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Oblivious to the more personal sentiment, she releases another wistful sigh. “I guess this means that I’m indebted to you twice over, then.”
“Exactly. Now you have no choice but to accept my assistance. For one, you will no longer slink off on your own without alerting myself or James as to your whereabouts.” I feel callous enough to add, “I was worried.”
She rolls her eyes. “I did not slink off. Why were you following me in the first place?”
I consider stretching the truth. Then she frowns as if reading my damn mind, and I change tact. “Given your recent preoccupation with your mobile, I thought you were seeing another man.”
She laughs. “Seriously? You’re that damn paranoid I’d conspire against you.”
“Conspire,” I echo. “Or congregate.”
Or wind up in someone else’s bed, tangled in their sheets. The mere image sends a sound rumbling from my throat, making her cheeks redden.
“Wait…” A blond eyebrow goes up. “You were jealous. You weren’t just worried that I was with another man, but with Adrian Riley.”
I bristle at the word choice. “Bloody hell, of course not! Maybe you should go get that doctor. I feel a headache coming on.”
“Oh really? Let me find a nurse!” She nearly bolts to her feet, and I grab the sleeve of her blouse to keep her seated.
“I’m fine,” I insist. “Just don’t repeat that infernal name.”
“What really went on between the two of you?” she asks softly. She sits back down, close enough that her hip nudges mine. “Besides the whole questioned paternity thing.”
I frown at the subject. Frankly, it’s one I haven’t pondered myself very often. Why does the mere thought of being in the same room with the git make me want to strangle myself with my own blasted tie? Perhaps because…
“He always made it a point to needle me,” I say, fumbling over the words. “To prove that he was always faster, stronger, more capable. That he was the better son. He used to make a game of wooing people to his side. Alexander. My sister Stella. Everyone always chose him, in the end.”
“Why bring me around him then?” she asks. “Was I just some kind of bait?”
She’s angry—I can hear it in her voice, though in this instance, she doesn’t need to be.
“No.” I hesitate. Sentimentality was never my forte, but one look at her makes me rethink my stubborn adherence to stoicism. “I took you to meet with him because I knew you, of all people, wouldn’t fall for his games,” I admit. “You’re logical. Levelheaded. My view is already colored when it comes to him, but I knew you could be neutral, without being fooled by his charms. You are loyal to a fault. But I did anticipate that he might use you against me.”
Like by exposing intimate photos that were meant only for me.
She conceals her anger well, but those eyes flash with her trademark irritation. “That’s why you were so damn irritable.”
“And why I fired you, with a hefty severance, I might add. All to make you a less compelling target. I thought I was protecting you.”
From her expression, it’s clear she doesn’t feel the same. “So now I owe you for something else. Great. And I am sure that you fully intend to collect.”
“Well,” I take her hand again, observing the pale flesh of her palm. “I do have a few stipulations while you’re still feeling wholly responsible for my predicament.”
Ever the dutiful employee, she crosses her legs primly at the ankle. “I’m listening.”
“No more gallivanting off on your own.”
Her fingers twitch in my grasp, but she doesn’t pull away. “Fine.”
“And,” I add before she can argue, “you let me handle this predicament with your brother. I’ll make some calls and track down the original debt. If he’s telling the truth, I’ll give him whatever tools he requires to clear his name.”
“I can’t ask you to do that.” She sighs, biting her lower lip again. Damn. I swear the heart monitor speeds up, pinging a mile a minute.
“Are you okay?” Evelyn asks with a worried glance at the blasted machine.
“Fine. It must be malfunctioning.”
“Paying Danny off won’t fix anything,” she grouses. “If he’s lying about everything, he’ll just be back in a month, asking for a hundred thousand the next time.”
