Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 102071 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 510(@200wpm)___ 408(@250wpm)___ 340(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102071 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 510(@200wpm)___ 408(@250wpm)___ 340(@300wpm)
I didn’t finish, because she nodded, looking miserable and guilty. “Then I wouldn’t have a right to it. Which was why I thought—”
“Why you thought I took it.” Annoyance still churned in my veins. At least she didn’t think I’d taken it for my own benefit. Small mercy, I supposed.
She shrugged. “You proved you could break into the safe,” she said in a small but certain voice. “You were in here alone when I talked to the room service guy.”
Her voice quivered, her pretty blue eyes full of guilt. Still, it stung that she thought I could sleep with her and then steal from her. “I’m not that guy,” I said firmly.
“I know that now. But I was so upset, I didn’t know what to think then,” she said, and though she seemed to try and hold it back, a tear slid down her cheek.
That errant tear did me in. It revealed fears I longed to erase, to take off and carry for her. Relenting, I wrapped my arms around her and tugged her close. I was pissed, but I understood her reaction. To find your precious stone stolen after you’d invited a man who cracked safes to spend the night must have felt like she’d welcomed the perpetrator.
I hadn’t taken the gem, but someone else had, and that changed everything. Doubt or no doubt, all that mattered to me was Ruby’s safety.
“You can’t stay here any longer,” I said firmly as we stood by the foot of the bed. “It’s not safe. Someone else is after the diamonds too.”
She lowered her voice and whispered with a nervous quiver, “Do you think they sneaked in while we were sleeping?”
I shook my head, reassuring her. “They must have come in when we were on the boat. I would have noticed someone slipping into the room and opening a safe, even if I was deep in the land of nod. Besides, if it were me taking something, I’d do it when no one was around.”
She arched an eyebrow. “So that’s your professional opinion?”
“Yes, Miss Sarcastic, it is. That doesn’t mean I did it.”
She sliced a hand through the air, cutting off that subject. “Forget I said that. It’s just…” Her voice wobbled then broke, etched with frustration. “I just wanted to do my tour, talk to Eli, and help my mom. And now someone is breaking into my room to steal diamonds, and maybe it’s the same person who took Willow’s too.”
“No way is this a coincidence, stealing two of the same watermarked stones on the same night. Someone is after the diamonds, and that someone knows you had one and Willow had one.” I locked eyes with her. “No matter how you slice it, Mr. Smith was in your room last night and took a ten-thousand-dollar jewel. I want you by my side. I will keep you safe. I’m good at it. It’s what I do.”
The rough edges around her melted away, and she smiled sweetly. “Thank you for saying that.”
I walked around the bed and dropped a hand onto her shoulder. “Say you’ll stay with me,” I said, in a gentle but firm command.
“I’m leaving for a tour in three days.”
“Then that gives us seventy-two hours to figure this out.”
Her lips quirked up. “What if Mr. Smith is onto us? Is it bad if we’re seen together?”
I shook my head thoughtfully. “My gut tells me Mr. Smith is angling for Eli, so he stole the gems Eli gave his fiancée and his stepdaughter. We just need to keep being stealthy and work together to stay ahead of Mr. Smith.”
“Work together, huh?” she asked, her arms crossed.
“Yep.” I held out a hand to seal the deal.
She took it and we shook, her lips quirking up with a little mischief. “So you admit I’m a good amateur detective then?”
“You damn well know you are,” I said, then after we reported the missing goods to the hotel staff—of course there was no security footage to help our case in this cheap hotel—we gathered her things and left the scene of the crime.
38
A TYPE OF GUY
Jake
I dropped her suitcase on the tiled floor. The fan circled lazily overhead, stirring the gauzy white curtains that hung by the sliding glass doors. Grabbing her hand, I pulled her to the open balcony. The sun was still high in the sky and my room had a stunning view of the endless blue water. I also had a clear view of how to resolve this turmoil still roiling in my chest.
On the one hand, I was grateful she’d come to my hotel. I was hellbent on keeping her out of harm’s way. On the other hand, I damn well wanted her to know the truth of who I was, once and for all. No more lies. No more doubts. If we were working together—and that sure seemed to be the plan—we had to be on the same side.