by L. P. Dover
Reed grabbed another saddle and chuckled. “Of course. I don’t think she’d have it any other way.”
Ian
“I think that about covers it,” Zoe said, sliding the menus back into her folder. “Do you have any questions?”
“I do. What can you tell me about security? I heard about the recent abduction in your parking lot. I want to ensure my co-workers are safe.”
She waved me off. “Our security team is top-notch. I can assure you nothing will happen to your guests. More cameras will be added around the hotel property, to ensure maximum safety. Jared Beckett, the former owner’s son, decided all of this today, as a matter of fact.”
“Such a tragedy about his father. Will you be at the funeral?” I asked.
“Of course,” she replied sadly. “Are you going?”
It was the perfect way to study the people, and to stand in place of Grace. I knew it killed her not being able to attend. “I am. I didn’t know him personally, but he was a well-respected man.”
“That he was. Jared’s determined to make the hotel better in his father’s name.”
“Good.”
“Any other questions?”
I shook my head. “I think we’re all set. Just email me the contract tonight, and I’ll make the down payment tomorrow.”
Her face brightened. “Excellent. We won’t let you down.”
“Great.” Leaning in, I lowered my voice. “Now, how about we talk about something other than business.”
She bit her lip. “Like what?”
I sat back in my chair. “I don’t know. I guess that depends on whether you’re seeing someone or not?”
“Not at the moment. Are you?”
“Nope.” There was a certain dark-haired beauty I was interested in.
“Well, if you’re not seeing someone, and I’m not, we should go out sometime,” she suggested, leaning over the table so the tops of her breasts would show. Under normal circumstances, that’d turn me on, but she didn’t do a damn thing for me.
“I agree,” I said, leaning on my elbows. “So how long have you been a manager at the hotel?”
Her smile faded, but then it perked back up. “I got the promotion recently. I’m loving it.”
“Congratulations.”
She glanced around the restaurant, then down at her phone. “Looks like we’ve been here for a few hours.” Her gaze lifted to mine and she smiled. “How about heading over to my place for a while? It’s more comfortable.”
A deep chuckle escaped my lips. “Sounds like a good time, but I have to get back to work. Raincheck?”
“Sure,” she replied, the disappointment showing on her face. She wrote her number down on a napkin. “Call me when you get a chance.”
Taking the napkin, I put it in my pocket. “See you soon.” I ran a hand down her arm and she trembled. I was ready to get the fuck out of there and back to Grace.
When I got home, Grace was sitting on a bale of hay, feeding Ellie apple slices. I figured Ellie would walk over to me as I made my way to the barn, but she stayed with Grace. “Trading me in for someone else, Ellie?” I called out teasingly.
Grace laughed and continued to feed and pet her. “She obviously likes me better.”
I walked over and patted Ellie’s back. “Ellie’s good at reading people.”
Grace looked down at her wrists. They were unbandaged and still raw. “I’m sure she could sense my distress. My horse, Sandie, was the same way. She’d follow me everywhere on the ranch, until I went inside.”
I sat beside her on the hay bale. “How’d it go with my brother? He didn’t flirt with you too much, did he?”
She shook her head and laughed. “You do enough for the both of you. Speaking of flirting, did you bring on the charm with Zoe?”
I could sense a hint of jealousy in her tone. I loved it. “Does that bother you?” I asked, my arm brushing against hers.
Her chin lifted as she focused on Ellie. “Not in the least. I’ve seen you around town. You flirt with everyone.”
“And yet, you never see any of them going home with me, do you?”
“I’m not around you twenty-four-seven,” she said, not backing down. “How do I know they don’t?”
I tapped her chin and she turned to me. “Because I would tell you. There’s only one woman I’ve shown true interest in. And now she’s stuck with me.”
A slow smile spread across her face. “Unfortunately.”
“Hey, I’m not that bad,” I said, bumping her shoulder. She snorted and it made me smile. “Although, I do have to wonder about you and Jared. Zoe told me you two were really close. I thought you didn’t mix business with pleasure. At least, that’s what you always told me.” I’d asked her about Jared before, when I caught him staring at her at the bar.
Grace sighed and shook her head. “It’s not like that. Yeah, I think Jared has some feelings for me, but he’s never acted on them, and I’d never let it get that far. I’m sure some people at the resort think I got my promotion because I was sleeping with him.”
“So, you haven’t?”
She smacked my arm. “Of course not. I don’t like him that way.” Her smile faded as she averted her gaze to the ground. Ellie stomped her foot and butted Grace’s arm. “To be honest, I don’t know how I feel about Jared anymore. If his father knew what was going on, who’s to say Jared didn’t? He could’ve saved me if he wanted to.”
I nodded. “That’s what your father’s investigating now. As you know, only the security team and the resort owners have access to the security room. He could’ve easily been the one to interrupt the news feed.”
“Not unless someone else got past unnoticed,” she added. “Brad’s not always in that room. There’ve been times I could’ve easily walked in there.”
Groaning, I ran a hand through my hair. “This makes everything much more complicated. There’s no telling who went in the room.”
The wind blew Grace’s hair around her face and my fingers ached to brush it away. A few minutes passed by and all she did was sit there with her eyes closed. I’d indulged in many women over the years, and could always get any of them I wanted, but not her. Grace was the one I could never get.
“Ian?” she whispered, opening her hazel eyes. She looked over at me, her face serious. “If I would’ve given in to you before, would you have told me the truth about who you are?”
“That depends.” I answered honestly. I couldn’t go around telling every woman I’d fucked who I was.
Her brows furrowed. “On what?”
“On how close we were.”
She brushed the hair off her face. “What if we were intimate?”
Thoughts of her spread out beneath me ran rampant through my mind. My dick lengthened, and I could feel it pushing against my pants. Willing my erection away, I placed my hands on her cheeks, causing her to suck in a quick breath. I’d never touched her like that, and it felt so damn good to be close to her. I wanted her so fucking bad.
“There are things you still don’t know about me. If we were intimate, I’d tell you when the time was right, and hope like hell you’d understand the reasons why.”
“I trust you, Ian. I just figured since I’m going to be here for a while, fighting the tension between us is going to get more difficult by the day.”
I pulled her close and she came willingly, closing her eyes as I was about to kiss her. “Don’t I know it,” I murmured against her lips.
My phone beeped, interrupting the moment, and I clenched my jaw. I already knew who it was without even looking. Grace opened her eyes, brows furrowed as I pulled out my phone from my pocket. “Tension isn’t the only thing going on between us.”
She cocked her head to the side. “What do you mean?”
I held up my phone so she could see there was a text from her father. “He’s not going to like us being together. The man respects me, but he’s not going to want his daughter getting involved with someone like me. What I do is d
angerous.” I was a killer, but I couldn’t tell her that.
“What my dad does is dangerous too.” Her gaze dropped down to my lips and she smiled. “Besides, when were you afraid of a challenge?”
“You just done messed up, girl. If your father kills me, I’ll haunt you for the rest of your life. Good luck trying to get a date with another man with a ghost following you around.”
She burst out laughing. “I could totally see you doing that.”
I laughed with her and grabbed her hands, gently helping her up without hurting her wrists. “I would say we could take a walk, but there’s something else that requires your attention.”
Gaze narrowed, she looked up at me and smiled. “What?”
The sound of her father’s car could be heard coming down the gravel driveway. I stepped out of the way so she could see him pulling up. “He brought your mother.”
She gasped and slapped a hand over her mouth. The car hadn’t come to a complete stop when her mother burst out and ran toward us. Grace’s eyes filled with tears and she took off running, jumping into her mother’s arms. Colton came up behind them and wrapped his arms around them both.
Reed came out from the house and passed the huddle. Nodding at Colton, he walked over to me. “How did it go today?”
I turned around and sighed. “Honestly, I don’t know yet. Zoe strikes me as being the devious and manipulative type when it comes to men, but I don’t see her being a killer. I’m going to talk to her more at the funeral.”
Reed nodded and a sly smile broadened his face. “Good deal.”
“Why are you grinning like that?” I asked, staring at him.
He chuckled and patted my shoulder. “Looks like you’re going to get the girl after all.”
That brought about an involuntary roll of my eyes. “She’s not mine yet. I need to concentrate on finding who tried to kill her first.”
He snorted. “Good luck with that. I don’t see you two being able to hold out a few days, much less a week. I saw you two down here.”
I glanced up at the house, where Grace had sat with her parents on the front porch. “If things get serious, I’ll have to tell her what I am. How do you think she’ll take it?” It was one of the reasons why I never cared about getting serious with anyone.
Reed sighed and focused on Grace. “She’ll understand. Her father’s a cop. She knows the kind of shit that happens in this world. Hell, she lived through it. She’d probably put a bullet through the fucker’s head who took her if she could.”
Grace wasn’t a killer, but if she wanted to do it, I’d make sure she had the chance.
Grace
“I’m so sorry we made you suffer. It broke my heart keeping you in the dark.”
“Oh, baby, it’s okay. I’m just so thankful you’re alive.” My mother hugged me hard, sniffling in my ear. I could tell she hadn’t taken care of herself over the past few days. Her brown hair was stringy and unkempt, and her eyes had dark circles beneath them.
“Me too.”
She let me go and I sat down on the bed, while she glanced around at the guest bedroom Ian put me in. The window on the opposite side of the room had the most glorious view of the Grand Teton Mountains in the daylight. I could stare out that window for hours. Even now, at night, I could see all the stars in the sky.
My father was outside with Ian and Reed, most likely talking about the case. I didn’t want to stay hidden forever, but the thought of looking over my shoulder every minute of the day, not knowing who wanted me dead, didn’t appeal to me.
My mother walked around the room. “Ian’s such a good man, he’s taken you in and cared for you. I’ve always enjoyed his company.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “So do all the women he’s around.”
She smiled. “He’s a charmer, that’s for sure.”
“Have you seen Mya at all?” I asked, changing the subject from Ian.
Her lips tightened and she nodded. “She came over yesterday and brought us dinner. The poor girl looked horrible. Not that I can talk.” She picked up a chunk of her hair and let it flop down. “Now when I go out in public, I have to pretend to be distraught. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good problem to have. But hopefully, I’m a good actress.”
I patted the bed and she sat down. “You’ll do fine.”
“Oh, before I forget, I brought some of your things to you.” She jumped up and reached inside her purse. “The night you were taken, you dropped your purse. I have your wallet and house keys, but not your phone. The police have it right now, however,” she pulled out another a phone, “here’s a prepaid phone your father got from the store. That way, you can call me anytime you want.”
“Thanks, Mom. I’ll call you every day.”
She hugged me again. “You better.”
The front door opened and I heard the guys come inside. “Jenny, you about ready to go?” my father called.
I walked my mother to the door, where my father waited. Ian smiled at me and I tried to ignore my erratic heartbeat, but failed miserably, heat rising to my cheeks. “Bye, Dad,” I said, hugging him tight.
He kissed my head. “Stay safe, sweetheart. I’ll let you know if we find anything new.”
Ian and I followed them outside and stood on the porch so I could watch them drive away. “I see your mother gave you a phone,” he said.
“Yep.” I held it up. “I’m only going to use it to call her and my father. She also gave me my house keys. At least, we don’t have to break in now.”
“Where’s the fun in that?” he said with a laugh. “Speaking of which, we should probably go while it’s dark.”
I glanced down at my frumpy clothes. “I’m good with that.”
We jumped in his old blue truck and it rumbled to life. Luckily, we didn’t have to go through the city to get to my house. “Is your mom okay now?”
I nodded. “Yep. It’s a load off my mind, but I’m still concerned about Mya. I know she’s sick with worry. I hate keeping her in the dark.” I trusted her, but I knew she wouldn’t be able to keep it from her husband, and he tended to talk too much when he drank. I couldn’t risk word getting out.
“You’ll be able to tell her soon enough,” Ian assured me.
We arrived at my house and the kitchen light was still on from the last time I left. Ian parked in the back and we entered through the patio door. “It won’t take me long,” I whispered.
“I’m going to look around, and make sure everything looks okay.”
I nodded, then hurried off to my room. The bed was still made, not a single wrinkle in the purple comforter. Mya’s landscape pictures still hung on my walls. There were so many things I wanted to take with me. Grabbing the largest suitcase out of my closet, I packed as many clothes as I could, along with a picture of me and my parents, and another with me and Mya. I even included a few pieces of lingerie I’d never had the chance to wear.
“Everything looks normal,” Ian announced, entering my bedroom. He looked around with a smile on his face. “So, this is where you dream about me, huh?”
I rolled my eyes. “You wish.”
He walked around while I went into the en-suite to grab my toiletries. When I came out, he had a picture in his hands. “Is this your ex?”
The last time I saw that picture was the night before I was taken. I’d thrown it in the trash, ready to be rid of it forever. Clearing my throat, I stuffed my toiletries into my suitcase and zipped it up. Thinking about Trey brought back lots of painful memories.
“Yes.” I glanced over at the trashcan beside my bed, where all his things still sat, ready to be discarded. But I’d never gotten the chance. There were other pictures in there too, along with letters he’d written, and a couple of his T-shirts.
Ian threw the frame back in the trash and took a step toward me, his gaze guarded. “What happened between you two? You never told me.”
I shrugged and avoided his stare. I felt stupid for trusting Trey for all those years, only to be
made a fool. “What’s there to tell? We were together for four years, engaged, and then he cheated on me. I guess that’s what happens when you have a long-distance relationship.”
“No, it’s not, Grace.” Closing the distance between us, he cupped my chin. I had no choice but to look up at him. “Someone like him would cheat on you even if you shared a house. He was just too stupid to realize how good he had it. You deserve a whole hell of a lot better than what that dildo could do for you.”
That was for damn sure. I just wished I’d figured it out before giving him my heart. “It still hurt,” I murmured. “I gave him four years of my life. After that, I buried myself in work.”
He tucked a strand of my hair behind my ears and moved back. “Is that why you turned me down? Afraid you’d get hurt?”
“Trey was one of the bad boys,” I said, meeting Ian’s gaze. “He was smart, funny, charming, and good-looking . . . everything a girl could want. But it turns out, every guy I’ve met since Trey have all turned out to be douchebags. By the time I finally met you, I was already done. All I wanted was to find a nice, average guy who wouldn’t get hit on by every woman in a ten-mile radius; someone who could stay faithful. And you, my friend, are clearly not average.” I sighed and shook my head. “He was supposed to move to Wyoming, but he kept putting it off. Turned out there was a red-headed Broadway dancer he wanted more than me.”
Ian pulled me into his arms and I melted against him. “I’m sorry, Grace. If it makes you feel any better, there was a girl I fell in love with in Charleston.”
“What happened?” I asked, looking up at him.
“She died in a car accident. I was only eighteen, but I cared about her. After that, I devoted my time to training and school, so I could join the FBI. You see,” he placed his hands on my face, “although it’s not the same, we’ve both lost people we cared about. The good thing is, we can heal. We can make sure our pasts don’t define us. We can move on. I joke around and it may piss you off at times, but I do know one thing.” His lips were so close to mine.
“What?” I whispered.