Page 27 of Fateful Exposure

"All done, Mr. McCall."

The voice drew me out of my reverie. I nodded at the mover who'd spoken to me, clasping his outstretched arm. "Thank you."

A minute later, the moving truck was gone, and all that remained was a silence that threatened my sanity. Could I really do this? Live with just a wall separating us and not fight the constant urge to march over to her side, rip her clothes off, and take her roughly against that very same wall?

I walked into my new apartment. It was massive, though not as big as my penthouse on Fifth Avenue, which I'd just moved out of. The things I was doing because of Selma got even more ridiculous as the days went by—sex without protection, working without pay, and now buying a new house I didn't need.

What’s next? Giving her one of my kidneys?

Why was I still making efforts to stay in her life? Was it merely because of the baby, or was Milo right about me liking her?

I shook my head, stepping out of the apartment. Milo was a dumb fuck who couldn't even hear his own thoughts, given the long hours he spent with those damned headphones over his ears. What the hell did he know about anything?

The elevator tinged. Anticipation thrummed through my veins like an electric current. I knew this was a risky move, but something told me it was the right one. Selma's disdain for me would never be enough to keep me away—not when I knew her body cried out for my touch.

I saw her red stilettos before the rest of her body appeared. Like a bouncer, I crossed my arms and stood in front of my apartment.

She approached, cracking her neck as she walked. I braced myself for the storm that was sure to follow. Then she caught sight of me, coming to a halt in the middle of the long hallway. Her green eyes blazed with palpable fury as she stared back at me.

"What the fuck are you doing here?” she demanded. “Oh, my God, are you stalking me?"

I rolled my eyes. "Get off your high horse. You're not worth that kind of stress."

"Is this your idea of a sick joke?" she continued angrily. "Do I need to get a restraining order? Because I will."

I shrugged nonchalantly. "Please, do. It'll certainly save me the trouble of working for free."

She narrowed her eyes to me. "You haven't answered my question. What are you doing here?"

Her expression caused me to grin. "I live here now."

"I swear to—wait, what?"

Just because I knew it would piss her the fuck off, I waved gingerly. "Hi, neighbor. Looks like we're going to be spending an awful lot of time together. Gee. I'm so excited I can't wait."

Her eyes were as wide as saucers. "Tell me you're joking."

I stared at her in response, my grin widening. Oh, I loved it when she was mad. It made living worth it.

Her expression shifted from anger to confusion, disbelief etched into the furrows of her brow. "But…how? This is my apartment building. Not yours."

"Bought it last night. I guess you'll just have to find a way to share. To make things even better, I bought the one next to yours."

Her breath hitched in her throat, a flicker of uncertainty crossing her features before it was replaced by a steely resolve. "You…you bought the apartment next to mine?"

"Mhmm," I said with a nod.

Then the confusion cleared, and the anger resurfaced, threatening to boil over. "Are you out of your mind, Ashton? Do you have any idea what kind of invasion of privacy this is?"

I fixed her with a burning glare. "I will not let you keep me out of my child's life, Selma."

"And you think this is the way to go about it? By joining us at the hip?"

Her nostrils flared as she scanned the hallway as if checking for an audience. I frowned. Did she not want people to know she was pregnant? Wait a minute. Did anyone know? Now that I thought about it, Maria most likely didn't. She would have said something by now.

Is Selma…ashamed?The thought did not strike me in a pleasant way.

"Well, you didn't exactly leave me any choice, did you?” I said. “When's your next check-up?"

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