton shoved me against the hallway wall and kissed me like we were trying to break a record. Thirty minutes. I counted. By minute twenty-two, my knees were gone. By minute twenty-eight, my vision blacked out for a second. I nearly passed out in his arms and he still didn’t stop until I shoved him away. After breakfast, I tried sneaking out. He caught me at the door, pressed me against it, and spent ten more minutes recreating the pleasantly numbing sensation. Apparently, Mr Iceberg was dead, replaced by someone who couldn’t keep his hands to himself for more than six minutes at a time. I should’ve been irritated. Instead, I felt light. Warm. Like my ribs had been unzipped. I grinned the entire ca