The Dangerous Thief (Stolen Hearts #3)(20)

She couldn’t wait to see the slice of beef with as much personality as a slice of cardboard. She projected wearing out the security detail within a week. “Whatever you think is best, Daddy.”

“Good.” He leaned over the table and hit the intercom button. “Can you send in the new point man?”

Willa once again fiddled with her nails as she looked at the door. The person who walked through the door was officially going to be her first job. If she made one wrong move, they were going to report it right back to her father. But if she could fool Jadon, she was sure whatever patsy walked through that door would be easy enough.

So when James Weston walked inside the conference room and stood next to her father, the shock was enough to have Willa jumping right out of her chair and falling on her ass.





Looking back, Willa knew exactly what had gone wrong. She’d jumped out of pure shock of seeing James Weston there, but then she’d forgotten that her legs had been crossed under the table and they’d gotten tangled thanks to the tight skirt that didn’t allow a lot of movement. From there, the only place to go was the floor, which was exactly where she stayed as James made his way around the table and held a hand out to her.

“Allow me, Ms. Belli,” he said in a perfectly polite voice.

She had a good three seconds to get her shock, awe, fear, and annoyance under control before she stood. She didn’t have to fake the embarrassment that flushed her neck and cheek. “I’m sorry about that.” She smoothed her skirt, pointedly ignoring the outstretched hand. “I guess I’m not totally recovered from last night,” she said offhandedly. Because the only possible explanation for her strange reaction to James had to be that she was on something, right?

Jadon also stood as he looked at her as if she was the consummate disappointment she probably was to him. As long as he didn’t know the real reason she was so freaked out, let him think whatever he wanted. “I have a full day scheduled. We can do a late dinner,” he offered.

She nodded. “That would be great. Have a nice day, Daddy.” As she said the term of endearment right next to James, she could feel the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She wanted to stay cool and collected, but she had to glance over to James to see whether he was judging her. But he was just as stoic and cardboard as every other disposable security detail she’d ever had. Which was somehow more scary. It made her feel as if it was just a matter of time before whatever storm was brewing came to the surface.

Jadon held the door open for them and motioned for Willa to leave. She gave him one more polite good-bye and made her way to the elevator, all too aware of James’s presence behind her. She thought it was bad while they stood there under the watchful eye of her father, but that was nothing compared to the elevator ride down.

Fifty floors of being alone in the enclosed space with James. She knew there were cameras in the elevators, so she couldn’t ask him any of the burning questions that were tossing around her mind. All she could do was stand there and try to remind herself to breathe. All of her questions would be answered soon enough. She just needed to get out—

The elevator doors opened and Willa bolted out like lightning. Nope. She couldn’t pretend this was normal. If she didn’t get outside right now, she was going to end up throwing up all over the lobby of her father’s building. And that would probably raise attention.

She couldn’t look at any of the blurring, spinning scenery around her as she ran for the door of the building. All she could do was stare at the sunlight streaming in through the glass spinning doors.

When she was outside finally, she was gasping for breath, but it felt as though she were in a vacuum and nothing was going in. Something touched her back and she jumped, the action not working with the whole not being able to breathe thing.

But James kept on rubbing her back as he took her arm with his other hand and led her toward the side of the building so they were out of the way from the pedestrians on the sidewalk who seemed to be ignoring her little panic attack.

“Willa, look at me,” said James.

Look at him? He was half the reason for this. She needed to be looking anywhere but at him. “What....” She gasped for air before she could get any more words out. “Why?” Not a lot of words.

“Just relax. I’m here.”

She really wished he’d stop telling her to relax. But even as she thought it, his hands rubbing gentle circles into her back seemed to be getting the job done. As she took a deep inhale, she finally felt the oxygen fill her body. She took another breath and another before she finally worked up the nerve to look up at him.

He had shaved. That was the first thing she noticed. He still had a well-trimmed goatee, but the rough stubble that had covered his entire jaw was now gone. She debated touching the fresh shaved skin but decided that would be weird. Maybe not as weird as everything she’d done in the last few minutes, but there had to be a line drawn somewhere.

And as many questions as she wanted to ask, they were still right outside her father’s building. So questions would have to wait. Now that she had some control of herself again, she stepped away from James and rolled her shoulders as though shaking off his touch. “I think I’d like to walk.” She started down the sidewalk.

She didn’t have to look to know he was at her side. Not behind her like he had been before. Her high-heeled pumps weren’t made for distance walking, but right now, it didn’t matter. Because the only place in the city she knew for sure that her father didn’t have bugged was the city sidewalks.