Chapter 156

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