Page 55 of Rivals Next Door

His devious smirk had my suspicion on the rise.

“But let’s put our rivalry aside for now,” he said. “I have something to show you.”

I followed his every movement as he stood up and walked around to my side of the desk. My breath got stuck in my throat when he leaned close to get to my laptop.

“Hey, what are you?—?”

“Relax, I have no interest in what’s on your precious laptop. This is more convenient than using my phone,” he said absently. That was how he usually sounded when he got lost in codes or whatever tech geniuses got lost in. My files disappeared and were replaced by a login screen for KnightGuard.

His fingers rapidly danced across the keyboard, but all I could focus on was his proximity and how amazing he smelled. That of course triggered memories of the other night and I gulped as pesky arousal sent tingles through me. I blinked and returned my attention to the screen where I saw a bunch of things that made no sense to me but obviously made sense to him.

I gasped when a video popped up and then another and another. They were of me, Mom, and Liam in different settings. One video was of me walking to my car in my lab coat and the date on the screen was just last week.

“These were taken by your friend, the one you had dinner with.”

“Stop calling him my friend,” I said. “I was terrified of the guy.”

“I hacked into…” He stopped and side-eyed me. “I mean, I legally got these from?—”

“Alex, I’ve known about your extracurricular activities since college.” Amusement briefly replaced my worry because the sheepish look on his face was priceless. “Your secret has always been safe with me.”

Sometimes, he trod a fine line between legal and illegal but it was usually to save asses that deserved to be saved, so… I say, more power to him.

He blinked and then something like realization flashed in his eyes. I guess it hit him that even after we broke up, the authorities never showed up on his doorstep because I never uttered a word to anyone about his past.

I glanced at his profile when he returned his attention to the computer screen. I hurt him in the past, but I’d never hurt him like that. I wish he knew I’d protect him no matter how much he hated me, no matter how hard he was working to ruin me. If only he knew just how far I had gone to protect him before…

That agonizing sadness seized my heart in a vise-like grip and I had to suck in a breath.

Alex glanced at me with a frown. “Hey, don’t worry about these guys. I won’t let anything happen to you or your family…” His words trailed off as if he regretted admitting that he cared.

However, he misunderstood the cause of my distress. Sure, I was scared about inadvertently getting caught up with criminals, but most of my torment stemmed from knowing I could never win his love again.

20

ALEX

“What are you doing in Manhattan?” Jamie asked. “And why am I just finding out about it?”

With my phone held to my ear, I rested an arm on the cool glass of the window as I gazed at the sprawling city below. How did I tell my friend why I was in his neck of the woods without giving away my possible insanity and without lying to him?

“It was a spur-of-the-moment thing for a business venture.” That wasn’t a lie at least, and he wouldn’t question it because I traveled here all the time for work.

It really was an unplanned trip because I found out about Olivia’s possible lifeline just a couple of days ago. I was shocked that I didn’t hear about it sooner. It seemed she was learning to be more secretive about her moves.

“How long are you here for?” Jamie asked.

“Long enough for us to link up and have a few wild nights in the town, my friend.”

He laughed. “I don’t think so. Are you forgetting that I’m practically married? No more wild nights for me… unless it’s with my woman.”

I rolled my eyes. “You can tag along, sit in a corner, and be the lame old married man you’re going to be in a few months and watch me have all the fun then.”

Jamie chuckled. “I can probably do that. Let me know when you want to get together. I’ll have to clear my schedule.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know, Mr. Business Mogul.”

“Later, man. And take it easy on Manhattan, okay? Behave.”

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