“Thank God!”
“It’s not good though. It’s definitely a dude like we thought. He was wearing all black and had a gaiter covering most of his face. He had a cap on, and you can’t really see anything. He’s about six feet tall though. They are doing some analytics because they want to see if there’s something on his cheek, right by his hairline. Maybe a scar or cut or tattoo or something.”
I sigh and run a hand through my hair. “Well, it’s something. Shit, I’m sorry. That’s terrifying. I’m just glad you had some of the security stuff set up already. Considering what happened a few days ago…shit, I don’t want to even think about it.”
“I know,” he replies.
The slider opens behind me, and I feel Emma’s warm arms wrap around my waist as she presses a kiss to my tense back.
“I’ll be back tonight. I’ll call you when I get home,” I say to him.
“Be careful. Jackie and I are heading out to my brother’s cabin for a bit and Max is going to visit his dad in Chicago. It’s time to get out of Dodge for a while.”
I pound my hand on the railing. “Fuck,” I curse under my breath.
“You still going to your mom’s place?” Rhett asks.
“Yeah, I’m just stopping by the house tonight to get clothes and stuff.”
“Be careful,” Rhett says. “And call me when you get settled at Blythe’s. The security team has assured me that all our security measures will be fully in place by tonight. So, expect some security guys at your house in addition to all the tech stuff.”
“I will.”
“OK, twatwaffle. I gotta go check on Jackie. I love you, brother.”
“Love you, too, fuckknob.”
We hang up, and I stare out at the vineyard. Everything seems so calm. It’s eerily silent in comparison to the blood pounding through my body at a speed that can’t be good for my heart.
“What’s wrong?” Emma asks, her body still against mine.
“He broke into Rhett’s house,” I reply, turning to pull her against me.
Her hand flies to her mouth. “Oh my God! Is he alright? What happened?”
I rub her back and press her against me, pressing my chin to the top of her head. “The security firm is putting in new video and motion sensors. They hadn’t finished one side of the house yet. The guy got in but set off a motion sensor in the dining room. He managed to get out before Rhett even left his bedroom. They didn’t catch him but got some security video of him. It’s a guy but aside from his height, we don’t have anything else yet.”
“Jesus. So, what now?” she asks.
“Rhett and Jackie are heading out today to a cabin. Max is gonna visit his dad. And you and I are going to Malibu.”
She pulls back and looks up at me. “You…and I?”
“Yes, I’m not leaving you in that shitty apartment with no security but someone outside. No fucking way.”
She shakes her head. “No…I have class. I can’t be away from school.”
I press my lips together because I know I’m going to say the wrong thing and piss her off.
“Hold on, I have to make another call.”
I phone my mom and explain what happened. Emma walks back into the room, and I hear the shower turn on. Inside, I’m seething because I want to be in that shower with Emma and not dealing with fucking stalker bullshit, but I grow a pair and focus on what my mother is saying.
“I think you two should come stay at my apartment. I can go out to Malibu,” she states as though reading my mind.
“Thanks, Mom. I really appreciate it. I was scrambling for what to do because Emma still needs to be in class,” I explain as I run a hand over my face.
“It’s not a problem, pumpkin. Your new security team is great, by the way. They’ve been working with mine. It’ll be fine. We will get through this. Now, go spend the afternoon with your girl and give her my love,” Mom says before making a kissing sound and hanging up.
I take a moment to steady myself, focusing on the serene vista before me. I turn to go back in and am greeted with a sight for sore eyes. A naked Emma is sitting cross-legged on the bed with her hair wrapped in a towel, a pen between her lips, and a laptop in front of her. She doesn’t even notice me as she types furiously at the keyboard. I watch her, studying the lines of her body again. Her pink nail-polished toes make me grin for reasons I can’t explain. A strand of wet blonde hair falls from the towel, and she pushes it aside absentmindedly as she continues typing. I decide to sit out here for a little while and let her work before I make her spend the rest of the day in bed with me, maybe giving us a small break for a bottle of wine and some food.
She glances up at me just as I go to turn and gives me a smile and that’s when I know. I’m fucking in love with this woman. It’s not even been a month yet, and I am punch drunk in love.
She looks back down, but I continue to watch her. “I won’t let anything happen to you,” I whisper as I turn and sit in a chair, trying to come up with a game plan for how we can capture the stalker and not get anyone hurt. I suppose more brilliant minds than mine are working on this, but I refuse to be a back-row spectator to my life. For the first time in a long time, I’m ready to fight for something, and nothing is going to get in my way.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Emma
The day is a blur of studying, naked time with Grady, and driving back to the city. Grady fills me in on the new plan, which involves us staying at his mother’s penthouse downtown. It’s not exactly as convenient as my apartment, but it’s tolerable. After helping me pack some things, he drives us there to get settled. I’m unprepared for the entourage of security personnel when we arrive.
“Mr. Daniels, the team would like to go over things with you,” a man says as we enter the penthouse. Grady groans.
“Dean, can you give me and my girlfriend five seconds to put our things down?” I try to cover my grin at the use of the term “girlfriend” again. I do have to say that this weekend solidified many things for me. I feel like I saw a part of Grady that no one else gets to see and something about that changed things for me. He’s not just a bad-boy rocker or the son of some famous people, he’s uniquely himself, quirks and all.
I have texts from Kate, my mom, my sister, and Quinlan, plus a few emails from my professors. “You go do what you need to do. I have to reply to some emails for school,” I tell Grady as we set our bags down in what appears to be a guest suite. It’s a rather large room with its own bathroom and balcony. I look around. “Are you sure your mother doesn’t mind?” I ask for the tenth time today.
Grady steps next to me and leans down to kiss my forehead. “Stop worrying. It’s fine.”
His phone buzzes, and he looks down. His face morphs into a grin.
“What?” I ask.
“It’s Jason. He wants to try to meet up this week.”
I grin back at him. “That’s great.”
He looks at me and pauses. “You want to meet him?”
“Really? Are you sure? I won’t be offended if you want to take some more time, just you and him.”