Page 31 of Hunted Hearts
“This isn’t random,” he stated, his voice low.
He stopped, a thought hitting him like a cold snap.
Juliette’s head lifted. “What is it?”
“There’s a pattern,” he muttered, more to himself than to her. “Every threat, every incident, they’ve all been tied to your appearances for the charity. Nowhere else. Not rehearsals. Not general press junkets. Just charity events.”
Her brow furrowed. “No. There’s no way. That doesn’t make sense.”
“Doesn’t mean it’s not true.”
She started babbling—fast, frantic, talking with her hands as he’d seen her do before. Denials spilled from her lips as she shook her head. “It can’t be that. These events are about helping kids. They’regoodthings. No one would—”
He didn’t think.
Didn’t plan.
He just moved.
Theo’s hand slid to her jaw, tilting her face up as his mouth found hers. The kiss was firm and deliberate—enough to shock her into silence.
She froze for a second, then melted, her lips parting under his as the world around them blurred into nothing but heat and the faint taste of coffee lingering between them.
He stopped hearing the rush of the wind in his ears and only heard the throb of his own heart and her soft, quivering sigh.
When he finally pulled back, her eyes were wide and dazed, her breath coming fast. “What was that for?” Her whisper was ragged.
“There’s only two ways to calm someone down when they’re spinning out.” His own was rough. “And I wasn’t going to hit you.”
Her lips parted again, but this time, nothing came out. She searched his face as if trying to make sense of something he didn’t understand either.
Theo straightened, scanning the lot. “I’m taking you to Black Heart Ranch.”
Juliette stood rooted for a moment, her fingers resting on her lips as if she wasn’t sure what just happened. “Where is that?”
“I’d tell you, but then I’d have to kill you.”
She blinked.
“I’m joking, Juliette. It’s my family’s ranch in Wyoming. The security team is based there. You’ll be safe while we find out who is after you.”
She twined her fingers together in front of her. “How do we get there? Drive?”
“We fly.”
“Okay. Well, I’d like to get a sweater from my luggage. I’m not really dressed for travel.” She glanced down at the emerald gown that fit her like a glove. She was beautiful even with the tearstains on the hem and the wrinkles from her bunching the fabric in her fists.
“Come on. I’ll open the back for you to get that sweater.” He walked her to the rear of the vehicle and opened the liftgate.
She shifted her suitcase around to access the zipper. After she pulled out a sweater, she paused and unzipped the bag the whole way.
“Theo…my pill dispenser. It’s not in my suitcase. I left it in the last hotel! I don’t have any of my supplements.”
“I’ll replace it.”
Her brow creased. “That dispenser was expensive. We can’t just leave it behind!”
He gave her a long look. The woman had money. She oozed it. But she didn’t flaunt it. And the fact that she was upset about losing something that could be so easily replaced with a few clicks of a button made his heart stutter in his chest.
