He opened the door and leaned on it, folding his arms over his chest and tilting his head to the side while he stared down at me with a smirk.
I narrowed my eyes, eyeing him suspiciously.
"Hi...?" I spoke, very unsure of his attitude.
"Hey." He replied lazily. "I thought you might come to see me tonight."
Either my brain was giving me wrongful signals, or that sentence sounded very double meaning. My eyes widened as I stared at him. And he raised an eyebrow, daring me to ask what he meant. But I'm a chicken of course.
"Why?" I asked instead. That was safe.
With a smile, he turned sideways nodding towards his office like he wanted me to come in.
I slowly stepped in, feeling like I was entering the lion's den. I glanced at him through the corner of my eye as I passed him and turned as he closed the door.
I watched him as he walked up to his desk and perched himself on it, looking back at me.
"Why don't you tell me why you are here." He said.
"I..I came to apologize." I replied uncertainly. Why does this man manage to make me feel so nervous yet so excited at the same time by just his presence? I wondered.
"For?" He asked, raising his eyebrows questioningly while eyeing me closely.
I shifted from one foot to the other. For God's sakes I'm a grown-up, too, but he always makes me feel like a naughty little girl, and this time, he wasn't even saying anything to imply it. I need to grow a backbone around him, seriously. I took a deep breath before continuing.
"For Liam's behavior. I'm sorry you had to deal with that and that he behaved that way where anyone could have seen him."
"Did you say anything to him about that?" He asked me with a frown.
"No, he apologized on his own. Right after you left. You were really good at handling him. You are good with kids, aren't you?" I asked, suddenly curious.
"I don't know," he said with a shrug. "He is the first kid I have actually had any relationship with. Aren't I good at dealing with everyone, though?" He asked innocently, making me force myself to not roll my eyes.
"Maybe." I replied lightly. "But still, I'm sorry about that, and I actually wanted to thank you for stepping in and helping me with him today, and I'm sorry that we are troubling you so much."
He sat there quietly for a while, thinking before he finally spoke.
"Ashley, did I overstep a boundary by saying something to him?" He finally asked.
My eyes widened at his question. "No, of course not." I quickly denied, and he nodded in reply.
"So.. you wouldn't mind if I step in again, in the future, if I felt that you needed me?"
If I needed him? That's so sweet, and I felt my heart warmed hearing him say that. But why would he do that?
"What?" I asked.
"Ashley, I didn't step in because he was being out of hand and disobedient or rude. He has been here a while now, and this is the first time I saw him upset, so I know he is a good kid. I wanted to step in because... well, I wanted to, and also because I felt you needed me to.
I know it's not my place, but I just wanted him to know he had me."
"What!" I asked in complete shock.
"But if you don't want that, I will not interfere again. It's hard to raise a kid on your own, and you looked so sad, I didn't want you feeling alone anymore. I wanted you to feel you had me as well."
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. It seemed too good to be true. It took all of my willpower not to run to him that instance and hug him.
Instead, I stared into his gray eyes, wanting to see if there was the slightest reason I could doubt him.
But his steady gaze remained on me, looking at me sincerely, I couldn't find anything other than genuine care in his eyes.
"But Mr. Carlton, do you even know what you are saying?" I asked. He raised his brows in surprise to my question. "I mean, if I'm not wrong, you are implying that..that.." I couldn't seem to be able to complete that sentence.
"That I want to help you in raising him? I guess, although he is basically almost grown-up, and you have raised him well enough that raising him isn't such a big task."
I felt my cheeks flush at the compliment. Out of everything someone could say to me, praising me for how well my son is being raised is what would mean the most to me.
"It's just that Liam really wants a male adult figure in his life. He wants it. Every kid would. His dad turned out to be a jackass who never appreciated his child, and you have no plans of bringing in any male figures.." His voice trailed off as I gave him a blank stare.
"So you are saying you want to be in his life, forever, irrespective of whether there is anything between us or not?"
"What does that have to do with this?" He asked with a shrug.
"So... in the future.. when I do find a man and fall in love -"
"I will break his bones." He said his gaze, darkening and his entire body going rigid. "Are you telling me," he spoke, his voice becoming low and dangerous, making me realize that I had said something very, very wrong.
He got up from his desk and slowly advanced towards me. I gulped, taking a step back for each step he took. "That all the excuses you have been making not to be with me is actually because you don't want to be with me? That you actually dont feel anything for me?" I quickly shook my head, seeing the fire in his eyes and wanting to quench it.
I realized that I was no longer afraid of him when he got mad. I just didn't like to see him that way because it usually meant I had done something wrong, and much worse, I had managed to hurt him.
I gasped in surprise as he fastened his pace and grabbed me, pulling me to him.
It felt like an electricity had passed between us as our bodies touched. A current so strong that I felt my nipples harden as it just touched his chest.
I bit my lip not to let the whimper at the tip of my tongue escape.
His nose flared as his stormy gray eyes met mine before it strayed down to my lips.
"Say it then," I heard him whisper as his gaze remained a bit dazed and fastened on my lips.
"Say..what?" I whispered back, just as dazed as he seemed to be.
"Say that it's me or no one at all." He said, as his tone turned demanding.
I blinked a couple of times, trying to focus on what he was saying.
"Sorry?" I asked, my cloudy brain struggling to understand.
"You are mine, Ashley. Nobody else has the right to touch you, kiss you, care for you, or love you. You understand me?" He asked. His face was so close that I couldn't help getting captured in his beautiful eyes that was looking down at me so possesively right now.
My hand lifted in its own accord and cupped his soft, stubbled jaw. I gazed at him, unable to hide everything I felt for him. My lips curved into a smile as he leaned into my touch while his hand came and clasped mine.
Was I really this lucky to have won such a man's affection towards me. Who am I for him to want me like this. But the fact is he does, doesn't he? I wondered, looking at him questioningly.
His reply was to turn his face and place a kiss on my palm. My eyes widened at his sweet gesture, and I felt my heart melt.
His face turned back to me, and he asked again. "Say that it's only me. No one else can come into your life."
He allowed me to see the vulnerability he felt, and my heart clenched just before I realized what that meant.
He is the only one for me, which means I am the only one for him. Me, broken, abused, and frigid me who is incapable of making any man happy.
My smile slipped from my face, and my hand fell away from his face....
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Sorry in advance if this chapter is a mess. I just don't have the energy to check. My flu is killing me 🤧