Nico leaned forward. ‘I lost mylife,’ he snarled. ‘And everything and everyone that mattered to me. And you were part of that,princess, so enough with your “damsel in distress” act. I’m not buying it, and I never will.’ With that, he gave her a purposeful push towards the door, his hand on her shoulder.
Ashley stared at him, her eyes wide with confusion and shock as she caught herself with one arm flung out to the door handle. ‘Iwas?’
Nico had had enough.‘Go.’He raised his hand as if to push her again, although he knew he wouldn’t. He’d already made his message clear. As he’d told her before, he wasn’t cruel—not the way her father had been.
Finally, Ashley seemed to accept defeat. Her eyes still sparkled with tears and her lips trembled before she firmed them into a line. Lifting her chin a notch in a way that gave Nico an unexpected flicker of admiration, she eased herself out of the car. She closed the door politely, not slamming it, and left him alone with his revenge.
Nico exhaled slowly, willing himself to feel the sweet satisfaction of that delectable dish best eaten cold, but he felt nothing. He was empty inside, as if a cold wind was blowing right through him. He’d finally achieved what he’d set out to do—the last remaining connection to Woodward Investments, as it was, was about to be dismantled and destroyed. Chase Woodward was in prison and his daughter had nothing. Why did he not feel the way he’d thought he would, the way heneededto? Maybe if he gave it time…
Irritated with himself, he rolled down the window to check that Ashley Woodward was good and gone, only to see her standing a few metres away, limping pitifully. Her ankle really was injured, maybe even sprained. For the second time that day in relation to this woman and her ailments, Nico swore under his breath. And then, hating himself for his own weakness, he threw open the limo door and climbed out, striding toward Ashley.
‘You’re in no condition to go anywhere,’ he snapped, his voice sharp with irritation. ‘Why don’t you hail a cab?’
‘I don’t have my wallet or phone,’ Ashley replied with trembling dignity. ‘But please don’t trouble yourself on my account. You haven’t so far,’ she flung at him, ‘So I’m not sure why you’d change now.’
Again, Nico felt that flicker of admiration for her courage…and promptly squashed it. He didn’t need Ashley Woodward appealing to his sympathies.
‘You obviously need that ankle tended to,’ he told her gruffly. ‘You can come into my office building and be seen to. Then I’ll get you a car to take you wherever you need to go.’
She turned to stare at him in disbelief. ‘Why would you help me now?’ she asked, sounding genuinely curious as well as completely defeated. ‘You’ve already takeneverythingfrom me. What does being decent do for you now?’ Her lips twisted bitterly. ‘Does it give you a little thrill? You don’t need to kick me when I’m down. You can just pretend to help me up.’
‘Iamhelping you,’ Nico replied through gritted teeth. Her words pierced him in a way he hadn’t expected and didn’t entirely understand. Ashley Woodward had been complicit in his unjust arrest and imprisonment. Whether she remembered her part in it or not was irrelevant…even if the fact that she might have forgotten remained galling. He thought he’d almost prefer her to be deceitful. ‘Now stop arguing,’ he added, wanting to cut off any more uncomfortable accusations she might make, ‘And come with me.’
He took her by the elbow, intending to help her into his building, but by the way she limped he realised she couldn’t put any weight on her ankle at all so, swearing again, he lifted her into his arms in one sweeping movement and strode towards the office doors.
Chapter Five
ASHLEY KNEW BETTERthan to protest as Nico carried her into the sleek skyscraper off Wall Street that housed Galletti Finance. Her ankle hurt too much, and Nico was clearly a man who didn’t like to be challenged.
And, in any case, she was just tootired. She’d fought and lost too many times today, and after thirty-six hours with little food or sleep she simply didn’t have a protest for pride’s sake inside her. Maybe she really was weak, as her father had always said. Weak enough, even, to rest her head against Nico’s strong, hard chest as he carried her because she was too tired to arch away from him—even though she knew she should, as a matter of principle, especially after that entirely unexpected and scorching kiss…
Not that she was going to think about that kiss, especially with what had comeafter… What on earth had he meant, that she’d been part of him losing his life? It didn’t make any sense, but Nico Galletti hadn’t struck her as someone prone to exaggeration. Surely there had to be some mistake? She’d never met him before. She’d had nothing to do with her father’s business, besides playing his hostess at various events. Nico Galletti simply couldn’t have any reason to blame her.
Without even realising she was doing it, Ashley closed her eyes. She was too tired to fight any more, even tothinkany more, and it felt weirdly comforting to be carried in someone’s arms. Even Nico Galletti’s.
EspeciallyNico Galletti’s, she forced herself to acknowledge. Caught up in his strong arms, she felt small and safe in a way she secretly relished. For the last four years, she’d tried so hard to be independent and strong. She’dhadto be, because with her father in prison and her mother in care there was little choice. But right now, just for a few moments, it was nice to feel someone else was in charge. Even if that person was wrecking her life.
Ashley heard the swish of the automated doors as Nico strode into the foyer, and then the startled gasp of a few people as he walked toward the back.
‘Mr Galletti?’
‘Can I help?’
‘Should I call…?’
Ashley let her eyes flutter open for a few seconds—she glimpsed a vast and soaring foyer of black marble and a gleaming bank of lifts at the back—and then quickly closed them again, doing her best to ignore the whispers of speculation as Nico carried her towards the lifts. Really, there was something fun and fairytale-like about this whole scene that she perversely enjoyed. She’d have to open her eyes soon enough and face the music—or at least, this man.
Nico stepped into a lift, and it soared upwards at a dizzying speed, making her clutch him a little closer. She could tell he noticed from the way his arms tensed around her, and he drew in a sharp breath. As long as she kept her eyes closed, Ashley told herself, she didn’t have to be embarrassed by the fact that she was practicallycuddlingNico Galletti. She breathed in the scent of his cologne—clean and woodsy with a hint of leather. Even with her eyes closed, she could tell her lips were alarmingly near his throat, just as they’d been back in the limo.
But she wasn’t going to think about that time-out-of-time back in the limo. Not without feeling extremely embarrassed and unsettlingly confused, anyway. The lift door opened, and Nico stepped out. Then he walked swiftly for a few seconds, nudged open a door with his foot and then deposited Ashley on what felt like a bed—a very soft, wide, comfortable one.
Her eyes flew open and she took in her surroundings: a sumptuous bedroom decorated in shades of grey, a floor-to-ceiling picture window overlooking Wall Street. ‘Where are we?’ she demanded, her voice coming out in something like a squeak.
Nico’s mouth quirked, his eyes glinting silver as he shrugged off his jacket. ‘We’re in my bedroom so we can finish what we started in the limo.’
‘What—?’This time her voice was a positive squawk.
Nico’s lips quirked again. ‘Relax, I’m not about to relieve you of your dubious virtue. You’re in a spare bedroom at my office. I’m sending up someone to look at your ankle.’
