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Pfft. The media knows jack shit about her brother’s criminal activities.
But her cluelessness is a good thing. It means I don’t have to feel guilty for the respect I have for her. The attraction, too. “Earlier, you mentioned tonight was your fault. Why?”
“I don’t know.” She shrugs and lowers her attention to the table. “I guess it was like you said, the adrenaline messed with my head. I kinda lost hold of reality for a minute.”
“You sure?” I scrutinize her, trying to determine if she’s lying or I’m paranoid. Something about her response doesn’t seem genuine. “I don’t want you thinking you’re responsible.”
“That’s sweet. But I’m over it now.”
“Are you lying to me, lemon drop?” I walk toward her, stopping a few feet away. “You were adamant before.”
She meets my gaze, the co
I raise my brows, unimpressed. “That doesn’t make you responsible.”
“It is what it is.”
“What it is,” I drawl, “is some truly fucked up logic.”
She sighs and rests against the dining table, her long lashes batting with gentle lethargy. “You have a way with words, Decker. You’re rarely serious.”
It’s my turn to laugh without warmth. “This job is morbid as fuck. If I didn’t have my sense of humor, I would’ve offed myself long ago.”
Her eyes pin me, calculating, as if trying to determine if I’m capable of taking my own life. For once, I don’t enjoy her attention.
“If you can’t have fun with life, what’s the point?” I add.
“You’ve said that before.” Her voice is almost a whisper as she glances to the left, staring out the window.
I push from the counter, not liking her rapid descent into deep thought. “Is it time for a drink?”
“No.” She shakes her head. “I might borrow your phone again, though, if that’s all right. I want to call Cole.”
“No problem.” I grab my cell from my back pocket. “You’re not going to rat on me for telling you about Layla, are you?”
“Rat on you?” She rakes her teeth over her lower lip and pushes from the table to pad toward me, her hips holding enough sway to trigger a reaction from my dick. “You expect me to cut loose the only person willing to tell me the truth? Not likely. If anything, you and I just became soul mates.”
“Don’t tease, gorgeous.” I smirk, adding a thick layer of cocky arrogance to mask the way she’s hypnotizing me. “You’ll only break my heart.”
“Not teasing. But I do want to call Cole to see how long you have to babysit” she snips, dealing the backhanded blow with effortless precision.
“Now, now. Don’t get those panties in a twist. They’re the only thing protecting your modesty.”
She chuckles, and it brightens her face enough to increase my pulse. The light blush warming her cheeks doesn’t help, either.
I can’t afford to lose my focus around this woman, but I can see it happening. I can feel it, too.
She stops in front of me and takes the cell from my outstretched hand. “I’ll try my best not to get you into any trouble.”
“Great.” I nod. Slow. Measured. Panicked. Because she sure as shit made that sound like more of a threat than a promise.