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Reminiscent of their past friendship, Sylas and Nic continued joking with each other all the way through dessert.
“God, I wish this night wouldn’t have to end. It’s been so much fun.”
Nic looked down, which caused her heart to skip a beat. What is he thinking? Did I say something wrong?
She looked at Sylas.
“No, sweetheart. Nic and I are having a wonderful time, too. Aren’t we, buddy?”
He nodded and grinned, making her feel better. “We sure are.”
* * * *
Nic grabbed Ashley’s hand, enjoying the feel of her delicate fingers. “This is the best night I’ve had in forever, sweetheart. But unfortunately you have your bar exam to study for and Sylas has his meeting with the O’Learys in the morning. Maybe when he and I get back from Chicago, we can do this again.”
“I’d like that.” The softness of her tone drove him wild. “How about you, Sylas? Shall you, Nic, and I have a sequel dinner date?”
“Absolutely, we will.” Sylas seemed genuine.
Nic smiled, though his insides tightened with jealousy. She’s mine, buddy. Mine alone. You’ll see. But he wasn’t about to show his true feelings. That would definitely be a mistake. He wanted Ashley to continuing enjoying herself, despite his renewed resentment that Sylas was here, too. Seeing her smile and hearing her laugh had made Nic so happy. It was worth all the effort. Hell, even joking with Sylas had made this evening fun. Nic had begun the night with the intent of showing Ashley that between him and Sylas, he was the one who could be cordial and friendly. But the role he’d chosen for himself faded fast as he relaxed into the camaraderie he and Sylas once shared. But their friendship could never be again unless his old friend was willing to stop pursuing Ashley.
Chapter Eight
Ashley said her good-byes to Nic and Sam at the front of the hotel. “Thank you for a wonderful evening. I can honestly say it went so much better than I imagined.”
“For me, too,” Sylas said, hugging her. “I’ll call you tomorrow. Maybe the three of us could have dinner again.”
“That would be wonderful. We have a terrific Chinese restaurant I believe you both would like.”
“Then that’s settled,” Nic said, pulling her in for a squeeze. “Chinese tomorrow. The three of us. You need to study, Ashley, so we will make it a quick meal, okay?”
“I do. I have at least a couple of hours of reading ahead of me tonight.”
“Then Nic’s right, Ashley. Go study. We’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Night, guys.”
“Goodnight,” they said in unison.
She walked back to the limo. The driver held the door for her. She got inside, and he closed it. As they drove away, she watched Nic and Sylas walk into the Dream Hotel together.
Still warm from the effect of the wine and from being so close to the men of her dreams, Ashley melted back into the seat. Did tonight really happen? She still couldn’t quite believe it. She reminded herself that she had cried herself to sleep many times since the breakup. Was it worth the risk to open her heart again to them in the hopes they would understand the Destiny way of life? More than that. Would Nic and Sylas actually want to live the Destiny way of life with her?
The driver pulled up to her apartment and opened the door for her.
“Thank you.” She handed him a generous tip.
“Thank you, Ms. Vaughn.”
She walked to the security gate and typed in her code on the keypad. The metallic click let her know it was unlocked. She went through it onto the grounds of the Wild Oaks Apartments. The complex was made up of six buildings, each with eight apartments, four at ground level and four above. Ashley’s place sat in the middle of the complex, apartment 3, building C. The fencing around Wild Oaks had been added after Cindy Trollinger, the town’s nemesis, blew up the Silver Spoon Bridge. Some of the residents didn’t like the fence, while for others it made them feel safer. She didn’t mind either way.
She headed up the sidewalk and heard the metallic noise from the gate. It was late, but since many of the residents were computer analysts who worked at O’Leary Global and TBK, they kept unusual hours. She liked her neighbors very much, though they did take a little getting to know. Brilliant people could come off as odd.
She turned around to see which neighbor was coming through the security gate. “Hi, Anna. You’re out late. I should have known you would go back to work after our run.”
“I just needed to finish some coding I was working on. But I’m not the only one out late.” Anna grinned. “How did the date go with the two hot Chicago attorneys?”
“It went well, I think.”
