Chapter 9
Ace
I want to lie, but maybe that isn’t a good idea.
I can toy with her, though, see just how much I can embarrass her.
Embarrassment is a lot better than fear or nervousness, and I sense a little of both in her right now.
She has to be scared, and since I don’t have any answers for her, distracting her might be good for her. And a whole lot of fun for me.
“Enough.” I give her my most charming grin.
“That wasn’t nice, you know.”
“I thought maybe you were dating a guy you hadn’t told your mom about or frequented BDSM clubs or something.”
She laughs, a soft, delightful sound that makes me chuckle too. “I wish I was even a little bit adventurous like that in the bedroom.”
“Believe me, it’s not my cup of tea either. Some friends of mine own a sex club in Vegas and the only time I visit is when I stop in to say hi.”
“I don’t get the impression you’re shy in the bedroom,” she murmurs.
“There’s a big difference between not being shy and BDSM. And no, I’m definitely not shy.” Our gazes meet and the chemistry that sparks must be too intense for her, because she looks away first.
“So really, how much did you read? Tell me the truth.”
“Enough to know there are no secret boyfriends or sex clubs.”
“Ace.” She dips her head. “Did you read what I wrote about you?”
Oh, shit.
“I… No.” I skimmed through the earlier dates and paid more attention to the recent entries, looking for someone or something in her life now that might be problematic. Mostly.
“Okay.” She seems to let out a breath.
“You wrote about me in your diary?” I can’t help myself.
She’s bright red and I hate it for her, because this isn’t fun banter or light teasing. She’s truly embarrassed because of me, and I never would do that on purpose.
“I was really angry when you didn’t come to Dad’s funeral,” she says after a moment.
“It was the one thing that got me through the hours after he passed, knowing you would be there, knowing I’d be able to see you just one more time.
And then you didn’t come. It was irrational, especially in light of what I know now, but what I wrote in the days that followed was filled with grief and pain and confusion.
Especially since I was in the middle of a divorce as well. ”
“I’m sorry,” I say quietly.
And I mean it.
It never occurred to me she still thinks about me, possibly as much as I think about her. “I would have been there if I could have been. I tried, I really did, but something was going on…and I couldn’t.”
“It’s okay.” She swallows. “I just, when I thought you’d read the whole thing I… Well, that’s not the only time I wrote about you.”
“Did you write about our kiss?” I ask curiously.
“I’m a silly romantic,” she admits, not looking at me.
“I was a sheltered, na?ve virgin when I met you and the only part of that that’s changed is that I’m not a virgin anymore.
I’m still fairly sheltered and, after the disaster of my marriage, undoubtedly far too na?ve for my own good.
I’d like to think I’ve matured and changed, but I don’t know that anyone truly changes.
We are who we are.” She finally looks at me, and the pain in her eyes is unmistakable.
“I don’t know what that bastard did to you,” I say quietly, “but I already hate him.”
“Maybe someday I’ll tell you,” she replies softly.
“Okay.” I look down as my phone rings. It’s Chains. “Excuse me, I have to get this.”
“Of course.”
“Hey, man, what’s up?”
“Between the low-resolution video and the stalker being mostly covered up, there’s no way to get enough of a picture to even run through facial recognition. I’ve got nothing.”
“What about the other thing I asked you to check?”
“Her mother? Clean so far. No boyfriends, no strange or new spending habits, no clandestine trips, nothing that stands out at all.”
“Okay.”
“Is Shannon with you? Everything okay?”
“Yup. Under control for now, but I don’t like this.”
“Neither do I. Let me know if anything pops up on your radar. And you need to up your nanny cam game to something with better resolution.”
“First thing tomorrow.”
I disconnect and tell Shannon about needing a better camera for the apartment. “I want one in the bedroom as well,” I tell her.
“We can go tomorrow—”
“I’ll take care of it while you’re at work.
I want you to take a taxi from here and text me as soon as you get there.
Don’t leave the building at all. If possible, make sure you’re never by yourself.
Then text me before you leave. You’ll walk home as usual but I’ll be watching you. Does your building have a back door?”
She nods. “Yes. There’s a small garden but you can get out through a gate in the fence.”
“Okay. I’ll scope it all out tomorrow.”
“You think I should go to work?” She looks miserable and conflicted.
“Yes. If this person is watching you, we don’t want to tip them off that we’re on to them. You need to try to be as normal as possible, but under no circumstances do you tell anyone about me or the nanny cam.” I pause. “Does anyone know about the nanny cam?”
She shakes her head. “I was kind of embarrassed and afraid I was losing it, so I didn’t tell anyone. I didn’t even tell my mom until I called to ask if you were here on her behalf.”
“Good.”
We talk logistics until she starts to droop and I tell her to get some sleep. I give her the bed, despite her protests, and sit at the desk to get some work done. Around three o’clock, I settle into the chair by the window and try to get a little sleep.
Tomorrow is going to be a busy day.
* * *
I wake up when I hear the shower running and realize Shannon must be getting ready for work.
The idea that she’s naked on the other side of the door to the bathroom makes parts of me wake up in a hurry, and I have to untuck my T-shirt from my jeans to cover my erection before she comes out.
I’ll grab a quick cold shower before she has to leave and that will help, but I haven’t woken up with this bad of a case of morning wood in a long time.
Shannon is dressed when she comes out, though her hair is wet, her face devoid of makeup.
And she’s fucking stunning.
Jesus. How does a woman look so good without any enhancements? Maybe I’m biased because I’ve been dreaming about her for so many years, but now that she’s here, I’m not even a little bit disappointed. I still think she’s beautiful, and so far, I like her as a person too.
We aren’t romantically or sexually involved, she’s in the middle of a genuine crisis, and in the back of my mind I’m worried about my status with Director Dickhead, but being here with her feels oddly natural.
As if we’d done this before.
“Are you going to shower?” she asks me as she towel-dries her hair.
“I need five minutes to get ready,” I tell her, heading for the bathroom.
“No worries. I’ll do my makeup in here and braid my hair so I don’t have to blow-dry it.”
“Okay.”
I take a quick shower, brush my teeth, and pull on clean clothes.
I have a lot to do today, including shopping for and installing a better video system in her apartment.
Not to mention trying to figure out who’s stalking her and why.
I also have to check in with Erik and possibly my boss, neither of which are foremost in my mind right now.
Shannon is ready to leave when I come out, light makeup on her face and her hair braided down her back.
“Do you always braid your hair?” I ask.
“On days like today, when I want to just get going, it’s a lot less work.”
“It’s cute.” I gently tug it, and she smiles.
“My mother hates it but has learned not to bug me about it.”
We walk downstairs together and I motion to a taxi. “Your phone doesn’t appear to have any kind of tracker on it, so make sure you keep it on your person at all times. Call me on your break.”
“Will do,” she says before getting into the cab. “Thank you.”
I close the door after her and watch the taxi pull down the street.
Now I’ll find something to eat and get to work.
By the time she’s finished teaching for the day, I plan to have a new surveillance system set up in her apartment and maybe a plan for catching this guy.
Or woman. Doesn’t matter to me, as long as we figure this out.