12. Grace
TWELVE
Grace
I couldn’t believe I was going up to Dane’s suite. I had almost done this a couple of weeks ago. Before I had any idea who he really was.
But the circumstances couldn’t have been more different. Now I knew he was my brother’s best friend, and also a pretty decent guy. The kind of man who made me feel secure. And I did need a safe place right about now. Because what had happened at my house, the break-in… I didn’t know what to think.
He swiped the keycard to get the elevator to bring us to the seventh floor. Dane squeezed my hand and let go of it when we reached the door to 701. It was indeed at the top of the hotel, one of only two doors on this floor.
Dane opened his door for me, and I went in. The decor was similar to the lobby. Granite floors with flecks of shimmery minerals. Elaborate light fixtures. I felt completely out of place. It was a reminder that, even when Dane dressed down, he was an outlier in my usual world.
He carried my bag and my books to a door on the left. I glanced briefly at a full kitchen and a spacious living room before following him. Dane set my things inside the room, then stepped out, leaning against the door frame. “You’ve got your own bathroom here. My bedroom is on the other side of the suite.” He tilted his head in that direction. “Dinner will be up soon.”
I crossed my arms over my stomach. “That sounds great, thanks. I think I’ll get cleaned up.” I felt grimy after being in my bedroom at home, knowing that some stranger had been in there.
I couldn’t understand why someone would do that. Invade my home. Not just steal from me, because he had taken something, but trash my room too. The cruelty of some people made my head spin. I needed a few minutes alone just to know which way was up.
Maybe my acceptance of Dane’s offer was evidence of the fact that I wasn’t thinking straight. But I had needed out of that house and away from Callum and the other guys.
If I had stayed, they would’ve been checking up on me all night. Everything’s fine, Grace , they would insist. Just relax. Don’t you worry your pretty head . While at the same time breathing down my neck like they thought I would break. I hated that. As if my being angry or upset made them uncomfortable, and they couldn’t handle it.
Right now, I appreciated the fact that Dane hadn’t known me since I was a kid. He didn’t see me as a little girl with skinned knees crying in the woods and trying to keep up with her older brothers.
Dane was protective too. Clearly. And bossier than nearly anyone I’d ever met. The man had actually thrown me over his shoulder and carried me out of the house earlier. My brothers wouldn’t have dared. And fine , it had also probably been smart, since the intruder could’ve been hanging around.
But when I’d told him how pissed I was, Dane had agreed with me instead of placating me. I’d been so angry , and even though Dane forced me to leave and call the police, he hadn’t told me not to feel what I was feeling. He’d actually risked his eardrums by giving me permission to scream. An unusual offer, and I had been seriously tempted. Not ready to take him up on it. But…tempted.
Something I seemed to feel a lot around Dane Knightly.
I went into the room and closed the door. There was a lock, just like a regular hotel room. I flipped it, not so much because I thought I needed it around Dane, but because I could. It felt good to have that little bit of security there.
Yet it also felt good to know that he was nearby. That anybody who somehow tracked me to the seventh floor of this hotel would have to go through him to reach me.
The room was decorated in neutral colors. Luxe bedding, modern artwork on the walls. A combination of upscale hotel chic and mountain style. A quick trip into the bathroom revealed a similar vibe. The vanity looked like it was made of upcycled barn planks, while the tile was sleek and monochromatic. A stack of thick white towels waited for me on a shelf.
But the very best part was the shower. A huge rain-can shower head sprouted from the ceiling, and there was a steam setting too that I wanted to try.
The first thing I needed to do was text Piper. My friend would probably hear about the break-in from Teller or Callum, and I didn’t want her to worry about me.
As for my other brother, I’d tell Ashford what happened tomorrow. He was going to flip, and I couldn’t handle that tonight.
A few minutes later, I undressed and stepped beneath the spray. I sighed as the heat and the falling water released the knots between my shoulders. Wow, this was nice.
Made me wonder how fancy the bathroom was over in Dane’s bedroom.
He’d probably show you if you asked , a mischievous voice said in my brain. A nice, personal tour . But I couldn’t get carried away with ideas like that. Dane and I were friends now, and with a man like him, that was by far the wisest course. I had to stay strong.
I switched the water off and forced myself to get out.
After pulling my damp hair back and dressing in comfy sweats and a loose top, I ventured out. Dane was nowhere to be seen, so I assumed he was in his own room. I veered the other direction and went into the kitchen. It was fully stocked. Not just pots and pans and small appliances, but food in the fridge. Maybe that was standard when anyone stayed in the ski resort presidential suite. Or maybe he’d gone down to the market on Main himself and pushed around a shopping cart.
What exactly did a billionaire eat for breakfast, anyway?
I opened the fridge to snoop and found containers of fancy yogurt, cut fruit, cooked chicken breasts and steamed veggies. A carton of organic eggs and a packet wrapped in butcher paper and labeled bacon .
“You’re welcome to anything you’d like.” Dane strolled into the kitchen. “Dinner will be here any minute.”
I closed the fridge and spun to face him. “Could I get a glass of water?”
“I have sparkling, and filtered comes from the tap.”
I opened cabinets until I found a glass. But Dane took it from me. “I’ve got it.” A buzzing sound filled the suite, coming from the front door. “And that must be dinner,” he said.
I peeked at him as he walked toward the door. His butt looked great in those jeans. Just a harmless observation.
A hotel employee pushed the cart into the dining area. I would’ve been fine with takeout boxes and paper napkins, but the woman laid out a white tablecloth, then placed several dishes covered in metal domes in the center of the dining table. From another shelf on the cart, she brought out plates and silverware, arranging everything like it was a restaurant.
“Perfect,” Dane said. “That’s all we need. Much appreciated.” He passed her a tip on her way out, and then he was back, pulling out a chair for me. “I ordered Italian, since that’s what we had at Ashford’s place. Assumed that was a safe choice.”
“It smells delicious.” My stomach rumbled as he uncovered the dishes. One looked like chicken piccata, and the other was pasta with a ragu sauce. Dane sat across from me and served me first. Which, okay, was gracious of him.
I took my first bites with a small groan. “This is really good.” I took another big bite of chicken and realized his eyes were tracing the movements of my fork. “Aren’t you going to eat?” I asked with my mouth full.
“I’m already enjoying this meal.”
“You have some kind of kink about watching women eat?”
“I didn’t think so. But watching you eat? Maybe.”
Oh lord. This man.
I put my fork down. “Is that why you brought the cheeseboard to Ashford’s last week? To watch me eat it like a weirdo?”
He laughed. “No. I brought it because I knew you would like it. No other reason.”
“But why ? Why was that important to you?”
“Because you were mad at me after the fall festival. I wanted to make up for it.”
“That’s typical for you? Buying people’s affection?”
“Do I have your affection?”
Yes , my traitorous heart responded. Thank goodness I didn’t say it out loud.
I barely knew him. Yet it was impossible not to like Dane. And that was aside from the fact that he was one of the most handsome men I’d ever sat across from. Plenty of women would love to be in my shoes.
Plenty of women have been in your shoes , I reminded myself.
“I thought you weren’t going to flirt with me anymore.”
“Who said that?”
I rolled my eyes. “Maybe you’re not capable of it.”
“I’m capable. But I think you enjoy when I flirt with you.”
“There you go again, telling me what’s in my head. It’s presumptuous.”
“Yet you’re not telling me I’m wrong.” With that smirk still on his face, he dished twice as much food as he’d given me onto his plate and started to eat. I shouldn’t have worried about the man going hungry.
I went back to eating. The food warmed my stomach, and I glanced around again, my attention drawn back to the luxurious surroundings. “How did you end up buying this hotel, anyway?” I asked.
“Ashford didn’t tell you?”
I shook my head. “Not really. Just that you thought it was a good investment. But there must be even better investments in other places.”
He finished his last bite and leaned back in his chair. “I’d rather not talk about me tonight. I’d rather hear why you lied to Chief Landry.”
I hid my shock by taking a sip of water. “Why do you think I was lying?”
“A hunch. You said nothing was missing from your bedroom, but you looked at me right afterward.”
I bit my lip and drummed my fingers against the table. “It might be nothing.”
“Tell me so I can help.” Dane’s tone was gentle, but firm enough to emphasize that he wouldn’t back down. “That’s why you agreed to come here tonight, isn’t it? You’re trusting me already. So trust me with this.”
This man kept pushing his way into my life. Sticking around even when I tried to avoid him. I still didn’t understand exactly why, but if anyone could help me figure this out, it would be him.
Hard as it was to believe, even for me, I did want to trust him. At least with this.
“The red mask was missing from my room.”
His brows knitted. “The one you wore at the grand-opening party?”
I nodded. “I hung the mask on the edge of a frame on my wall, but after the break-in, it was gone. I lied to Teller because I didn’t want to explain about that night.”
“About seeing me there?”
“Yep.” And the fact that I almost went up to Dane’s suite to spend the night with him. Teller had those interrogation skills. And I was no hardened criminal. Teller would’ve gotten every last detail out of me. “Besides, it could be a coincidence. I didn’t have money in my room or jewelry worth stealing. Maybe the intruder thought the mask was expensive, and that’s why he took it.”
I thought of what Ms. Scarlet had said to me that night. Not everything that shines is a real diamond .
Dane pushed his plate aside and rested his elbows on the table. “You said a stranger gave the mask to you.”
“A redhead in the hotel ladies’ room. Just before I went into the party.”
“Then that VIP in the blue mask thought you were her.”
“Right. I assume so. Then later, when I was in the lobby after you went upstairs…”
“What happened?”
Memories from that night flitted through my mind in a hazy blur of music and color. The man in the blue mask grabbing my shoulder. Dane swooping in to my rescue. Flirting with him afterward. His invitation.
Do you want me to take you upstairs and worship you until the sun comes up?
And the way he’d spoken, the intense desire in his eyes—the memory made my breath catch and arousal tingle in all my nerve endings, just like it had weeks ago. I’d thought countless times about that night in the last couple of weeks, but not with the same man sitting right across from me.
My thighs squeezed together.
“What happened in the lobby?” Dane prompted.
I took another sip of cold water. “A man stopped me. A different one. He asked where I got the mask. I think he was looking for the woman I’d met in the bathroom earlier that night. Ms. Scarlet.”
“What did he look like?”
I closed my eyes, picturing the man. The hard lines of his mouth and the gleam in his eyes. It made me shiver. “He’s white. Has a goatee. And…a mole on his right cheek. His head was shaved. I almost thought he could be security at first, just from the way he carried himself. But then I figured he wouldn’t be wearing a mask.” I rubbed my eyes beneath my glasses. “Maybe I should’ve said something to the hotel staff about it. Made a bigger deal of it. But I just…”
I’d wanted to get away from the resort and forget about that night. Forget about sexy Mr. Black and his seventh-floor hotel suite.
From the way Dane was watching me, I figured he could guess that part too.
“The whole night was so strange,” I finished. “Now today, Ms. Scarlet’s mask goes missing from my room. And the person who took it trashed my bedroom and other parts of my house. It could be connected, but how?”
“I’ll give Tobin those descriptions and pull the security footage from the night of the party. See if we can identify the woman who gave you the mask or either of the men who stopped you. And we can find out if any of them are still in Silver Ridge. If they’re staying at my hotel, I want to know.”
I groaned. “This is a mess. Exactly why I don’t like having things to hide. I don’t want secrets or mysteries to solve. I wish I never put on that mask.”
“The party wouldn’t have been nearly as interesting if you hadn’t, though.”
“That would’ve been better. If you and I never saw each other there. I prefer to keep my life simple. Boring .”
“Are you sure about that?”
I drummed my fingers against the tablecloth, looking down at my empty plate.
“The woman I spent time with at the grand-opening party was far from boring,” Dane said. “It wasn’t about the dress or the heels, though you did look incredible in those.”
“I keep telling you, I wasn’t acting like the real me that night.”
“Your quick wit is the same. Your humor. Your candor. Are you sure you want boring? Or do you just want to feel safe?”
I bristled. “Nothing wrong with wanting to feel safe.”
“Not at all. I want you to feel safe. I don’t blame you, especially with what happened to Emma and Ashford last year. Ashford has also mentioned what your family situation was like when you guys were kids, and?—”
“ Don’t .” My entire body flooded with heat, but this was nowhere near pleasant.
He held up his hands. “Shit. Let me back up and try again, because that came out all wrong.”
“I’d rather not.” I pushed my chair back from the table and stood. My chest heaved as I breathed. “My brother might be your best friend, but don’t assume you know me . You don’t. A few conversations doesn’t change that fact.”
Dane calmly stared back at me.
Perhaps I was overreacting. I couldn’t help it though. The way Dane looked at me, the way he reached into my head and seemed to see the things I didn’t want anyone to see…
I felt exposed around him. Right now, it didn’t feel remotely good.
I grabbed my plate and glass, intending to rinse the dishes and go to bed. But Dane got up and stopped me, making me set everything back on the table. He held my hands in his.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I was putting words in your mouth, and I shouldn’t have. I just want you to know you can talk to me. That has nothing to do with Ashford or the friendship I have with him. But everything to do with the friendship I would like to have with you.”
Despite how close we were standing, there was no flirtation in his voice. I believed that he meant it.
“Okay.”
“I can get on my knees and grovel.”
“I’d rather you didn’t.” A couple more deep breaths, and I was calm again. I gently pulled my hands from his grip. “I can take care of the dishes.”
“No, I want you to relax. Go to bed early.”
I almost argued, but I felt strung out. “I appreciate dinner. And the place to stay.”
“Of course. If you need anything, you know where to find me. Door at the end of the hall.”
Ugh. The last thing I needed to focus on was how close he would be tonight.
As I got ready for bed, I tried to keep my mind blank. I didn’t want to think about everything Dane had said. Especially because I suspected he could be right.
What if I didn’t want boring at all?
Ever since Dane Knightly had arrived in Silver Ridge, my life had taken a severe turn toward the exciting. Break-ins at my home were not my idea of a good time. But I liked being around Dane.
Radical honesty here: I enjoyed his attention. Whenever I was around him, he made me feel…special. Alive .
Maybe I needed a little more of Dane’s particular brand of excitement. And that thought scared me. Not as much as someone robbing my house, but still.
Dane made me want things I was afraid of having.