Savage Love

When she looked into his eyes, she could still see the Ash she had connected with on the island.

Was it possible he hadn’t lied about that? Was it possible Ash was still the same man even though his financial status had changed?

Kallie began to wonder if the issue was with her. Maybe she’d been too worried about his money. Maybe James and his family had soured her toward the wealthy, and her overall judgment of them did Ash a disservice. Kallie was so angry at James and his family for always judging her about her lack of money, and there she was passing judgment on a man who did have money.

That didn’t seem right to Kallie.

Just because James and his parents were asshole didn’t mean that everyone with money were assholes. And Ash was beginning to prove that to her. At no point in their interactions since the club did she ever feel like he was encroaching on her. Trying to stifle her with his wallet. They both lay in bed with full stomachs against the plush mattress they’d slept on, and that was the only thing that reminded her of his wealth. He wasn’t talking about business or his finances or on his phone talking to his “portfolio guy.”

His attention was on her.

Just her.

“Spend the day with me,” Ash said.

“You don’t have to work or something?” I asked.

“Who works on the weekends?”

“Rich people do.”

“Well, good thing I’m not one of those then,” he said with a wink.

Kallie giggled as she rolled over onto her back. Her stomach was full of smoked salmon and cream cheese bagels. The mimosas they had shared were beginning to seep into her veins. A day with Ash sounded phenomenal, and she didn’t have anything going on. She wasn’t due back at work for another couple of days. What else was she going to do with her time.

“Okay,” she said. “But I have to go home and change.”

“Not if you don’t want to,” he said.

“I took a shower, yes. But my clothes are sweaty. I’d like to not put those back on.”

“Not what I meant,” he said.

“Then what do you mean?”

“So, when my father divorced his second wife, she left behind a closet full of clothes. If they fit you right, you can help yourself.”

“She just ... left clothes?” Kallie asked as she caught his stare.

“Welcome to why I don’t like the rich. Come on. Let’s go see if something fits.”

Kallie felt his hand slide into hers and she giggled as he helped her out of bed. She clung to the sheet around her body, walking through his massive penthouse apartment. They walked across the hallway into another gigantic room, and when Ash threw open the closet door she gasped.

The entire closet was easily the size of the living room, and it was packed to the brim with women’s clothes. Beautiful fabrics. All sorts of colors and designs. Kallie was speechless as she stepped into the illuminated space. The sheet dragged behind her as she gawked at the designer shoes. Valentino heels and Oscar de la Renta boots. René Caovilla and Jimmy Choo and Gucci.

The woman left behind Gucci heels.

Her fingers glossed over the fabrics as she lost herself in the sea of clothing. Silk and lace and full-length gowns. Slim-fit pants and beautiful flowing blouses and rows of jewelry. Designer sunglasses. Hair clips studded in diamonds.

Kallie turned back around to Ash and found him grinning at her.

“How in the world could she just ... leave all this stuff?” she asked.

She watched Ash shrug as he pushed his scantily clad body off the doorframe of the entrance.

“My dad’s second wife left with millions in the divorce. Four hundred, if I remember correctly.”

“Four hundred million dollars?” Kallie asked.

“She probably bought all-new stuff,” he said.

“So why is it still here? Why didn’t your father get rid of it?”

“My guess? There are a few empty spots in the jewelry drawers. Some sunglasses that went missing. Some shoes that left dusty spots behind. My guess?”

“He wouldn’t,” Kallie said.

“He was probably regifting them to the woman who’s now his third wife,” he said with a grin.

“Oh that’s bad. She’ll kill him if she finds out.”