Page 125 of Moonlit Colorado

“Dane, we need to talk.”

THIRTY-SEVEN

Grace

I wentinto Dane’s bedroom and switched on the light. I was just about dead on my feet, and that California King bed looked extremely inviting.

Last time I’d been in Dane’s hotel, I’d been staying in one of the other bedrooms. It was strange to be back here like this, not just sharing his bed, but actually as his girlfriend. His partner.

And he was going to buy a house here in Silver Ridge. I’d believed Dane before about his decision to move here, yet hearing those plans made it feel even more real.

It felt so good to be back in Silver Ridge, but even better to have Dane beside me and know that he would be a part of my life here.

Kind of terrifying, but wow. Really good.

Of course, the awfulness of that day’s events weighed on my mind, sitting on the edges of every thought like a shadow. Even the shadows in Dane’s bedroom seemed to shift like they were alive. Prickles of awareness raced up and down my spine, and I glanced around the room, feeling watched.

It was just the memory of what I’d seen earlier. The scene at Nina’s motel.Ugh.

I pushed that image away with a shudder. We were safe in Dane’s suite now. I even heard the deep rumble of his voice. He was probably on the phone.

Everything is fine.

Or at least, it would be.

I went into the en suite and twisted the shower knob to let the water heat, thinking about what Dane had said. The house he planned to buy, and how he wanted me with him. He hadn’t come out and said,Move in with me, but I knew Dane Knightly pretty well by now.

Did I want to move in with him?

It was fast, and I already knew Callum would throw a fit about it. But Ashford and Emma had moved in together quickly too. Just as friends at first, but Ashford had a thing for her by then. Everyone could see it, except maybe Emma.

But when you knew deep down something was right, why not go after it? I wanted to be happy. To have all the things I never thought I could have. I’d have to figure out some way to pay rent though. No way would I let Dane keep paying for everything. Though I had no doubt he would argue with me on that point.

We would figure it out.

Steam began to fill the shower. I started unbuttoning my shirt, but something made me stop. That same instinctual feeling from earlier. Like someone was watching me.

I glanced back at the bedroom. Dane hadn’t come in.

But that feeling didn’t fade.

I walked out into the bedroom. “Is someone there?” The door to the closet was cracked open. Somebody could be hiding in the darkness, looking out.

My heart raced. There was a heavy book on the dresser. I grabbed it, since I didn’t see anything else to use as a weapon. I was probably just imagining things, but suddenly, being alone was the last thing I wanted. I would go to Dane’s office and wait for him. Then we could shower and get ready for bed together.

Decision made, I glanced at the book in my hands, smirking when I realized what it was.Advanced Techniques for QuickBooks. The very book I’d brought to Silver Linings Coffee on the day Dane and I had met. He must’ve bought it. He was ridiculous.

“Dane?” I called out, heading for the door to the hallway.

But a hand came down on my arm, tightening like a vise. A man had just stepped out of the shadows from behind me. I tried to swing the book, inhaling to scream. Then I felt the cold bite of metal against my throat. A knife.

“Don’t move. Don’t make another sound. Or you’ll die exactly the way Nina did.”

THIRTY-EIGHT

Dane

“How did you get in here?”I demanded.

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