32. Dane
THIRTY-TWO
Dane
I’d never had sex like that before. Somehow uninhibited and completely connected at the same time.
Probably because I’d never been with a woman I was in love with.
The first time with Grace had been amazing, but my feelings for her had grown exponentially in the weeks since.
“We’re going to have to do that as often as possible,” I said, trying to catch my breath.
She giggled, snuggling against me, and I draped my arms over her back to keep her right there. I didn’t want to move from the spot for as long as possible.
Grace was just…everything. I should’ve known she could handle far more than I had been giving her. And I didn’t mean physically. I had kept things from her because of my own hangups. Facing a tense negotiation for a deal or hostiles in a war zone—those were things I could handle with barely a shift in my vital signs. But telling the woman I loved just how completely head over heels I was for her?
I’d been worried that she would get spooked. Run from me like she’d done the night of the masquerade party. But this time she hadn’t, and fuck I was relieved.
All my life, I had pushed myself to accomplish great things. But Grace pushed me in entirely different ways. Winning her felt like the biggest accomplishment of them all. It didn’t matter that she hadn’t said she loved me. The declaration would come in time. I was still cocky enough to have zero doubts about that.
In all the ways that mattered, Grace was mine .
We both rinsed off in the shower, and then I ran a bath. It was big enough for the two of us, so I slid into the water first and pulled Grace between my legs and up against my chest when she got in.
We both relaxed, enjoying the heat and the closeness.
“I haven’t told you what else I learned from Warren,” I said.
I recounted the new info Warren had shared. Vincent and Lexi’s identities, along with Nina’s real last name. And the fact that they seemed to be involved in a high-class escort ring.
Grace turned to the side so she could meet my gaze. “Do you think that’s why Nina was meeting with Dirk Lancaster at the grand-opening party?”
“That’s my assumption. That she was his date for the night.”
“But if they hadn’t met yet, why did she decide to leave? Had she heard something bad about him?”
“That’s possible. It’s extremely concerning that this is going on at Knightly Global hotels. I think Kip is behind it. That’s why he recognized Nina’s name when I asked him about her. Jamison must be the alias she uses as an escort.”
“But you think Kip would be involved in an escort business on the side? I thought he was too uptight for that.”
“He’s too uptight for a lot of things, but not if it’s going to make money.”
Kip had been so concerned about making his VIPs happy. The grand-opening party at the ski resort had been his idea in the first place. And then, after Nina stood up Dirk Lancaster, Kip had probably been fuming. Which explained why he had been harassing me afterward about providing a “personal touch” to the VIPs.
Personal touch indeed.
The whole thing was messed up, yet I couldn’t put it past my brother. The only part that didn’t make sense was that he would risk doing this under our father’s nose. Dad would have an aneurysm if he found out that Kip was risking the Knightly name.
For whatever reason, Kip believed the risk was worth it.
“We have to find Nina,” Grace said. “If she’s in hiding from Vincent, then maybe she’s trying to get away from this whole escort situation. We could help her.”
“And she might have information to share that would expose the entire operation.” Which was probably the very reason that Vincent wanted so badly to track her down.
Unless Vincent was trying to find her for a more specific reason. Which just reminded me of the mystery around Nina’s red mask, and the fact that it had been stolen from Grace’s bedroom.
“Warren is going to keep investigating,” I said. “He’s trying to locate all three of them. It sounds like Lexi took off, maybe for the same reasons as Nina. If we can locate either woman, then maybe they can tell us what we need to know. I’m also going to send Warren the fake photos you received today. Hopefully he can figure out who was behind that move as well.”
“Do you think it’s connected? The escort service and the fake photos today?”
“Maybe. If Kip’s behind it, then I assume so. But whatever this is really about, sending that envelope to you today was like dropping a bomb. A declaration of war. They’re trying to use you against me because it’s obvious how much I care about you. And I am not going to let that go.”
Thinking about it just made me furious again, and I kissed Grace’s temple, taking comfort in knowing she was mine. Whoever had been trying to hurt us had only strengthened our connection.
I wasn’t going to thank whoever was behind this, though. I wasn’t in a forgiving mood.
“Kip will be back in New York any day now from his honeymoon. I’m going to confront him. And then I’m going to our father.”
“Will he believe you?”
“I don’t know. Unless I have some kind of proof, probably not. But it’s what I have to do.”
Either way, I didn’t see how I could continue working for Knightly Global. After Mom had gotten sick and deteriorated so quickly, I had wanted to hold on to the only family I had left. Dad and Kip. As if reconciling with my brother, earning my father’s approval, could somehow fix our family and bring my mom back to us. But that wasn’t possible.
I loved my mom and would do my damnedest to take care of her, but I also had to do what was right for myself.
And that meant choosing Grace. Choosing us .
* * *
We didn’t bother to get dressed after the bath, just drying off and then tumbling into my bed. And of course, we wound up messy again. Making love all afternoon until we were exhausted. Though I was careful to be more gentle and pay attention to how she was doing. Grace was strong, and I trusted her to tell me what was too much, but I was never not going to put her welfare first.
Grace napped in my arms, while I stared at the ceiling, deep in thought. I was content though. How could I not be? I was naked in bed with the woman I loved. Hard to find fault with that.
I scowled when my phone rang on the nightstand, surprised to see Warren’s name there. I hadn’t expected to hear from him again already, especially because I hadn’t sent him those fake photos yet.
Grace stirred, lifting her head. Her hair was frizzy and tangled from our latest lovemaking session. “Do you need to get that?”
“It’s Warren, my investigator. I’ll let him go to voicemail and call him back in an hour.” Grace deserved some peace. Hell, so did I. Besides, the more time Warren spent on my case, the more he could charge me. That was a bill I was happy to pay.
But Grace sat up, pulling on the sheet to cover herself. “No, it could be important. I want to know what else he’s found.”
“You’re the boss.” I smirked at her as I grabbed the phone. “Hey, Warr. You’re on speaker with me and Grace.”
“Grace, it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Dane’s one arrogant asshole, but you’ve managed to wrap him around your finger. It’s impressive.”
I rolled my eyes and put my arm around her.
She laughed. “Um, hi Warren. Good to meet you too. Have you found something new for us?”
“I assume Dane updated you on everything we discussed at my office this morning?”
“Yes,” Grace said.
“I had to go all the way to Brooklyn for it, too,” I grumbled.
“The exercise is good for you. But trust me, I didn’t know I’d have more for you so soon. In my line of work, sometimes information moves at a slow trickle. And sometimes it floods in all at once. I just got a hit on Nina Badowski. She used her debit card to get cash at a convenience store in Hart County, Colorado.”
Grace jolted, spine going straight. “Hart County? That’s where I’m from. Is Nina still in Silver Ridge?”
“No, she’s in an unincorporated area in a remote part of the county. I was able to track her down to a motel. It’s about, let me check…an hour from Silver Ridge. She’s registered under another name, but the motel clerk confirmed what she looked like. Helped that I transferred a hundred bucks to the guy’s Venmo account.”
“So you don’t think he’ll tip Nina off?” I asked.
“Doubt it. I told him he’ll get another Venmo transfer if he gives me a heads-up when she checks out. But she’s been staying there a while. Pays in cash. This motel is cheap, but not free. I assume she avoided using credit cards to stay hidden, but she ran out of funds and got desperate enough to risk the debit card.”
“How did you get access to her banking info at all?” Grace asked.
“Trade secrets, my dear. Dane, I’ll send you the motel info. Let me know what else I can do for you. I could be on a flight to Colorado tomorrow.”
“No,” I said. “I need you at your desk. I’m going to send you some photos via courier. Grace received them anonymously today. They’re deep fakes, made to look like I was meeting with Nina Badowski, along with a note. I want to know who sent them. It might not be connected to Vincent Brady and his attack on Grace, but it could be.”
“Got it. I’ll take a look.”
“Talk soon.” I ended the call, immediately reaching for Grace again. I needed her close, skin to skin, for as long as we had that luxury.
“So we’re going back to Colorado?” she asked.
“What makes you say that?”
“We know where Nina is. Someone has to go meet with her and find out what she knows. I’m sure you’re planning to go, and if you value your life, you’ll bring me with you.”
“I declare that I love you, and now you’re threatening me?” I teased.
“If flying makes my concussion symptoms worse, I can handle it. Don’t you dare leave me behind. You said in the past that we would make a good team.”
“I remember.”
“This whole mess involves me just as much as it involves you. I’m coming.”
I nodded. “That’s convenient, because I was going to insist you come with me anyway.”
“You jerk. You made me think you were leaving me here!”
I kissed her, laughing. “I’m not going anywhere without you. If you think you’re ready to travel, I’m on board with that. Let me see how soon the jet can be ready.”
I called Margot and explained in general terms what was going on. That we needed to head back to Hart County as soon as possible.
After wrapping up the call, I set my phone aside again. “Margot said she’d work on it and get back to me in an hour. Best guess, I figure we’ll leave late tonight or first thing in the morning.”
“Then we’d better pack.” Grace started to get up.
“Hold on a second. Not so fast.” I pulled her against me so she’d feel my semi. My cock was just perking up, but with her naked in my lap, it wouldn’t take long until I was hard and ready for the next round. “I can think of a better way to kill sixty minutes.” I rolled her so her back hit the mattress, my body hovering over her. “I’d love to find out how many times I can make you come in an hour. If you feel up to it.”
“If you’re up to it, then bring it on.”