“I don’t mind, whatever you want is fine with me,” he answered noncommittally, finishing his coffee.
I turned to look at Dean and Peter. “Well, what about you guys? Do you mind if we go? I guess that means one of you has to go too, unless Ashton and I can go on our own and forget this whole guard business? After all, what my dad doesn’t know won’t hurt him. We could have a sweet set up here. You can do what you want, and so can I,” I suggested, suddenly excited for a little piece of freedom away from prying eyes.
Unfortunately, they didn’t look as if they were going for it. Peter gasped, looking at me in disbelief. “Are you kidding? What with everything that’s going on, there’s no way that’s going to happen, Miss Spencer.”
Ashton snapped his head around to look at him, giving him a warning look which made Peter shrink back and press his lips into a thin line.
“Everything that’s going on? What does that mean?” I quizzed, confused.
Peter cleared his throat. “I meant with the whole starting college thing. We still haven’t checked out everywhere. No one knows routines and stuff, that’s all,” he answered quickly.
I detected a measure of unease as he spoke, but decided to leave it. I didn’t know him well enough to start second guessing what he was talking about. “Oh okay,” I muttered. “Well, maybe we should go for a little while, just to see what it’s like,” I agreed. “I’ll leave it up to you three to sort out the details; I’m gonna go start my unpacking.” Before I turned and ran to the bedroom, I stole Ashton’s toast from his plate, laughing as he complained about it.
We spent the whole day just lounging around and not doing much. Lazily, I’d unpacked my clothes, arranging my room how I wanted it, with my photo of Jack right beside the bed as usual. After we’d unpacked, we’d headed to the grocery store to stock up for the week. Even that was actually quite fun. I’d only ever been when I was a little girl with my mom. Since my dad had climbed higher up in his job, we weren’t really allowed to do normal things and I enjoyed the day of just relaxing, and talking to Ashton about random things. He was incredibly easy to get along with, so easy that it almost frightened me.
After half an hour of watching him pull up the schematics for the bar that we were going to tonight, my tummy rumbled. I smiled, deciding to make some dinner. “Want to help me cook?” I offered, pushing myself up from the sofa I was slouched on.
“Sure.” He closed the laptop and followed me into the kitchen, standing close to my back as I pulled open the fridge, looking at the array of meat, salad and vegetables that we’d bought.
“What do you want?” I pursed my lips, not sure what I was in the mood for.
He reached around me, making his chest press against my back as he picked up a pack of chicken. “Fajitas?”
I nodded, ignoring the butterflies in my stomach caused by the accidental brushing of our bodies, and we both set to work. The whole time he was pottering around behind me, trying to help, but actually just getting in the way. It was cute the way he was concentrating so hard on learning how to cook.
Surprisingly, despite Ashton helping, the food was nice. He’d cleared his plate of five wraps, and even finished the last of my second wrap when it appeared that my eyes were bigger than my belly. He moaned in appreciation, sucking the spicy juice from his fingertips one at a time with a satisfied smile on his face.
“That was good. I think I could make that on my own,” he mused, eyeing the empty dishes and nodding to himself.
I raised one eyebrow in disbelief. Just from that one meal alone, I already knew that Ashton was a terrible cook. He’d been so slow slicing up an onion that, in the end, I had to take it off him and finish it, and then I’d left him in charge of stirring the pan while I set the table, and by the time I got back, the chicken was seconds from burning. No, Ashton would not be able to make fajitas all by himself. Frankly, I’d be worried that we’d die of food poisoning.
“Maybe you should start with something easier… like grilled cheese?” I joked, shaking my head.
“You doubt my ability,” he observed, standing and picking up the plates.
I grinned. “I just think you shouldn’t get ahead of yourself,” I replied cheekily.
He grinned and leant against the counter, folding his arms over his chest. “Alright, admittedly, I probably need more practice at cooking, but I reckon that by the time we’re married, I’ll be able to lay on a full feast.”
My heart jumped into my throat at that word. Marry him. It wouldn’t even be possible. “Right, yeah, okay, that’s not gonna happen. You’re too pretty for me.” I gulped and stood, squirming uncomfortably.
“Too pretty? Damn it.” He clicked his tongue, smiling his heart-stopping smile. I forced a smile too, even though I could feel the emotion swelling inside me like a storm. I needed to get away from him before he saw it and questioned me on it. “You never know, I may be able to get you to overlook my prettiness and make you fall madly in love with me by the time I leave,” he replied, smirking at me cockily.
I smiled back weakly as my heart started drumming wildly in my ears. I needed to leave. “Okay, Pretty Boy, I’m sure I’ll fall madly in love with you, right about the time that you fall madly in love with me.”
“About two more days then,” he replied, winking at me playfully.
My mouth had gone dry, and my eyes started to prickle with tears. “I’m going to go in the shower and then get ready to go out.” After excusing myself, I headed into the en suite bathroom and closed the door tightly. My breathing was coming out in short pants as I leant against the door, trying to calm myself. Why the hell did he have to say that? I looked down at my left hand and willed myself not to remember. Just forget it, Anna, he was just joking around, stop being pathetic! I mentally slapped myself and switched on the shower, trying to forget his comment.
The shower made me feel slightly better. Once dry, I searched through my closet, finding a black skirt and a cute baby doll top. After drying my hair and adding a few curls, I hesitantly picked up the make-up bag that I’d brought with me. During our shopping trip, I’d filled it with new make-up that I was yet to wear. Deciding to see how it looked, I swept on some chestnut eye shadow and a little mascara. Once I’d applied a small amount, I stepped back and frowned at myself with my hand poised over the face wipes. I hadn’t worn make-up since my sixteenth birthday, and I wasn’t sure if I was ready for it again.
At that moment, Ashton knocked on the door.
“Um, yeah?” I called hesitantly.
“Hey, are you nearly ready?”
“I guess.” I picked up the face wipes, tearing them open and pulling one out. I gulped, looking back at my reflection, still undecided.
“Can I come in, Anna?”
I groaned and narrowed my eyes, hating that the smallest bit of make-up actually scared me. “Yeah, okay.”
Behind me, the door opened and he walked in. I watched his entrance in the mirror. He was wearing dark blue fitted jeans and a black button-down shirt, open a little at the top; he’d left it un-tucked and rolled the sleeves to his elbows. Wow was all I could think. He actually hurt my eyes to look at because he was so incredibly mesmerising.
He strutted in, but stopped in his tracks when he was halfway across the room. His mouth popped open, and his eyes widened as he stared at me.
I swallowed around the lump in my throat. “Too much, right? I should take it off, shouldn’t I?” I rambled, before realising he was still staring at me. “Why are you staring?”
He finally closed his mouth. “You just…” He blinked a couple of times, his eyes still wandering over me slowly. “You look stunning, Anna. So beautiful,” he complimented.
A small smile tugged at my lips as I dropped my eyes to the floor. I hadn’t expected that reaction. “I haven’t worn make-up for years.”
He walked over to me slowly, hooking his finger under my chin and lifting my gaze to his. “Anna, you look perfect, but if you’re more comfortable wi
thout the make-up, then take it off. Either way, you are the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen,” he said, dipping his head and kissing my forehead softly.
His sweet words made my insides squirm. “You’re such a charmer.” I shook my head, smiling.
He shrugged. “I’m serious.”
I took a deep breath and looked back at my reflection. “Okay, I’ll leave it on then. You won’t leave me tonight though, will you?” I asked, feeling slightly nauseous at the thought of being on my own looking like this while there were guys around.
His hand closed over mine as he pulled me closer to him. “I won’t leave you, promise.” I could hear the sincerity in his voice, and that gave me the confidence I needed.
“Okay, let’s go then before I change my mind,” I suggested, nodding at the door.
He grinned. “I honestly have the sexiest girlfriend in the world. I’ve got my job cut out for me tonight to keep the guys away from you,” he teased, winking at me.
“I need to get you to earn your money somehow,” I joked.
He stopped at the front door, his hand on the handle as his eyes turned to me. “Do me a favour tonight, huh? Try not to flirt with me as much as you did last night, because damn, I’m not sure how much I can stand with those sexy legs out like that,” he growled, looking me over again, making me blush.
“Stop being a pervert, Ashton!” I scolded, slapping his chest playfully.
“Hey, a guy’s allowed to perv on his girl!” he protested innocently before his famous smile slipped onto his face.
“Stop!” I warned.
He laughed and nodded. “Seriously though, try and tone it down tonight if you can, alright?” he asked, looking a little pained. I nodded and smiled apologetically. “Right then, let’s go,” he chirped excitedly.
The line for the bar was already about thirty people deep by the time we arrived. Dean and Peter joined behind us, not talking to us so that no one would know we were together. Thankfully, the line moved fairly quickly so we were ushered in within fifteen minutes. As we were let in, we had to show our IDs as proof of age. Ashton refused to allow me to drink again tonight, so insisted that I show my real ID that said I was only nineteen – which resulted in me getting an underage blue wristband so that the barman would know I wasn’t allowed to be served alcohol. Ashton showed his fake ID that he’d been given when he started his assignment, so he was rewarded with an underage wristband too. Frowning, and not very happy with the colour of my bracelet, I folded my arms over my chest.
“Stop pouting. Do you want me to get in trouble for letting you drink whilst underage?” Ashton said in my ear, leaning in close so that I could hear him over the band that was already in full swing. Rolling my eyes, I shook my head. Of course I didn’t want him in trouble, but it appeared that hanging out with an undercover cop for the next eight months was going to put a dampener on my college experience at ASU.
Not answering his question, I looked around. The club was a lot bigger than it looked from the outside. It was across two levels and had strobe lighting coming from the ceiling. A stage off to my right housed a live band that was slightly too loud, and slightly out of key as they jumped around excitedly. There were cheap carpets and cheap tables dotted around the edges. The long and well-stocked bar was five people deep, most of whom sported blue wristbands like mine. A smile tugged at the corner of my mouth. I actually quite liked it here. My hand slipped into Ashton’s as I grinned and gave him a tug towards the bar.
Unexpectedly, I was actually having a nice time. It turns out that I didn’t even need alcohol to enjoy myself. What did annoy me though was the fact that every now and again, my safety would be put into Dean’s hands while Ashton went to the bathroom, or got stuck at the bar buying another round. Dean was trying to be discreet, I could tell that, but him standing close to me, pretending to look around while ignoring me completely was totally over the top and actually screamed ‘bodyguard’ – but maybe that was because I knew that was what he was. No one else seemed to bat an eyelid at him. Each time he had to leave my side for something, Ashton would call or text Dean and ask him to ‘watch the jewel’ for him for a minute. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at the stupid codename they’d obviously come up with for me.
After a couple of hours, a hand closed around my forearm. A little squeal escaped my lips, and my body reacted immediately, making me jump into Ashton as if a bomb had detonated near me.
“Whoa, sorry! Didn’t mean to make you jump,” Tim said, laughing hysterically.
My heart started to slow as Ashton’s arm slipped around my waist. “Hey, sorry, you scared me,” I admitted, smiling with relief.
“Hey, Ashton. How you doing?” Tim greeted, smiling warmly.
“Yeah, I’m good,” Ashton replied, rubbing his hand up my arm; he was doing it to calm me down I presumed, and it was certainly working.
“I’ve been looking out for you two all night. We’ve got a table. You want to come and sit with us? We’re upstairs,” Tim offered, nodding towards the back of the bar. Ashton looked at me as if waiting for me to make the decision. I would honestly rather stay here with him, but, for his sake, I probably needed to start being more social.
“Sure, okay,” I agreed, nodding. Ashton smiled and we followed Tim, weaving through the sea of people to the stairs.
At the bottom of the stairs there was a table that we had to pass to get to the next level. It was full of a group of laughing men, all of them wearing white ‘adult’ wristbands. My stomach tightened as one of them turned towards me and raised one eyebrow as we approached. A predatory smile crept onto his face. “Hey, sweetheart, I can show you a better time than that guy,” he purred, nodding at Ashton distastefully.
I scoffed and shook my head. “I doubt that very much, sweetheart,” I answered sarcastically, trying to appear confident even though my insides squirmed.
His smile grew bigger. “Well, you never know if you don’t try,” he flirted as he leant forward and landed a slap on my behind.
My nervousness suddenly gave way to anger and my hands clenched into fists, but before I had a chance to respond, Ashton whirled around, looking so angry that he actually looked like a different person as he pushed me in front of him, away from the guys. “Hands off my girl if you wanna keep them!” he growled.
The guy flinched. “Whoa, chill dude, I was just having a laugh with her,” he said, nervously.
Ashton’s shoulders were tense. “Oh really? I didn’t realise. I tell you what, touch her again and then we’ll see how fucking funny you find it,” he suggested, smiling but at the same time looking at him menacingly. The guy held up his hands in protest, shaking his head quickly as his eyes widened at the threat. He actually looked frightened, even though he and his friends outnumbered Ashton five to one.
I gulped, looking back at the stairs that were only a few feet away. I didn’t want him to get in trouble. “Let’s go,” I urged, pulling his hand. His jaw tightened as he nodded, putting his hands on my hips possessively as he gave me a little push towards the stairs to get me walking.
“You okay, Baby Girl?” he whispered in my ear.
I nodded. Spotting Tim already at his table, we wove through the crowd to get to him. Rich and Serena were already sitting there, along with Monica. I suppressed my groan as her predatory eyes landed on Ashton again. I had hoped that my jealousy would have evaporated, but she seemed to make it rear its ugly head again immediately.
Behind Monica there were three other people. Two new boys and one new girl. Tim waved a hand at each of them in turn. “This is Sam, Andrew and Rosie. Guys, this is Anna and Ashton.”
“Hey, nice to meet you,” I greeted as they all scooted over to let us sit down. Ashton nodded for me to sit in the booth first. I bit the inside of my cheek and looked at him pleadingly; I didn’t want to sit next to the new guy I’d only just met. Ashton smiled, obviously understanding my silent plea because he sat down and pulled me onto his lap.
The new girl,
Rosie, smiled warmly and leant over to talk to me. “So, you’re new to the college? How come you’re starting mid-semester?”
I smiled in return. She looked extremely nice. She was actually exceptionally pretty; she had long reddish-brown hair and brown eyes that were warm and welcoming.
“Um, well, I didn’t like my old college, so we transferred here,” I lied, shrugging.
Rosie looked at Ashton, raising one eyebrow curiously. “You came all the way here because your girlfriend didn’t like her college?” she asked. Ashton smiled and nodded, which made Rosie make a cooing noise as she put her hand over her heart. “That’s so sweet! Do you have a brother?”
“Nope sorry, only child,” Ashton replied, laughing and tightening his arms around my waist.
Rosie sighed dramatically, looking disappointed. “That’s a shame.”
The three new people were really nice too; I liked the whole group of people if you discounted Monica’s doe eyes that she directed at Ashton. Due to us all having blue wristbands, we were all on soft drinks tonight, but it was fun, I enjoyed it.
When the band finished their set, a DJ came on which seemed to get the crowd even more fired up. Serena looked at her watch. “Shall we dance, girls?”
I looked at Ashton questionably. I actually did want to dance, but I wasn’t sure if that would be okay. Did that mean that he had to dance too, or could he wait here with the other boys?
“You can dance if you want,” he confirmed, nodding. I smiled and stood up, downing the last of my drink as he pulled out his cell phone and sent a quick text. I rolled my eyes, seeing Peter appear out of nowhere and walk about five steps behind me as we made our way to the dance floor downstairs.
“So, how long have you two been together?” Rosie inquired as we danced.
Okay, time to remember all the lies we made up. “Just over a year.”