Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 57423 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 287(@200wpm)___ 230(@250wpm)___ 191(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57423 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 287(@200wpm)___ 230(@250wpm)___ 191(@300wpm)
“I’m willing to go to all my dark places. Hey, at least I’ve gotten something out of all that terror,” she said with a jaunty smile. “Let me know when you want to have a session.”
Jay nodded and stepped back. “Perfect. You relax the rest of the day. We’ll be getting down to business soon. The reading went well. I like the direction you’re going in with Delia, but we need to go deeper.”
“Absolutely,” she promised, stepping back. She looked West’s way. “I’m ready to go back to the hotel.”
They said good-bye to the director, and he walked her out of the building in complete silence.
Uncomfortable silence.
But he wasn’t going to break it. He unlocked his SUV and made sure she was settled in. That was when he noticed that while her face was perfectly placid, her hand was red from holding on to the strap of her purse so tightly.
“Are you okay?”
Her head turned his way. “I’m fine. You heard Jay. The session went well.”
Had he misread her? A whole lot of his training had been about learning to read body language, and hers was completely disconnected. Her face was set in her normal “I don’t care about the world” expression, but her body was stiff.
He was still viewing her through the lens of her celebrity. What if there was a real woman underneath all that bravado? What had she told him the first day they’d met? That she couldn’t count on anyone to protect her.
Her stepdad had told him something too that day.
She kept her sneakers in her bag, and he had his gym bag in the back.
“Hey, I’ve been cooped up for too long. I was thinking about going hiking,” he offered. “There are some great trails only twenty minutes away. We could spend the afternoon hiking, and you would still be back for dinner. Or I could call Tessa and have her watch you for a while.”
He wanted to give her options. He couldn’t be completely sure that her anxiety only came from what had happened. It could be exacerbated by the fact that he’d witnessed it, and then some time apart might help her.
“I could use the exercise. I have some yoga pants in my bag and a T-shirt and cap.” The hand she held her strap with relaxed slightly. “That would be good if you don’t mind the company. I promise, I can keep up, and we don’t have to talk.”
Damn but he’d done a number on her. “Or we can if you want to. Whatever you want.”
She turned, eyes finding his. “Are you doing this for me? Because of what happened? Because of what Gavin told you?”
“I think we could both use some peace and quiet and to be outside for a while. I spent the first twenty-five years of my life living on a ranch. I love the city. I really do. I love how many doors it’s opened for me, and I definitely love how good it’s been for my brother. But sometimes I just need to breathe.”
That answer seemed to satisfy her as she nodded and turned back to look out the front window. “Okay. We should pick up some water and sandwiches.”
He could do that.
He closed her door and moved around to the driver’s side. He was pulling out of the parking lot when he heard her speak again. She was almost so quiet he missed it.
“Thank you, West.”
He nodded and realized that a thoughtful, vulnerable Ally might be the most dangerous kind.
Chapter Four
Ally leaned against the big rock they’d been using as an impromptu dining table and let the warmth of the sun kiss her skin. Despite the fact that it was early spring, it was a sunny, warm day here in North Texas. She closed her eyes, letting the weight of the day roll off her.
They’d walked for over an hour before West had found this big boulder and declared it the perfect place to take a break and eat the sandwiches they’d bought at a Starbucks as they’d left Dallas proper. They’d bought sandwiches and waters and some trail mix.
This was what she’d needed. Peace. Calm. Quiet.
Out here with her hair in a ponytail and sunglasses on, no one noticed her. She was simply another girl enjoying the afternoon.
Out here, no one called her a nepo baby and complained about having to share space with a talentless hack like her.
“You want to head back or go a little farther?” West glanced down at his watch. “We’ve got plenty of time.”
“Can we sit for a while? It’s nice here.” They were at the top of the biggest hill for miles around. From this vantage, she could see the rest of the nature preserve and the Dallas skyline in the distance.
“Of course.” West leaned back beside her, his gaze on the blanket of trees below them. “We can stay as long as we like. It’s a little early for snakes, and the biggest predator out here is a coyote or a bobcat. Whichever one of us can run the fastest will live.”