Page 86 of Captivated By You

“Ugh. You’re a wicked man, Asher Kingcaid. So whatdidhappen?”

“Nothing of consequence.” I kept to myself the threats he’d made. Idle as they were, I didn’t want Kiana to worry. “It’s done. Now I just have to recruit a manager to take over, and the entire episode is over and done with.”

“I still feel awful. Do you think if I hadn’t come with you that you’d have fired him?”

“In all probability, yes. I told you I wasn’t happy with his performance. Standards are there for a reason, and he’d been falling short for some time. I agreed to give him a chance, but in reality, I don’t know what he could have said to convince me that he had the capabilities to run a Kingcaid property. This is not on you, Kiana. I don’t want you to give it another thought. People are hired and fired all the time in a company the size of Kingcaid. It’s part of running a global organization. What’s that old saying? ‘There’s no room for sentiment in business.’ It happens to be true.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“Do you want to stay a little longer with your parents or head back to Seattle?”

“Would it be okay if we hung around here?”

The hopeful tinge in her tone made her desire clear. My heart felt fit to burst.

“If it’s what you want, that’s what we’ll do.”

“Not sure I deserve you, Ash,” she whispered.

My throat clogged up. I’d always wondered what it would feel like to fall in love, but I hadn’t expected this swell in my chest, this intense desire to walk over nails if it pleased the other person, this urge to care for her, spoil her, devote my life to making her happy.

“I’ll be there shortly.”

I hung up before she detected the crack in my voice. She had it all wrong.

It wasmewho didn’t deserveher.

Chapter25

Kiana

And just like that, my life is ruined.

“You look tired.”Ash propped his shoulder against the wall outside my apartment and tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear. “Rain check?”

During the flight back to Seattle, we’d planned to go out to dinner, but given that I’d just yawned for the third time in less than a minute, crawling into bed felt like a far more attractive idea than sitting in a restaurant for hours. And as much as I’d love for Ash to join me, the two-day trip had been a lot more stressful and tiring than either of us had anticipated. I just wanted to sleep, forget all about Simon Barlow, and wake up to a new day, having finally put my past behind me.

“Would you think badly of me if we didn’t go?”

“Of course not. I have plenty of work to be getting on with.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “You work too hard.”

“When you’re in charge of a company the size of mine, there’s always something that needs attention.” He leaned in and kissed me. “Get some rest. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“Hey, Ash,” I called out as he headed for the elevator.

He pivoted. “Yeah?”

“Dream of me.”

He blew me a kiss. “Always.”

I waited until I couldn’t see him anymore before rolling my suitcase inside my apartment. I left it by the door. Plenty of time to unpack tomorrow. I checked my watch. Seven thirty.

Lame, Kiana.Twenty-four years old and looking forward to diving under the comforter before eight o’clock. Gia would have a field day if she knew I’d turned down dinner and sex with Ash for sleep. I could hear her now:“I’ll sleep when I’m dead.”

I stripped, took a quick shower, and clambered into bed. Just as I was drifting off, my phone pinged with a text. Cursing myself for not switching my cell off, or at least putting it on silent, I sat up in bed and flicked on the lamp. I squinted at the screen.

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