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With his hands on her hips, Daire guided them to their feet. He pulled her close to kiss her forehead and whispered against her. “Stay at least three minutes, then we’ll be clear.”
Tess didn’t know exactly where the guys were going or what they were doing. They were still training a lot, so it was probably just more of the same.
As he started for the door, she caught his hand. He turned back as she rubbed her face against his palm. He smiled and slid the pad of his thumb across her lips.
She didn’t want to let him go. Except there was no other choice. Daire had his commitments, and it was time for her to be true to hers.
ELEVEN
WHILE KILLING HER THREE minutes in the Beast, Tess may have accidentally on purpose swiped a few of Daire’s things. If staying in the hotel was inevitable, she’d need some comforts and went upstairs to pack. Her Heart’s apparel was buried in the bottom of the almost-full carpet bag by the time Hugo wandered into her closet much later.
“You almost set off a full security lockdown,” he said. “I came to your suite to find you and you were gone.”
“I wanted to get the last of my things.”
“That’s great,” he said, coming closer. “Really great. You’re ready to get out of here?”
“We don’t have to go tonight,” Tess said, trying to delay what was becoming inevitable. “We can have dinner here and—”
“I have something special planned tonight,” he said, hooking one handle of her bag and then the other, closing it as he picked it up. “Very special. There’s a car waiting outside.”
“I’m not dressed for dinner or—”
“All of that will be taken care of, sweetheart.”
With the bag in one hand, he offered the other to her. Commitment. The only way she’d keep the wheels on the wagon was to ride right through. Freaking out or causing drama wouldn’t help. It wouldn’t help Harry… It wouldn’t help Daire. Her father was still a conundrum. But Daire… The man who’d opened up to her, shared his secrets without prompting, he was the one she trusted. The one she wanted to support.
“Lead the way,” Tess said, putting her hand in Hugo’s.
As soon as they got in the car, Hugo produced a black satin blindfold.
“What is that for?” she asked, noting champagne and flowers awaited them too.
“It’s a surprise,” he said. “Trust me, you’ll love it.”
Would she? “Where are we going?”
“Somewhere special. Somewhere we haven’t been before. You humored me the last time I had a surprise. That worked out for you, didn’t it?”
According to her suspicious mind, his statement was one of opinion not fact. They were going to eat somewhere special. Somewhere they hadn’t eaten before. Not exactly informative, but what did she expect him to say about a surprise?
“You’ve spoiled me so much already.”
“Never enough,” he said, holding up the blindfold. “Humor me again, please.”
If he hadn’t made such a big deal about her staying in the suite at his hotel, she’d think he’d bought her a house or something.
“See how it plays out,” that was Daire’s advice. No rocking the boat. She’d follow her Heart’s counsel and see where Hugo’s plan took them.
Turning around, she let him put the blindfold over her eyes and then settled back in the seat.
The warmth of his hand on her thigh through the fabric of her dress was probably meant to be reassuring. Focusing on anything but that point of contact was difficult. Hugo talked about his work, about how things were going with her preparations for opening the store. One good thing about the billionaire? He liked to hear himself talk.
Her input was minimal. Making conversation took some energy. The blindfold dulled her awareness and caused a sensation of vulnerability. She didn’t like it. Couldn’t remember ever being blindfolded. The longer the satin encircled her head, the harder it got to breathe or concentrate.
On the cusp of a panic attack, dizziness took over. A scream threatened her throat just as the car came to a halt.
“This is it,” Hugo said, taking her hand.
