The Wilde Side (30 page)

She thought of how far she'd come in the past month, and where she was headed, and smiled. "I
am
happy. More so than I've been in a very long time."

Letting go of her hands, Evan cocked his head speculatively. "Does that happiness have anything to do with Scott Wilde?"

Her eyes widened, and she gasped in surprise. "You know?"

"Actually, it was a guess," he said, and laughed with a fair amount of humor. "I had a gut feeling that something might be going on between the two of you. I've seen the way the two of you watch each other from across the lobby when you think no one is looking. You're in love with him, aren't you?"

She nodded, and said softly, "Yes, I am."

"Then there's something I think I should tell you. Your father is talking to Scott in my office, right at this moment. Seems word traveled its way down to the hotel manager that you were seen coming out of a suite on the fourteenth floor yesterday morning, and that room was registered under Scott Wilde. So, the manager mentioned it to me out of concern, and I told your father before he heard it from someone else."

Ashley cringed. "And?"

"Well, your father was a bit upset about Scott's intentions as far as you're concerned and was determined to find out what was going on between the two of you."

"Oh, no!" She buried her face in her hands and groaned, imagining the worst with Scott being on the receiving end of her father's interrogation – especially when it came to one of his daughters. And then there was the worry that all this would affect Scott's working relationship with her father and any future jobs for Nolan and Sons.

She looked up at Evan. "I need to go."

"Yeah, you do." He leaned toward her and brushed a chaste kiss on her cheek. "Scott is a great guy, Ashley, and he's damn lucky to have you. I wish you well with him."

"
If
he survives my father."

Evan chuckled. "Don't worry, you both will."

*

Scott had been summoned by Charles St. Claire, and judging by his grave, unsmiling expression, Scott highly suspected that this wasn't a social call. There was something definitely on the older man's mind, and Scott had no idea what to expect.

"Is there a problem with the job?" Scott asked, certain that something had gone wrong on the project between Saturday afternoon when he'd met with Charles and today.

"The job is fine." Sitting behind the large desk in Evan's office, Charles clasped his hands on the surface, his gaze direct. "I'm going to get right to the point of the matter. What's going on between you and my daughter?"

Scott certainly hadn't seen that coming. He had no idea what the other man knew about his affair with Ashley, or what, exactly, he was referring to, and he decided to tread cautiously until he had more information laid out between them, especially since Scott was fairly certain there was no longer any relationship to speak of between himself and Charles's daughter. He hadn't seen or spoken to Ashley since he'd left her sleeping in the hotel room bed, the morning after he'd professed his feelings for her.

"I'm not sure what you mean," Scott replied, keeping his answer deliberately vague.

"Don't bullshit around with me, Scott," Charles said, his tone deep and gruff. "I found out that you spent the night with her in one of the hotel suites. What I want to know is, was it consensual?"

Scott was highly offended that Charles would ask him such a coarse question, that the other man believed he could hurt his daughter in any way, until he remembered what Ashley had told him about her past relationship with Greg, mainly, the drugging and
non
consensual picture taking that had ensued. And because of that, Scott couldn't blame the man for being protective of his daughter.

Scott also knew that he wasn't going to lie to Charles, even if it meant that what he was about to reveal would put an end to any chance Nolan and Sons might have at getting future work with the St. Claire Hotel. Ashley meant that much to him.

"Yes, it was consensual," Scott reassured the man. "We've been seeing each other for the past month." Then he cleared his throat and decided to go for broke. "I'm in love with your daughter, sir."

Charles remained much calmer than Scott anticipated, though the other man did look a little stunned by his confession. "Well now, that was quite unexpected, but certainly not unwelcome. I had no idea the two of you were involved before today, and I don't know why Ashley kept all of this a secret from me and her mother, but having the chance to get to know you over the past few weeks, you're definitely a man worthy of my daughter, and you have my blessing to keep seeing her."

Coming from Charles St. Claire, a man that Scott had come to highly respect in many ways, the compliment was huge, as was his approval. "Thank you. I appreciate that, but I don't think we'll be seeing each other once she moves to San Francisco."

Charles frowned. "Is she not in love with
you?
"

The door to the office burst open, and Ashley entered the room, breathless and face flushed, just as Charles asked the question. Scott figured it was Ashley's place to answer her father, not his. And he was damn curious to hear what she had to say.

She glanced from her father to Scott and smiled. "I'm very much in love with you," she said to him.

He heard the truth of her declaration in her voice, saw the emotion shining in her eyes. He felt like the luckiest man on earth, yet he had no idea what all this meant in terms of
them
.

"It would have been nice if you'd let myself and your mother know that you were going out with Scott here," Charles grumbled, though he didn't seem at all opposed to the union. In fact, he seemed very pleased.

"I know, Dad, and I'm sorry," Ashley said, genuinely contrite. "I promise I'll explain everything later, but right now, I need to talk to Scott. Alone."

Charles nodded in understanding, and stood. "All right then, I'll leave."

"No, you stay," Ashley said to her father, then grabbed Scott's hand in hers. "
We're
leaving."

Scott let her tug him out of the office and down the corridor to her penthouse elevator, assuming she wanted to assure them uninterrupted privacy. He was all for that, too, because they had plenty to discuss. And even though she'd said she loved him, it hadn't come with a commitment, and it didn't change the fact that she was leaving in a week.

Once the elevator was winging its way upward, Ashley circled her arms around his neck, pressed him up against the nearest wall, and kissed him as if she hadn't seen him in a year. There was a wealth of emotion in the embrace, as well as the heat and desire that had flared between them from the moment he'd approached her at Nick's Sports Bar over a month ago. Because he had no idea what lay ahead for them, he gave the kiss his all, branding and claiming, just in case he never got the chance to do so again.

Too soon, the elevator doors slid open to her place, but instead of stepping into the penthouse, he held her right where they were and met her soft green gaze.

After a moment, the doors closed once again, cocooning them in the small cubicle – as alone and private as they were going to get. "We're not going any farther until you tell me what's going on." He released her and put a safe amount of distance between them, so he wasn't tempted to grab her and haul her back into his arms again.

She was smiling, a beautiful, radiant smile filled with a tangible confidence. "There were some things I needed to come to terms with before I could take this next step with you, and it was the morning after our last night together that a few things came together for me."

"Such as?" he prompted patiently.

"I've spent the past couple of years being practical and conservative, and striving to be a responsible daughter because I was afraid to take chances, especially with a man, because of how badly I'd misjudged Greg. But the night I met you at Nick's, that all changed. You made me feel daring and adventurous and so vibrantly alive, and I've been fighting my feelings for you ever since.

He remained quiet, listening, waiting for her to continue and finish, though he liked what he was hearing so far.

"But somewhere along the way, my growing feelings for you started edging out my fears," she said huskily. "You are the only man I've let close enough to see my insecurities, and you understand me like no one ever has, without judging me for my mistakes or the way I've lived my life. You're solid as a rock, dependable, and sexy as hell." Another smile appeared on her lips, and she placed her hand on his chest, right where his heart beat a steady rhythm. "It's quite an irresistible combination."

He trailed his fingers down her soft cheek, forgetting his vow not to touch her. "Ashley—"

This time, she held
him
off. "Wait, I'm not done yet." She inhaled deeply, and went on. "So much of this relationship has been all about me and what I've wanted or needed. I've been so incredibly selfish, while you've put so much on the line for me ... like today, with my father. You were obviously honest with him about us, even knowing what it might cost you personally and professionally."

He shrugged. "He deserved to know the truth."

"You're right, but it never should have come down to my father finding out about us from the hotel manager." She gave him a pained look. "I should have had the courage to tell him about us long ago, and I apologize for that."

"You know your parents will expect an explanation," he said. They owed her mother and father at least that much.

"I know, and we'll do it together." She moved close and pressed her lips to his, so soft and warm and sweet. "I love you, Scott Wilde," she said reverently. "More than I ever believed possible."

And then, before he could respond, she turned and pressed a button on the panel, and the elevator doors slid open again. She tipped her head questioningly at him. "Will you come in now?"

He nodded, and followed her through the foyer to the living room. He saw all the boxes stacked against the wall, ready to follow Ashley to San Francisco, and felt his chest squeeze tight. For all she'd just told him, and despite loving him, there had been no mention of her staying in Chicago. And he knew in that moment if she was so intent on moving, he wouldn't hold her back. He also knew if push came to shove, he'd find a way to make it work between them, because letting this woman walk out of his life for good just wasn't an option.

"Looks like you're packed and ready to go," he said, as nonchalantly as possible.

"Yes," she agreed.

He met her gaze, trying not to let his disappointment show, even though his gut was twisting into a huge, painful knot. "So, you're still planning on moving, then?"

"Oh, absolutely," she said without hesitating. "But not to San Francisco."

That got his attention. "Then to where? New York?" he guessed, since they had a St. Claire Hotel there, too.

"No, I'm moving out of the hotel penthouse."

Relief poured through him, so strong his legs nearly gave out on him. "So, you're staying in Chicago?"

"Yes. Everything I want and need is
here
, including you, and that's what matters. As for the penthouse, it's been convenient the past few years, but I decided that it's time I found a place of my own and spread my wings a bit."

Scott knew that Ashley was embracing her newfound independence, and there was no way he ever wanted her to feel stifled, but there was something he had to ask her. "How do you feel about living with
me?
"

She blinked in surprise. Then an exhilarating, hopeful grin wreathed her face. "You want to live in sin?"

"Hell, no!" Images of her father knocking on his door, shotgun in hand, flashed through his mind. He didn't think her parents would appreciate their daughter living in sin, and besides, what Scott had in mind was far more binding. "How about you marry me, and we make it legal?"

A gust of incredulous laughter escaped her. "Is that, by chance, a marriage proposal?"

He squeezed his eyes shut, realizing he was royally screwing up this all-too-important moment. So, he got down on his knees, grabbed her left hand in his, and looked up at the beautiful woman who was so much a part of his heart, his soul, a woman he couldn't imagine living the rest of his life without.

"I love you, Ashley St. Claire," he said with all the tenderness he possessed for her. "Will you marry me?"

"Oh, Lord, I thought you'd never ask," she whispered.

"Is that a yes?"

She tipped her head back and laughed joyfully. "Yes, yes, yes! I'd love to be a part of your life, in every way. Your family, my family ... and one day, our family."

He rested his forehead on her thigh and blew out the gust of breath he'd been holding. "Thank God!"

Her fingers threaded through his hair, and she tugged his head back until he was looking up at her again. She bit her bottom lip, a shameless glint in her eyes. "You know, I kind of like you down on your knees in front of me like this."

He groaned, his arousal hot and immediate. "You're a wicked woman."

She lifted a delicate brow. "Are you complaining?"

"God no. I'll do anything you want, including being your willing slave. Anytime, anywhere." He grinned as he stood back up. "Especially right now."