The woman twisted sharply, finally tearing her wrist from his grasp, and bolted.Before either of them could react, she vanished into the crowd, weaving between guests with startling speed.
Max’s jaw tightened.“Damn.”His eyes tracked the last place she’d been, scanning for any sign she might double back.
“Who was that?”Natalie asked, still breathless.
“I don’t know,” he said, gaze sweeping the room.“But I don’t like her.”
“What happened?”Rylan’s voice cut in, sharp with urgency.He appeared at Natalie’s side, his eyes darting between her and Max, his expression a mix of concern and restrained anger.
“Your woman was about to get slapped,” Max said dryly, though his eyes remained deadly serious.“I intervened.”
Rylan’s expression hardened, his arm sliding protectively around Natalie’s waist.“Did she say anything?”
“Nothing useful,” Max replied.“Slipped away before I could press her.”
“Slipped away?”Rylan’s voice carried an edge, but when Max met his gaze with cool finality, he exhaled.“I owe you one,” he said quietly.
Max’s mouth curved in a faint smirk.“You owe me several for tonight.”The air between them held the weight of unspoken debts.
Rylan gave a tight nod.“Noted.”
Max’s focus returned to Natalie, his tone softening again.“You sure you’re all right?”
“Yes,” she said, though her voice still wavered.“Thank you.”
“Keep an eye on her,” he told Rylan, before walking away.
Rylan’s body shielded her, carefully guiding her away from the crowd.“Let’s get out of here.”
“But my car—”
“I’ll have someone bring it,” he said, opening the door to a waiting SUV.“Seatbelt, Natalie.”
As the vehicle pulled away, Natalie stared out at the passing lights, unease prickling along her skin.This wasn’t random.First, the break-in at her house.Then, the glitter bomb.Now, a stranger trying to slap her in the middle of a crowded auction.
Different incidents.Same thread of malice.
Chapter 26
Natalie muttered under her breath as she shuffled out of her bedroom, nearly tripping over a stray shoe in the hallway.“Stupid alarm,” she grumbled, rubbing the grit of sleep from her eyes.Her bare feet padded toward the kitchen, the faint hope of coffee the only thing pulling her forward.
She hadn’t gone home with Rylan after the auction.The strange woman’s outburst had soured the evening, leaving both of them on edge.Rylan had insisted on driving her home, and she’d been too rattled to argue.He hadn’t left until she was inside and her door was locked.Even then, the ghost of his presence lingered—stronger in her mind than his quiet goodbye.
That unsettled feeling had followed her into bed, tangling with something far more dangerous.She’d lain awake, staring at the ceiling, replaying the night in vivid detail: the memory of his arm brushing hers, the pull of his gaze, the low, intimate rumble of his voice when he’d spoken close to her ear.The heat of those recollections embarrassed her, but not enough to stop them.She’d berated herself for letting her mind wander down that path, knowing she was toeing a precarious line between friendship and something far messier.
She poured herself a generous cup of coffee, the steam curling up to meet her face, and leaned against the counter.Was she making too much of this?Surely it was just infatuation—a harmless, inconvenient crush that would fade.
Except it wasn’t fading.
If anything, it was deepening.Every conversation, every glance across a room, every offhand smile felt like a thread binding her closer to him.Her attraction was becoming a slow, irresistible tide, and she had no idea how to fight it.The cruelest part?She valued their friendship far too much to risk it on a leap that might end in disaster.
She closed her eyes and cradled the warm mug between her palms, willing the heat to steady her.“I need to get a grip,” she muttered.But even as she said it, Rylan’s face flashed in her mind—eyes dark and focused, mouth curved in that infuriating, knowing way that made her pulse skip.
Her phone chimed, slicing through the quiet.She glanced at the screen and felt her lips twitch into a smile before she could stop herself.
Rylan:I’m making biscuits for breakfast.How do you like your coffee?
Suddenly, she was wide awake.She darted back toward the stairs, thumbs flying over the screen.
