Page 45 of Trust Me

I eye her warily. She makes me want to share more than I ought to. No, it’s not a secret that I aim to be at the helm of Townsend Industries. Yet, she has me wanting to reveal that my reasoning is to make my family proud and prove that every privilege they’ve given me over the years has been worth it.

And to show them that I can be trusted not to fuck it up. Not after I trusted the wrong person, and it blew up in my face.

“What’s it to you?” I ask Riley instead of telling her all of that.

“It’s my job as a consultant to further your company's goals. Besides …” She hesitates and looks away. “No one, even if they receive a nice paycheck, likes to feel like they’re being used.” There’s that tone in her voice again. The one I remember from Miami when she told me her deepest fear.

Riley dips her head, but I catch her by the chin, lifting her face so that I can see her eyes. She blinks, and the sadness in those depths is gone. But the tightness in my chest remains.

“Tell me more about this social engineering bullshit,” I say suddenly.

She takes a step back, breaking our contact. I do my best to ignore the sense of loss that floods my senses.

“Uh.” She glances around and smiles when she spots something behind me. “It’s not bullshit, and I will show you.”

With that, she moves around me and makes a beeline for one of the most expensive hotels in Williamsport.

“Follow me.”

Like a sailor guided by the luminescence of a lighthouse, I follow.

* * *

Riley

We stop on the sidewalk directly across the street from the main entrance of the Renaissance Hotel. I watch for a few beats, noting the stream of people who walk past the hotel since it’s still rush hour.

I turn to Kyle and almost slip off the sidewalk when I realize how close he stands behind me. His hands on my waist stop me from falling.

Quickly, I re-gather myself and ask, “Truth or dare?”

“I have a shit ton of work to do. I don’t have time for games.” Even as he says this, his hands tighten around my waist.

“This is work related. Truth or dare?”

He frowns.

“Dare,” I say for him. He would never choose truth. “I dare you to watch me break into one of those hotel suites.”

His eyebrows quirk, but then a glint of interest enters those hazel pupils. All of a sudden, I find myself wondering how long it would take for me to get tired of staring into his eyes.

Never.

“Dare,” he says.

“What? Right.” I shake myself out of silly thoughts.

I turn to face the hotel and contemplate how to approach.

“Let’s go,” he says, starting for the hotel.

“Wait.” I press my palm to his hard chest and instantly regret that move. My mind scrambles. “You can’t come with me.”

“Why not?” he asks while scowling.

“Because you’re Kyle freaking Townsend,” I remind him. “You’ve probably had countless work lunches and dinners in this hotel.”

He looks between me and the hotel. “So?”

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