I'm Afraid I Won't Be Able to Leave

Leah Sinclair’s gaze fell on the lipstick stain on his white shirt, and a dull ache pulsed in her heart. "Not today."

Asher Keating frowned. "Reason."

"...I just don’t want to."

"Do you think you have a choice?"

Asher grabbed her by the head and kissed her. Leah refused to open her mouth. He kissed her forcefully, but he couldn’t part her lips. Finally, in a fit of desperation, Leah bit him, drawing blood.

Asher Keating hissed and let her go. He licked the spot she had bitten, tasting blood. He let out a humorless laugh. "Leah Sinclair, you’d better explain yourself."

With her eyes red, Leah Sinclair refused to speak. Asher Keating had been on edge all night, and seeing her like this only made him more agitated. "Have I been spoiling you too much these past few days? Is that why you’re starting to get picky with me?"

"I don’t want you kissing me right after you’ve kissed someone else... It makes me...uncomfortable."

Leah wanted to tell him to at least take a shower first, but she didn’t dare. ’I know I’m in no position to be picky, but I just can’t accept this.’

Asher Keating paused, a conflicted look on his face as he frowned. But seeing her red-rimmed eyes, he pulled her into his arms and offered an explanation, "I didn’t kiss her. Nothing happened. I was just messing with Morgan Sterling."

Now it was Leah Sinclair’s turn to be stunned. She pointed at his shirt. "This lipstick stain."

Only then did Asher Keating notice the mark on his collar. He stood up, took off his shirt, and tossed it in the trash. "She tried to kiss me but missed. It must have smeared on me then."

Then, somewhat amused, he asked her, "What’s this? Are you getting jealous?"

Leah Sinclair was silent for a moment. "If I said yes, would you think I was getting ahead of myself?"

Leah tried to stand, but she was too dizzy. Asher came back to steady her. Emboldened by the alcohol, she threw her arms around him and buried her head in his chest. "I’m sorry... Asher. I know I have no right to, but I was just so upset. I was jealous."

Asher Keating’s mood inexplicably brightened. "There are some things about Madeline Sterling I can’t tell you. Just remember this: I will never kiss her, and I certainly will never sleep with her. That’s all you need to know."

Leah nodded obediently in his arms. Asher held her down. "So, can I kiss you now?"

Leah gently touched the spot on his lip where she had bitten him. Blushing, she nodded. "But can we not... Asher, I’m really dizzy."

Asher Keating didn’t say yes or no. He just picked her up and carried her to the bathroom. Kissing her earlobe, he asked, "Who taught you how to play pool?"

"A long time ago... um... I learned at a part-time job... at a pool hall in college."

Asher didn’t say anything. She was dizzy again and could only hang limply in his arms. Just before she passed out, he said, "You can make it up to me tomorrow. Double."

"Mm," Leah Sinclair mumbled, having no idea what he’d said. She was already fast asleep.

Asher cleaned her up, carried her back to the bed, and went to have a cigarette. ’I know my feelings for Leah have been different these past few days,’ he thought, ’but I can’t be bothered with it. According to her own calculations, she still owes me a ton of money. I don’t want to get hung up on this stuff too early.’

’Some things require planning ahead, but this kind of thing has never been on my list. Since it feels pretty good right now, I’ll just let it continue. I’m happy to spoil her for now. Who knows? I might suddenly lose interest one day.’

The next day, Leah was woken by Asher’s kisses. She groggily murmured, "Asher..."

Leah didn’t get out of bed all morning. Asher, on the other hand, was in high spirits. As Leah cooked noodles, she glared at Asher, who was lounging on the sofa in his house clothes, lazily looking at his laptop. She gritted her teeth. ’Why is he always here lately? Isn’t he supposed to be busy? At this rate, I’ll be completely worn out.’

While they were having lunch, Leah received a text message that 200,000 had been deposited into her account. The shock nearly made her drop her chopsticks. When Asher found out, he glanced at her. "Morgan Sterling lost. It’s only normal that he’d pay you. What are you panicking about?"

"But I can’t take all of it!"

Leah quickly did the math. There were six people in total, so the average share was 33,333.33. She rounded up and sent 33,500 to Riley Sterling. Then she sent 100,500 to Ethan Shaw, asking him to pass on the shares for the other two. Finally, she transferred 33,500 to Asher Keating.

Asher looked at the transfer notification on his phone, a bit exasperated. He rejected it. "I don’t need it. You keep it."

Leah transferred it to him again. "No, everyone gets a share! Even close brothers keep clear accounts. Besides, you helped too."

Hearing this, why did Asher suddenly feel like she was paying him for his ’services’ in bed?

Leah didn’t notice his reaction and was still busy with her calculations. A moment later, Asher received another transfer notification. This time it was for 180,000. He raised an eyebrow at Leah. "What’s the meaning of this?"

Leah looked a little embarrassed. "Yesterday, I won 50,000 from Ben Coleman and 100,000 from Morgan Sterling, plus the money from the drinking game. I’m paying you back 180,000 first, and I kept a little for living expenses. During this time... we’ve slept together three times... I still owe you 590,000. And then there’s the necklace you bought me. I looked it up, it’s over 40,000... so I still owe you a total of 640,000."

Asher lit a cigarette, his eyes turning cold. "Are you trying to settle accounts with me?"

Leah lowered her head and said nothing.

"Heh. Five thousand a night. You’ve really calculated it all down to the last dollar, haven’t you?"

’I must have been crazy last night,’ Asher thought. ’What was I thinking, deciding to just spoil her for a while and let things be until I lose interest?’

"It’s not like that, Asher," Leah said softly.

Suddenly, Asher reached across the table and grabbed Leah’s chin, forcing her to look up at him. "How is it not like that?"

He used so much force that for a moment, Leah thought her jaw would shatter. Aside from their first night together, Asher had never been this rough with her. A sudden fear gripped her heart. ’I think I forgot that this man isn’t someone you can reason with.’

"Cat got your tongue?" Asher smiled, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes at all.

Leah forced herself to calm down. ’I can’t let Asher misunderstand. I’m not going to be one of those people who’s too stubborn to explain themselves.’

She looked into Asher’s cold eyes and tried to make her voice as clear as possible. "Asher, our relationship right now is that you’re keeping me. But we agreed beforehand—I sleep with you, and you let me work off my debt. I’ve never been in a relationship before. You’re my first."

As she spoke, Leah’s eyes grew red. When Asher heard her last words, his grip on her chin involuntarily loosened.

"If I hadn’t developed other feelings for you, I might have been able to treat it like a simple transaction. I know I shouldn’t have... but, Asher... I have."