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“And that made it okay?” Row stared at him incredulously.
“No!” the businessman shrieked, high-pitched. “I was just messing around.”
Row’s fingers tightened around his collar, and I had a feeling he wasn’t in complete control over himself.
“Man, please let him go,” the other guy said. “We’re just two lowly paralegals. Came here for you, actually. We work for Tate Blackthorn.”
“Don’t care if you work for the pope.” Row let go of the businessman, who fell to the floor, letting out a small screech. “Get the hell out of here.” He turned to me, putting his hand on my shoulder. “You okay, Dot?”
I nodded, flushed and grateful and still a little distraught. “They work for the guy who is buying the land from you?”
“Apparently. But I don’t know them.” He raked his hands over my face and hair, as if taking inventory. They were shaking a little, but so was I. What were we doing, pretending like this could end in anything but heartbreak?
“Row, I’m okay. Rude customers are nothing new to me.” I laced my arms around his neck, itching to kiss him but reminding myself that this was just a fling.
“You have to change jobs,” he concluded.
I laughed. He didn’t, his nostrils flaring ruefully. Oh. He was serious. “I’m not changing jobs.”
“Why not?”
“The tips are great.”
“Become a stripper. The tips will be better.”
“How will becoming a stripper be better?” My eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.
“I’ll be your only client. The pole will be in my room.”
A giggle ripped from my throat. “Be serious!”
“I am serious. I’ll throw in great dental insurance. At least think about it.”
Rhy materialized behind us. “Taking the trash out. Be right back.” He put one hand on each of the men’s shoulders, escorting them through the door. He had seven inches and a hundred pounds minimum on each of them, and looked like a bodybuilder picking up his toddlers from school.
“So…” I bit down on my lip.
He raised his eyebrows.
“You called me your girlfriend.”
“Right.” His sharp cheekbones stained pink, and he dipped his head to hide his embarrassment. “Wanted to scare them off. Did I do the same to you?”
“I’m not scared,” I lied. I was petrified. And not just because of the word but also because of how I’d felt when he’d said it. Like he’d put a crown on my head.
“Yeah?” His face softened.
“Yeah. In fact, I’m the opposite of scared. What would that be?”
“Brave.”
I swiped my tongue over my lower lip. “Sounds about right. I’m feeling pretty brave recently.” With you around. “But…Row?”
“Yes, Dot?”
“I wasn’t in your plans.”
“Plans change.”
