Page 33 of Rayna's Daddy

“What kind of ninja is afraid of heights?” He turned.

“One who knows her limits.” I rocked on my heels.

“Take one step.” He motioned for me to come forward. “Come on. I promise. I got you.”

He was hard to resist. I took one step toward him.

He took my hand and pulled.

“No, no.” I shut my eyes.

He wrapped an arm around my waist and turned me around. “I got you, Rayn Drop.” He kissed the side of my head. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

We stepped forward, and my front connected with the railing. Kyler leaned in and whispered in my ear.

“Open your eyes.”

I shook my head from side to side.

“Hey,” He cradled my hand across my chest. The other hand he guided to hold the railing. “Open your eyes, stubborn girl.”

I peeked with one eye. The lights of Vegas made a spectacular sight in front of the sunset. “Oh, gosh.” I flexed my fingers.

Kyler removed his hand.

“No, don’t let me go.” He gripped my hand and interlaced our fingers.

“Never.” He whispered in my ear.

My heart flipped and skipped a beat.

I looked over the railing. The Quadrangle hotels sat below. Each four pillars surrounded a common area in the middle with shops and restaurants.

I settled back against him.

“You own all of this?” I asked.

“My family does.” He answered.

His other hand snaked around my waist.

“With your three brothers?”

“You did some research.” He nodded. “Chandler, who you met, he lives on the top floor of Quad IV.” He pointed both our hands in the direction of the smaller of the four buildings.

“Randall is in Quad II.”

“We’re in Quad III and Tyler has a place on the top floor of Quad I,” He placed our hands back on the railing. “But he’s rarely here.”

“Where does he live?”

“In our family home in New York City.” We step away from the railing and walk the length of the pool. He interlaces his fingers with mine. We entered through another door and walked down another hallway. “Here’s the gym. He flipped on the lights for me to see. It had four high-tech pieces of equipment and two treadmills and an elliptical machine facing the windows.

“Do you work out?” He asked.

“Of course.” I dropped his hand and flexed my biceps. “A ninja must always be in shape. You never know when we have to spring into action.” I winked at him. He chuckled. His laugh warmed my heart. It was deep and bold. When he laughed at my jokes, it was like he hadn’t allowed himself to laugh in a long time.

A bench and weights sat along a mirrored wall. My reflection looked off. I brushed back my windblown hair and pinched my cheeks to get some color in them. My eyes looked tired and my clothes fit baggy on me. I pulled at my shorts and walked out into the hallway.

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