After yearsin the security business, my senses were finely honed, and I knew when something wasn’t right, even in my sleep. In the interest of time, I quickly slipped on a pair of drawstring pants and palmed my gun. Quietly stepping into the hallway, I paused and listened. Almost immediately, I heard the sound of something rustling in the kitchen.
I moved quickly and silently, with years of practiced precision. I stepped into the kitchen ready to take aim and promptly felt like an asshole when I saw the fear on Jacquelyn’s face.
Placing my gun on top of the refrigerator, I went right over and wrapped my arms around her. “I’m so sorry for scaring you. You never get up in the middle of the night. Is something wrong?”
“No,” she said and cleared her throat. “Nothing’s wrong. I just can’t seem to fall asleep. Nerves and excitement, I guess. I thought maybe some warm milk might help.”
I arched an eyebrow. “In all the years I’ve known you, I have never seen you drink plain milk.”
She shrugged. “I was going to put a little chocolate in it.”
I shook my head and almost snorted. “That will just make it harder to fall asleep.” Then, I met her eyes and studied them for a beat. “Do you trust me?”
She didn’t hesitate in the slightest. “Of course, I do.”
“Good,” I said and took her hand. “Come with me.”
Surprisingly, she didn’t argue. I retrieved my gun from the top of the fridge and led her to my section of the house, which was basically the equivalent of a one-bedroom apartment. She didn’t utter a word until we arrived in my bedroom.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“First, I’m putting my gun away. Then, I’m helping you fall asleep.”
“But—”
“But nothing. You said you trusted me. You need a good night’s rest and so do I.” It was clear she still needed reassurance. “Even as sinful as you look in that nightgown, I promise nothing other than sleep will happen between us…tonight.”
She gave me a coy look. “Sinful?” she asked and smoothed her hands down over the black silk encasing the lower half of her body.
“Yes, sinful. Now, I’m a man of my word, so don’t make this any harder for me. Stop running your hands over the places I want mine to be and get in the bed.”
“I don’t believe you’ve ever spoken to me in such a tone,” she observed. “I think I might like it.”
“Damn it, Jacquelyn,” I growled.
“Okay, okay,” she conceded and blessedly covered her beautiful body with a blanket. “Now what?”
“Now,” I said and turned off the light as I slid under the covers with her, “I help you fall asleep.” With that, I slid my arm underneath her shoulders and pulled her against my chest. Then, I began slowly running my fingers through her hair.
“No one has played with my hair since I was a teenager. I used to love it,” she said as she started to yawn.
I smiled. My sister once told me there wasn’t a female in existence who didn’t like having their hair played with. While I’m sure there were some out there in the world, it seemed to be a valid statement for the majority of the women in the world.
I continued to run my fingers through her silky strands. Soon, her body relaxed and her breathing evened out. Within minutes, we were both sound asleep.
8
Jacquelyn
True to his word, nothing happened between Ronan and I other than sleep. And it was the best night of sleep I’d had in years. Thankfully, Ronan was an early riser and woke me long before anyone else in the house was awake. Part of me knew how silly it was to be sneaking around in my own home, especially when I wasn’t doing anything wrong, but another part of me was enjoying the excitement of it all. But, with a full day ahead of us, I didn’t have much time to dwell on it.
From the moment my feet hit the floor, I was busy with the final arrangements for the village opening. The employees Ronan had rounded up arrived two hours early so we could make assignments and go over their responsibilities. I surveyed the group and cut my eyes to Ronan. “Did you tell all of them to wear red shirts and black pants?”
He shrugged. “We didn’t have time to order T-shirts for them.”
After going over their roles and the general plan for the evening, I left Ronan in charge while I went back to the house to get ready for the grand opening. Since I attended so many formal events, it was more convenient to have the necessities already in my home and have the stylists come to me.
After a quick shower, I slipped into my robe and met Bianca, Deanna, and Nadine in what I liked to call my styling room. Keegan was already having her hair done and Gabby was having her nails painted with a glittery red polish.
