Page 40 of Off Limits (Alpha Billionaire)

Max was great with timers. He responded to them. I had to thank whichever previous nanny had trained him to them.

I sat back on the edge of the pool as Max jumped back in. He kicked around and giggled. When the alarm went off, he made a disappointed noise but swam right back to me so I could get him out of the water.

He didn’t fight me too much when it came to getting dried off and dressed. The clothes felt wonderful and warm after the pool.

I texted Dylan to let him know what his son and I were up to. Not that I typically texted him through the day, but since we were not at home, it felt like something I should do.

The mouth of the valley had plenty of restaurants. While it seemed like most catered to the tourists and upper scale clients, there were plenty where Max and I could get something he would eat and his loud presence wouldn’t cause a problem. There was a shopping center only a few minutes away. We parked, and he was good and held my hand as we made our way through the parking lot and walked toward our location.

I had a strange sense that someone was watching us. I looked around, hoping to see Dylan. It would have been a wonderfulsurprise to have him find us here, but I didn’t see anyone I knew or anyone even looking at us.

I couldn’t shake the feeling through lunch. Originally, I thought I would convince Max to walk around the shopping center with me. It had winding paths and plenty of space where he could run without being a bother, and window shopping was a great way to while away the time. But the sense of dread and unease was too strong. I wanted to get away.

I felt better once we were in the car and I was driving. My plan to lull Max asleep with a post-lunch car nap worked. When I knew he was completely asleep, I drove back to the hotel and carried him into our room.

Since I hadn’t thought to pack much—my goal had been to get out of that house and find a pool—I didn’t have a book or my crochet work with me. So, I took a nap with Max. We both slept through most of the afternoon, and it was later than I had expected when I woke up.

Max insisted I change so we could go swimming again. He had managed to get himself up and back into his wet bathing suit before I was fully awake.

I pulled my damp suit back on. It felt clammy and uncomfortable, but I knew that would change as soon as I was back in the water. I put Max’s water wings and inner tube on him before we headed to the pool. It was the easiest way to carry everything.

When we got out to the pool, a man was lounging on one of the chairs. He wore business clothes, slacks and a dress shirt, one arm casually leaning behind his head, his other hand holding acocktail. His eyes were hidden behind dark glasses. He looked completely out of place next to the pool. It was Ryan.

I grabbed Max’s hand.

“What are you doing here?” I demanded.

“Fancy running into you here.” Ryan chuckled.

There wasn’t anything fancy about it. It was the worst possible luck, which I wasn’t going to discount. I seemed to keep running into him when I very much did not want to. I wanted to take Max and head right back into the room. My stomach clenched and panic pricked my skin.

“I don’t believe this is a coincidence. I don’t know how you found me, but you need to leave me alone.” I should become a professional with the acting skills I managed to display. I was terrified. I wanted to shake and cry, but I stood a little straighter and glared daggers at Ryan.

Max slipped out of my hand. I turned, trying to grab him again, but my reflexes were slow. He got away and ran into the pool with a splash.

I gasped, and the panic from seeing Ryan took over. All the worst-case scenarios crashed through my brain. Max wouldn’t come back up, Ryan would somehow prevent me from helping. It was seconds in time, but several lifetimes in my head, each ending in tragedy. “Max!”

But Max was fine. He had his floatation devices on and was happily kicking around in the water.

“Cute kid. Is he mine?” Ryan asked. His sneer told me he wasn’t serious. He was trying to be insulting.

“You know he isn’t. What do you want?” I retorted.

I tried to position myself so I could see Max, but I didn’t want to turn my back on Ryan. He was dangerous, and I didn’t know how far he was willing to ruin my life. He had already pushed me out of my chosen career and ruined my reputation. He had threatened me to do his dirty work. And he had hit me. Was he here to take his revenge and anger to the next level?

I couldn’t trust him and refused to. There was no way I was going to turn my back on him and give him an opening to harm me. I wanted to see it coming if that was his plan.

“It would seem that your boss—or is he your boyfriend? How’s that working out for you? I thought you were done fucking the men you work for.”

19

DYLAN

“What are you talking about?” I demanded. “Mother, what is Clara talking about?”

“That woman took your son. I knew she was bad news. And to think you’ve been sleeping with her! I wouldn’t be surprised if she hasn’t kidnapped poor, sweet Max for ransom money,” Clara continued to wail.

“Clara! Enough,” Mother snapped. It took a lot for her to raise her voice. “Stop being so melodramatic.”

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