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“You brought trouble,” he repeated. “Sticking your nose in business that isn’t yours.”
“I am a true-crime podcaster. It’s what I do.”
“You’re a podcaster who tries to solve cold cases. What are you doing, going off to Europe to solve crimes that are definitelynotcold?”
“Both of those murders aren’t solved,” she replied, glaring at him.
She was cute when she was angry. The thought surprised him, and he did his best to ignore it. “I would hardly call a six-month-old casecold.”
“Then you don’t know much about the justice system. Chances are those cases will never be solved because too much time has passed.”
He grinned, though he didn’t want to. “Yeah? You know that for a fact?”
“I’m a reporter. I deal in facts.”
“You’re a podcaster. You deal in likes and reviews.”
Caroline’s delicious mouth smashed down into a thin line. “You’re insulting.”
“And you meddle in things you don’t understand.”
“Stop saying that. I’m a reporter.”
“Stop sayingthat,” he repeated. “You’ve got a podcast.”
“What I have is a degree in journalism. It’s not my fault print media is dying. I’ve had to adapt, but that doesn’t make my job any less important.”
He shrugged. God, she smelled good. Too good. He didn’t want her in his car. He would never be able to get rid of the smell, and then where would he be? He would be buying a new car just to get rid of the reminder that he’d met his mate. It was much easier to antagonize her. If his mate hated him, there would be no chance of falling in love. None. At. All.
“Your job?” He laughed. “You followed the trail of a murderer in notonebuttwoforeign countries. That’s not a job. That’s a death wish.”
“I have a producer, and I go where she tells me. Just like a reporter would follow the guidance of their editor. There’s no difference.”
There was a difference, though. A very big one. Too bad Caroline couldn’t see it.
“Do you even speak French?” Ryland asked.
She lifted her head defiantly. “No.”
“Italian?”
“I only speak English.”
“And you didn’t think that the language barrier would stop you? Put you in danger?”
“My producer said it wasn’t going to be an issue. I have Google Translate on my phone, just like everyone else.”
Ryland threw his head back with a laugh. “And how wouldthathelp you if you were in danger?”
“I’m back home safe, aren’t I?”
“Only because, for some fucking reason, my older brother saw fit to give you protection. Are you his lover?”
Ryland regretted the words as soon as he said them. Caroline’s entire face fell, and if she could have thrown daggers with her eyes, she would’ve. He could sense the anger rolling off her. Something tight sat in his belly. He didn’t like the image of Wilder touching his mate. He took a step closer to Caroline. “Are you his lover?” he repeated. “Is that why?”
“You donotspeak to me like that.”
Ryland knew he had no right to ask her these questions, but hehadto know. He couldn’t stop himself from asking. How could he deal with it if his brother had been with his mate?
