The Heir Affair (Las Vegas Nights 5)

“This is really strange and I’m not sure it’s a good idea for you to stay here alone.”

Kyle’s concern was causing her anxiety to spike, but she pulled it under control. “Don’t be ridiculous. Like you said, this is a gated community. It’s all just a coincidence.”

“I don’t believe in coincidences. There’s something weird going on and I don’t like the idea of you staying here by yourself.”

“I’m fine.”

“Humor me.”

“Humor you how?”

“Move into my place.” He must’ve picked up on her dismay, because he quickly added, “At least while Trent and Savannah are gone.”

“That’s not necessary, I assure you.”

But the basket’s mysterious origin couldn’t be denied. She put on a brave face, not wanting Kyle to think she was feeling even the littlest bit anxious. Red roses and baby gifts weren’t exactly frightening, no matter what the source.

“I don’t like that someone has such easy access to you.”

“So I’ll call the guard at the gate and let them know that no deliveries for this address should be allowed past them. And then I’ll talk to Trent and make sure he doesn’t have any more landscaping projects planned.”

Kyle didn’t appear satisfied with her answer. He crossed his arms and frowned down at her. “Then I’m going to move in here.”

“Definitely not. We are not ready to cohabit again.”

“I’m not talking about cohabitation, I’m talking about your safety.”

“Roses and bibs. Not exactly scary stuff.”

“Anonymous gifts.”

“So I have a secret admirer,” she said flippantly. It took a second for her own words to sink in. The reality of a secret admirer wasn’t nearly as delightful as it sounded. “I’m sure it’s harmless.”

The skeptical expression on Kyle’s face matched his words. “You need to take this more seriously. You’re in the public eye now. People think they know you. They believe they have a personal connection even though they’ve never met you.”

He’d had his own experiences with such fans. There was the woman who’d posed as his girlfriend and bluffed her way into his hotel room not once, but twice, while he was on the road with the team. Later, she’d bombarded him with letters and presents, making quite a nuisance of herself. Eventually he’d had to get a restraining order against her. Still, she’d threatened to commit suicide in an LA boutique after she spotted him shopping there with a woman he was seeing.

“I’m not famous in the same way you are,” Melody said. “I’m just that girl who opened for Free Fall. I don’t have a big following on Twitter or Instagram. Maybe once my album drops it will be different.”

“It only takes one person.”

Kyle wasn’t the sort of guy to try to frighten her just so he could persuade her to move in with him. If he was alarmed, he was genuinely concerned about her.

“Okay, now you’re scaring me,” she said.

“Good.”

“Can you give me tonight to think about it?”

Kyle began sifting through the baby items; she couldn’t imagine what he was looking for. The last thing he picked up was the teddy bear. As he turned it over in his hands, he began to frown.

“There’s something weird about this.” He fiddled with it some more and produced a black box from the back of it. He looked shaken, and alarms started going off in her head.

“What’s wrong?”

“This is a camera. One of the teddy bear’s eyes is the lens.”

“A what?” She glanced around her living room, trying to imagine the space from the angle of the stuffed toy. “You mean like one of those nanny cams?”