Perfect Match: Irresistible Desire For You
Chapter 84

While Ashley was struggling desperately to be free of them, the two men closest to her suddenly fell to the ground with a g***n. The shackles on her body suddenly disappeared.

Through misty eyes, Ashley saw Joseph come into view. He looked like Ares, the god of war, as he fought the wicked men one by one. She was overwhelmed with relief when she saw him come to her aid.

The murderous look on Joseph’s face made him look like the devil incarnate. He beat the men ruthlessly, sparing them no mercy. All of a sudden, one of the men picked up the knife and lunged to cut him.

“Watch out!” Joseph was preoccupied with fending off the three men that he didn’t notice the man moving to stab him. Ashley rushed over and knocked out the man with the knife. The man with red-rimmed eyes noticed Ashley moving towards him, so he immediately aimed his knife towards her to cut her up.

Joseph had finished dealing with the other men by the time he noticed the man moving to attack Ashley. He gripped his wrist tightly then gave it a sharp jerk, breaking it hard. The knife rattled onto the floor as the man screamed in agony. Joseph then proceeded to kick him mercilessly.

When he was sure that they had been subdued, Joseph dialed a number and quickly issued orders before he hung up.

Ashley immediately threw herself into his arms and sobbed, “I’m so glad you were here.”

“Don’t worry. Everything’s okay now.” Her entire body trembled against him as he stroked her head gently and whispered soothing words into her ear.

She clung to Joseph’s waist tightly and buried her head in the crook of his shoulder as she cried. Until now, her legs still felt a little weak.

He could feel how terrified she was, so he let her hold him and gently stroked her back to console her.

The two held each other close underneath the moonlight, closing the distance that had grown between them.

As he recalled the look of terror and desperation in Ashley’s eyes when he found her, he couldn’t help but feel a sharp pain in his chest. Fortunately, he had made it in time. He couldn’t even picture what would have happened if he weren’t there, and didn’t even want to think about how painful it would’ve been for her.

Joseph suddenly realized how much Ashley had grown to mean to him. His heart ached with yearning every time he looked at her.

He no longer wanted to keep her at arm’s length. All he could think about was how badly he wanted to protect her.

When did he fall in love with her?

After a few moments, a few people arrived at the scene. They moved to carry away the criminals still paralyzed on the ground and quickly left.

Joseph swore to himself that anyone who dared hurt the people dearest to him would suffer a horrible death.

“I’m sorry I was late,” he apologized in a soft voice.

Ashley raised her head from his shoulder and replied in a soft voice, “I should thank you for helping me.”

When she saw the pained look in Joseph’s eyes, her heart began to race. Never would she have expected Joseph to be affectionate towards her. She had to get her thoughts in order!

He noticed that she struggled to maintain eye contact with him, and he didn’t want to force her to own up to her feelings for him.

“It’s late. You should get some rest.” Joseph gently took Ashley’s trembling hands in his and walked her over to his tent. “Try and sleep. I’ll stay outside and keep watch.”

Ashley noticed that Joseph set up his tent close to her, which was why he had arrived so soon to help.

She was deeply touched by everything he had done for her. Even if they had gotten into an argument earlier, he didn’t want to be far from her so he could protect her.

As she looked back at her destroyed tent, she pulled him closer and said, “Can we sleep together? I’ll be afraid without you.” She worried that Joseph would catch a cold if he slept outside.

When she realized what she was implying, she lowered her head shyly. It was the first time she had requested such a thing from a man.

Joseph pretended to be oblivious to the shyness on her face. It was more important for her to feel comfortable so she could rest after what had just happened to her. How could he deny sleeping next to such a beautiful woman? He was happy to oblige her.

Joseph went back to her tent to take her pillow and quilt, then tidied up his tent before he let Ashley enter.

She gingerly crawled onto the bed he had made for her. Then, she heard Joseph close the door of his tent and lay down next to her.

For a long time, the only sound that could be heard was their shallow breathing. Ashley could make out the faint smell of tobacco from his bed. When she recalled how long she had sobbed in his arms, her cheeks suddenly flushed with embarrassment.

Flustered with herself, Ashley struggled to fall asleep. She gently turned to her side to see if Joseph was asleep.

As soon as she turned to face him, she came face to face with his intense eyes that heavily contrasted the dark night. She was dumbstruck for a moment at the sight.

To ease the tension she felt, she asked in a low voice, “You can’t sleep either?”

“Yes,” he whispered back to her.

Ashley wanted to scold herself for asking such a dumb question. It was too quiet in the tent, so she changed the topic and asked, “Did you hear me cry out for help?”

Joseph had always been vigilant whenever he slept at a new place and was a light sleeper, to begin with, so he immediately heard Ashley cry out to him. When he heard her, he immediately ripped his tent open and found her in danger.

Joseph explained briefly, “I woke up when you first screamed, and I immediately rushed out to help.”

Ashley knew he wouldn’t elaborate, so she didn’t pry any longer.

After that, they continued to talk about other topics to distract themselves from the horrors they had just survived. “Will you watch the sunrise with me tomorrow morning?” Ashley suddenly asked.