"I'll apply the ointment for you," he said firmly.
"No need. I'm fine," I rasped, my voice coming out rougher than I intended.
His gaze darkened. "Either I do it, or you do it yourself. Choose."
Something snapped. "Ashton, will you please stop?" I was completely drained, and he kept picking at every last nerve I had. I had nothing left — no patience, no grace, nothing. Just the raw, scraped-out feeling of a person pushed past their limit.
He nodded calmly. "So I'll do it?"
His stubbornness pushed me over the edge. I sat up and shoved him hard. He wasn't expecting it and went down. "Can you stop annoying me? I have told you over and over to leave me alone. Are you even listening?"
The moment the words left my mouth, I dropped back down and buried myself under the covers.
