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Tenaya recoiled. Was she imagining the glee behind the words?
Before she could form a coherent response, Jarrod held up both hands, laughing lightly. “Kidding, kidding. Just giving you a hard time.” His smile didn’t reach his eyes.
He kept coming, not stopping until he was at the side of her desk, looming over her. “Anyway, enough gossip. I actually came by for those billing updates I requested. You were supposed to have them on my desk end of last week.” He raised one brow. “Unless you were too preoccupied with honeymoon plans to get to them?”
There were no billing updates. She might be extraordinarily preoccupied, but she was exceedingly organized. He’d never requested a thing, and they both knew it. What was he angling at?
She had to crane her neck to meet his gaze. Whatever it was, instinct screamed at her not to call him out.
She stared down at her desk, emotions seesawing wildly. Jarrod had always craved status and prestige above all else. But this biting jealousy and transparent resentment felt new. Disturbing. And the assessing once-over he gave her made her skin crawl.
“Right, the updates.” She swallowed hard, thinking fast. Megan would help. Her amazing assistant would whip up something in two seconds. “I’ve got Megan working on that. She stepped out to get a latte. She’ll be back in ten minutes. I’ll have her get that to you first thing.”
Jarrod’s next words stopped her cold. “No rush. We both know your mind hasn’t been on work lately. Between your stalker and your trust fund toy, I have to say, your life has been a mess.”
He backed away, stumbling into the hat stand to his left. His long legs tangled with the feet. For a second, she thought he might go down, but he bested the poor stick of furniture, righting it and stepping away, color high in his cheeks. Back on solid footing, his mouth flattened into a knowing smirk. “I know the stalker-thing isn’t your fault, but a word to the wise, get it together before the senior partners lose their patience. Know what I mean?”
Tenaya glared up at him, but before she could spit out a blistering retort, Tai appeared in the doorway in a rustle of starched cotton.
“There’s my beautiful wife,” he exclaimed, face lit with affection. “I really love saying that,” he added to Jarrod as he shouldered her jerk of a boss out of the doorway. His big hands engulfed hers, cradling them gently between his own palms. “Sorry I’m late, babe. Traffic was a nightmare.”
Jarrod gave Tenaya an oily smile. “We were just discussing some missing paperwork. Weren’t we, Tenaya?”
Tenaya managed a jerky nod, pulse racing as Tai kept hold of her hand, stroking his thumb over her knuckles in a tender caress. Despite the circumstances, her insides fluttered at even his casual touch.
“I’m sure you guys can handle that later,” Tai said smoothly. “We’re out of here.” He checked the designer watch on his wrist, making sure to draw his cuffs up high enough that Jarrod couldn’t help but notice the expensive timepiece. “In fact, we better get moving if we plan to make our reservation.” He flashed his most charming grin. “The beachside tables at Nobu go fast this time of day.”
Grateful to escape, Tenaya jumped to her feet and grabbed her purse and jacket off the hat stand. Tai ushered her down the hall toward the elevators without waiting for Jarrod’s response. She clutched Tai’s arm in relief, his solid strength bolstering her.
Safely inside the elevator, Tai kept her tucked close to his side. “You okay?”
She managed a shaky nod, pulse gradually steadying. “I’m okay. Jarrod was way out of line just now. I’ve never seen him act so...” She hesitated, searching for the right word.
“Sleazy?” Tai supplied, mouth thinning into a grim line.
Despite everything, Tenaya huffed a soft laugh. “Basically. I think my supposed marriage is making him come unglued.”
“Duh. The guy’s so jealous his skin’s turning green.” Tai’s arm tightened around her shoulders. “Sorry you’re having to deal with that loser on top of everything else. But hang in there. We’re close to wrapping this up.”
Jarrod jealous? Her first instinct was to deny it, but her emotions were so tangled she couldn’t get a good read on anyone’s motives right now, least of all, her own.
Warmth bloomed in her chest at Tai’s steadfast support. Strangely, his strong arm around her felt more right, more comforting than anything had in recent memory. She had to stop herself from leaning into him and soaking up his strength.
The elevator doors slid open. Tai ushered her through the lobby toward the front entrance, keeping her tucked close to his side. The intimate hold was only for appearances sake, but Tenaya’s wayward heart beat faster regardless.
Outside, the afternoon sun shone brightly. Tai slid his sunglasses on, his handsome features falling into hard lines. “My poker playing annoyed the right people.”
Tenaya tensed as he opened the passenger door of the sleek black Porsche. She folded herself gracefully into the low seat, pulses leaping with apprehension. “What’s happened?” She asked once he climbed in the driver’s side. “Did you locate Sveltana?”
“Not exactly.” He started the car, making the engine purr to life. “But we’ve got our first good lead. The manager of the casino responded to my taunt. He’s willing to meet.”
She let the buttery leather ease her tense muscles as he backed out of the parking spot, but the comfort didn’t untangle her thoughts any. “He’s not going to help you find her.”
Tai shot her a stunning grin. “Not that he knows of.”
Right. She didn’t know much about how his team conducted their missions, but from her observations alone, she knew they had the best connections, and the highest of high-tech equipment. Probably the tiniest clue would give them enough rope to reel the woman in.
Out on the boulevard now, Tai accelerated hard. His dark eyebrows waggled above his designer sunglasses. “You ready for a stupidly expensive lunch?”
