“Just you wait until your day comes. Then we’ll see who laughs.”
If he’d said something like that to me a few years ago, it would have pissed me off. Back then, I had no intention of ever settling down. But after seeing the life that Vaughn was building with Carissa, I’d started to wonder if there was a chance for me to find that same kind of happiness. If there was someone out there who could look past the killer the Army had turned me into, the way Carissa had with Vaughn. My mind drifted back to my mystery blonde again, and I kicked myself for not getting my hands on the airport security tapes to find her back then. “If thatday ever comes, laugh all you want. I’ll be too happy to give a damn.”
“Fuck yeah, you will.”
“Enough of this sentimental crap,” I rumbled as I opened the driver’s side door to the rental car after locating it in the lot. The contract and keys were in it, and I tossed my bag into the passenger’s seat. “What’s going on in LA?”
While Vaughn gave me the limited intel he had on the situation, I drove to the exit booth and flashed them my driver’s license. The gate opened, and I was off—just not in the direction I’d originally planned on going. Instead of heading towards the strip, I hopped on the highway that would take me south into California.
“Arabella Green? The woman who made the cake for your wedding?” I hadn’t gotten the chance to tell her how fucking delicious it was since she’d had to leave London before I’d arrived.
“Yup,” Vaughn chuckled. “Maybe you’ll get lucky, and she’ll have time to bake while you’re helping her. With that sweet tooth of yours and her skills in the kitchen, this might be the best assignment you’ve ever taken.”
Remembering that chocolate cake with raspberry filling, my mouth watered. “Payment in trade works for me if everything she bakes is even half as good as that cake was.” It went without saying that since this was a favor for Vaughn, I wasn’t going to accept money for helping Arabella. But dessert? I wouldn’t turn that down if it was offered to me.
I spent the four and a half hours that it took me to make the drive from Vegas to Los Angeles thinking about the gifts Arabella had received and what they might mean. Running through possible scenarios on such limited intel probably wouldn’t yield any results, but I didn’t have much else to do since I’d packed for the casinos and not a road trip. At leastI didn’t have any specific plans except to park my ass at the blackjack table, eat my way through a few high-end buffets, and guzzle down a few bottles worth of whiskey. Changing my plans was an inconvenience, but at least nobody was waiting for me in Vegas.
The same couldn’t be said for LA, even though it was midnight when I pulled up in front of the hotel. After I handed the keys over to the valet, I did a quick circuit around the property since I’d never stayed there before and wanted to be familiar with the building and the surrounding area. After I was done, I made my way to the registration desk. The guy on duty looked like he’d gotten high before coming into work. Not that unusual for a twenty-something kid stuck working the overnight shift, but it pissed me off because it made him a weak link in Arabella’s security.
“I need a key to Arabella Green’s room.”
“Is your name on the reservation, sir? If not, I can’t—” His eyes widened as he looked up from his phone and caught the look on my face.
“Gaige Taylor. There should be a note in the system.”
He jumped out of his seat, grabbing an envelope next to the computer and shoving it at me. “Yes, sorry. Miss Green called down a couple of hours ago and asked me to hold this for you.” I raised an eyebrow. “It’s a key. Room 2039.”
I leaned forward, glaring at the kid. “I could be anyone. You should’ve asked me for identification.”
“I—” He gulped nervously. “But—”
“Never mind,” I growled as I snagged the key and stalked towards the elevators. The security in this hotel sucked, which meant I was going to have to convince Arabella to switch locations until I could get her out of town. I was still pissed about it when I tapped gently on the door to her room. If she was awake, I didn’t want to scare her by barging in. I waited a minutebefore waving my key near the proximity lock and pushing the door open. I gently shut it behind me after I stepped inside. There were soft footsteps behind me, and then the dark room was filled with light. I swiveled around, my hand on my gun at the base of my back as I was filled with shocked recognition.
“It’s you,” I breathed.
3
ARABELLA
Holy heck! It was him. The guy at the airport, from back when I’d been running to make it to my flight after dropping off Carissa’s wedding cake. The brick wall I’d bumped into who’d had me wishing I could forget about going home because London would be a lot more interesting if I spent my time there with him. He hadn’t said a word back then, but it didn’t lessen the impact he’d had on me. At six feet and two inches, with a muscular build, dark hair begging to be touched, piercing brown eyes, a strong jawline, and firm lips that looked like they rarely tilted up in a smile; he’d been impossible to forget.
My heart raced as I took in the way he was looking at me. His brown eyes darkened to a nearly black color as they swept down my body and back up again. The heat building in them made my knees shake, and I tightened the sash on the robe I’d thrown on when I heard him knock on the door. A muscle in his jaw flexed, and a satisfied smile spread across his face. Maybe the fascination hadn’t been one-sided, and fate had given us a second chance.
“You’re Vaughn’s friend?”
He nodded and strode towards me. “Gaige Taylor.” His raspy voice sent shivers up my spine. “And you’re Arabella Green.”
“I am.” My reply was as shaky as my knees felt.
He didn’t stop until he was standing less than a foot away from me. He reached for my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “You don’t need to be scared anymore, sweetheart. I’m sorry I didn’t find you sooner but I’m here now, and I’m not going to let anything bad happen to you.”
“Sooner?” I echoed. It was hard to think straight with his thumb stroking my palm, but I was pretty sure I wouldn’t understand what he meant even if he wasn’t touching me because it didn’t make any sense. None at all. “Celina only reached out to Carissa five or so hours ago. I’d say you got here pretty darn fast.”
I didn’t resist as he tugged me further into the sitting room and settled me on the couch. When he sat down next to me, he still had his hand wrapped around mine. “Airports seem to be our thing. I was walking through McCarran when Vaughn called me.”
Oh, yeah. He remembered me. “Vegas? I hope I didn’t interrupt anything important.”
He shook his head. “Just a spur of the moment vacation.”
