Follow Me Darkly (Follow Me #1) - Helen Hardt Page 0,58
drinks. “Slick, Tess.”
“Hey, I was on the spot.”
I sigh. “Yeah, okay. We still don’t know what happened between them and why Addie is convinced Braden is bad news.”
“But we do know that Addie is the one who pursued Braden.”
“Which means she probably felt scorned when whatever they had ended.”
“Right,” Tessa says. “And hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.”
We end our call, and I take another sip of my coffee. It’s still hotter than asphalt on a summer day. I quickly lay several dollar bills on the table and leave the café. Now what? The stolen letter burns hot in my purse. I can almost feel its energy, like a homing signal is beeping from it.
All in my imagination, I know, but this was a huge mistake. Braden says he can’t have a relationship with me. How can I expect him to change his mind if I paw through his personal mail? I trudge back to his building, half smile at the doorman, and press the intercom once more.
“Yes?”
My stomach twists into knots.
It’s Braden’s voice.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
“You… You’re supposed to be in New York,” I say without thinking.
Damn. Should have just rung the doorbell and ran. Except I’m not twelve.
“Skye? What are you doing here?”
“I dropped off some treats for Sasha, and I think I lost an earring. I just wanted to come up and look for it.” The lie tastes like stomach acid in my throat.
“All right. I’ll send the elevator down.”
I move toward his private penthouse elevator and wait. When the doors open, I expect Christopher to walk out, but the elevator is empty. I enter and push the lone button for the penthouse.
Chills sweep over me as the cubicle ascends. Too soon, the door opens.
Braden stands waiting in the entryway. “Good evening, Skye.”
“Hi.” My voice cracks. Shit.
“Thank you for the treats for Sasha. I just saw the basket in the kitchen.”
“You’re welcome. I got it free at a shoot, and of course I have no use for it.”
“Nice of you to think of her,” he says.
Things seem icy between us. But why? He showed up at my place unannounced. Why shouldn’t I show up at his? “Why are you home so soon?”
“I was able to complete the business early.”
“In one day?”
“Does that seem implausible to you?”
Does it? He’s a billionaire. People probably continuously kiss his ass. No, it’s not implausible. What’s more implausible is that he had to be gone the rest of the week. Did he lie to me?
I have no right to ask, especially with a stolen piece of mail burning a hole in my purse.
And that’s just it.
I don’t want any lies between us. I can’t control what he tells me, but I can at least control what I do. If I want him to eventually commit to a relationship, I need to show him I mean business. Honesty and trust are a big part of that.
“Braden”—I clear my throat—“I didn’t lose an earring.”
“Oh?” His blue eyes twinkle a bit. “Why are you here, then?”
“Because I…” I draw in a deep breath and hold it a few seconds.
“Spit it out, Skye.”
Because I want you. Because I think I’m falling for you. The words are on the tip of my tongue, and they’re not a lie. Just looking at him makes me yearn for him. But I thought he was in New York, so no way will he believe I came over here because I miss the smell of him.
I gather every bit of courage, pull the crumpled envelope out of my purse, and thrust it at him. “To return this.”
He wrinkles his forehead and takes the envelope.
“I don’t know what I was thinking,” I say, words tumbling out of my mouth faster than I can think about them. “I brought the stuff for Sasha, and then I went to the bathroom. I saw all the mail in the magazine rack, and I couldn’t help myself. When I saw the Ames Hotel envelope, I just… You won’t tell me about you and Addie, so I thought maybe…”
“Maybe you could figure it out from this?”
“I didn’t even look inside. I swear it. I felt terrible about it, and that’s why I came back. I was going to come back up here and replace it in the powder room so no one was the wiser. But now you’re here, and I…I don’t want to lie to you, Braden.”
He opens the envelope, withdraws the paper inside, and hands it to me. “It’s a bid for an event my