Page 96 of One Life to Loathe

Bethany moved to throw herself at Sylvia, but Dexter caught her before she could.

“I think we need a breather, Miles!” Dexter barked. “I also think you need the set psychologist down here to … deal with this.”

“We don’t need a psychologist,” Leo countered.

Dexter gave him a dumbfounded look. “I wasn’t talking about the two of you. You guys are fine. I was talking about these idiots.” He inclined his head toward Bethany and Sylvia. “They clearly need psychological help.”

“Oh.” Leo was momentarily taken aback. “That’s fine. I happen to agree.” He made a grunting noise as he stood. To my surprise, he kept me locked in his arms as he did. “Sam needs water and thirty minutes to rest. I want to make sure she’s not hit with a headache after the fact.”

“Because you’re going to rush her to the hospital if she is?” Sylvia teased.

Leo didn’t smile in return. He merely glared.

“Which I think is great,” Sylvia added automatically.

“Guess what?” Leo challenged. “I don’t care what any of you think. You don’t get a say in anything we do. We’ve been doing our jobs—without hurting others and making a spectacle of ourselves mind you—so we’re not the problem. I don’t want to hear a single word out of any of your mouths about what we’re doing. Do you understand?”

Nobody answered. Leo’s vehemence had clearly thrown them. I didn’t blame them. He was deadly serious.

“Good.” Leo moved to sweep out of the room with me—it would’ve been a lovely visual—but the wires he was attached to for the big stunt stopped him from going more than a few feet. “Will somebody unhook me?” he gritted out.

“I’m on it.” Dexter abandoned Bethany and moved to the back of Leo’s harness. “So much for keeping it quiet, huh, bro?” He was all smiles as he regarded us.

“You knew?” I couldn’t contain my surprise.

“For a little bit,” Dexter replied. “I saw you out together. According to Leo you were in the middle of climbing him like a tree.”

“Oh.” My cheeks flooded with color.

“It’s okay,” Dexter assured me. “I actually knew before then. Leo couldn’t stay away from you. I’d never seen him like that with a co-star before. I had my suspicions. Then I saw you and knew I was right.”

“You were right about what?”

Dexter’s smile turned impish. “That you were going to be the one to turn him into a full-fledged adult.”

“Oh, geez.” Leo shook his head. “Can we not take this to a weird place?”

“Sorry.” Dexter didn’t look sorry. “You’re unhooked. Go forth and … fawn all over her.”

“You laugh, but that’s exactly what I’m going to do.” Leo stormed into the break room and sat on one of the couches. He still had me firmly pressed to his chest, but the gusty breath he let loose when it was just the two of us told me he was finally going to allow himself to unclench.

“Are you okay?” I asked when he’d situated me so I was across his lap.

“I should be asking you that question.”

“I’m asking you.”

He stared into my eyes, and I realized there was a lot more going on behind the scenes than just the fall. “I saw … when you hit … I saw my mother for a second.” His voice was so low I could barely hear him, and I thought my heart might break at the anguished look on his face. “I’m sorry. I know you didn’t want them to know. I didn’t think.”

“Don’t.” I took his hand and linked his fingers with mine, allowing myself to close my eyes as he reclined against the couch. “It’s fine. So, they know. I think we’re going to get off easy thanks to Bethany and Sylvia fighting over Ed.”

“Do you think that will make it to the tabloids?”

It was something I hadn’t considered. “I kind of hope it does. It will have people gossiping, and gossip is good for a show.”

“Yeah.” He readjusted me and let out the breath he was holding.

“You didn’t tell me Dexter knew,” I prodded.

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