‘Maybe I do…’
The dresses were beautiful. Each one Ashley tried on slipped over her like liquid, silky-soft and clinging to her curves. And, instead of feeling trapped and burdened by the clothes and the expectations, she felt powerful…free. Seeing Nico’s eyes darken with desire only added to the heady feeling of finally reclaiming her past and feeling in control of her life.
She settled on a halter-neck dress of emerald satin with a deep vee and a slit up the side to the thigh. Despite this, the dress was surprisingly modest, at least until she started walking, with every step showing a long, golden glimpse of thigh.
‘You’d better take that dress off,’ Nico growled as he reached for her. ‘I don’t want to rip it.’
‘Take it off?’ Ashley replied innocently. She reached behind to undo the tie at the back of her neck, and with a single shrug of her shoulders the dress slithered down to her waist. A twist of her hips had it slipping silently to her ankles, so all she wore was a tiny pair of pants and four-inch stiletto heels.
Nico growled again, low in his throat.
Ashley stepped out of the dress and strolled towards him, revelling in both the power she had in this moment and the powerhehad—because already she felt as if she were both melting and burning inside, absolutely desperate for his touch.
She came to stand in front of him and he fastened his hands on her hips, his mouth mere inches from the juncture of her thighs. ‘These have to go,’ he murmured huskily, and hooked one finger in the elastic band of her pants before tugging them firmly downward. Ashley stepped out of them, a moan escaping her as Nico brought her hips even closer, settling his mouth on the most intimate part of herself.
She anchored herself with her hands in his hair, her head thrown back as she swayed with pleasure. He explored every moist fold and kept coming back for more. It was the most exposing, intimate and vulnerable thing she’d ever done, being so open to him like this, having him know her even more fully than he had before, and she relished every minute.
When her climax came, rushing over her in an onslaught of sensation, her knees buckled and Nico swept her into his arms, striding with confidence to the bedroom, leaving all the dresses behind, including the one she would wear tonight, which was rumpled on the floor.
Ashley lay on the bed, dazed and flushed, the aftershocks of her climax still pleasurably zinging through her as Nico quickly shed his clothes.
‘Do we have time…?’ she murmured as he stretched out next to her.
He laughed throatily as he pulled her to him. ‘Oh yes,’ he assured her. ‘We have plenty of time…’
Four hours later, Nico stood at the edge of the ballroom, a flute of champagne clasped in his hand as he watched Ashley make the rounds, talking up Infinite Innovations at every opportunity. She was radiant with purpose and joy. Her hair was held back the same way it had been at that ball so long ago, diamond drops on her ears that he had given her himself just an hour ago. The dress she wore was different, but just as beautiful, and, Nico reflected, more suitable for a woman of her maturity and elegance than the naïve eighteen-year-old girl she’d once been.
Everything felt like a redemption. These last ten days together had felt like a miracle, one he was so very thankful for. After his years in prison and the relentless grind of proving himself afterwards, he’d thought he’d lost the ability to trust anyone ever again. To love anyone ever again—and certainly not a Woodward.
Yet here he was, considering those two emotions in relation to Ashley Woodward, a woman he’d come to respect, admire, enjoy and, yes, maybe even love.
Love. The word reverberated through him. No matter how wonderful the last ten days had been, it made him uneasy, as did the feeling. Ten days was nothing when it came to actually knowing someone. Even if he was falling in love with Ashley, he didn’t yet know her well enough to be able truly to trust her.
Did he? There were certainly things, important things, he still hadn’t told her—such as how she’d turned away from him on that fateful night. He hadn’t told her about Roberto, even though she’d asked about his family. He still kept the most private and exposing parts of his life to himself, but there had been moments when he’d considered telling her, when he’d wanted to unburden himself.
What was love without trust? And he didwantto trust and love her? Over the last week and a half, he’d felt that he was starting to; it had been less of a choice than a compulsion, and it had been freeing and frightening in equal measure. It was so much safer, Nico reflected, as well as so much easier, simply to keep his guard up. To make sure not to let anyone in, especially a Woodward. But, he’d come to realise, it was no way to live: without love, without trust, without joy.
Now, in a moment of quiet, he knew he needed to take stock and ask himself honestly whether, considering all he’d already endured—some of it at the hands of Ashley herself—he could let go and truly let himself love her. Did he have it in him? Was he willing to let the last of his prized control slip from his hands?
‘Nico!’ Nico turned to see Adam Tyler, a business colleague from New York, strolling up to him. ‘I didn’t know you were in Italy,’ the man remarked.
‘Just checking in on my real estate,’ Nico replied dryly. ‘And you?’ Adam was CEO of a luxury tourism business that often recommended Galletti hotels.
‘Visiting all the locations for a new tour we’re offering,’ Tyler replied with a grin. ‘It’s a tough job, but somebody’s got to do it.’
‘I’m sure.’
Tyler’s eyes narrowed as he gazed out over the ballroom that held a fair few of Europe’s and North America’s most influential financiers and entrepreneurs, all gathered together to support an international charity for cancer research. It was, Nico thought, the perfect opportunity for Ashley to talk about Infinite Innovations.
‘So what’s the deal with you and the Woodward woman?’ Tyler asked, jangling some keys in his pocket as his narrowed gaze lasered in on Ashley, who stood across the ballroom, gesturing enthusiastically with her hands as she chatted to another guest. ‘You took over her company and now you’re travelling the world with her?’
There was a slightly suggestive note in the other man’s voice that made Nico tense. The last thing he wanted to do was talk about his relationship with Ashley with a veritable stranger.
‘Something like that,’ he replied.
‘I always thought that company was a vanity project,’ Tyler remarked. ‘Most people see it as a money-laundering operation, although Chase Woodward won’t get to use his hard-stolen cash for some time.’ He let out a dry chuckle. ‘Word is, though, he might get parole in a year.’ Tyler shrugged while Nico went completely rigid, the casually spoken words reverberating through him like the aftershocks of an earthquake.
‘Chase Woodward,’ he stated carefully, coldly, ‘Has nothing to do with Infinite Innovations.’
