Ronan steered me down a hall and to a closed door. He tapped on the wood. “This will be your bedroom for as long as you’re here. There’s a bathroom attached. Feel free to use anything you find and let me know what else you need.” He paused, then brushed a kiss over my temple. “I’ll give you some time to settle in. I’ll be in the living room.”

“Okay.” His tender kiss had shaken me, but I tried not to let it show. “I appreciate everything you’re doing, especially when I wouldn’t blame you for not wanting anything to do with my mess.”

He drew the backs of his knuckles along my cheekbone, and I tried to ignore the goosebumps that erupted all over my body. “We’ll find whoever is behind this, then we’ll track down Tom and make sure his problems don’t touch you again.”

I shivered. “From your mouth to God’s ears.”

He pulled away and I gripped the door handle to steady myself. Then I took a breath and entered. The bedroom was beautiful, with off-white walls, a massive bed in the center, and an impressive view of Chicago from the window.

I wandered over and stared out.

Thinking back to a week ago, I’d never have believed I’d end up here. So much had changed, and I wasn’t sure what to make of it. Somewhere out there, Tom was laying low, and I hoped he was all right.

Ronan

When Willow vanished into the bedroom, the first thing I did was text Kade to arrange a guard for the door into the penthouse. Then I ordered pizza, advising them to notify me when they were in the lobby below. Once that was done, I went to my bedroom. I stripped off my suit and changed into a pair of jeans and a plain black T-shirt.

The sound of running water came through the wall. I tried to tune it out. I didn’t want to think about Willow naked or wonder whether her legs were as long as they seemed to be.

Groaning, I dragged a hand down my face. I also didn’t want to imagine the slight curve of her hips and the creamy smoothness of her breasts. For God’s sake, the woman had been traumatized. The last thing she needed was me fantasizing about her. I was ashamed for letting my mind even go there.

I hung my suit and returned to the living area, where I grabbed my personal laptop from the coffee table and flopped onto a sofa. I booted it up and went down a virtual wormhole, investigating the man whose fingerprints were found and delving deep into Tom Lennox’s life, trying to discover whom he owed money to.

I hadn’t found much by the time I heard feet padding down the carpeted hall. I glanced up to see Willow enter the room. She paused just inside the doorway and brushed a damp lock of hair behind her ears. With her face scrubbed clean, she looked very young. She crossed her arms, and I noticed she wasn’t wearing a skirt or dress as she usually did. Instead, she was wrapped in a soft gray sweater and yoga pants. Comfort clothes. My protective instincts went into overdrive. I wanted to seal her in a bubble and make sure no one ever popped it.