Wildest Dreams: A Small Town, Single Dad Romance (The Wilds of Montana Book 3)
Chapter 17

“How is everything at home?”

I glance up from my phone and smile at Ryan, who’s fastening cuff links on his shirt. He’s so tall, so freaking handsome with his tanned skin against that white shirt that it makes me melt inside.

And he might be the only man I’ve ever known in my life to use cuff links.

“It’s good.” I smile and finish the text I’m sending off to my staff. “They assure me that everything is fine at the shop. The new apple tart cookies are a hit for fall.”

I tuck my phone into my small handbag and then stand to cross over to him to tie his tie. I have to stand on an ottoman to reach him comfortably, and it makes him smirk. Ryan watches me with those amazing hazel eyes as I work the silk in my hands.

“It’s been an incredible week,” I say with a happy sigh. We’ve been to at least two or three shows a day, dinners, and parties, and I’ve met people that I’ve read about in fashion magazines or seen on TV. London has been incredible about sticking close by so she can make introductions and start conversations. I haven’t felt out of place even once.

I even had the opportunity to thank Anna Wintour for the suite, and I didn’t stutter when I spoke with her.

“I’m glad you’ve enjoyed it,” he says and runs his hand up and down my arm. “It’s not quite over yet.”

“Ryan, you don’t have to buy me anything else. I know that tomorrow is the buying day, but seriously, you’ve already done so much, and I’m fine. Hell, I’m way more than fine. I’m fabulous.”

I smooth my hand down the tied tie, and he leans in to press his lips to my forehead.

“You don’t have to buy anything that you don’t like.” I start to protest, but he presses his finger to my lips. “Let the houses flirt with you, Polly. See what they offer. Enjoy the experience, and only take what you love.”

I move in and wrap my arms around him, holding him close. He immediately engulfs me in his embrace, and we stand here like this for just a moment.

There isn’t anything in the world like being in Ryan’s arms.

And I want to tell him that taking what I love means simply taking him.

“You’ve spoiled me rotten this week.”

“That was the goal.” I feel him smile against my hair. “Have I mentioned today how fucking gorgeous you are?”

I chuckle and pull back so I can smile up at him. “Probably once or twice.”

“This green dress,” he says, letting his gaze roam down my body, “should be illegal.”

“I saved it for the last day,” I agree and step off of the ottoman and then turn a circle for him. “The silk feels like heaven, and I admit, I think my boobs look pretty good in it.”

“Spectacular,” he agrees, his eyes hot with lust. “We’re meeting London and Drew downstairs in ten. Otherwise, I’d show you just how much I appreciate that dress. Are you ready to go?”

“Yep, I just have to put on some lipstick.” I cross to the bathroom and smooth it over my lips, step into my shoes, and buckle the ankle straps, and then I return to Ryan, who’s waiting patiently for me. “Not only did I save the best dress for last, but the show I want to see the most is also last.”

“Chanel,” he says with a grin and kisses me softly before opening the door for me. “I admit, I’m interested to see what they have on tap, as well.”

We ride the elevator down to the lobby and then meet Drew and London, who are already waiting for us.

“Holy shit, Poll,” London says. “You look like you should be walking the runway.”

I laugh and shake my head at her. “You’re sweet, and you look fabulous, too. That pink jumpsuit is to die for.”

“And it doesn’t hurt that it’s comfortable,” she says with a wink. “Let’s go drool over some pretty clothes, shall we?”

“Oh, we shall.”

Ryan takes my hand as we walk out the revolving door and into an onslaught of flashing cameras.

“Wait,” he says, frowning down at my feet. “Your strap is unbuckled.”

Right here, in front of everyone, he kneels before me and fastens the strap and then presses his lips to my bare calf before standing and taking my hand once more. My entire system is on high alert, so in tune with him that I want to hurry back to our suite and make love to him all night long.

But I’ll have to settle on knowing that I can do exactly that when we return later.

“I didn’t want you to trip.”

My heart is hammering, and the paps are yelling questions, but all I can see is Ryan’s smile as he leads me out to the car, waiting for us.

“Well, that was sexy,” London says when she’s sitting across from us. “And will look fabulous in the photos they were snapping.”

My heart is still working overtime. It was the sexiest thing ever.

Today went by fast. The Chanel show was amazing, and I know I’ll have a hard time saying no to anything offered to me tomorrow.

We’ve been at a party for the past hour, and I have to admit, I’m starting to feel partied out. It’s a lot of the same faces and the same conversations, and with our time in Paris growing short, I’d honestly rather spend some time with Ryan alone.

“Your martini, madam,” the waiter says as he passes me my drink. “And someone asked me to deliver this.”

He passes me a napkin, gives me a slight bow, and then he walks away.

I turn to Ryan, but he’s busy chatting with someone I don’t recognize, so I open the folded napkin and feel my cheeks flush.

Stay away from him.

That’s it. No signature. Just those four words.

“What’s that?”

I glance up to see Ryan frowning as he reads over my shoulder.

“The waiter said someone asked him to deliver this to me. People are weird, Ryan. Unless you have a confession to make.”

He actually laughs and shakes his head. “No. Let’s chalk it up to the weird thing because you’re absolutely not staying away from me. If they even mean me.”

“Maybe they mean Drew.”

Ryan grins again. “They could mean anyone. Do you want to get something to eat?”

“Actually, would it be wrong to tell you that I’d like to get out of here and spend some time alone with you? We could get room service or take a walk and replace a café somewhere…I don’t care. I’m just ready for a little quiet. This has been a lot for this small-town girl.”

His eyes warm, and he leans in to press his lips to my ear.

“I’d love nothing more. Come on. Let’s get out of here.”

He taps the screen of his phone to, I assume, call the car, and we turn to London and Drew to let them know that we’re taking off.

“I don’t blame you,” London says with a wink. “Go have some downtime. We’re not staying much longer, either.”

“I’m jealous,” Drew says and then grins at me. “I’m ready to go, too. See you later.”

We’re headed toward the door when suddenly, a woman wraps herself around Ryan.

“Well, hello, lover. I was so surprised when I saw you in the audience today, and you didn’t even call to tell me you’d be in town.” Her lips tip down in a pout, making me roll my eyes. “What a magical surprise, baby.”

She moves in to kiss him, and I decide that I’ve had about enough.

“I’d hate to get blood on this brand-new dress, but it might be worth it.”

Ryan takes the woman by the shoulders and pushes her off of him.

“Who is this tiny thing?” she asks, wrinkling her nose like she’s just smelled something from the garbage.

“I can be your worst nightmare,” I reply with a toothy smile. “Especially if you don’t stop trying to touch my man.”

“Have a good evening, Claudia,” Ryan says as he wraps his arm around me, and we turn for the door once more.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Claudia shrieks. “Fuck you, Ryan! You’re a bad lay!”

Without looking back, we climb into the waiting car, and when the door is closed, I take a deep breath.

“Well.” I let it out slowly. “That was fun.”

“I’m sorry,” he says, but I hold a hand up, stopping him.

“You fucked Claudia Dubois?” I turn in the seat and stare at him.

“Years ago,” he confirms without hesitation. “Then I realized she’s loony tunes, and I cut that off real quick.”

I shake my head and right myself in the seat. I’m not mad at him. It’s not his fault at all. Mostly, I’m…amused. I can’t hold the giggle back that escapes my lips.

“Did you just laugh?” he asks me.

I can’t reply. All I can do is laugh some more. I laugh so hard that my sides ache and my cheeks get sore.

When we pull up to the Ritz, the door opens for me, and I step out to more flashing bulbs, but I can’t stop laughing. Ryan hurries around the car to take my hand, and we walk inside and to the elevator.

I’ve just started to calm down when I look up in the mirror on the back of the elevator door and my eyes lock with Ryan’s, and then the giggles start all over again.

He doesn’t speak when the elevator opens or when we walk to our suite.

But once we’re inside, as he’s taking off his jacket, he says, “Does the idea of me with another woman amuse you that much?”

“No.” I shake my head and press my hand to my chest, willing myself to calm down. “No, I wanted to rip her heart out through her throat.”

He lifts an eyebrow. “Well then.”

“It was the look on your face.” Thinking about it makes me giggle some more. “You were so shocked, so worried. And she was clinging to you like you were a tree and she was about to fall into a rushing river. And then you confirmed that you’d slept with her, and I had this image go through my head.”

I can’t keep talking. I have to sit on the couch so I don’t fall over, and I laugh some more. Finally, it all slows down, and I swallow hard.

“Sorry, but it was funny. And she was so offended that you didn’t defend her.”

“She was?”

“Hell yes, she was. I could see it all over her face. She actually believed that you’d come to Paris to surprise her. Lover.”

“Don’t call me that.” He points at me and shakes his head. “Never call me that. I slept with her once and took her on two dates, and she wouldn’t stop calling me that afterward. It’s the main reason I broke it off.”

“But she said it in a really sophisticated French accent,” I remind him, and he pins me in an agitated glare that makes me snort. “Okay, I’ll stop.”

“You handled yourself well,” he says.

“Is this going to happen whenever we travel?” I counter. “Do I have to be on guard for scorned lov—partners?” I ask, correcting myself when his eyes narrow. “Like, have there been legions of them?”

“No.” Ryan scowls and shoves his hands into his pockets. “And fuck her for doing that. You don’t have anything to worry about.”

“Oh, I know I don’t have to worry about other women. I’m not jealous. I’m just wondering if they’re going to accost us wherever we go so I can sharpen my nails and brush up on my sarcasm.”

Ryan stalks toward me and pulls me to my feet, then lifts me in his arms and takes off for the bedroom.

“No. And now, I’m going to show you what this dress does to me.”

“Nice change of topic.”

“I thought so.”

“It’s just so beautiful here,” I say with a happy sigh as Ryan and I walk through a gorgeous park with tall trees and flowers planted along the walking paths that lead to the Louvre museum. I love that so much of this area is walkable and safe.

Ryan and I decided to take a walk to replace dinner, and I’m glad we did. We’ve been in Paris for a week now, and I’ve barely seen it.

“It’s a pretty city,” he agrees and glances down at me. “Should I buy an apartment here? And then we can come whenever you want?”

I laugh at that, but then I notice that he’s not kidding. “No, you don’t need to buy an apartment. There are hotels, you know.”

“I’m just saying, if you want to come often, we could have a home base here.”

I shake my head and step around a mud puddle. “There are moments when I’m reminded just how different we are, economically speaking. I’m happy to visit once in a while, but not enough to where we need an apartment. Besides, we have lives in Montana that aren’t easy to be gone from for long. Speaking of, how’s Jake? Have you talked to him today?”

“No, we were too busy.”

With a frown, I pull my phone out of my jeans pocket—it feels damn good to be casual—and dial the teenager’s number.

“Hey, Polly,” he says into the phone.

“Hey yourself. We haven’t heard from you today, so I’m checking in. How are you?”

“I’m okay. There’s not a whole lot going on, actually.”

“How’s school?”

Ryan raises an eyebrow, and I smile at him.

“School is dumb, but it’s fine, I guess. Mac says that I can’t skip, even though Dad’s gone, which is pretty lame if you ask me. Football’s going good, though.”

I was surprised, in a good way, when Ryan told me that Jake had decided to go out for the football team.

“Mac would be right, kiddo.” I laugh and then glance at Ryan. “Do you want to chat with your dad?”

“Yeah, I probably should. When do you guys come back?”

“In just a couple of days. We have a full day tomorrow, and then we fly out the next day.”

“Okay, cool. I guess I’ll talk to the old man.”

I pass my phone to Ryan and listen to the banter between the two men. It sounds like Jake is trying to get out of going to school on Monday, since we’ll be home by then, and Ryan is having none of it.

“Okay, I’ll see you soon. Call if you need anything. Yep. Love you, buddy. Bye.”

Ryan passes me back my phone.

“He sounds good,” I say.

“He’s ready for me to get back,” he replies. “I can hear it in his voice, but he’d never say that. He’s not the guilt trip type, you know?”

“We can just go, Ry. I told you, I don’t need to buy anything tomorrow. I have so much new stuff, I don’t know what to do with myself.”

“It’s just one day,” he says and points to a place with a view of the Louvre called Café Marly. “Let’s eat there.”

“I’m in.”

We cross the street and walk up the stairs to request a table, and before long, we’re seated outside on a patio with a view of one of the glass pyramids of The Louvre.

“Seriously,” I begin once we’ve ordered and have fresh bread and butter on the table. “Let’s go home tomorrow. Or tonight.”

“I’m not cheating you out of the best part of the week,” he insists. “Polly, those fashion houses have appointments to bring their stuff to you, in our suite, where they’ll set up in that second bedroom and offer you a bunch of cool, new things. I want you to have that. You’re not missing it.”

“And it does sound fabulous,” I admit with a grin. “Let’s compromise. We’ll do fashion stuff in the morning and leave later in the afternoon when it’s all finished. Let’s do both.”

Ryan takes a bite of his bread and watches me. “Are you sure?”

“Absolutely. As fabulous as all of this is, I’m ready to go home to our lives. I promise.”

“Then I can live with the compromise,” he says and passes me a buttered piece of bread. “Thank you.”

“No. Thank you, Ryan. For all of it. I’ll never forget it.”