The Monster's Little Angel

Chapter 16

Quinn's eyes would not leave Ashton's. She couldn't believe that Ashton and his father were their guests. That he was standing right in front of her and she didn't know whether to be thrilled or anxious about seeing him once more.

"Welcome to my home, Enzo," her father proudly greeted Ashton's father and they shook hands firmly.

"Ah, Mr Reed. It is good to finally meet you. This is my son, Ashton," Enzo greeted as he motioned to Ashton.

Ashton and her father greeted each other, also shaking hands. Ashton then turned towards Quinn, giving her a gorgeous smile. She felt her cheeks heat up with a slight blush.

Why was she blushing around Ashton? How did he influence her so? Why did this weird and warm feeling consume her chest when he was around?

"Hello, Quinn," Ashton greeted, making her snap out of her thoughts.

"H-Hello, Ashton. It's nice to see you again," she shyly greeted back.

"Wait, you two know each other?" his father questioned, looking back and forth between the two teens.

"Yes, dad. So far, Quinn is in my homeroom as well as my Italian class," Ashton answered, still staring at Quinn making her blush profusely.

As Ashton's father took in the new information, his son took a gentle hold of Quinn's hand and placed a soft kiss on it. Her heart rate escalated and she feared that everyone in the house would hear it as it pounded against her chest. She put her head down, reaching out for Major with her other hand, hoping the feel of his soft fur would steady her drum-like heartbeat. How could he influence her body so easily with such a simple gesture?

He gave her a smirk, making her return it with a nod that she manged to muster up despite her embarrassment. However, the moment didn't last as her father cleared his throat, pulling her away from Ashton and turning them around.

"Well, let's go to the dining room now," Archer gritted out, much to Quinn's confusion, as he led everyone to the mentioned room.

They walked in with the long, dark wood dining table greeting them, neatly set while some housekeepers waiting to serve them. A large glass chandelier hung above their heads, lighting up the entire room in brilliant soft light.

"You have a beautiful home, Mr Reed," Enzo commented, as he looked around the dining room.

Archer, in his slightly murderous state of mind, had almost not heard the man as he helped Quinn into her seat. "Thank you. And please just call me Archer," he replied, taking a seat at the head.

Enzo took the seat next to him, on the right side of the table. Quinn took the seat to the left her father. And Ashton made himself comfortable right next to her. She looked over at him, seeing that he was staring back at her with that butterfly inducing smile. Her cheeks heated up once more and she quickly looked away so that he wouldn't see the effect he had on her.

Why was this happening?

***

They had just started on the main course and the two bosses were quietly discussing business, to which Quinn had no idea what they were talking about. It annoyed her to be so out of the loop but tonight it didn't bother her as much. At that moment her mind was occupied with something else. She was finding it impossible to ignore Ashton when he was right next to her. He was giving her sweet, little glances and flashing her amazing smiles that just demanded to have her attention. How could she ignore that?

"So, Quinn. How long ago did you move to Miami?" Ashton asked, starting up a friendly conversation between the two of them.

"Yesterday," she replied shyly, now giving him her full attention as to not come off as rude.

"You're kidding me! That long?"

"Is it that surprising?"

"Yeah, it kinda is," as he spoke, he noticed her hand sliver down to pet her dog, who was in his usual spot, right next to her and he had to ask, "So what's it's name?"

Quinn looked over at him as she replied, "His name is Major. And he's such a good boy."

He chuckled as she cooed and gushed over her pooch. She had a small but genuine smile on her face and he couldn't help as the next words slipped from his lips, "I think that's the first time I've actually seen you smile."

Her cheeks seemed to be scorched as she mumbled out, "Well, I'm shy and the move was a bit sudden."

"But you have such a beautiful smile."

She nearly fell over at his words as that warm feeling once again came crawling back into her chest. He gave her a smirk when he saw her blush and she just couldn't help but give him a shy smile in return.

"T-Thank you, Ashton," she shyly replied, her face still redder than a spiderlilly.

"You're welcome, Quinn." he smiled, taking her soft hand gently into his and holding it underneath the table.

A soft warmth enveloped her fingers and she loved the feel of his hand in hers again. But it made an unanswered question come into her mind that she just had to ask.

"Why did you hold my hand during Italian class?" she asked softly as she stared down at their joint hands.

"Because I felt like it," Ashton replied, making her quickly look up at him in disbelief.

"But you barely know me. You can't just do that to someone you don't know."

"Quinn, I don't have to know everything about you to be able to tease you."

Her heart suddenly stopped its hammering as she looked up at him, "You were just teasing me?"

"Yes. I thought it was obvious," he replied.

Something about his words made her stomach sink as she stared at their intertwined hands underneath the table. If he was just teasing her, then was she the only one who felt the tingles in her fingers as a warm feeling washed over her? Did he feel nothing? Was he just looking for some entertainment?

Ashton watched as she slipped her hand out of his, stabbing at a piece of potato with her fork as she went back to eating her dinner. An air of sorrow hanged around her like cheap perfume and he couldn't understand what had upset her all of a sudden.

Major also noticed her negative energy and was quick to lay his head on her lap. Her hand soon found its way to the back of his ear, scratching at it for some form of comfort as she continued to ignore Ashton. However, he continued to stare at her, his dark eyes filled with confusion.

"Did I do something wrong?"

Just then, a few maids came in, clearing away their plates before setting down their dessert. The dinner was coming to an end. Him and his father would soon be gone.

And all Quinn had to say to him was, "I'm not a toy for you to play with, Ashton."