Vindicate (Recovered Innocence #1)(33)
Okay, I am jealous. He had his arms around Savannah. They were in a room with the door closed like they wanted privacy. I don’t know what to make of that except that there’s still something between them. And if there’s still something between them, then there is going to be absolutely nothing between him and me. There. Decision made. Moving on. Except…
Leo walks into our office and closes the door. I don’t look up. Whatever. I have more important things to do, things I should’ve been concentrating on instead of wasting time going on dates with someone who clearly doesn’t know what or whom he wants. Let me make that decision for him—not me.
“It’s not what it looked like in there,” he says.
“Okay.” I can feel his stare boring into the side of my head.
“Okay?”
I don’t answer. I really don’t want this drama in my life. I have enough going on with the phone call I just made to my mother and with my brother sitting in prison.
He leans against my desk next to me. “She was…I can’t tell you what she was, but it wasn’t what it looked like.”
“Um, o-kaaayyy.” This guy really needs to get off my desk and get his ass back to his own. We have work to do.
“Cora.”
I don’t look up. He can f*ck off with his explanations.
He kneels down next to my chair. “Cora, look at me.”
Sighing, I slam my pen down and look at him. “What?”
“I didn’t mean for that to happen. She was—”
“Yes, I know. You can’t tell me what she was, but it wasn’t what it looked like. Got it. Can we get back to work now? My mom gave me a phone number for that PI.”
“I was comforting her. She’s been going through something—”
“Really. I get it. Can we move on?”
“She was crying.” He holds out the front of his shirt, which has some wet spots on it. “See?”
“Sure.”
“I couldn’t just walk out of the room and leave her that way.”
“Of course not.”
“Cora, look at me.” He turns my chair and plants his hands on the arms, trapping me and forcing my gaze back at him. “It wasn’t what it looked like.”
“Oh, my God, if you say that one more time I’m going to punch you. I’ve got it already.”
He laughs. “God, you’re so pretty when you’re pissed.”
“Then I must be gorgeous right now, because you’re annoying the hell out of me.”
He leans in for a kiss, but I turn my head. “Hey.” Grasping my chin, he brings my face around to his. “You really are mad about Savannah and me. I swear I was just comforting her. She’s going through something bad. That’s why she’s been in such a terrible mood.”
“I’m not pissed at you, okay?”
“Then what is it?”
I’m mad at myself for allowing things to get this far—far enough that I care what he does or doesn’t do with another chick. I hate that I was actually jealous of that bitch. And I hate that I’m relieved it wasn’t what it looked like. But I don’t tell him any of that. I have enough crazy going against me that I don’t need to advertise my insecurities.
“It’s my mom,” I say instead. “She drives me insane.” And that is the bald truth.
“So we’re good?”
“I don’t know what the hell we are, but good probably about covers it.”
“Yeah, about that.” He kisses me, catching me off guard.
I can smell Savannah’s perfume on him and it makes me want to gag. I push him away.
“Hey.” He strokes my cheek with his thumb, a worried line between his brows. “I thought we were okay.”
“You reek of perfume. It’s like kissing Savannah.”
He tugs on his shirt and takes a whiff. “Yeah, I wouldn’t like it if I kissed you and you smelled like another guy. I’ll change my shirt. This one’s all wet, anyway.”
He pulls his shirt off in that way guys do—from the back of his neck, over his head, and off. My gaze latches on to him like I’ve never seen a guy without a shirt as he goes to his desk, opens a drawer, and pulls out a new one. I can’t stop staring. It’s not like I’ve never seen a shirtless guy. I have a brother, for God’s sake. But for some reason Leo without a shirt makes my nipples leap to attention like an arctic breeze just blew through here. Too soon he’s tugging on the new shirt and the view is gone. Damn.
I cross my arms over my chest and try to pretend I’m not dying to know what the rest of him looks like. “Are you ready to get back to work now?”
“I don’t know. Do I smell better?” He makes me smell him, which is not such a hardship now that he doesn’t have Savannah’s stench on him.
“You’re fine.” I pretend I’m totally unaffected by him, but his nearness combined with his scent and the sight I just saw is making that very difficult.
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
No. “Yes.”
Thankfully, he takes his seat at his desk and doesn’t try for another kiss. “What’s the number your mom gave you?” He keys it into the website the agency uses for reverse number lookup.