The Wrong/Right Man

by Aurora Rose Reynolds

  He doesn’t answer at first; instead, he closes the distance between us and takes my hand, resting it on his chest. “I’m sorry, baby, but that was the building manager. There was a problem, and they need me to come in to deal with it.”

  “What kind of problem?” I ask, not liking the amount of tension I can see in his frame.

  “Nothing you need to worry about.” He drops a quick kiss to my forehead then orders, “Let’s get dressed and lock up here.”

  “Okay,” I agree, trying not to be disappointed that he doesn’t want to talk to me about what’s going on.

  It doesn’t take us long to get packed up and into his Benz, and as he drives us into the city, the silence is heavy. I don’t know what he’s thinking about, but I’m wondering why it feels like he’s keeping something from me.

  When we reach our building, he drives into the underground parking lot, and then we get out and go to the private elevator. He waves his watch over the sensor and his floor lights up. Annoyed and just wanting to be in my space, I press the button for my floor.

  “You’re staying with me tonight,” he informs me, and I cross my arms over my chest.

  “You’re going to be gone, so I want to sleep in my bed.”

  “I won’t be gone all night. I want you in my bed when I get home,” he says, glancing at his watch.

  “No,” I refuse, and he growls, the sound putting me on edge.

  “Dakota.”

  “Braxton, if you want, you can come to my place when you’re done doing whatever it is you’re doing.”

  “You’re staying at my place.”

  “I’m not.” I shake my head. “I want to take a shower in my shower with my stuff and put on my clothes, and then go to bed in my bed,” I tell him, and just then the elevator doors open for my floor. He steps in front of me to block my way, but I duck under his arm and walk quickly down the hall. When I turn the corner, my step falters when I see a police officer standing outside my apartment door.

  “What’s going on?” I ask, walking toward the cop.

  “Dakota.” Braxton grasps my upper arm and spins me around to face him.

  I study him, trying to understand why he looks so freaked. “What happened?”

  “The apartment below you called the building manager tonight to tell them there was water leaking into their apartment. They went into your place to check where the water was coming from and found your place had been vandalized.”

  “What?” My heart drops into my stomach, and I look over my shoulder at the officer who’s watching us.

  “Please just let me deal with this,” Braxton pleads, and I focus back on him.

  “It’s my apartment and my stuff. I want to see.” I pull from his grasp and head down the hall with him right behind me. When I reach the officer, he looks at the man at my back for approval, which pisses me off, but then he steps out of the way.

  I walk into my place and can’t even believe what I’m seeing. The entire space is destroyed, the floor covered with water, the couch cushions cut open, fuzz and foam littering the floor, my clothes ripped and strewn across the room and filling the sink, the photos and things from the box I got from Troy tossed across the wet ground like garbage. I barely even register the other people in the room and the quiet sound of conversation. My mind is consumed with the destruction surrounding me.

  I take a step up to my bed and feel sick when I see my underwear and bras placed on the bed in matching sets, the only items that seem to be laid out with care.

  “Baby.” Braxton takes my hand, and I look up into his worried eyes.

  “Who did this?”

  His expression grows dark, and his hold on my hand gets tight. “I don’t know, but I’m going to find out.”

  My eyes scan my place, knowing that if anyone has the ability to find out who did this, he does.

  “Mr. Adams.” A man I don’t recognize approaches us. “The police have a few questions,” he says, looking at Braxton, and then his gaze comes to me. “I’m sorry, Ms. Newton.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Tell them I’ll be a few minutes, Jimmy. I want to take Dakota upstairs and get her settled in my place,” Braxton tells him, and he nods before turning and walking away.

  I turn to face Braxton, and his eyes come to me. “I’m not leaving.”

  “Dakota.”

  “Braxton.” I use his same frustrated tone. “I’m not leaving. This is my home. I want to talk to the cops.”

  “You need to tell her.”

  At that comment, my spine stiffens. I turn and watch Hanna come toward us.

  “Tell me what?” I glance between her and Braxton, trying to understand the silent conversation they’re so obviously having. “Tell me what?” I repeat when neither of them speaks.

  Braxton lets out an annoyed breath then looks down at me. “The first time you were on air, the call center got a call from a man who made some unusual comments, and per protocol, they made a note and passed it along. It’s not unusual for that kind of thing to happen from time to time in this industry, but each time you were on air, we were notified that the man would call back, and he seemed to be escalating.” He turns me to face him and takes my other hand. “On Thursday, a package addressed to you was intercepted.”

  “And?” I whisper, unsure if I want to know.

  “The items inside were disturbing, and the package was passed along to the police.”

  “You think whoever sent that package did this?” I ask.

  He glances around my destroyed apartment. “I don’t know, but with the calls and the package, it seems to fit.”

  “You never told me.”

  His eyes come to me, and I know the instant his warm gaze meets mine that he didn’t tell me, because he didn’t want me to worry. Like Jamie, he wants to protect me. The puzzle pieces begin to fall into place—all the times he’s tried to convince me to move to the marketing department, his overbearing protectiveness. It’s all been because he wanted me off air; he wanted to tuck me away in hopes that it would keep me safe.

  God, this crazy, crazy man.

  I hold his gaze and whisper, “Let’s go talk to the cops.”

  Without a word, he leads me across the room to one of the officers, and then for the next hour, I try to make sense of what is happening.

  But quickly, I realize I might never understand, yet it’s time I trust the man who has stolen my heart.

  Chapter 13

  DAKOTA

  I SIT ON the floor in the living room in the dark and look out at the city below me, watching my breath fog up the glass as my forehead rests against it. I should be exhausted after the day I’ve had, but I can’t sleep, which is why I carefully untangled myself from Braxton’s hold and escaped to his living room to think. No matter what I do, I can’t make sense of what happened to my apartment, and I can’t even comprehend someone being so infatuated with me that they would go to such an extreme to get my attention.

  The cops asked me tonight if I had anyone in my life or in my past who I would consider a suspect, and I honestly couldn’t think of one person. Troy would be an obvious suspect, but I know he wouldn’t risk tarnishing his family’s name by being so devious, and there is no one else in my past who I can think of who would want to hurt me or given me a reason to believe they are even the slightest bit obsessed with me.

  I close my eyes. Neither the police nor Braxton told me what was said on the phone calls or what was in the package they received, but by the looks that were passed around, I know whatever it was, it was bad. I also know Braxton well enough to understand he’s not going to let me go about my life as usual, and I’m not sure I want to. For the first time in a long time, I feel vulnerable, the same kind of unease I felt as a kid when things in life were up in the air.

  I open my eyes when I hear movement behind me then moments later, Braxton settles on the ground at my back and wraps his arms around me. Once I’m resting against his chest, encircled in the safety of his hold, I t
urn to my side to rest on my hip with my ear over his heart and listen to the steady beat.

  “This is why I didn’t want you to know what’s been happening.” His words cut through the silence, and I open my eyes.

  “You don’t think I would have eventually found out my place had been broken into and all my stuff was destroyed?”

  “I was going to cross that bridge when I got to it.”

  “You’re really unbelievable.” I tip my head back, and he dips his head down to meet my gaze. “What was your plan? Were you going to just move me in with you and say you got rid of all my stuff?”

  “Maybe.” He sighs, and I want to laugh, because he would do something so ridiculous in order to hide what happened, but all that would’ve done is create more issues between us.

  “That would have been a lie,” I point out.

  “I know,” he agrees.

  “You said you don’t want to lie to me anymore.”

  “I also don’t want you so worried that you sneak out of bed in the middle of the night because you can’t sleep.”

  “You can’t stop me from worrying about this.” I sigh, resting my head back against his chest.

  “I know.” He cups my jaw, smoothing his thumb back and forth over my cheek. “What took you from bed?”

  “I just keep wondering what I did,” I admit quietly as I stare at the silent street below us.

  “You didn’t do anything. Sometimes people are just mentally unable to distinguish the difference between real life and what they believe in their minds.”

  “I guess you’re right.”

  “It will be okay.” His lips linger on the top of my head as he continues to speak. “The police will do their job, and I have people looking into things as well. Until they find out who is behind the calls and what happened at your apartment, we will keep you off the air.”

  “I need to tell Jamie what happened.”

  “He knows about the calls.”

  He does? I mean that’s probably what his strange looks were about and why he didn’t seem to mind when I told him about Braxton’s overprotectiveness. “I’m surprised he didn’t demand he stay with me or something.” He clears his throat, and I know there’s more he’s not saying. “What?”

  “He also knows I’ve had someone watching you.”

  “You what?” I shout and attempt to push away from him, but when he doesn’t let me go, I growl in frustration and give up. “Since when have you had someone watching me?”

  “The morning after we met, I was informed about the phone calls, and when your name was mentioned, I decided to hire someone to watch over you while I was out of town. They have been following you since then.”

  “The big guy?” I ask, and he nods. “I knew it. So it was him who followed me in a car that morning?”

  “No.” He frowns. “Someone followed you in a car?”

  “Yeah… or I think so.” I shake my head. “I’m not sure. After I ran into you, I didn’t see them again and thought I was imagining it.”

  “I think we need to tell the police about that incident. Do you remember what the car looked like?”

  I try, but I can’t recall. “I think dark, but I can’t remember. It seems like forever ago.”

  “Has anything like that happened since then?”

  I think about it, but “No.”

  “Before you moved here, did you ever receive any strange phone calls or letters, anything like that?” he asks—the same question the police asked me last night.

  “No, I mean—” I pause, wondering if the photos of Troy cheating could be connected, but that was a long time ago. Surely something would have happened since then if they were.

  “What?”

  “The photos of Troy cheating on me came in a plain, unmarked envelope. I still don’t know who sent them to me.”

  “Did Troy know who might have sent them? Maybe the woman he was cheating on you with?”

  “I never asked. I’ve never even talked to him about what happened.”

  “Do you still have the pictures or the envelope?”

  “No, I left them along with my engagement ring when I left.”

  “Troy’s father is in politics. Someone might have been planning on using those pictures to blackmail him. I’ll have my guys look into it. It might be connected, but it might not.”

  “You know Troy’s dad is in politics?” I ask, and he raises a brow like “Are you really asking that?” “Right, never mind. Don’t even bother answering that question. Of course you know.”

  His arms tighten around me. “I think you need to tell Jamie about what happened last night face-to-face. Maybe you can invite him over here and we can talk to him together, put him at ease, and make sure he knows you’re safe.”

  “Your family is going to be here,” I remind him of something that has me nervous, especially since I’m not exactly in the best place mentally to meet them.

  “What does that matter?”

  “Because Jamie will probably lose his mind, and I’m not sure that is something you want your family to witness.”

  “You don’t think my parents are going to be upset about this when they find out? My mother will probably demand I send you to stay with her, and my father will most likely ask if I want one of the guns he keeps locked away in his safe at home.”

  “Or your parents will think I’m bringing trouble to their son’s doorstep and hate me because of it.”

  “No one is going to hate you.” I see his lips twitch like he wants to laugh.

  “You don’t know that, and if they do, it’s something you for once have no control over. You can’t force them to like me.”

  “Let’s just see what happens.” He touches his lips to mine then stands and picks me up. “Right now, let’s get some rest. We will have enough drama to deal with in the morning without making shit up tonight.”

  “I’m not tired,” I tell him as he walks us into his room and lays me on the bed.

  “Then you can just lie here with me,” he bosses, climbing into bed with me and tucking his face against the crook of my neck. “You should know,” he whispers as my body starts to relax, “my parents are going to love you, because they will see how happy you make me.”

  “I thought I just made you crazy.”

  “You do make me crazy.” He kisses my neck. “But you make me happy too. You’ve given me something I didn’t know I was missing until you came along. You’ve reminded me what’s important, that it’s the little things that matter most,” he says quietly as my throat gets oddly tight. “I forgot that along the way, forgot how good it feels to laugh, to relax and just be myself.” He laces his fingers through mine and brings our joined hands up to rest between my breasts. “I know I can’t stop you from worrying, but just know that no matter what happens, you’re mine and nothing is going to change that, because I refuse to give you up. And I will always keep you safe.”

  “And do I get a say about you keeping me?”

  “If it’s to disagree with me, no,” he replies, and I hear the smile in his voice.

  “Then I guess it’s a good thing I like it exactly where I am.”

  “I guess so.” He kisses my neck once more and silence settles over us, his breath growing soft and even.

  When I know he’s asleep, I roll over to face him and rest my hand on his cheek, whispering my truth into the dark. “I didn’t forget, because I never knew this kind of happiness existed before you came into my life and turned it upside-down.” I trace the edge of his jaw then tuck myself against his chest and close my eyes, knowing that even if I don’t fall asleep, there is nowhere else I want to be but right here in his arms.

  ________________

  “I HATE YOUR phone,” I groan, waking up to the annoying ringtone I know is attached to Braxton’s cell. “I swear I’m going to shove that thing down the disposal and turn it on.” I hear the man I’m still curled up against chuckle, and I open one eye to glare at him. “I’m not joking.”
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br />   “Sorry, babe, it’s work.” He touches his lips to mine then rolls out of bed.

  I pull his pillow over my head while shouting, “It’s always work! Being the CEO is a stupid job, especially if you can’t even take Sunday off to sleep in and relax.”

  I listen to him laugh then a moment later hear the door close as he leaves the room. I try to go back to sleep, wanting nothing more than to stay here the rest of the day hidden away, but thoughts of his parents coming, the call I have to make to Jamie, and going down to my place to try and salvage some of my stuff plagues me.

  With a groan, I toss his pillow away and get out of bed. I go to his shower and turn it on. While the water warms up, I use his toothbrush and paste to brush my teeth, making a mental list of all the things I need to pick up at some point today. I know for sure I will not be wearing any of the undergarments I had in my apartment. I don’t even want to imagine what was done to or with them. I also need some clothes, shower stuff, makeup, and I’m sure even more I won’t remember until I need it.

  After I get out of the shower, I wrap one towel around myself then another around my hair and open the door that leads to the closet. The room is big enough to be someone’s bedroom and looks like a small men’s department store. I start to open drawers to find something to wear and pause when I find a one drawer is nothing but ties that all look the same, just in different shades of gray, black, and navy-blue. With a shake of my head I close that drawer then open the rest until I find a pair of boxers, socks, and a T-shirt. I get dressed then go back to the bathroom, taking the towel from my head and hanging it up. Since I don’t have a brush and all I can find is Braxton’s comb, I run my fingers through my wet hair, trying to get most of the knots out, a task that feels hopeless with two days of not using conditioner.

  “My parents are going to be up here in less than thirty minutes. They called when they were crossing the bridge into the city,” Braxton says, patting my ass as he walks past me, and my eyes widen in horror as he continues to speak from the closet he disappears into. “I told my mom you’re here. She’s excited to meet you.”

  I look around the room for somewhere to hide then shake my head. I don’t need to hide here. I have an apartment just a few stories down. I leave the bathroom and go in search of my phone and bag so I can get into my apartment, for the first time wishing I wouldn’t have taken off my stupid watch, because I could use it to get into my place. Not finding my stuff in the bedroom, I go to the kitchen then the living room and the office I found the last time I was here.