He knew better than to think that meant anything, of course. There'd been only one other woman in his life with whom he'd felt that kind of instant attraction--Vanessa. And God knew that hadn't turned out well.
On top of that, Taylor had to be at least ten years younger than him, and a
s far as Landon was concerned, that was too damn young.
The girl was off-limits. No two ways about it.
But goddammit, he couldn't stay away. Especially not now that he knew someone was harassing her.
On the contrary, he'd stick to her like glue.
He'd protect her.
That was all he could do, and he told himself it would be enough for her.
But it damn sure wouldn't be enough for him.
He shifted in the chair, turning his attention back to Brent, who was looking at him with the kind of expression that suggested he could read Landon's mind. "Where is she?" he asked.
"I put her up at The Winston," Brent said. "I talked to Derek before the contest, and he called his security people. They'll keep an eye on the room, and she's registered under my name."
"Good."
"I told Mina to go by after the contest. I wasn't sure when I'd get in touch with you, and I figured she'd want a friend there tonight. I suggested she take a bottle of wine, order a movie, and the two of them should just kick back and forget about the whole thing."
Again, Landon nodded. "Also good." He didn't need to go tonight. Better to give her a chance to rest. To gather her thoughts. To have one last night before she was shadowed by a cop.
Definitely best for her if he went by first thing in the morning.
The hell of it was, though, Landon didn't want to wait.
Chapter Four
As far as Taylor was concerned, The Winston Hotel was the absolute best ever. Sure, the room was small--just one room with a king-size bed, a small sofa, and a wall unit with drawers and a desk--but there was a television with access to the internet, and the bathroom had a steam shower and a wonderfully deep tub.
Heaven.
The manager had actually apologized for not having a larger room for "Mr. Winston's guest," then went on to explain to her and Reece how they were almost at full capacity, and that she had literally been booked into the last available room.
She'd nodded and smiled and told him that she didn't care, but he'd apologized profusely all the way to the room. He'd personally walked her and Reece there, then reviewed the room's amenities, which included a small hidden fridge, a coffee maker, and a complimentary bathrobe. And, since he'd apparently been forewarned that this was an unexpected trip for her, he'd also supplied her with a Winston Hotels logo tote bag with a toothbrush, a razor, deodorant, a hairbrush, a bar of chocolate, a charging cord for her phone, and a Winston Hotels t-shirt.
Considering she was being harassed by a potentially nutso stalker, it was all pretty cool.
As for the room, she didn't care that it was small. It wasn't as if she was going to be throwing parties or having guests over.
The manager had left her with his card and a promise that security would be doing regular passes by her room, and a reminder that this floor could be accessed only with a keycard. "We'll take good care of you, Ms. D'Angelo," he'd said before leaving, and she wasn't sure if that made her feel better--or if all his words did was reinforce that she was walking around with a target on her back.
The latter, she decided, after Reece reminded her that she shouldn't leave the room, then asked if she wanted him to stay for a while.
She'd assured him she was fine, but the way he'd studied her with those cool, observant eyes only reminded her that she was in a hotel not because she was on vacation, but because she was in protective custody. Or the closest unofficial thing to it.
That, however, was something she was determined not to think about--at least not until she left this hotel. Because the truth was, staying here was an exceptional treat, and she intended to enjoy it, and it would be all the better when Mina arrived. Brent had said he was going to send her over to keep Taylor company, and Reece had reminded her of that when he left, ordering her to check the peephole before opening the door.
Now, Taylor was looking forward to putting on a mindless chick flick, ordering a bottle of wine from room service, and spending two luxurious hours just hanging out and not thinking about everything that was screwed up in her life.
She spent the first hour after Reece left reading a romance novel on her phone, then realized her stomach was growling. She glanced at the clock and saw that Mina should be there within the hour, depending on how much time she spent hanging out with Cam and the rest after the contest.
With a sigh, she rolled over and hugged her pillow. She wanted to be there, too, and she hated that some asshole had made her scared of her own shadow. More than that, though, she couldn't shake the fear that Brent was wrong, and that the brick wasn't unrelated. Maybe her stalker was just making use of the situation.