Chapter 9 Ella #2
I’m a bit nervous as I follow Catherine up the stairs and to the east wing of the house.
I’ve spent most of the evening in her company, but this is the first time I’ve been alone with her, and the fangirl side of me is activating again.
I’ve had weeks to come to terms with the fact that Asher’s mother is Catherine Rothschild Langford, but I’m still a bit starstruck.
“I do hope Asher is treating you well,” she says as we make our way into her and Harrington’s massive bedroom, the size of the space making Asher’s bedroom in his penthouse look small, which is no easy feat. “I know your relationship had some bumps in the beginning.”
“Uh . . . yes, Asher is treating me well. It’s just been a little difficult to figure out how to navigate the relationship when it’s not a real relationship.”
One side of her mouth pulls into a knowing grin. “Ah. Is he still sticking to that?”
“Yes.”
“Well, he always was stubborn.”
I’m not sure what to say to that, so I remain quiet and try not to gape at the beautiful design of the room as Cathrine leads me into the opulent bathroom.
It takes everything in me not to crane my neck to get a better view of the closet beyond the bathroom since Catherine’s wardrobe is literally legendary and has been for decades.
I know that’s a big reason why my fashion makes the headlines it does when I’m photographed out and about. It all stems from her legacy.
“I see the way he looks at you,” Catherine says, breaking me from my thoughts as she rifles through her bathroom drawers, pulling out bottles of skincare and shower products.
“And whether he has admitted it to himself or not, he cares for you, Ella. A great deal. But I also know that you’ll probably have to be patient with him.
He’s never tried to be in a real relationship.
All his previous relationships were barely more than flings.
I know you just said the relationship is an arrangement, but I have a feeling it won’t stay that way, mark my words. ”
“And you’re happy about that?” I blurt out. Then my stomach knots in panic and embarrassment. Why did I ask that?
She straightens and smiles warmly. “I am. I want happiness for all my boys, and I fear they’ve been looking for it in all the wrong places for too long. From everything Asher and Harrington have told me about you, you seem like a perfect fit for my son.”
“You’re not upset that I have no social standing?
” Again, I want to punch myself for my too honest and vulnerable question, but I can’t help my morbid curiosity.
Catherine is the daughter of a high-ranking noble.
Titles and social standing are literally a big deal to the lifestyle she was born and raised in.
“Of course not. Harrington wasn’t the only reason I defected from the UK.
I hated the pressure and the ruthlessness of the ruling class.
Their ways never made sense to me, even though I was raised in them.
I want my sons to have partners they love, who love them, and who fit them well.
That’s it. And grandchildren.” She winks at me.
“I want a heap of those, too. But I know those will come with time.”
I let out a nervous giggle, unsure what to say to that. Again, Asher’s family proves how different they are to what people would expect of them. They have ridiculous amounts of wealth and fame, but at the end of the day, they’re just a family who want the same basic things as everyone else.
Catherine passes me the bottles. “This should get you through the night, and if you don’t want to wear your dress home tomorrow, I can give you something to wear. Maybe since it wouldn’t involve a bed, my son wouldn’t have a problem with it.”
“Thank you,” I say with another giggle. “I’ll let you know in the morning.”
She nods. “Goodnight, Ella dear.”
“Goodnight, Catherine.”
Ten minutes later, I huff out a sigh in defeat and pull out my phone to text Asher.
I’m lost. This house is too big, and I can’t find my way back to your room. I give up!
Never fear, fair maiden. I will come rescue you. Where are you?
If I knew the answer to that, I wouldn’t be lost, now would I, good sir?
Look around you, what do you see?
A long hallway with stupidly expensive paneling like the rest of the house. But there is a picture of a lady in a pink dress looking out a window.
Aha! I know right where you are. You’re still in the east wing. Stay put, gentle lady, and I will be there shortly to collect you.
Thank you, kind sir.
A few minutes later, Asher saunters down the hallway toward me still in his suit pants and white shirt, but he’s lost his tie, the top few buttons of the shirt are undone, and the sleeves are rolled up. And fuck me. The sight has me practically drooling by the time he reaches me.
“Like what you see?” he purrs as he reaches me. “You’re practically eye-fucking me.”
“No practically about it. I am absolutely eye-fucking you.”
He shoots me his devilish grin that is my favorite. “I like the sound of that.”
I nod my chin toward the armful of bottles I’m still holding. “Well, since I have all these luxury products to use in the shower, maybe you can join me. We can get clean together.”
“Only after we get dirty first.”
“Oh, I think after three rounds of sex today we’re already there.”
“We should round it off to an even four then, just to be safe. Or perhaps five. Yeah, five sounds better.”
“Whatever you say, Mr. Langford.”
“I love it when you say those words, Ms. Hale.”
An hour later, after a very naughty shower together, we’re lying in his childhood bed, snuggled close. The bubble of happiness we’ve been in after the tense family meeting has slowly dissipated since we got into bed, and by the stiffness of Asher’s body, I can tell there’s something on his mind.
I lift my head off his chest to look at him. “Are you okay?”
He tucks a lock of hair behind my ear. “Yes and no.”
“Is it about what happened earlier?”
He nods, and I lay my head back down on his chest, hoping to give him a bit of space to collect his thoughts.
“I hope you know,” he says after a minute, his breath brushing the top of my head, “that everything we talked about earlier is the reason I’ve been hesitant to move forward.
My reluctance over a real relationship is not about you or us.
It’s because of this situation. Watching my grandfather’s murder so young, and then almost dying myself—it did something to me.
I’m reminded of it every time I try to picture my future.
It’s why I slipped into the role of chronic bachelor.
I justified not wanting a real relationship because if I didn’t let anyone into my life, then I didn’t have to worry about their safety.
Maybe if we had solved my grandfather’s murder back when it happened, I wouldn’t have felt this way.
But with the unknown hanging over my head for the last twenty-five years, I’ve kept my guard up. ”
I nod in understanding. I get it. I’ve seen the scars on his back that I now realize must be from the car accident.
When we were first together, he would flinch if I accidentally touched them.
He doesn’t seem bothered by my touch now, but his initial protectiveness over them makes sense.
I can’t imagine going through something like that as a child, and it’s clear that night left him with more than physical scars.
Asher blows out a long breath. “Even now, I don’t know if I can bring someone into this mess.
But—for the first time in my life—I want to fight that instinct.
I want you in my life, but I need to take out this threat before I can fully commit.
And even then, I need you to know that things like this will always be a possibility.
Your life will always have more risks than the average person if you’re with me.
I’m trying to come to terms with that, but I still need time.
” He reaches for my hand and kisses the back of it.
“I want this, but I need to take it slow.”
“Then we’ll take it slow.”
“But we’ll keep that to ourselves. There’s a lot of unrest with the members of my board, and I’m not sure who I can trust. So, as far as the PR team and the board are concerned, this is still a farce for publicity.
I don’t want anyone to know how much I care for you, at least not yet.
But I still need to keep improving my image or I’ll risk my shares. ”
I look up at him, and he brushes his thumb along my lower lip.
“I also need you to know that my worries over losing my shares isn’t just about the money.
It’s about the power that it would give the board.
They would absorb my shares among them, and none of those snakes deserves an ounce of more power than they already have.
My brothers and I are determined to operate as ethically as we can, but the other board members couldn’t give a single fuck about that.
I don’t want my employees, my companies, and a myriad of other people to suffer—and they will suffer if the board gains those shares.
Given half a chance, the board will slash salaries, benefits, bonuses.
You name it, if they can get rid of it to line their pockets with more money, they’ll do it. ”
I take in his words, realizing the gravity of them.
This, this is why I’m so drawn to this man.
Yes, he cares about his shares and his money for personal reasons, but he cares just as deeply about the lives of others.
He understands the power he holds, and he takes that responsibility seriously.
The world may see the caricature of Asher; they see his money, his reputation, his power and privilege, but I see the real him.
“I’m with you,” I breathe. “And we’ll take this one step at a time, together.”
“Thank you,” he says, his words muffled as he buries his face in my hair.
He spends half the night worshiping my body in an almost reverent way, and when we finally drift off to sleep, I feel more at ease than I have in weeks.