Chapter 27
twenty-seven
ZACH
Sadie crosses the restaurant with slow, easy steps, and people notice. Heads turn. A couple at the bar follow her with open curiosity. A guy near the window nearly drops his fork. She doesn’t see any of it, which might be the sexiest thing about her.
And for some messed up reason she wants me. And if that doesn’t make me feel like the king of the world. This gorgeous, funny, kind woman wants me to treat her like she’s less than the goddess she is.
And I’m going to oblige.
She doesn’t look back once she makes it to the door that leads out of the restaurant. I can see the way she’s holding the key, tight in her hand, her cheeks flushed, her walk steady. She wants this. Maybe even as much as I do.
Still, I don’t move. Not yet.
I pull out my phone and pull up the security feed from the staff area, watching her walk into the private hallway. Past the closed doors. Right to the last door on the right, where she presses the key against the reader.
Then she’s inside the apartment. Alone. Safe. Still on my screen.
She closes the door, locking it behind her, like the good girl who always follows instructions. She stares at it for a second like she’s expecting me to follow.
But no. I want her to relax first. To anticipate. Good things come to those who wait.
Or bad ones.
With one eye on the security feed, I order another drink and check my email.
There’s nothing there of interest. Not compared to the angel waiting for me. I switch back to the security app and see that she’s kicked off her shoes and is sipping water as she walks into the bedroom. She sets the glass on the nightstand, unzips her suitcase, and pulls out her toiletry bag.
Then she disappears into the bathroom.
There’s no camera in there. I’m not a complete bastard. But a few minutes later, steam spills out from the cracks around the door.
She’s showering. Letting herself breathe. Good, she needs this. To relax. To anticipate.
To know that she’s all I can think about right now.
“Can I get you anything else, sir?” the waitress asks as she puts the glass of whiskey I ordered in front of me.
I close my phone so she can’t see. “Just the check.”
“I can have it added to your tab.”
I nod. But she doesn’t walk away. Instead she lingers, her lips softly parting as she slowly reaches across me to pick up the glass Sadie left.
“Would your guest like another drink?” she asks.
“She’s gone.” I smile tightly because I’d like the check before Sadie walks out of the bathroom.
“Oh.” Her smile widens. “Sorry to hear that. If you need company tonight, I finish at eleven,” she breathes.
“I won’t.” My reply is flat, because it’s not even a remote possibility. The only woman I want to spend time with is currently standing naked in my shower, waiting for me to stalk her.
I sign the bill, finish my whiskey, then walk out into the reception area. There are a few people milling around, arriving for dinner or drinks. A couple are checking in.
“Zach,” a voice calls out from behind me.
I let out an internal groan before I turn to see my sister and Parker walking across the lobby. No sign of Elijah, I assume they got a babysitter.
“Date night?” I ask tightly.
Autumn smiles. “Something like that. I had some last minute details to arrange with Martin.” I must look blank. “For the gala. You know, this weekend.”
Fuck, yeah. The trail and the gala start on Friday. Between everything else that’s happening, it had dropped out of my mind.
“Great.” I give her a smile.
“You have a tuxedo, right?” she asks. “Because you’re hosting one of the tables. We’re all doing it. Schmoozing the donors, flirting with the art lovers, that kind of thing.”
“Sure.” I nod and look at my watch again.
“So, there was something else I wanted to ask you.” She tips her head to the side, looking so much like the kid I remember her being. Shifty. Nosey as hell. “Should I allocate you a plus one?”
I narrow my eyes at her.
Parker lets out an audible groan. “Babe, we talked about this.”
“I know. But I need to confirm the seating arrangements.” She tips her head to the side and gives him the kind of smoldering look that makes him clear his throat. “So,” she says, turning back to me. “What about Sadie?”
“What about her?”
“God, you’re aggravating.” She shakes her head. “She’s staying with you. You walked into her place and got her. Are you two a thing or what?”
I tip my head to the side. “None of your business.”
“I’m just trying to help. Otherwise, I’m seating Sadie at a table with all guys. Hot, eligible ones with huge wallets and even huger—”
“Sweetie,” Parker says, his voice low.
Autumn presses her lips together. And I get the point.
“Okay, she’s my plus one. And now I have to go.”
Her eyes light up. “Where is she anyway?” Autumn asks, looking around me like I’m hiding her in my back pocket. “Why don’t we all get a drink? We can head to the cocktail bar, it’ll be fun.”
“I thought we were getting dinner,” Parker says, shooting me an apologetic look. “It’s date night, remember?”
“Don’t leave the man hanging,” I say to Autumn. “I know how grumpy he gets when he’s hungry.”
It’s a lie. Parker’s the mildest man in the world. But there’s a naked woman in my apartment and that’s all I can think about right now.
“We have some time before our reservation,” Autumn says.
I wince. And Parker notices.
He gives me the slightest of nods. Then grabs her hand. “No we don’t. We’re going. Now.” He leans down, and whispers something that makes her eyes widen.
Also, not on my list of things I need to know.
Whatever he says, Autumn giggles like a teenager, but this time she doesn’t protest as Parker all but drags her toward the restaurant.
“Saved by Parker’s stomach,” she calls out at me over her shoulder. “For now.”
Parker shakes his head and ushers her toward the restaurant. I watch the door close behind them, because I need them to forget I exist before I go back to my apartment.
Where there’s a woman waiting for me, who trusts me more than she should. Who deserves to get everything she wants.
If that doesn’t make me the luckiest bastard alive, I’m not sure what does.
SADIE
Wrapping a fluffy towel around my body, I walk into the bedroom and sit down at the dressing table, plugging in the hairdryer as I take a look at my reflection. I feel edgy, but in a good way. My skin is tingling, and not just from the heat of the shower.
I press my hand to my heated face, remembering how he looked at me when he slid the key across the table.
I’m not sure any man has ever looked so intensely at me before. He was so in control, yet he understands me in every way.
He makes me feel like I’m the center of his world. And I like that too much.
“It’s just a game,” I murmur to myself, turning on the hairdryer. Because that’s all it is. Yes, he’s taking care of me, but he’s a gentleman.
Or he can be. When he’s not being the hunter.
The hum of the hairdryer fills the silence of the room, and I close my eyes as I fluff up my hair, letting the heat do its work. I’m not going to bother styling it, there’s no point if I’m only going to sleep on it.
Or do other things.
I keep glancing at the bedroom door, wondering when he’ll come in. But the longer the minutes stretch, the more aware I am of how quiet the apartment is. No footsteps. No creak of the hinges. No low murmur of his voice as he says something dry and inappropriate.
I finish drying my hair and unplug the dryer, setting it aside with shaky fingers. My nerves are all over the place, but not from fear. From something else entirely.
From him. Where is he?
I check my phone, but there’s nothing there. But as I go to put it down the screen lights up.
Something came up. I could be a while. – Zach
Is this part of the game? I’m not sure, all I know is that I’m impatient.
I want him here. Telling me what to do.
Trying not to pout, I stomp over to my suitcase and pull out my pajamas. Shorts and a cami that feel soft against my overheated skin. And then I walk into the kitchen, fully intending to help myself to the wine bottle I saw earlier in his refrigerator.
But before I can reach for the door, all the lights in the apartment go out.
And every nerve in my body shoots to high alert.
The fridge hum dies mid-breath. The glow from the stove clock vanishes. Every bulb, every socket, every subtle hum of electricity dissolves into nothing.
I freeze, my heart thudding against my ribcage.
The apartment isn’t pitch black. There’s light spilling in through the sheer curtains from the patio lamps outside. But it still puts me at a disadvantage. He’s playing with me.
I turn around slowly, the hairs on my arms rising.
“Zach?” I whisper.
But there’s no answer.
I take a deep breath. This is the game, right? It’s him, nobody else.
And then there’s a sound. A soft click from the far end of the room. I blink, trying to see, but the darkness blocks out the details. I can’t see if the lock is turning.
But I can hear it.
I let out a soft yelp, and run to the bedroom. I close the door and lean against it, my breath coming harder. My fingers press against the warm wood as I hear footsteps. They’re slow and measured, coming closer, until they stop at the other side of the door.
Then he slams his hand against the wood. Just once. But hard enough to make me jump. And for my thighs to clench.
“Open the door, sweetheart,” he says, his voice thick and low. “Or you’ll regret it.”
Oh, he’s definitely playing with me. God, this man is perfect.
“Go away,” I call out. I’m halfway between laughing and hyperventilating. How can I feel so safe and so on edge at the same time?
There’s a soft laugh back at me. “I think we both know I’m going nowhere. Now we can do this the easy way or will it be the hard way? Which one you choose is up to you.”
I curl my fingers around the handle, and the metal jiggles.
“Oh come on, baby. The door won’t save you,” he says softly. “You know that.”
I take another breath. It’s shallow and gives me no air at all. “Leave me alone.”
“If you want me to go, you know what to do.”