Page 12 of A Secret Message

On my way.

Vixen couldn't remember feelingthisnervous about meeting another person, and her heart was beating madly against her chest as soon as she caught sight of his tall, lean figure heading up the brick pathway.

She opened the doors, and his steps slowed to a stop.

He was even more handsome than she remembered. Taller. And now that he wasthisclose, she was able to appreciate the silvery shade of his eyes.

Who is this man supposed to be, God?

Vixen remembered how shock had rendered her barely able to think when the police had first arrived, and she had heard them ask him for his name.

Rule.

He had said something else, but she had no longer heard it, and even though she now knew the truth, it was still something she had a hard time wrapping her head around.

How was it possible that this man was also Rule? As in Gabriel's friend Rule? As in...the man she had been texting for over a week?

Vixen didn't believe in coincidences, but she was also afraid of leaping to the wrong conclusions.

This man had a role to play in her life, but what?

Rule knew he should stop staring at her, but doing so was next to impossible. She was even more beautiful up close, and his only regret was how present circumstances gave her no reason to smile.

He could still remember the taste of fear in his mouth when he realized she was in danger, and he had known at that moment that she had already gotten under his skin without her even trying.

He remembered how he had asked her to call 911 as soon as he had tackled Cumerford to the floor. Remembered how the truth had hit him like a bolt of lightning when he heard her say her name.

Vixen. Vixen Madrigal.

He still had a hard time believing it even now, but this time...

This time, he was done fighting against what his heart wanted.

But just as Rule was about to speak, his phone started vibrating in his pocket again—-

No.

No more.

It was time to move on from the past. It was time to focus on the present, and right now, his present was looking incredibly lovely...because she was smiling.

At him.

"Don't be mad, alright? But when Gabriel asked me to text you, Ikindaassumed you were this kind, old gentleman?"

"Only if you also promise not to be mad...if I tell you that I assumed you were some high school boy Gabriel was mentoring."

A soft laugh spilled past her lips, and the sound was as winsome as her smile. "We should make a pact."

Rule raised a brow. "For what?"

"Not to make any assumptions about each other...since we both suck at it."

Her unexpected candidness won a chuckle out of him. "Deal."

"And now that we've gotten that out of the way...there's only one thing left to do."

Rule tried to keep his surprise from showing. Was she...hitting on him?

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