"I understand that I’ll essentially be bait to draw the stalker out. I just hope he… or she shows up. I’d hate to think of all the trouble you have gone to, and it be for nothing." Willow spoke quietly, her hands clasped in her lap. “And I certainly hope that nothing happens to any of you if he does appear.”
The concern in her voice for others' safety, even when she was the primary target, struck Casper as entirely characteristicof her generous nature. This was one of the reasons he'd fallen so hard for this woman…and I have fallen for her.
"Don’t worry about us. That's exactly why we're here," Cole assured her.
Frazier nodded. "Our job is to neutralize any threat before it reaches you or anyone else.”
They spent the next two hours reviewing detailed floor plans, establishing communication protocols, and discussing contingency plans for various threat scenarios. Willow asked intelligent questions about crowd dynamics and evacuation procedures, demonstrating the kind of strategic thinking that would make her a valuable partner rather than just a protected principal.
Casper wanted to tell her not to worry about those details. She looked at him as though knowing what he was thinking and laughed.
“I need to know in case we get separated,” she claimed. “But also, this is great research material for a screenplay!”
As evening approached, room service delivered a dinner that allowed the team to continue their planning while dining on perfectly cooked steak, steamed vegetables, soft rolls, and sumptuous cheesecake for dessert.
“Damn, Mary had this meal just right when she made the reservations,” Todd said, leaning back in his chair.
“Mary is the one who really runs LSIMT,” Casper explained to Willow. “She always seems to know just what is needed.”
The conversation gradually shifted from pure tactics to getting to know each other as people, and Casper watched Willow charm his colleagues with the same natural warmth that had captured his own attention.
"What did you think when Casper first showed up at your door?" Cole asked during dessert, a gleam in his eye as the others chuckled.
Willow's hand found Casper’s under the table, their fingers intertwining naturally as she considered the question with obvious amusement.
"Honestly? I thought he looked like he could take on an entire motorcycle gang single-handedly," she said with a laugh. "The mohawk, the serious expression, those intense eyes. He was definitely intimidating. My writer's brain immediately started spinning novel scenarios about dangerous heroes with hearts of gold."
"And were you right?" Frazier asked with a grin.
"Completely," she replied, squeezing Casper's hand. "Turns out the most dangerous thing about him is how quickly he made me feel completely safe."
The warmth in her voice, delivered without artifice or calculation, sent heat through his chest that had nothing to do with the wine they'd shared with dinner. Todd, Frazier, and Cole exchanged knowing looks that suggested they'd seen their colleague's transformation over the past week.
"Casper's got your back, and now you've got all of ours too,” Todd said with a grin.
As the evening wound down and his fellow Keepers departed for their own rooms, Casper felt cautiously optimistic about their chances of identifying and stopping Willow's stalker. The security arrangements were solid, the team was experienced and professional, and Willow herself had demonstrated the kind of courage and intelligence that would make her an asset rather than a liability in whatever confrontation awaited them.
But as he stood at the suite's windows looking down at the city lights, Casper had a feeling that their enemy was already out there somewhere, watching and waiting for his opportunity to make a move that would change everything.
The sound of the shower running in the bathroom gradually faded, replaced by quieter movements as Willow completedher nighttime routine. When she emerged from the steamy bathroom, Casper felt his breath catch in his throat.
She wore nothing but one of his black T-shirts, the soft cotton falling to mid-thigh and somehow managing to be both modest and devastatingly sexy. Her towel-dried hair hung in loose waves around her shoulders, and her skin glowed with the warmth of hot water and steam.
"I borrowed this," she said softly, tugging at the hem of his shirt with a shy smile that made his chest tighten with affection and desire.
"Keep it," he replied, his voice rougher than intended as he moved toward her. “From now on, I’ll always think of you in it anyway.”
When they came together in the middle of the suite's living area, there were no words needed. His hands framed her face as he kissed her deeply, tasting the mint of her toothpaste and breathing in the clean scent of her shampoo. Her arms wound around his neck, pulling him closer as she pressed against him with the kind of trust and abandon that still amazed him.
Without breaking their kiss, he lifted her easily, carrying her bridal style toward the main bedroom as her arms wrapped around his neck. The city lights streaming through the windows cast everything in soft shadows and silver highlights, but all his attention was focused on the woman in his arms.
What followed was intense and passionate, a physical expression of emotions too complex for words. They moved together with the desperate urgency of two people who understood that the next few days might bring danger they couldn't control, but tonight belonged entirely to them.
Afterward, they lay entwined in the hotel's luxurious bedding, her head on his chest and his arms wrapped protectively around her. The city sounds filtered up from farbelow, but inside their cocoon of warmth and contentment, the world felt peaceful and safe.
"Whatever happens this weekend," she whispered against his skin, "I want you to know that meeting you has been the best thing that's ever happened to me."
He pressed a kiss to the top of her head, his arms tightening around her as sleep began to claim them both. "Whatever happens this weekend," he replied quietly, "I'll make sure you're safe."
