Love Her Wilde

Suspect List: Asher

I heaved a heavy sigh as we arrived at the door of my penthouse. Even after the police, after Mason, Ryder and I patched up the hole in the front window, after Lita sat and soothed her with words and tea, I could tell that Dylan was still on edge, still uncomfortable in her own home. So, I did the only think I could think of: I took her to my place. She'd never been there, and in the last few weeks I hadn't spent more than a few hours inside of it myself, but it wasn't her house and the security in my building was rather intense, or at least far more than at her house. You could only get to my floor by keycard access, and to get said card, I needed to authorize the person at the desk. Ryder had one, but other than that I couldn't think of anyone that did. Not my father, no other friends. I honestly couldn't tell you if Bridget even had one or not, so it was safe, at least for the night.

I pushed open the door and set down Noodle, who had been tucked in my arms since he'd passed out in my car on the way over. He immediately started scurrying around, sniffing everything, trying to familiarize himself with his new surroundings. I dropped my duffle in the doorway as I watched him and clicked on the lights, before turning for my girl, who was standing, just... kind of frozen in the doorway.

"Baby, it's okay..." I said softly.

Dylan shook her head. "No, it's not..." She paused. "I'm just kind of soaking it in."

I chuckled a bit, watching as her eyes darted around every inch of the penthouse. The floor plan was wide open, the kitchen only separated from the dining room by a breakfast counter. Large glass windows revealed almost the entirety of the Chicago skyline, which at the current moment was nothing but dark sky and city lights. Everything within these walls was modern: sleek, white, and stainless steel. I had little to no decorations, nothing that made it feel like a home. A fact I'd only noticed when I started spending my time at Dylan's.

"What are you thinking?" I asked as she finally stepped over the threshold and into the foyer.

"It's not you," she stated simply.

"What do you mean?"

She shook her head a bit, her gaze still dancing around the nearly bare apartment. "You, your personality is... so warm and inviting. Cozy," she began. "This doesn't feel like you. It feels cold."

"I can see that," I agreed with a nod, glancing around as she did. "Though I can't say I've ever thought of myself as cozy."

Dylan chuckled a bit, the closest thing to a laugh I'd gotten out of her since everything went to shit. "You are," she insisted. "I felt comfortable with you the instant I met you."

That made me smile. "I'm glad, baby," I stated, stepping toward her, and wrapping my arms around her shoulders. She relaxed into my chest almost instantly as I leaned forward and pressed my lips to the top of her head. "I never want you to feel anything but comfortable with me."

"I know, Ash. I do, I promise," Dylan insisted, her words muffled against my chest. "Tonight's just been kind of an uncomfortable night."

"I know," I stated. I lifted one hand and placed my index finger under her chin, causing her gaze to meet mine. "What can I do? How can I make you feel better?"

The sweetest smile curled her lips at the corners. "You do that just by existing, Mr. Wilde."

"Mm, so smooth, you." I dipped my chin again and this time pressed my lips to hers, a quiet little sigh escaping her when they met.

After I pulled away, her grin widened even more. "Me, smooth? You're the one that's just been casually calling me his girlfriend for the last few hours, even though we've never had that conversation even once."