“Sure. Let’s go out on the deck.”
She stalked toward the door, not caring if Austin was able to keep up. She kind of wanted to lose him in the crowd anyway. She was so naive. When would she wake up and see people for who they really were?
The last thing she wanted was to fall for another scumbag like Rafael.
Chapter 24
Austin had to rush to keep up with Dani. He lost her for a moment on the deck, but spotted her a minute later standing at the railing, looking out at the setting sun. The clouds in the sky were lit with orange and purple. He stood for a moment to take in her silhouette.
She was angry at him. That was obvious. He just had no clue as to why. It couldn’t still be the kiss, right? They’d moved past that. At least, he thought they had. It had been hours ago. Sure, things had been awkward since, but she hadn’t been acting angry.
He joined her at the railing. There was nothing left to do but get it out in the open. “You’re angry.”
“And you’re a fantastic detective,” she spat out.
“What did I do this time? Offering dessert? Did I upset you with my comment about food?”
She huffed, but didn’t say anything, which was infuriating. Why was it so hard to understand women? He leaned on the wooden rail. “Whatever I did, I’m sorry.”
She turned to him, her gaze burning. “If you don’t know what you did, how can you be sorry?”
“Easy. I don’t like upsetting you. So no matter what it is, I am deeply sorry for it because you’re severely agitated.”
“Huh. Agitated. That’s an understatement.” Her lips turned down into a scowl.
“Okay. Ticked off. Is that better?”
“Getting closer.”
“Geesh, Dani, what happened? What did I do? You look like you want to rip my throat out.”
She folded her arms across her chest. “No. I just want to rip the Adidas off your feet.”
Confusion clouded his brain. Was she spouting nonsense on purpose? Did she get hit in the head on the way to the restroom? “What does that even mean?”
“It means I know about your desires to get an advertising contract.” She gave him a once-over, a look of disgust on her face.
“Wait, what?” He was hoping to land a couple more contracts, but what did that have to do with this conversation?
“That’s right. I know all about it. So, you can drop this act of yours.”
“I’m so confused. What do advertising contracts have to do with you being mad at me?”
“Claire told me everything. You’re just using me to get an in with Adidas. Admit it.” She pushed on his chest as her voice cracked, and she blinked back tears.
“Claire?” Things were starting to make sense. Whenever Claire got involved with anything, things got messed up. He should have known it had to do with her. “Don’t believe anything she says. She’s a manipulator and a liar.”
“That’s what she said about you.”
“And you believed her?” He ran a hand through his hair. How could Dani think he was using her? He was helping her. Couldn’t she see that?
Dani gripped the railing, her knuckles turning white. “I don’t know what to believe.”
“So, you believe that I’m trying to take advantage of you?” That seemed extremely unfair given all he’d done for her.
“Why else would you help me? You don’t even know me.”
He swallowed and dared to put his hand on hers. “I do know you.”
“But you didn’t when we first met. Before. You took me out to dinner, and gave me a place to sleep. You took me shopping, and…” She shook her head. “How can I think anything else? It doesn’t make sense for a person to do all that.”
Austin had no words. She was probably right. He had no reason to do anything for her in the beginning. He actually hadn’t wanted to take her out to dinner. That had been an accident. But then, he couldn’t let her stay in a dangerous place. And then she fell asleep on his couch, and he was stuck. He had to let her stay with him. After that, he got to know her and she grew on him. He liked her tenacity, and her determination. He realized there was much more to her than a spoiled brat. And now…well, his feelings had deepened.
He drew in a deep breath, then exhaled, unsure of how to say all that. “I know. But I’m not what you think. How could I be? I had no idea you’d be stranded here.”
She paused and dropped her gaze. “I know.”
“It makes no sense that I would do all kinds of things for you in order to get a commercial. I’m the quarterback for the Los Angeles Demons. I get offers to sponsor products all the time. Why would I need your father, who isn’t even involved with Adidas anymore?”
Dani blinked and her shoulders fell. “Then why are you being so nice to me?”
Austin shifted closer to her. A sudden wave of sadness enveloped him and he put his hand on her shoulder. Dani had endured people taking advantage of her for years, maybe even her whole life. How depressing that she couldn’t take his kindness at face value. “I can’t just be nice because I was raised that way?”
“No.” Her brown eyes searched his. “That doesn’t make sense. You’re doing so much for me. You feed me. You’re letting me crash at your place. You even took me on this day cruise so I wouldn’t feel so creeped out.” She squinted at him. “Why are you doing all this?”
“Because I…” He stopped before any more words could come tumbling out like clowns from a car. He hadn’t realized what he was about to say until the words were almost out. He loved her. The realization struck him and he blinked. How had that happened?
He didn’t know. All he knew was that right now his heart was racing at his close proximity to her. He desperately wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss her lips. He wanted to protect her from the paparazzi, and from the world. He’d fallen completely for her. But he couldn’t tell her that. She’d reacted so poorly to the kiss and his confession earlier. She would definitely think he was crazy.
“Because you what?” She looked at him with such an accusing gaze, he balked and stepped back.
“Because I…” He searched for something plausible to say. Something that didn’t sound like he was a lunatic, because who fell in love with someone in three days? That was ridiculous. And yet, he was definitely falling for Danica Jordan. Just looking at her, he knew. He loved that she tried to clean a Jacuzzi tub with concentrated soap, filling the room with bubbles. He loved the way she jammed out to her music as she cleaned. He loved the way she’d squared her shoulders and taken on her circumstances, even though she was an heiress. She was bright and funny, and he loved her.
But right now she was looking at him like he’d just confessed to eating newborn kittens for lunch, so he cleared his throat and tried again. “I couldn’t let you starve to death, or sleep on the street. What else was I supposed to do?”
Chapter 25
Dani stared at Austin as he worked his jaw. “You had no money. No place to go. How could I not do anything? And now that you know who I am, you can understand, right? I felt guilty not helping you.”
She slowly blinked as she processed the words that Austin said. He couldn’t let her starve. That made sense. She thought back to Friday when she’d found out her father was cutting her off. She’d been so terribly hungry. What would she have done had Austin not taken her to get food?
Guilt snaked through her and she turned back to the setting sun. “I’m sorry.”
“What for?”
“For accusing you.” She now felt foolish. What if he was simply helping her because he didn’t want to see her on the streets? What if he were being kind out of the goodness of his heart, and all she could do was suspect him of something nefarious?
He shrugged, then placed his hands on her arms. They were warm, and the contact made her heart stutter. “You have every right to question anyone’s motives. Just p-please…”
He cringed, and her heart went out to him. She knew he only stuttered when he was fl
ustered. He leaned closer and she wasn’t sure how he was going to finish that sentence. He stared into her eyes, and for a brief moment, she was ready to believe anything he said.
“Trust me,” he whispered.
A vision of a young boy materialized in front of her. The one she imagined when Austin was telling her about the incident with the jersey his mother had bought for him, and tears sprang to her eyes. He looked so vulnerable. So open. How could she think he would ever hurt her?
She shoved aside her conflicted thoughts and nodded. “Okay. I’ll trust you.”
The boat docked a few minutes after the sun set, and Austin helped her back onto land and into the golf cart. As she sat down, she asked, “How many days did you rent this for?”
“Until Thursday.”
“When you leave.” Those words sent a wave of sadness through her and she internally shook her head. She didn’t want to think about Austin leaving. She wanted to say it was because she’d have to figure things out on her own, but that wasn’t the entire truth. She liked Austin. She just didn’t want to admit those feelings.
“Yes.” He turned the key and the golf cart sprang to life.
She crossed her legs and looked out at the water. The clouds had parted and the moon was peeking through, reflecting off the surface. She felt like she needed to thank him for taking her out today, but she’d acted so mean to him, she wasn’t sure exactly what to say. In the end, she decided on a simple, “Thanks for today.”
He nodded but didn’t say anything back.
Of course he didn’t. She’d accused him of using her to get an advertising contract. The more she thought about it, the more absurd it sounded to herself. He was right. He was a famous football star. He didn’t need her father to get a contract. How stupid was she? Claire had lied to her. But she was ready to believe it, because…what else could it be? The thought that Austin was simply a nice man hadn’t really occurred to her.
They passed by a park and she motioned. “Want to take a walk with me? I think we need to talk.”
He glanced in the direction she pointed. “Sure.”
They parked and she got out of the cart. A paved pathway cut through the park, going by a water fountain, and through a small garden area. She headed toward the path and Austin followed.
Dani didn’t know what she really wanted to say. She just knew she’d been unfair to Austin today. Her footsteps slowed as she thought about what she wanted to tell him.
“It’s a nice evening,” he said, probably trying to dispel some of the awkwardness between them.
“Yes.” She stopped walking and turned to him. It wasn’t going to be easy for her to tell him, but she needed to. She forced the words out. “Rafael and I met at a party. It was the week before Valentine’s Day, and he was so charming, paying attention to me all night. He seemed fascinated by everything I said. I thought we had a connection.”
She flushed at her foolishness, heat rising to her face. But she pressed on, because she wanted Austin to understand. “He asked me out. He took me to this lovely Korean restaurant and we ordered the bibimbap, which he said was his favorite. I thought it was so cool that we both loved Korean food. Then he invited me over to his place to watch a movie for Valentine’s Day. I was so surprised when he pulled out the DVD. It was The Princess Bride, my favorite movie of all time. I was stupid, thinking he and I had so much in common. I found out later he’d simply read an interview I’d done and used that information to make me fall for him.”
Tears sprang to her eyes, and she blinked them back. What a dumb thing to cry over. He had fooled her, but so what? She wasn’t a child. She shouldn’t be crying over something so juvenile. And yet, she couldn’t seem to stop.
Austin let out a breath. “I’m so sorry that happened to you.”
“The worst part is, this wasn’t the first time. Or the last. Victoria and Steph—” Dani sucked in a breath. Oh, no. She wasn’t going to tell him about the video. The last thing she wanted was for Austin to go watch that embarrassing display.
“What did they do?” His voice was so low, so kind, she couldn’t help but feel guilty for not wanting to tell him. But that wasn’t a good reason to spill her guts.
“Nothing.” She couldn’t hold his gaze anymore and looked down at the sidewalk.
“Something.” He gently lifted her chin. “What happened?”
The way he was looking at her softened her, and the urge to tell him rose in her. But it was still so embarrassing, it was hard to admit. “You apparently haven’t seen the video.”
His jaw flexed. “They took a video of you? Is that what they were talking about on the gossip show?”
She nodded, shame burning her cheeks. “Yes. They pretended to be my friends. We hung out together for a few weeks. It was kind of fun, being with them. At least, I thought it was. They acted like they really liked me. Then, last Thursday they convinced me to fly them out here. They got me drunk, and then shot a thirty-minute video of me completely embarrassing myself.”
Austin flinched and she could see his hands tighten into fists. “How low of them.”
“It was a mean thing to do, but you know what?”
“What?”
“I sort of knew they weren’t really my friends.” This was the most embarrassing part. She swallowed. “I just hung out with them because…” She choked on the words, not realizing that tears had started flowing down her cheeks again.
Austin slowly reached up and brushed the tears from her face with his thumbs. He cupped the sides of her face, the gentle warmth enveloping her. “Because why?”
“Because I have no real friends,” she whispered.
Austin closed his eyes, like her words had stabbed through him. He caressed her face. “Why are you telling me this?”
Good question. Why was she telling him? It was stupid, and embarrassing. She wouldn’t have admitted it to anyone else. Why did she feel the need to tell these things to Austin? “I don’t know,” she finally said.
“I know why.” His words were so soft, she barely heard them.
She looked up at him. His blue eyes shone in the lamplight. “Why?”
“Because you’re finally starting to trust me.”
Was that true? Dani’s mind reeled as she thought about it. “Maybe.”
A raindrop hit her head and she looked up at the thick clouds now covering up the entire night sky. “I think it’s going to rain.”
“You’re right. Let’s get going.” He took her hand and they ran to the golf cart. The resort was only half a block away, but by the time they had gotten in and to their door, the rain had started in earnest and they were soaked. At least there were no paparazzi around.
Austin unlocked their door and they rushed inside before he turned on the light. Dani giggled as she wiped the rain off her face. “Where is the famous K-drama umbrella when you need one?”
“The what?” Austin asked.
She laughed and shook her head, drops of water falling on the carpet and on a piece of paper she hadn’t noticed. “Nothing.” She pointed to the paper. “What’s that?”
Austin picked it up and looked at it. His face paled.
“What is it?” Dani took a step toward him to see the paper. “Is that the bill?”
Austin whipped it behind his back so she couldn’t see. “It’s nothing.”
Her heart thumped loud in her ears. “That’s another threatening note, isn’t it?”
She could tell by the look on Austin’s face that she was right. She held out her hand. “Give it to me.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Austin.” She needed to see it. She had to know how bad this was getting. “Hand it over. Now.”
His hands fell to his sides and she grabbed the paper from him. More slanted words were written on the page.
You didn’t listen, and now you’re going to pay.
Dani shivered, the room turning cold. She grew lightheaded and Austin grabbed her, wrapping his ar
ms around her. “Sit. You look like you’re going to faint. I’ll call the police.”
Relief flooded through her. “Finally.”
“I seriously just thought it was someone trying to be funny, but this couldn’t have been one of the guys messing around. Whoever left this note was here, at the resort.”
Dani rubbed her arms as Austin picked up the phone. At least he was taking things seriously now.
Chapter 26
Austin’s mind spun as he closed the door, the police finally gone. Dani had fallen asleep, thank goodness, and he’d tucked her into bed. His team was sending security in the morning, but Kay had posted a couple of her guys to guard the room until they arrived.
He stared at the note again, anger boiling up inside of him. Who was doing this? He was going to find out. And when he did, so help him, he was going to tear them apart. Not that he felt like anything bad was going to happen to him, but Dani was sure distraught over it. And he was quite upset that someone was bringing up all of those horrible memories.
He opened the fridge and pulled out a water bottle. He had to calm down somehow. It wasn’t going to do any good to stay up all night fretting about it. Then he’d be exhausted tomorrow. Dani would need him, and he wouldn’t be able to function if he didn’t get some sleep.
Dani wheeled her cart to room 305 and opened it with her master key. So many people had checked out this morning, she had several extra rooms to clean today. She hurried inside to strip the bed, her earbuds already in and playing her favorite songs.
She’d turned her music up loud to block out the awful foreboding feeling she had from last night. Someone was after Austin, and they were close by. It gave her the creeps. At least his security team had arrived, and they were guarding his room right now.
As she pulled the last sheet off the bed, something shiny fell onto the carpet and skittered across the floor. She picked it up and held it up to the light. A diamond ring. It almost looked fake, it was so large, but she knew a little bit about jewelry and suspected it was real. The sparkle on that thing was amazing. Someone was going to be in a huge panic after figuring out it was missing. She shoved it into her pocket and rushed to the front office. Kay would know who to contact.
A Case of Extreme Mistaken Identity: A Romantic Comedy (The Billionaire Club Book 2) Page 13
