‘Oh, so we’re going to talk about last night?’ she asked in a trembling voice. She pushed her hair away from her face. ‘I’m not expecting unicorns and rainbows, Nico, or declarations of love and wedding rings, for heaven’s sake. But… I thought we’dtalkabout it.’
‘Fine.’ He put down his coffee mug and folded his arms. ‘Let’s talk about it.’
‘Such an invitation.’ She shook her head, despairing now. She wanted to be a grown-up about this, but Nico’s forbidding manner made it hard to feel anything but hurt. Had last night not meant anything to him at all? Why was she even surprised?
‘Ashley…’ He released his breath in a long, slow hiss as he ran one long-fingered hand through his hair. ‘I don’t want to hurt you, but last night was…last night. I’m not…’ He paused, his beautiful face, all harsh angles and planes, hardening into resolve. ‘I’m not interested in anything serious,’ he told her flatly. ‘And frankly I think any kind of physical relationship would complicate this merger at this point—’
‘So it’s a merge, now?’ she interjected, grateful that her voice didn’t shake, ‘Not a takeover?’
‘As it happens,’ he informed her coolly, ‘I’m willing to keep Infinite Innovations in some form. Your employees can have their jobs. But, whatever form the company takes, it will have to be a modified version—some of your proposed inventions were little more than vanity projects.’
‘They were important to the people they could have helped,’ she fired back, even though she knew he was right. ‘And my job?’ she asked after a moment.
Nico hesitated, his eyes flashing with…what…regret? Whatever it was, Ashley felt the need to brace herself for yet another body blow of a remark.
‘I can’t have a Woodward as part of my team,’ he told her, his tone final. ‘And I think it would be better overall if we didn’t work together.’
So he still blamed her on some level, she realised numbly, absorbing the shock and pain of his flatly given statement. It was a delusion to have hoped for all the supposed healing and wholenessfrom last night, just as she’d feared.
‘And yet you want a photo op today,’ she managed shakily.
‘For the sake of your team, I think you can manage it,’ Nico suggested coolly. His arms were still folded, his gaze steely with resolve. He seemed a million miles from the man who had been so tender last night, who had touched her with such skill, sensitivity and pleasure. Who had held her in his arms and told her he didn’t want her to go.
Had so much really changed?
Ashley shook her head slowly. ‘Why…why are you being so cold?’ she asked in a low voice. Surely at this point her honesty couldn’t make things worse? ‘I get that last night was last night,’ she continued. ‘Fine. I won’t be asking for a repeat, don’t worry. But I thought… I thought we were…’ What—friends? No, not that, butsomething. ‘I thought we’d got over all this animosity,’ she finished. ‘When we’d spoken…’ She found she couldn’t say anything more.
‘I don’t mean to be cold,’ he said in the same matter-of-fact voice he’d used along. Itfeltcold. ‘Just practical.’
‘Practical…’ She nodded slowly. Well, maybe she would have to be practical too. If she could convince Nico of the importance of Infinite Innovations and the inventions it championed…if these so-called photo ops would help the company and the employees she cared about, along with the people she was trying to help…well, she would do it. And then, after today, she’d never see him again.
Why did that thought hurt so much?
Nico had told himself he was being cruel to be kind, but it didn’t feel that way. After last night, he’d wanted to get this morning on the right footing. Create a necessary distance and professionalism, because just remembering how intimate and honest he’d been last night had him mentally cringing in shame and anger.
Never trust a Woodward. Never be that naïve again. Never let anyone close enough to hurt you.
Had he learnednothingfrom his five years in prison?
It had to be this way, for both their sakes, but he still didn’t like how wounded Ashley looked. Maybe he’d been too harsh.
‘Look, I’d like to have an enjoyable day together,’ he told her. ‘Show me the things you care about. Give me a tour of the city.’
‘A tour of the city?’ she scoffed, her voice wobbling. ‘You’re from Brooklyn.’
‘Pretend I’m a tourist,’ he cajoled with a smile.
‘Because this is all fake.’ She spat the words out like bitter seeds. ‘You can stop trying to convince me, not that you were doing a good job of it, because I’ll do it…for the employees’ sakes. And I think you’re right. It’s better if I don’t work for you.’ She bared her teeth in a smile. ‘I can already tell that would be averybad idea.’
She turned on her heel, stalking back to her bedroom. ‘Now, if you don’t mind,’ she called over her shoulder, ‘I’m going to go home and take a shower and scrub the memory of last night from my mind. Then I’ll meet you wherever you choose so we can have our oh-so-important photo op.’
‘Ashley.’ He was caught between annoyance and guilt, even shame, that he’d so obviously hurt her. It had been the last thing he’d wanted last night. ‘A day of sparring remarks and hurt looks,’ he told her, ‘Is not going to help either of our causes.’
‘I’m nothurt,’ she snapped, her eyes flashing jade sparks as she pressed her lips together to keep them from trembling further. ‘I’m annoyed. There’s a difference.’ And then, her breath hitching audibly, she stalked into his bedroom, closing the door behind her with a sound somewhere between a firm click and a slam.
Nico sighed. This was not what he wanted at all. Another weary sigh escaped him as he turned to gaze out of the window.Last night…
He couldn’t stop thinking about last night, thinking how good and even right Ashley had felt in his arms. The way she’d touched him, how he’d felt moving inside her…the sense of completion and wholeness that had suffused his whole being as he’d held her in his arms, as if he’d found a home when he hadn’t even been looking for one.
