Page 42 of Moonlit Colorado

She smiled sheepishly. “I left it in the purse I was using that night. The purse belongs to Piper, so it’s at her place. I can get it back for you.”

“Nah, don’t bother. You might as well have access to an extra copy.” I winked. “I’m willing to trust you, too.”

TWELVE

Grace

I couldn’t believeI 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 hehadtaken 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. Andfine, 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 soangry, 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 labeledbacon.

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