Lies(19)

Have I mentioned I don’t like change?

“Do I have to answer this?” he asks.

“Yes.”

He moves as if to cross his arms or similar, but stops himself mid-motion. Maybe Henry was right when he said I make Thom nervous. “You’re going to hate me.”

“Eh. Kind of already do.”

“Good point,” he says. “I actually spotted you a few weeks before that at the taco place you like. You were with Jen and what’s-his-face and Aiko from your work.”

“Ethan. His name is Ethan. I don’t know why you can never remember it.”

“I remember it just fine. But he’s a dick, and you kept making me socialize with him so I prefer to never have his name cross my lips.”

“And that’s not petty and dramatic at all.” I raise my brows. “You said he was an okay guy.”

“Yeah. I lied about that too.”

I snort. “Of course you did. Continue.”

“It’s pretty straightforward.” He makes the smallest of shrugs. “I liked your smile.”

“That’s it?”

“Yep. I liked your smile. End of story.”

For a moment I pause. Digest. Then respond with, “Bullshit.”

“What part?”

“You liked my ‘smile.’” So I may have used air quotes. While it shouldn’t be encouraged, it’s not technically a crime. “Really?”

“Yes.”

“That’s such a lame line. I mean, you’re saying you chose me out of all the single women in the city to lie and deceive because of my smile.”

“I really did.”

I narrow my eyes, but he doesn’t even so much as blink. So my ability to intimidate the man is limited. Given he’s probably faced down much scarier types than me, it’s to be expected.

“Okay. Then what happened?” I ask.

“Then I may have done a bit of research before approaching you that night at the bar.” He scratches his head, sets his hands on his hips. Maybe he’s trying to divert my attention to his treasure trail or something. Throw me off base. I don’t know. It won’t work, though. I hardly ogle him at all.

“Research,” I repeat. “Hang on…do you mean you stalked me?”

“I’d prefer to neither confirm nor deny that statement.”

“Oh my God, you did. That’s so wrong and gross, Thom. You creeped around sticking your nose into my life as if you had any right to.”

He winces ever so slightly. “I never said that…exactly.”

“But it’s the truth, isn’t it?”

“It’s a harsh way to look at things,” he says. “I saw a girl and I liked her smile, so I got to know her. What’s wrong with that?”

“The part where I had no idea you were getting to know me?” I just can’t with this man. His whole concept of legal and normal is lost somewhere in outer space. “You did a bit more than googling me, didn’t you?”

“I just did some looking into your background,” he says. “How else was I going to make sure you weren’t crazy or related to someone in the FBI or something else that might complicate matters?”

“This is crazy.”

“Had some concerns about your cousin Sara’s husband. What with him being an undercover cop a while back.”

“He was? I had no idea.”

Thom nods. “But he’s been banging one of their neighbors for years. Dude’s got no credibility at all.”

“He’s been doing what?” My voice rises somewhat in volume. “Holy shit. Poor Sara. I have to tell her.”

“And how exactly are you going to tell her you came by this information?” he asks, calm as can be.

“Good question. How did you happen to come by this information? Oh my God, did you peek through windows? Watch me and other assorted people with some long-range camera lens or something horrible like that?”

Nothing from him.

“Holy shit, Thom.”

“Sorry. I’m sorry. But I didn’t look at you naked or partially undressed or anything.” The faint frown line between his brows is back. “What else can I say?”

“I don’t know. Honestly, this is pretty messed up.”

“I apologize. Again.” He studies the ground. “Truth is, you seemed like a nice person, and I wanted to know if I had any competition or anything. We’re trained to assess situations, prepare for any and all issues that may arise.”

“Our whole relationship was like a mission to you. You assessed my life, inserted yourself into it, and then only worked within the parameters you were comfortable with.”

“Is this about the orgasm thing again?”

If I had laser vision, I’d have smoked the man. Guaranteed.

Thom opens his mouth, then closes it. “Anything I say is just going to piss you off more right now, isn’t it?”

“Probably.” There’s a crack in the ceiling high above my head. Fitting, given that there’s an even bigger and even more destructive fault line running smack bam through my life. Move over, San Andreas, Thom Lange has you beat. “Are you actually sorry or are you just saying that because it’s expected?”