Page 28 of Unveiled

Her cheeks flamed as she turned around and caught Amy watching her, a tiny smile playing on her lips. She knew she looked as guilty as a kid caught with her hand in the cookie jar, because Amy let out a little laugh as Adalyn made her way around the counter.

“It’s okay to look. Girl, everybody else is doing the same thing.” She noticed with a little pang of jealousy that Amy was right. The eyes of her salesgirls and the ladies seated around the dressing rooms followed Jaxon as he meandered through the shop. Amy bumped Adalyn's shoulder conspiratorially. “Boy has nice assets.”

She emphasized the word ass, and Adalyn lightly backhanded her arm. “Be good before I have to fire you for sexual harassment.”

Amy laughed. “If you’re going to fire me, I’ll at least make it worth my while. Did you see his biceps? They look like boulders.” Adalyn nodded. Unfortunately, she knew from experience just how hard he was all over. Almost against her will, memories of that morning in Vegas came flooding back, and heat raced through her veins.

Pushing the thought away, she turned her attention back to Amy. She found what Amy was looking for and handed it over with a smile. “Do me a favor and let everyone know I won’t be available for the next half hour or so.”

Smoothing one hand down her skirt, she pulled her shoulders back and prepared to face Jaxon by herself. She walked with purpose toward the back of the store but stopped short as she rounded a corner and saw Jenn. Her eyes widened, and Jenn's did the same. It took her less than half a second to realize that Jaclyn wasn’t with her. And if Jenn and Jaclyn hadn’t left yet, that meant…

Adalyn raced toward her office, Jenn on her heels.

A soft voice floated down the hallway toward her, and she recognized Jaxon’s low, deep rumble. Except it was softer, somehow, almost as if he were talking to…

Oh, God.

CHAPTER

SIXTEEN

Adalyn was impeccably dressed in another dark suit, her hair pulled back, looking elegant as ever. Still, something didn’t feel quite right. Jaxon took in the set of her shoulders, the tight lines of her expression. Despite her well-put-together appearance, she seemed... frazzled.

His mind immediately jumped to the worst. He noticed that the window had been fixed, so he assumed someone had been out first thing that morning. Had something more dire happened in the meantime, or was she still concerned over yesterday’s incident?

He pondered her demeanor as he wandered to the back of the salon, easily finding the door to her office. He set the brown bag of food on the desk, then glanced at his watch. Just after noon. Settling into the chair by Adalyn’s desk, he propped one ankle on the opposite knee. Last night, he’d thought a lot about exactly how to proceed. Adalyn obviously didn’t trust him, though he couldn’t say he blamed her. Two years ago, they’d done things all wrong.

Leaning back, he laced his fingers together and rested them on his stomach. He could hear the faint voices coming from the salon, punctuated by the occasional laugh. He hoped Adalyn would hurry up so they could get on with it.

A soft scuffling noise drew his attention to the connecting door, and he waited to hear the sound again. A second later, the door handle jiggled. Perplexed, he stood from the chair and headed straight to the door. Placing his hand on the doorknob, he gave it the slightest twist and found it locked.

He really shouldn’t open the door since it was Adalyn’s space. But someone was obviously trying to get in, and if they were trying to do so without her knowledge, he was going to find out who it was. Leaning closer, he pressed his ear to the door but heard nothing from the other side. The person on the other side was being extremely quiet, and his instincts flared.

One hand on the knob, he used the other hand to flick the lock. In one smooth motion, he unlocked the door and threw it open. Surprise rooted him to the ground when he saw nothing—until he dropped his gaze. A tiny toddler cowered behind the door frame. He glanced inside the attached room full of dresses but saw no one. Maybe she had escaped one of the brides from the salon. He was sure someone would be looking for her soon.

Dropping to his haunches, he lowered his tone and spoke soothingly to her. “Hey, little one. How did you get back here?”

She peeked one eye around the doorframe, and he gently coaxed her out. “Come here. I won’t hurt you.” After a moment, she took a tiny step toward him. He held out his hands and waited. “I’ll bet someone’s missing you.”

Tentatively, she took another step closer, inspecting him with a wariness only a baby could manage, before apparently deciding he was safe enough. Her tiny hands stretched upward, and he carefully lifted her into his arms. “You lost, little one? I think we should go find your mama.”

The baby reached out with jerky, uneven motions, grabbing for his face, and her mouth tipped up in a huge smile. He knew nothing about kids, except for the fact that he eventually planned to have some of his own. A handful of teeth dotted her mouth as she grinned at him, and he couldn’t help but smile back. How old were kids when they got their first teeth? He figured she was maybe a year old or so, since she could walk.

“Who do you belong to, huh?” The baby tugged at his ear, and he grimaced as her tiny nails dug into his skin. As gently as possible, he extracted them and clasped her hand in his own. He felt a little silly carrying on a one-sided conversation with this tiny little girl who probably didn’t understand a thing he said, but he loved the smile it put on her face.

From out in the salon area, he could hear the rapid approach of footsteps and voices, one of which he recognized as Adalyn’s. The other he assumed belonged to the baby’s mother. He smiled down at the little girl in his arms. “Not gonna answer me? That’s okay, I think I hear your mama now.”

His eyes swept over her delicate, tiny features. Pale blonde hair, straight as a pin, capped her head, and icy gray eyes bore into his own baby blues. His gaze narrowed just as the office door swung open and he came face-to-face with a breathless Adalyn. Fear and another emotion crossed her face when she saw the baby in his arms. He glanced between her and the infant, cataloging their features.

Adalyn’s assistant popped around her seconds later and immediately began to apologize. “I’m sorry. I looked away for two seconds, I swear…”

“It’s fine.” Adalyn didn’t even bother to glance at the younger woman, just kept her gaze fixed on him.

The assistant wrung her hands together for a moment, then started toward him. “Here, let me take her.”

Some irrational anxiety had him tightening his hold on the little girl, who squirmed within his grasp. He reluctantly passed her to the young woman. “I’d like to speak with Adalyn for a moment. Alone.”

Adalyn’s eyes flared at that word, and her muscles went rigid with tension. The assistant hesitated, then finally bobbed her head and turned to leave the room, the baby on her hip cooing and babbling incoherently. Adalyn reached out a hand and stroked down the baby’s spine before turning her attention back to him.