Caleb’s mouth tightens into a line. “You should stop talking before you start bleeding.”
I grin wider. “Touchy. Didn’t realize I hit a nerve.”
“You didn’t hit anything,” he replies evenly, eyes flicking across the room like he’s scanning for threats instead of conversation. Classic Ward—always working, even when he’s supposed to be at ease.
“Come on,” I press, nudging his shoulder. “We both know the bodyguard act is just your way of staring at her legs without getting slapped.”
His jaw ticks. “I’m doing my job.”
“Yeah, protecting her from tripping in those heels. Heroic.”
That earns me a glare sharp enough to slice steel. “You forget I’m licensed to carry,” he mutters.
“You forget I’m faster,” I shoot back, and his lips twitch—the ghost of a smile, there and gone. Progress.
I lean in, lowering my voice. “So what’s the deal, anyway? You two doing the ‘strictly professional’ dance, or are you one late-night stakeout away from blowing that cover?”
He exhales through his nose, looking back at Basia as she laughs at something Emily says. “She’s not my type.”
I bark out a laugh. “Right. And I’m a monk.”
“Your mouth’s gonna get you killed someday, Kane.”
“Probably,” I admit, taking a sip of champagne. “But at least I’ll die entertained.”
Caleb doesn’t answer, which tells me I’m right. The man’s silence says more than words ever could.
“She’s trouble, you know,” I add casually. “That one’s got chaos tattooed all over that porcelain skin.”
His eyes flick toward me, hard now. “Then it’s a good thing chaos and I are well-acquainted.”
I smirk, tipping my glass toward him. “Careful, Aegis. You sound like a man about to fall on his sword.”
He studies me for a long second before replying, quiet but certain. “Better that than let anyone else touch her.”
I let out a low whistle. “Well, damn. Didn’t think you had poetry in you.”
“Don’t push it.”
“Relax,” I say with a laugh, clapping him on the shoulder. “You’re among friends. No one’s gonna tell the governor there’s a lovesick ex–Delta watching his daughter’s every move.”
His glare cuts to me again, voice low and sharp. “You tell anyone, Kane, and I’ll put you in a hole so deep not even your hacker friends will find you.”
I grin, utterly unbothered. “You’re adorable when you threaten me.”
Damien’s voice cuts in from behind us. “Are you two flirting or plotting murder?”
“Why not both?” I shoot back. Caleb just shakes his head, muttering something about idiots under his breath.
Damien arches a brow, clearly amused. “I leave you alone for five minutes and you’re already trying to get your ass kicked?”
“Just keeping the team dynamic alive,” I reply. “You know me—morale booster.”
“More like chaos generator,” Caleb mutters.
“Semantics,” I say, grinning. “Besides, admit it—you missed me.”
Caleb doesn’t look at me, but the faintest curve of his mouth gives him away. “Not even a little.”
