They sat opposite each other in a small café a block down from the hotel. Laurie couldn’t take her eyes off him. He was exactly as amazing as she had remembered and she realized she was both excited and nervous just to be around him. Along with what seemed like his innate sensitivity to her needs, there was something about him that screamed power and danger, and even after all she had been through, she found the combination intoxicating.
“Last night…” he began, “Well, this morning when I woke up, I knew I had to make sure you were okay.”
“I’ve felt better,” she said, “but I’m not as stunned and in shock as I was last night.”
“I was worried,” he looked down, “I shouldn’t have left you but I thought you’d been through enough without some strange man hanging around. I just wanted to give you an opportunity to rest up a bit and get grounded again.”
“If it wasn’t for you, who knows what would have happened to me…” She then filled him in on the details that led up to his appearance.
“Well, from what you are saying they were basically just a couple of idiots. Maybe even dangerous idiots, but still just idiots,” he shook his head.
“Well, still, if you hadn’t gotten there when you did,” she shuddered. “What did you do to them when you went back anyhow?”
“When I got back to them they were still pretty out of it, but I had some choice words with them about what their futures would look like if they ever came within a hundred miles of Blakestone Ridge again. Then I knocked them out again and left them for the police to find.” He looked amused. “I didn’t hurt them too much. No need to worry… well, apart from the broken noses I didn’t hurt them.”
A wave of relief washed over her. She did feel safe with him. She had not even realized how unsafe she had felt before.
“So, who are you, Bruce Wayne waiting for an opportunity to play Batman? Do you just hang around dark alleys in the middle of the night looking for damsels in distress to save?” she joked and smiled genuinely for the first time in days.
“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that,” he smirked. “What are we having for breakfast?”
They ordered fresh fruit and pancakes and they had been talking for almost twenty minutes before Laurie realized they had never had a proper introduction, although by now she knew his name, of course.
“Aiden Cooper, at your service” he smiled, “And I already know yours as well, Laurie Miller.”
She looked at him and studied every inch of his face. He was deadly serious.
“How do you…?” she began.
“The hotel,” his face cracked into a smile, “I didn’t tell you last night, but now that my mild mannered cover is blown… I actually own it…”
“’It’s not the best, but it’s not the worst?’ ”, Laurie laughed, quoting him from the night before.
“At least I’m honest,” he winked.
She looked into his amazing eyes again and although she could have sat there with him forever, she knew she still had to leave. Now she wasn’t just on the run from crazy Brad, she wanted to be out of Blakestone Ridge before the two men were released from jail. She felt as safe as she could with him, but she just felt rattled by the past few days. She needed some time to get her bearings.
And what about the animal I told you about? I mean it was nothing I have ever heard of before. I like I said, I didn’t get a good look at it, but I heard it. I mean, it was huge! Have you heard anything about something like that around here before?”
“Ah, who knows, probably a wolf or a dog…or maybe you somehow used you magical powers to call your spirit animal to save you.” He was smiling and laughing as he said it, but there was that amused glint in his eye again as well.
“I wish,” she laughed. “I hate to cut this short,” she added, genuinely disappointed, “But I can’t stay in this town, I need to get going.”
“I’m going to have to say ‘No’ ”, he grinned leaning forward, “I would like to convince you to stay and, furthermore, I would like to ask if I can take you out for dinner tonight, just to make sure you’ve fully recovered of course,” he said with a playful wink.
“I can’t,” she shook her head, “I’m due to check out in five minutes and after last night I’m just too nervous to stay around here…”
“Did you not hear me, I own the hotel… and not only that, but those guys won’t be going anywhere anytime soon, and if they do, trust me, they’re not going to come looking for you.”
He reached across the table and lay his hand on top of hers. His touch was like fire, the heat coming from his skin was electric.
“Trust me…” he said again.
Laurie knew that after all she had been through, this was the last thing she should be doing, but it wasn’t every day she got asked out by a heroic billionaire who seemed genuinely desperate to spend time with her. She thought back to how she had spent the past year being degraded and treated badly. Her confidence had hit an all-time low and there she was with this brilliant, sexy man… and she was going to turn her back on him and walk away? She stared into his eyes for what seemed like the hundredth time that day. The warm blue of them was so endearing she knew there was no chance she could pull herself away. Definitely not today and maybe not ever.
“Lunch,” she said, doing her best to hedge. “I don’t want to be out too late.” She cocked her head and returned a playful wink of her own.
“As you wish,” Aiden bowed congenially.
“And nothing too fancy,” she smiled, “I didn’t exactly bring a huge string of outfits and you know what us girls are like…”
“No problem,” he squeezed her hand before signaling to the waitress for the check.