in the day, I’d had lunch, then worked through the afternoon and into early evening, all the while keeping an eye out for Braelyn should she emerge from her bedroom. She never did.
I knew this because I had put Sim on duty watching for her, remaining available should she need anything at all. According to the frequent updates he logged into the system, she had never ventured out, never called for food, either.
As night descended, I began to worry, hence the reason I was standing at the door to her room, rapping my knuckles lightly after excusing Sim to take care of his evening chores.
I was seconds away from opening the door and invading Braelyn’s privacy when she finally answered, pulling it open a fraction of an inch and peeking out.
Her hair was wrapped in a fluffy white towel, a thin silk robe the rich color of eggplant belted at her waist and covering all but her mile-long legs.
“May I come in?”
I could see the concern in her eyes as she considered my request, but Braelyn finally stepped back, opening the door wider, which I took as an invitation.
“Is everything okay?” she asked, her hand tugging the towel from her hair. “Is Ransom all right?”
“Yes and yes.”
I took a look around, noticed the bedding was rumpled and the sliding doors on the ocean side of the room were open, but nothing else had been disturbed.
Turning to face her, I maintained a safe distance as I took her in. “Did you manage to get some sleep?”
“Yes, thank you.” Her voice was soft and, yes, wary.
“Did you eat?”
Braelyn shrugged, finger combing her hair. “Wasn’t hungry.”
She was regarding me carefully, as though I was a wild animal and my reactions could not be gauged well enough to let down her guard.
“I’ve ordered you dinner,” I informed her when she said nothing more.
Braelyn nodded, her gaze darting sideways toward the bed as though she had something to hide.
Angling back toward the bed, I skimmed the area she was looking at and noticed what she was obviously searching for. There, peeking out of the silky sheets, was what appeared to be a vibrator. Turning my attention back to her, I saw she was watching me, her cheeks turning a shade of pink not many hues off from the sex toy. Perhaps I would have to give Tiegan a raise. No doubt that little toy was my assistant’s doing.
“Did you need something?” she blurted, her tone curt, her embarrassment obvious.
Although it would’ve been more appropriate for me to give her space now that I knew she was alive and well, I found I couldn’t do it. Or rather, I didn’t want to give her space, didn’t want to leave this room, in fact. I’d thought about her endlessly through the day, a fact that I wasn’t completely comfortable with. What it was about Braelyn Bishop that had captured my attention so completely, I didn’t know, but here I was, and I figured there was no better time than the present to explore it.
Right on time, there was a knock at the door. I smiled and headed for it. Corvin and Bram stood on the other side, pushing a silver serving cart, which contained not only Braelyn’s meal but mine, as well.
Stepping back, I motioned toward the balcony. “We’ll dine outside.”
“We?” Braelyn asked, her eyes following my possessions as they pushed the cart forward. “Are they…?”
“Twins? Yes. Identical.” I motioned for her to follow them outside.
Her gaze shot to the bathroom. “I’ll just … uh … get dressed.”
“No need.” I held out my hand, waited for her to respond to the gesture.
She studied my outstretched arm like it was a viper preparing to strike, but she finally placed her long, dainty fingers against my palm, allowing me to lead the way out into the warm night. As we passed the bed, Braelyn tossed the towel to cover the pink toy, making me smile.
Touching her again … it had me wondering how the hell I’d managed to keep my distance from her since we arrived.
“Leave us,” I instructed Corvin and Bram when they’d finished setting things up on the small dining table. “Wait inside the room until I need you.”
I pulled out Braelyn’s chair, did my gentlemanly duty of helping her to sit before I took my place at her side. Bram had lit two candles, protecting them from the breeze with hurricane globes, which provided a romantic ambience for our meal. It was an interesting gesture, one