Chapter 20 Chapter 20 The hallway outside was still pitch black , so I used my phone's torch to sweep the walls like I was on a ghost - hunting show . Eventually found the storage room , which was basically a hoarder's fever dream . Tools , nails , screws , boxes - an entire DIY graveyard dumped in a single corner . The pliers were buried somewhere in the back like they owed someone money . ] ] use Edition . [ I stretched up , teetering on my toes , reaching for them like I was auditioning for Swan Lake : Apocalypse Just as I grabbed them , my foot rolled over something suspiciously round and untrustworthy . I yelped . lost my balance , and flailed like a human car dealership balloon mid windstorm There were nails all over the flour . Actual nails . Pointy and plentiful . The sort of thing that would absolutely ruin my chances at open - toed heels ever again . open- But the pain never came . ] Instead , a pair of strong arms wrapped around my waist and hauled me upright like I weighed less than a bag of crisps . " Careful , " he muttered , voice low . [ ] My heart was still trying to yeet itself out of my chest . I couldn't see him - he was behind me - but every one of my senses had dialled up to a hundred in the dark . ] His breath skimmed my neck , warm and low . The heat of his hands burned through the fabric of my top , fingers firm against my waist like he was built for catching wayward women in stairwell accidents . And his scent - Jesus . Freshly showered , with that crisp , clean smell of soap that definitely cost more than my weekly grocery shop . Something ridiculous , like ' Alpine Seduction ' or ' Boardroom Temptation Whatever it was , it had no business being that sexy . The second I felt steady again , I pulled away from his arms . ] And then the lights flicked on [ I blinked twice and shuffled a few feet away , putting what I hoped was a respectable amount of space between us . " You fixed it ? " ] " Yeah , " he said . ' Go check your place . See if everything's back to normal . ' Right . Yeah . Cool . " I tossed the pliers onto a nearby shelf and fed I legged it back to my flat like someone had lit à fire under my arse , and it wasn't until the door clicked shut behind me that I realised I hadn't thanked him Or asked if he'd seen my note . Basir social stuff . Stuff I usually didn't mess up Normally , I wasn't like this . I wasn't the type to go all wobbly kneed and tongue tied because of une hot guy apparently , close physical proximity to the man short circuited my entire personality . One minute I was Mirabelle Vance , functional adult with working vocabulary , and the next I was a glitching mess who couldn't even make eye contact without overheating . And really , how was I meant to stay composed ? He was standing there in a damp towel and a clingy T - shirt so thin it might as well have come with a viewer discretion waming The man's presence didn't just affect me - it practically rewired my hormones . I was genuinely impressed I'd managed to escape before he noticed how the heat of his skin had turned my spine to jelly , or how close I'd come to full - on swooning . Me . Swooning . Like some Regency heroine who'd misplaced her smelling salts I shook my head violently , trying to scrub the image of him from my brain . Him in that towel . Drops of water trailing down his neck . ] That scent clean , crisp , outrageously masculine . " Pull yourself together , Mira . " I softly banged my head against the door . You're not a blushing virgin or a hormonal teenager . You've seen abs before . Hell , you've had ahs before . " My phone buzzed . I checked it with dread . Not Rhys . Thank God . ] Unknown number . Saw your note . Noted about the moving out . Do you need help finding a new place ? I have some suggestions if you'd like . Name's Ashton , by the way . Oh . So that's his name . Social etiquette whispered that I should probably call him . Thank him for the blackout rescue . Or , I dunno , discuss the upcoming party where we were supposed to debut our fake engagement . ] The fact that he'd texted meant he was awake . And probably shirtless I stared at my phone , debating . ] Going over there at this hour felt like tempting fate Or more accurately , tempting myself to do something wildly inappropriate , like climb him like a tree and make very questionable choices I didn't trust my judgement . Late night was prime territory for reckless decisions and accidentally catching feelings Or feelings adjacent hormones So instead . I sent back a safe , responsible message : Thanks for the offer , but I've got several places in mind already . Good night [ ] Chapter 20 The night came with dreams so vividly R - rated , my therapist would probably need to show ID before I could legally describe them . I woke up with a groan muffled into my pillow , brain still stuck in the haze of sleep and scandalous fantasies . And , of course , there he was - Ashton . Bloody Ashton Ashton with the abs you could grate cheese on Ashton with arms so they looked like they'd been Photoshopped by Zeus himself . Ashton with- Right , no . Stop it , Mira . I mentally slapped my libido and told it to sit in the corner and think about what it'd done . [ ] o sculpted I spent the morning apartment - hunting to distract myself and the afternoon sketching designs for a jewellery line that the studio might use in their next launch . I ordered takeaway , stayed firmly indoors , and basically avoided all windows like I was in witness protection - because if I so much as glimpsed Hot Ashton again , there was a non - zero chance I'd combust on the spot or attempt to lick his abs . [ ] Rhys didn't call again to chase me down for the family dinner . ] Either he'd finally grown a pair , or he'd weaselled his way out of it without me . I wondered if he'd dragged Catherine back to meet the family , then rolled my eyes and dismissed it . His mum , Louisa , had always had a personal vendetta against Catherine . [ ] Something about her being too sharp , too slick , and too obviously after the Granger family fortune . Louisa'd probably combust if she knew Rhys and Catherine were rekindling their ex - from - hell flame Speak of the devil . Louisa's name flashed across my phone screen . I hadn't called her since the breakup . I'd needed a breather to sort through the emotional wreckage , but apparently my breather had expired . I stared at the phone , weighing my options : keep pretending I'd moved to a remote island with no signal, or grow a spine and deal