And now that she was finally starting to think it was time…now that she was ready to take a chance on something she felt in her heart would be wonderfully and amazingly real…
What if I mess it up?
“What about your hair?” Megan asked. “Were you going to put it up, or are you planning on leaving it down?”
Ro shook the nerves away and looked at the long locks hanging over one shoulder. “I was thinking I’d leave it like this. What do you think?”
“Down’s good. And not that I don’t absolutely love the dress you have on—because I do, and if you even think about changing I’ll kill you—but I thought you said you’d picked out a black dress for tonight.”
Ro grinned. “I did. But then I saw this one and changed my mind at the last minute.”
With a slight tilt of her head, her best friend studied her closely. “Any particular reason for the sudden change in style?”
Ro’s heart kicked against her ribs. “Like what?”
“Oh, I don’t know. I just thought maybe there was a certain guy you were hoping to impress tonight.”
“I sincerely hope you’re not talking about Clayton Yorke. Because I made myself very clear on that front during Monday’s meeting.”
A meeting that was switched from in-person to virtual per Brody’s order. At first, Ro had put up a fight, but it hadn’t taken long for him to convince her otherwise.
His threat to attend said meeting with her just so he could “beat the guy’s ass into the ground” had pretty much sealed the deal.
While Ro was far from happy with Clayton’s behavior at the bar—and the months leading up to that, really—she didn’t want to see the man beat within an inch of his life. Knowing Brody firmly believed Clayton was the one who’d not only drugged her, but had also stolen the things from her house, Ro knew that’s exactly what he would’ve done.
And since he was the security expert—and she was still leery about all the other—she’d switched her final meeting with the billionaire heir to online. Naturally Brody had insisted on being in the room with her for the duration of the video call.
She’d allowed it, but on the promise he’d remain silent and away from the camera’s view.
Though she’d never admit it to him, Ro was secretly glad he’d been there. If for no other reason than to serve as a witness to the not-so-professional ass chewing she’d given Clayton for his unacceptable behavior at the bar that night.
As well as the few times prior to that.
By the time the conversation was over, Chicago’s Most Eligible Bachelor had been more than happy to let her out of her contract early—with a glowing letter of recommendation and without recourse—effective immediately following tonight’s party.
Ro had also made it very clear to Clayton that if she ever heard so much as a whisper of a rumor that he’d treated any other woman the way he had her, she’d report his actions to every news outlet and social media platform in existence. And when she was done with that, she’d file a civil suit against him for sexual harassment.
Brody had smiled at her, then. A warm, half-crooked grin from across the room. One that had left her lungs breathless and her panties wet.
And the look he’d had in those dark, soul-stealing eyes…
He wanted me.
It may have been fleeting, and he may not have even realized it, but it was there. Ro had been on the receiving end of looks like that before and had recognized it instantly.
In that moment, with Clayton Yorke’s chagrined face filling her computer screen, Brody King had wanted her the way she’d always dreamed of. But then Clayton had said something, and the intense connection was lost.
Ever since, the two had been following a choreographed dance consisting of walking on eggshells, awkward conversations about the weather, the fact that Delta’s brainiac computer guy had come up empty with the bar’s security footage, and the fact that the cops had also come up empty.
But Ro was done hiding from an enemy who wasn’t coming, and she was done tiptoeing around her feelings for Brody. She wanted him. There was no denying that. And she was pretty sure he wanted her, too.
Maybe.
If he didn’t, fine. Well notfine, but she’d survive. Lord knows, she’d made it through worse heartache than an unrequited love.
She could find a way to get over him, too.
Hopefully, after tonight, I won’t have to.