Page 70 of Hunted Hearts
They lay in a cloud of silence that spoke of something bigger than just satisfaction. Something sweeter. She felt it thrum in her chest, so much bigger than anything she’d ever felt, even with a violin in her hand.
Juliette tilted her head back and studied the rugged lines of his face. His eyes softened as if he was looking at something precious.
“I don’t know what this means,” she whispered.
“Me either.” He swept his thumb across her lower lip. “But I know I’m not ready to let go of it.”
She buried her face against his neck, fighting back tears. Neither was she.
And that scared her more than anything yet to come.
Chapter Fourteen
Theo stood by the foot of the conference room table, arms folded, listening while Denver laid out another layer of security protocols for the Lake Tahoe event.
The main concern now was how quickly they could pull this together and get the word out. Since Juliette was such a headliner, they all felt confident that she would be playing to a sold-out venue. That was the biggest factor. Everything else was icing to be thrown on the cake in the next week or so.
The words filtered in and out—details about team assignments, surveillance coverage, backup plans—but his gaze kept drifting to Juliette.
She sat across the room, surrounded by Willow, Aspen and Oaks’s wife Shiloh, nodding while they discussed menus and ticket sales for the event.
Her eyes, though…they looked far away.
She was tired. Not just physically—though he’d seen her rubbing at her temples. He could see how all this talk was wearing on her. Emotionally. Soul-deep. No amount of supplements or meditation could soothe this away.
When the meeting finally broke, Theo pulled Denver aside. “We have a tight grip on everything?”
Denver nodded.
“Give me forty-eight hours,” he said. “Everything’s on track. Let me use this window to relax before the hammer drops.”
Denver glanced at him, then past him to Juliette. What he saw on her face must be the same thing Theo did. He clapped Theo on the back. “Take her to the lake. Just…stay reachable.”
He found Juliette just as she was finishing a conversation with Aspen about lighting. When he approached, he caught what she was saying.
“As long as there aren’t any candles. I don’t want to risk another fire.”
A cold stone sank into his gut. Juliette looked up at him with soft surprise.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” He couldn’t hold back from moving to her side and reaching for her hand. “We’re taking a break. Just you and me. A little time to get our bearings before we take on the world.”
She blinked, startled. “Really?”
“Really. Tahoe. Colt’s house.”
Shiloh and Aspen couldn’t have wider grins fixed on their faces. It made him groan internally to think that everyone on the ranch seemed to see what he felt for Juliette, when hell,hedidn’t quite know. Or at least wasn’t ready to put into words.
Willow heard the word “Tahoe” and glanced up from the computer she was working on. “Oh! Take the jet. It’s fueled and prepped.”
Juliette blinked again but didn’t comment. She never asked about the money, never questioned the way the Malone brothers operated, blessed with power and access most people didn’t even know to dream of.
He wasn’t sure if he could even explain it himself. All he knew was that all their investments seemed to be showered with luck—their money grew faster than any of them could keep track of, into a legacy that would help generations of Malones to come. Maybe it was amends for the misery of their father.
And since the family seemed to be growing at the same speed, they would need it.
Theo saw Juliette taking it in—always with that grace of hers that came from being born into prestige but trained to keep her curiosity buttoned beneath politeness.
