Page 38 of Sheltered By Love

Her lip lifts. “So what? She’s single, you’re single. If you’re seeing each other, it’s not like it’s a crime.”

I let out a sigh. She’s not going to let this go. No matter what I say, she’ll twist it and then spread it.

But, if she thinks Felicity and I are together, it will stop her from asking any more questions.

The smartest thing to do is to divert her attention by giving her what she wants.

Gossip.

I can always fix it later when we’ve finished this.

“Our private lives are just that. Private,” I say.

Her eyes light up and I can almost picture her doing an internal air punch. “I won’t tell a soul,” she says.

As she grins at me and skips out the door, I step outside and glance next door as I mutter under my breath.

Felicity

I’m torn between disbelief and shock when he walks back in the back door with the worst possible news.

“You told her what?”

He doesn’t even look sheepish. “I didn’t tell her anything. I let her believe what she wanted to. She was going to blow the entire op.”

“This isn’t an op! It’s my life!”

He sits at the table and shakes his head. “Not just yours. And it’s not like I come off looking good if this gets out.”

He has a point. People could easily think the worst and think he’s taken advantage of me.

I sit at the table opposite him and sigh. “Nicki said she knew you’d been over here a lot. Do you think that’s true?”

A flash of a grimace appears. “She’s just fishing. But if anyone saw us it doesn’t matter now.”

“It matters to me.”

“I’m that unappealing?” he mutters.

My mouth flaps open. “I never said that.”

Not out loud anyway.

His head cocks to one side and he stares straight at me. “I’m not your type?”

Heat rushes to my cheeks as I flounder for a reply. “That has nothing to do with it.”

Lines crease his forehead. “So, I am your type?”

Why he’s pushing me on this I have no idea. He’s studying me so intently I can barely draw breath.

“What does that have to do with anything?”

His eyes drift over my face and for a moment I think he’s lingering on my lips. “Just wondering what kind of guy you left back in Arizona,” he says.

My back straightens. “What makes you think I left someone?”

While my heart has started to pound, he’s as cool as a cucumber. “Garrett isn’t the only one with investigation skills,” he says.

---