AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“At two in the morning? Aren’t you afraid of getting mugged?”
“I didn’t take anything of value. Are you afraid I’ve somehow manipulated you into my home? Like I planned all of this?”
The confusion on his face morphs into a playful expression, and there’s a lightness to his tone that’s too handsome to hate.
“Yeah…maybe I am. I mean, it’s just weird that a…billionaire would be in some random gas station in the middle of the night that I just happened to be at too. Were you following me?”
When he licks his lips as he smiles, he almost looks sexy, his mischievous expression making me grin in return.
“Now, you’re concerned about your safety…” he says with amusement.
He has a point.
“Listen, Daisy. If you’d like me to leave, I have another place in town I could go to and you’d have the apartment to yourself. You can also call anyone at Salacious to vouch for me. I have no intention of hurting you or taking advantage of you.” Then his expression darkens again as he adds in a fatherly tone, “I’m glad you’re interrogating me, though. You should.”
I chew on my lower lip as I stare at him, trying to gauge how serious he is. One thing about Ronan Kade is that he seems ridiculously down to earth for a man of his wealth and stature. I do believe him, which means he’s either sincere or the kind of sociopath who’s good enough to make people believe his lies.
After a moment of contemplation, I say, “You don’t have to leave. I’m not worried.” It’s strange how much I don’t want him to leave.
“Good. I’ll let you get some sleep. I usually rise early, so if I’m not here when you wake up, help yourself to anything in the apartment and Agatha will get you whatever you need.”
“Thank you,” I mumble.
There’s a long pause as he watches me for a moment, the weight of this weird encounter thickening the air with tension. From the doorway, he dons his stern expression again as he furrows his brow at me and says, “Don’t ever sleep in the city park again. It’s dangerous. Are we clear?”
I stifle a laugh as I link my hands behind my back. “Yes, Dad.”
His stiffening expression and momentary pause is proof that I might have just made things even weirder by saying that. I wait one long, torturously awkward second after another before he finally leaves, taking the tension with him.
After he shuts me into my room, I throw my bag on the floor and head into the bathroom. Of course, it’s huge, with a sleek full-size tub, a tiled shower with two shower heads, and a fancy-looking marble counter.
I take all of my showers at the club, but I haven’t taken a bubble bath in months, and I’d love to have one now, but I’m so tired, I’m afraid I’d pass out in there and drown. So instead, I kick off my clothes, wash my face, and climb into the giant bed. The mattress is so soft, I almost forget I’m in Ronan Kade’s apartment and not sleeping on a cloud.
I’m only alone with my thoughts for a few minutes before I’m swept away into a deep sleep.
* * *
I don’t move an inch all night. This might be the best I’ve slept in months. When I do finally peel my eyes open, the bright light of the sun shines through the window and I’m instantly reminded of where I’m sleeping.
No thin foam mattress. No stuffy, poorly ventilated van. No street traffic.
I’m in Ronan Kade’s apartment.
What a strange, coincidental twist of fate. It must be a sign, right? I’m here for a reason, and everything I want is within my grasp. All I have to do now is reach out and take it.
Icouldask him. I probably should ask him. But I’ve already spent three months working at the club and sort of missed my opportunity to bring up the wholeyou knew my mother and left me a million dollarsconversation, without now looking like a psycho stalker in this scenario.
But if I could get him to open up about a woman he knew and/or dated briefly in the past, then at least I’d have something. Then I’d be able to move on. I could take the money, knowing it was truly what my mother wanted and that I would be taking a piece of her with me too.
I jump out of bed and immediately hear muffled voices down the hall. Gently prying open the door, I listen in on their conversation.
“You’re the best, Agatha,” Ronan says, his deep voice carrying through the long hallway.
“How long will she be staying?”
“As long as she needs to,” he replies warmly. “She won’t be sleeping in that van, parked alone in the city.”
I roll my eyes at his insinuation that he somehow now controls my life.
