Caroline walks up to us, beaming. “You boys worked everything out?”
“We’ll keep in touch,” Theo says. “And I saw you clean up. You weren’t supposed to do that.”
“I had time on my hands, and you’re tired. You’ve been here since eight o’clock. You should go upstairs, relax for the night. I can close up here, throw the key in your mailbox.”
The way she talks to him sets me on edge: too personal, too much warmth. I have no right, but I’m jealous as fuck.
“Don’t say that twice or I’ll take you up on it,” Theo replies.
“Well, this is me saying it twice. Come on, go rest.”
Theo doesn’t wait for her to say it a third time. He marches out, leaving Caroline and me alone.
The second he’s gone, she beams widely, clasping her hands together. “He’s great, right?”
“You dated him?”
She blinks, her smile fading. “It’s not your concern, but I don’t want this costing Theo business. He’s just a friend. A dear friend. Nothing more.”
“When I came in, he had his hands all over you, and just now you seemed so... familiar.”
She presses her lips together. Another telltale sign I should back off, but I can’t. Plus, she looks gorgeous all worked up, the skin on her cheeks flushing.
“As I said, not your concern.”
I step closer to her, smelling her feminine scent—vanilla and something edgy. “In case you can’t tell, it concerns me whether I want it to or not.”
She presses her hands at the sides of her neck, studying me. “You’re not a jackass usually. Something’s up with you. ”
How the hell does she read me so well?
“Sorry, I’m... you’re right. Remember the leaked photos issue?”
“Yes.”
“I have some suspicions about who on my team is behind it, and we have other events tonight.”
I wanted to press pause on the celebrity events until I figure this out, but it was too short notice for the four events tonight. I split the dream team into four, so Honor, Marcel, Justin, and Colbert are each attending one. I don’t expect any leaks tonight unless Colbert is really thick, or greedy. Any leaks would immediately identify the culprit, but it’s worth a try. If greed wins, it will save me more detective work. After I explain all this to Caroline, she huffs out a breath.
“Sounds like you still have a lot of pent-up tension. How about another round of training before we head out to my place for that glass of wine?”
“You do Krav Maga too?”
“Not well, but you’re a beginner.”
“Yeah, but I’ve got about fifty pounds on you.”
“Theo’s bigger than me too, and I can hold my own.”
Yes, but Theo’s an instructor. He probably knows how to go easy when needed. How hard can it be to go easy, though?
Turns out it’s hard as hell. At least, if one wants to do it without the other party catching on.
“Come on, Daniel. Don’t go easy on me just because I’m a woman.”
She aims and I block her, which is all I’ve been doing for the past few minutes. I’m in defensive mode because I suspect that, if I throw a punch, she might hurt herself by blocking it.
“I’m not going easy because you’re a woman. Just because you’re smaller than me.”