Page 11 of Risk Assessment
A few minutes later she went into the bathroom, brushed her hair, and touched up her make-up. Then she changed into a soft green designer cocktail dress that hugged her figure and hit justabove the knee. Her mother had given it to her at the beginning of summer. Raleigh could never afford it on her salary, but Bree was determined no daughter of hers should be seen in public without being properly attired.
She turned to go back into the bathroom and froze. Her heart pounded against her ribcage. Movement. She was sure of it. The space between the curtains on the terrace doors. She slowly turned to look, her palms slick with sweat. She’d thought she’d seen a face there, but it was just inky blackness now.
It couldn’t be. She was mistaken. Her lungs chose that moment to function, and she sucked in air like the oxygen-deprived diver she’d seen onShark Week. She must have seen herself reflected in the glass, right? Her stalker wasn’t here. How could he know where to find her? She wanted to call out to Dylan, but what was the point? There was nothing there now. He’d been good enough to stick it out this far, but she didn’t want to push her luck.
She stumbled over to the bed and sat down.Breathe.Slowly, in and out.It was just leaves blowing in the breeze. “It was not a face. You are just super stressed about this weekend,” she said aloud. “You’re not losing it.” She closed her eyes and, taking a few deep breaths, managed to get her heart to stop thudding so hard in her chest.
Finally, she stood up and approached the terrace doors. She examined the lock, making sure it was secure and then pulled the curtains all the way closed. She would have Dylan check everything before she went to sleep just to be on the safe side. Maybe she would even move the chair in front of the door.
With that decided, she went back into the bathroom to make sure her make-up hadn’t smeared. She looked at her reflection. The dress really brought out her eyes. She took another deep breath, and the tension in her shoulders eased slightly.
She tried to focus on work. The damage was already done with Lydia Harris. The ex-fiancée was at the wedding weekend, and it was Raleigh’s fault. She was going to have to fix it somehow. Maybe she could get one of the influencers she knew to do a special mention of Lydia and her friends. Highlight them in some way. That could work. Lydia loved being the center of attention. She made a mental note to ask a couple of the better known social media darlings to do her the favor. She could always offer them exclusive access to a future event.
Raleigh gave herself one last look in the mirror. She could do this. Stalker or not, nothing was going to stop her from making this weekend a success. Then maybe, just maybe, she could convince Lydia or one of her high-powered cronies to let her write a story about them. A real story, not a puff piece. Something that she could sink her teeth into. Something that she could use to show that she had what it took to be an investigative reporter. She sighed.
She left the bathroom and slipped on silver heels. She added some earrings to match. Then she threw a matching green scarf shot through with silver threads over her shoulders. After giving herself one final look in the mirror, she walked out of her room to the living room.
Dylan turned around at the sound of her heels. He looked surprised when he saw her and then another expression passed over his face.
She wasn’t sure what it meant. “Is everything okay? Am I presentable?”
“Ah, yeah.” His voice was low and husky. He cleared his throat. “Sorry, I should’ve said you look beautiful.”
She smiled. “You don’t look so bad yourself.”
He was wearing gray, summer-weight suit pants with a crisp white shirt that contrasted nicely with the navy blazer he wore over it. He must have taken a shower because his hair was dampand curling over his forehead. His scent wafted over to her. Something wholly male, spicy and smoky. Her pulse picked up. Their eyes locked, and his irises darkened to a deep blue.Oh. Heat crept up her cheeks again, and this time it unfurled in her belly.
“We should go,” he said gruffly.
He put down the water glass he had in his hand and walked across the room toward her. Once again, she couldn’t help but notice how large he was, but how easily he moved. She swallowed as she turned toward the door. He came up behind her and placed his hand on the small of her back, the contact sending a shiver down her spine.
“Are you cold?” he asked. “Maybe we should turn the AC down. It’ll naturally get cooler in here after sunset.”
The shiver had nothing to do with the temperature, but she let him fiddle with the AC.
CHAPTER FOUR
He’d been waiting all day for this. The drive up had been interminable. Delicious anticipation built with each passing mile. Their moments alone. He knew from the moment he’d found out Raleigh would be here, that she would find a way to make sure they had special encounters. She’d left the gap in the curtains just for him so he could watch her get ready. She knew how much that turned him on. How much he’d be looking forward to it. How much he craved it.
He had even enjoyed the challenge of finding out which room she was in. The fact that she’d booked a cabin was all the sweeter. They might finally be alone, together.
The stranger with her was ruiningeverything.
His hands clenched into fists. His stomach roiled. Whowasthat man? This was the second time he’d seen the stranger. The other day when he’d been waiting to see Raleigh’s reaction to his visit, the man had shown up and wrecked everything. This had to stop. Raleigh had hinted about having a new friend on her social media accounts, but he’d been sure it was just so other men would stop asking her out.
He stepped back through the hedge into the shadows as Raleigh and the stranger left the cabin. He was only ten feet from her door. She was going to walk right by him with only the hedge separating them. Raleigh.
She was so near he could smell her perfume.
He squeezed his fists tighter, driving his nails into his palms to stop himself from reaching out and touching her. How dare the intruder put his grimy hands on Raleigh? She washisqueen. With her by his side, he was unstoppable. She was his future.
The resentment pulsated through him. The bastard better leave Raleigh alone, or he wouldn’t be intruding for long. Raleigh was his queen and with her by his side, there was nothing they couldn’t accomplish, no where they wouldn’t be welcome. The life he deserved would finally be his.
He drove his nails deeper into his own flesh. Pain helped clear his head. He swallowed.
He pictured Raleigh as he had seen her moments ago in her room. The green dress looked stunning on her as he knew it would. He’d watched her when she was trying it on at the boutique. It was a great choice. He approved whole-heartedly. He’d even given the salesclerk a scarf that would match it perfectly and suggested she offer it to Raleigh.
It had been a risk, but he’d been careful not to be seen by Raleigh. If she saw him, that would ruin their little game. It wasn’t time yet.
