Page 40 of Deadly Peril

Coley shook her head. “Nope, couldn’t do it. You were all starry-eyed. And you know that once you make up your mind, you don’t care what I say.”

“That aside, there isn’t anything going on with Thaddeus. He’s been the perfect gentleman.”

“Too bad. He is a beauty,” Coley said. “I don’t see how you can resist.”

Jana didn’t see the point in hiding her feelings. “I do like Thaddeus…a lot. But there are issues. I can’t imagine that we’d get along like you and Michael. In the short time I’ve known him, we’ve already had too many disagreements to count.”

“It’s a stressful period. I’d be shocked if you didn’t have disagreements,” Coley said. “Hey, I disagree with Michael, more than you think. You don’t have to have matching personalities or views on things to love each other.”

Jana shook her head. “I don’t know about that.”

“Haven’t you heard that opposites attract?”

“Attract is one thing, but it’s no guarantee the relationship will last,” Jana said. “My ex-husband was the opposite of me, and all we did was clash.”

“You need to get over that,” Coley said. “It’s been years. All men aren’t like Rakel. He was a mistake.”

“And I’m trying to avoid another mistake.” Jana took a sip of water from her bottle. “It doesn’t matter, anyway. Thaddeus hasn’t shown interest.”

Coley smiled. “I beg to disagree. I saw how he looks at you. The guy is definitely interested. Trust me.”

“I’m glad you know so much about it.” Jana hoped that was true. Even though she had no right to. Thaddeus would leave when the danger had passed. He deserved a woman suited to him, not one who argued and resisted him. Since he was the quiet type, he’d be happier paired with a woman who could give him some peace.

Coley glanced over. “What are you thinking?”

“I like having Thaddeus with me, for as long as that’s possible. I know it will end, but it’s kind of nice for now,” Jana said. “Plus, he has a habit of saving my life.”

Coley raised her brows. “Did something else happen?”

Jana told her about the incident at the police station, including the altercation with Thaddeus afterwards. “It was a close call. Meanwhile…I was completely oblivious until it was over.”

Coley’s eyes gleamed. “That’s proof that he cares.”

“Are you crazy? It’s proof that he’s a good bodyguard. He saved my ass…again.”

“No, not that,” Coley said. “That he got upset with you. It means he cares.”

Jana didn’t want to debate that. She was just glad that he’d been there. The workout progressed to the harder stuff. The idea was to lift hard and stress the muscles. She’d do exercises in pairs then take a break before the next pair.

After the workout, Jana and Coley showered and dressed in warm clothes. Each stuffed their sweaty gym wear in a bag, then exited the stuffy, slightly smelly locker room. Before leaving, they stopped at the juice bar to refuel.

“What are you having?” Coley said.

“The protein shake with green food.”

“I’ll buy this time. You grab a table.”

Jana went to sit down to wait for the drink. While waiting, she thought of Thaddeus standing outside the gym entrance. It was weird having a bodyguard, especially since she thought of him as more of a friend.

Coley brought the shakes over. “I’m trying strawberry. It sounds good.”

Jana took a sip. “Green tastes better than you’d think. The grassy stuff is disguised with apple juice and banana.”

“Not for me,” Coley said, and wrinkled her nose. “I prefer fruity.”

“I’ll grab one for Thaddeus on the way out. He’ll probably like the powerhouse combo with extra protein.”

Coley raised her brows.

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