Chapter Forty
A cell phone rang between Jane and Chance, and she gave him room to remove it from his pocket. He glanced at the screen, and she could tell he had to take it.
“Give me a minute, okay?” He accepted the call and stood. “This is Evans.”
A few seconds of lag time passed as she recalled Evans was his last name, proving they still needed to get to know each other. It didn’t matter that she felt like he was a long-lost boyfriend if she didn’t have the basics down.
Did he leave the toilet seat up in the middle of the night? Who did he admire? How many women felt as though they had a soulmate-like connection to Chance? Those questions were light years beyond recalling his last name. They had work to do, and she needed to pull her head out of the clouds.
Chance listened to the phone call and walked an easy circle around her open floor plan.
The small space benefited from the Thanes’s designer’s eye, and what could’ve felt like a cramped pool house seemed more like a cottage oasis.
One of the many reasons Gigi liked to pop in with a camera crew on occasion.
Jane tried to read his expression, but Chance was a blank canvas. He didn’t say much. She liked that he was an attentive listener. She also liked the way he filled out his clothes, though that wasn’t a high priority on her get-to-know-you list.
Minutes ticked by. Chance mouthed an apology, silently adding, “It’s work.”
Would he be leaving already? His face didn’t offer any insight, and Jane promised herself that she would not be upset if he had to leave.
She’d had more time with him than she’d ever expected—oh, whatever.
It was going to suck when he left. Her voice of reason nodded woefully in the corner of her subconscious.
“Sorry about that.”
She jumped to face Chance. “Is everything okay?”
His pursed lips already said no. “Do you know why the Thanes report some credible threats but not all?”
“Of course.” Jane snorted as though the answer were as clear as the summer day was long.
He crooked an eyebrow, apparently not seeing the reasons as clearly. “Credible threats. Not just bullshit from…” He rolled a hand as though searching for a word. “Gossip rags or whatever.”
“Yeah,” she said with the same level of certainty.
Chance plopped back onto the couch, and his game face was firmly in place. Even his blue eyes didn’t give a hint of the conversation they’d just been having. “Want to tell me?”
Jane shrugged. “Sure, it’s not a state secret.”
“Okay.”
“Some problems create better press than others.”
He blinked twice before his eyebrows pulled down, forehead furrowing as he tried but failed to hear her speak a language he understood. “Come again?”
“Well, stalkers get a huge amount of attention.”
His mouth hinged, but he gestured for her to continue.
“Think about it like… Did you hear about that time Dax’s phone was hacked?”
He made a face. “No.”
“Pictures were leaked.” Jane tilted her head and with a simple look, explained those pictures were scandalous and naked. “Gigi filed a police report, but she also went on an intense media blitz.”
He folded his arms over his chest. Disgust pulled at his frown. “What type of problem would be reported to the police but not the press?”
Jane hummed. “Anything financial, or anything that could show Thane Insurance in a bad light.”
“I see.” His jaw flexed.
“Last week, I read something about trouble between Dax and Gigi. Nothing abnormal happened at home,” she said.
“But when I checked some celeb and gossip sites, they had pictures—though out of context—and details that sounded bad for them. Lark was all over it, but I think she only fanned the flames. They love the attention.”
“Doesn’t make sense,” he muttered.
“That’s what I always think.” She shrugged. “But people eat it up, and crazy enough, it makes them even more money.”
Chance rubbed a hand over his chin and then refolded it against his chest. “The money part is where it gets tricky.”
“How so?”
He pursed his lips. “I work with a guy you might’ve met. Parker Black.”
Jane wasn’t sure. So many faces and names blurred together. “Maybe.”
“Anyway, the office is keeping tabs on things too, but he had some questions about a few recent pictures.”
“Why?”
Chance shrugged. “I think they’re trying to give me as much information as possible.
This isn’t our usual gig. Especially since plans changed before I landed.
” He sucked in his cheeks, then shook his head.
“Don’t worry about it. If they need to talk again, I might need to jump on the phone for a while.
Headquarters wants to make heads and tails of what’s going on. ”
Remembering why he was there, her shoulders dropped, but she offered a fake smile. “I know you’re here for work. You don’t have to explain yourself.”
He stepped closer as though he could clearly see through her veiled reply. Chance brushed her hair back and cupped her chin. “Yeah, I go places when I’m told. That’s my job.”
“Really, you don’t have to explain. I know.” And she did, though her throat clogged with disappointment. Jane swallowed hard.
“If I’m gone, you know where I’d rather be.” His thumb caressed her skin.
She blushed. “Sure.”
Chance wrapped her in his arms. His mouth covered hers. She melted, opening for him. The delicious velvet slide of his tongue against hers now had an unbelievable hint of familiarity, even as he erased the room around them.
Then his lips softened. Their hunger hadn’t disappeared. The tangle of their kisses slowed until they were barely lip-locked. He pressed his forehead to hers, holding her close. Jane drank in his scent, his feel, without opening her eyes. His lips moved to her forehead, sweetly pressing a kiss.
Then his phone rang. Her heart clenched.
“Let me jump back on the phone with Parker for a bit, and then I’m all yours.”
She knew he had to pull away, and she almost trusted he’d come back to her. He wouldn’t stay. That would be an impossible dream. But right then, Jane didn’t care. She wanted to pretend it was possible for someone like Chance to be with someone like her.