Lick Me Up If You Can Novel (Completed) - Chapter 123

It was still all incomprehensible. Koi stared blankly at Ashley’s profile, then belatedly asked in surprise.

“K-kidnapped?”

Ashley nodded at his involuntarily raised voice.

“Let’s leave for Mexico like this. Just the two of us.”

“W-wait, wait a minute.”

Koi frantically cut him off. He didn’t know what he was talking about. Why had this suddenly happened?

He vaguely remembered Ashley rushing into the motorhome. He even recalled Ashley beating his father, kicking him several times, and brutally assaulting him. He had felt worried about his father, yet also a sense of relief, before losing consciousness…

“M-my father?”

He asked, turning pale at the belated thought, and Ashley spat out roughly.

“Leave him be, that bastard.”

Hearing the insult directed at his father, Koi paused for a moment but then spoke.

“No, you can’t. Um, my phone… You didn’t bring my phone, did you?”

He habitually fumbled over his pocket as he asked, and Ashley frowned, glancing at him.

“You’re worrying about a man like that right now?”

To Ashley, who was fuming, Koi replied with a sigh.

“Of course… What if my father dies?”

Then Ashley would become a murderer. Assault and murder were distinctly different. In the event of a trial, no matter how rich and capable Ashley’s father was, or if he owned a law firm and was a lawyer, defending him would not be easy. The thought of Ashley going to prison made Koi unable to calm down.

“Ash, you have your phone, right? Lend it to me. Hurry, I need to call 911.”

“Just leave him. Let that human die or not.”

“Ash.”

Koi couldn’t hold back his frustration and confessed.

“What will I do if you become a murderer? Going to Mexico isn’t the end of it…”

This time, there was no answer. Ashley seemed to think for a moment, then sighed, changed his grip on the steering wheel, and lightly tossed his phone from his pants pocket towards Koi. Koi caught the phone with both hands and frantically dialed 911.

“…Yes, yes. Um… I don’t know. Yes, he fell because he was drunk, but he seems badly hurt… Yes, yes.”

Koi mumbled vaguely and hung up the phone, then let out a deep sigh. At least now his father would go to the hospital. He regretted not being able to properly check his condition.

Still, if his father didn’t die, it would be considered extenuating circumstances. Ashley had used such violence to save Koi, after all.

Hmph, Koi took another deep breath and looked back at Ashley. He was still driving, looking straight ahead. Had he calmed down a bit? Koi hesitated, then cautiously spoke.

“…Thank you for letting me make the call.”

As Koi expressed his gratitude, Ashley, who had been silent until then, spoke.

“When you testify to the police later, tell them I’m the kindest kidnapper you’ve ever met.”

His tone was indifferent, but Koi laughed. His momentary panic at the unexpected situation subsided, and seeing Ashley joke as usual put him at ease.

“This is my first time being kidnapped, though?”

When he subtly pointed it out, Ashley readily took his words.

“Because I’m the kindest among the accomplices.”

“Accomplices? Where?”

Could Bill or other friends have joined in?

To Koi, who glanced at the back seat in confusion, Ashley said.

“Ashley Miller, Ash Miller, A.D. Miller…”

“What’s that?”

Koi burst out laughing, then felt the pain in his face and immediately closed his mouth. Ashley immediately looked back at him, but Koi raised his hand, shook his head, and smiled faintly to show he was okay. Ashley’s expression briefly turned cold, but then he casually continued his joke.

“Be sure to testify that Ashley Miller was the kindest among them.”

Koi’s heart warmed at the fact that Ashley kept saying absurd things to reassure him.

“I’ll also say Ashley Miller is my favorite person.”

“You can’t say that.”

Unexpectedly, Ashley flatly refused. As Koi blinked in surprise, he still looked straight ahead and said.

“That’s Stockholm Syndrome. It won’t help your testimony at all.”

Koi immediately argued, feeling wronged.

“It’s true, it’s not Stockholm Syndrome, I really like Ashley Miller.”

Then Ashley frowned and muttered to himself.

“That’s problematic.”

“Why?”

What was it this time? As Koi asked anxiously, Ashley ostentatiously glanced towards the back seat and then whispered in a low voice.

“Ash Miller gets jealous.”

“Hahaha, ow.”

Koi, who had unconsciously burst out laughing again, then groaned and clutched his face. Ashley stopped joking and asked with a serious expression.

“Are you okay? Just bear with it a little longer, we’ll stop as soon as we see a pharmacy.”

“N-no. Don’t worry.”

Koi frantically shook his head.

“This is nothing. Really. I’ve been hit much worse… Thank you, Ash. For helping me.”

It was fortunate that Ashley had arrived before he got hit any more. As Koi belatedly expressed his gratitude, Ashley was silent for a moment, then muttered to himself.

“…Because I stupidly lost consciousness.”

“N-no, that’s not it!”

Koi frantically shook his head.

“You really did your best. It’s not your fault that you’re not well… It’s okay, really. It just looks bad, but it’s not serious.”

What he was really worried about was his father. He hadn’t even properly checked how much Ashley had beaten him. He hoped the report wasn’t too late…?

Koi became anxious again, but there was no way to check now.

He just hoped nothing happened to his father, when suddenly Ashley’s arm came into view. Seeing the injection mark remaining on the inside of his opposite arm, he remembered something he had forgotten. Then his complexion immediately turned pale.

“What’s wrong?”

Ashley, noticing Koi’s change, immediately asked. Koi opened his mouth, unable to take his eyes off Ashley’s arm.

“Um, you too… How’s your body? Are you okay? Your pheromones, have they all been released?”

“What? Oh…”

Ashley’s eyes, which had followed Koi’s gaze, returned to the front.

“I’m fine, it’s just an injection, that’s all.”

He said it nonchalantly, but the aftereffects were actually severe. He forced down the nausea that had been building up for a while and added, feigning the most indifferent tone possible.

“Don’t worry, it’s nothing.”

If Koi noticed his condition, he would become anxious again. Ashley was the only person Koi could rely on now. He absolutely had to appear fine.

Despite his efforts, Koi still looked worried. Perhaps there was a reason he wasn’t reassured, as he kept opening and closing his mouth, lowering his head, and furtively glancing at Ashley, who then asked.

“What’s wrong? If you have something to say, say it, it’s okay.”

At the words spoken as lightly as possible, Koi hesitated for a moment and then spoke.

“Um, your father’s secretary said… that you collapsed because you couldn’t control your pheromones well.”

“I’ve had an injection now, so I’m fine.”

Ashley tried to dismiss it casually, but Koi didn’t let it go.

“Um, I looked it up… There wasn’t much information about True Alphas, but, um, there was a little about pheromones…”

The way he kept dragging out his words felt ominous. To Ashley, who remained silent, Koi swallowed dryly and finally spoke.

“About how True Alphas release pheromones, um, that is… they hold some kind of party.”

For a moment, Ashley almost closed his eyes. If he hadn’t been driving, he surely would have. Fortunately, he avoided the crisis, but he couldn’t help but grip the steering wheel tighter.

To Ashley, who remained silent and unresponsive, Koi finally spoke the words he had held in his heart.

“Um, are you going too? That… pheromone release.”

“Koi.”

Ashley smiled bitterly and looked at Koi.

“I’m still a minor. I can’t even drink, so there’s no way I could go to a party like that.”

“R-really?”

Koi asked with wide eyes. Ashley let out a laugh of disbelief.

“Of course, why would I lie? Besides, I have a boyfriend.”

At Ashley’s meaningful gaze, Koi’s doubts gradually subsided. Instead, trust settled in, and as he watched Koi’s expression slowly turned to relief, Ashley also felt at ease.

Thank goodness.

Ashley secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Because Koi was timid, it took him time to ask the question, which allowed Ashley to feign composure and concoct his words.

He thought he had overcome the crisis, but he was wrong. Koi hesitated and then spoke again.

“Um, then…”

“Hm?”

Ashley, who had asked back thoughtlessly, was caught off guard by the next question.

“How do you deal with accumulated pheromones? You’re not sleeping with me…”

At the unexpected words, Ashley was speechless.