“What?” Ash asked.
“Seriously? You haven’t put this together yet?”
“What do you mean?”
“Come on, man. Don’t be stupid. If she’s not after your money, and she’s not married, and she’s here on some cheating ex-husband’s rich-ass dime, then she ran from you because of your money. Because your money reminds her of her ex.”
“So she thinks I’m like her ex,” Ash said.
“Yep. If her rich ex-fiancé was an asshole, then you’re an asshole because you’re rich. That’s how she’s equated that in her mind. Trust me, you’re the richest man she could’ve found. If she ran from you after you exposed your wealth to her, that’s the only reason behind it.”
Ash felt like an idiot. Of course that was the explanation. Kallie was too genuine to be a gold digger and too innocent to be anything other than overwhelmed by her emotions. Ash had been swept up in the romanticism of it all that he’d never considered how his wealth would’ve equated him to her ex. Not that he could ever be like that man. Women were supposed to be cherished. Supported. Spoiled. Loved. Not taken advantage of and paraded around like trophies. He tossed back the rest of his drink and told Johnny to charge it to his bungalow, then set off for his place.
He had to find Kallie.
Charing into his private bungalow, he started packing his bags. Throwing everything in his suitcase as he readied himself to leave. Her words echoed off the corners of his mind. The only phrase he had to help him track her down.
So you live in the city too?
Ash hoped that if he tracked her down and told her how he felt, she’d give him a second chance. And if she did, he would do it right. He’d trust her. Be upfront about his life instead of secretive about it. He’d show her all the wonders of the world she could have with him. And if that wasn’t what she wanted, he would show her how simple her life could be while still being with a man like him. He packed up his things and pulled out his phone, then sent a message off to his pilot. His jet needed to be ready to leave for New York City within the next hour.
Then, Ash dashed off to the shower.
He cleaned himself up and shaved, then put on his best suit. He smoothed his hands down his jacket before throwing his toiletries into a bag, then he grabbed everything in his hands. He was on a mission. He had a mess to clean up. How he could’ve been so thickheaded was beyond him, but his mind was already coming up with ways to fix things. To make Kallie happy. To get her to see that the persona he put on wasn’t to intentionally deceive her, but to protect himself. And whatever she wanted to know, he would offer to her. Whatever she needed, he would provide. No matter how quickly or slowly Kallie wanted to take things, all he would ask is that he be at her side while it happened.
Ash flagged a taxi down and told the driver to take him to the airport.
He was headed to New York to find the woman he was falling in love with.
Chapter 28
Kallie
Kallie stood in the small living room of her apartment and stared out the window. She felt like shit. She still had a few days off since she came back from St. Barts early, but that didn’t matter. She hadn’t left her apartment to do much of anything since she’d gotten home. She spent the little bit of extra money she had in her account to have groceries delivered to her. She had no want to go out into the world. No reason to step out into public. She felt led on. Humiliated.
And she hurt more than the day she left.
Kallie wasn’t going to leave her apartment until she absolutely had to. If there was ever a time to wallow in her sorrows, she had hit that time. She dumped one shitty rich man before turning around and running into the arms of another. One lying sack of shit for another. Sure, Ash didn’t cheat. But he lied. Convinced her that he was someone he wasn’t. Then had the audacity to get pissed off when he thought she was married. He was a hypocrite, like James. A liar, like James. Rich, like James.
She didn’t need another James.
She needed to be rid of all rich men for the rest of her life.
In some ways, she could understand Ash doing what he did. Misleading her the way he had. A quick internet search on him when she’d gotten home showed her just how rich the man was. He came from old money, like James. Had billions of dollars to his personal name, plus tens of billions more to the rest of his family’s name. A man like that needed to shield himself from gold diggers. He was a blaring target with those adorable freckles and those mesmerizing hazel eyes.
But Kallie wasn’t going to suffer any of her false monikers any longer. She was accused of being a gold digger for years while at James’s side, and it wasn’t happening any longer. When she did heal and convince herself to begin dating again, rich guys were the type she would avoid. She would no longer put herself in harm’s way and be swayed by their charm. Even though she fucked up by running straight into Ash, she wouldn't do it again. She had enough interaction with them to notice the signs. And she’d be on the lookout for them.
Better yet, Kallie could swear off men in general. It wasn’t likely that she’d find a man as perfect as Ash. Who could sweep her off her feet and make her feel like a goddess in bed. Any other guy who came into her life would pale in comparison, and it wouldn't be fair to them. It wouldn't be fair to hold them to a standard they’d never be able to meet.
That was a good idea.
Swearing off men.
“No more men for me,” Kallie said with a murmur.
The ringing of her doorbell pulled her from her trance. She assumed it was Eris. Coming to comfort her after blowing up her phone with voice messages once her plane landed. Kallie had been ducking Eris’s calls for days. Ever since she and Ash struck things up again on the island. She needed her best friend. The comfort of someone who wouldn’t judge her for her actions. Eris had warned her against something like this, but she hadn’t taken her friend’s advice. It was her fault she was in this situation. At least, that was what she told herself.
But when she opened the door, her jaw hit the floor.