I recognized that look.
A fire lit in my belly. Damn it.
I spun around on my heel and turned to face the man. He was still disarmingly looking at me, a knowing smile on his face.
“I knew you’d turn around,” he said, crossing the short distance between us to reach me.
He oozed confidence and a slight assuredness, which I found hard to ignore.
“I’m in,” I said to the man, my mouth speaking before my mind could intervene. “But I need you to know that I’m not doing this because I think it’ll be fun. I’m doing this because I hate thieves. Come on.”
He gripped my hand, and the touch sent a beautiful shiver running up my arm.
Ugh. Why is he so gorgeous? I should be walking away from him.
“What exactly do you need me to do?” I asked as we walked. “What’s your plan?”
He paused, studying my face. “Honestly? I was hoping you’d have ideas. You seemed to know what to look for.”
Fantastic. A gorgeous man without a plan.
“Fine. We’ll approach her together. But we need a reason for me to get close enough to see if she actually has your watch.”
“Let me handle that,” he said.
My legs moved of their own accord, keeping up with him, ignoring every directive my mind was giving them.
I’d really let my body languish in the past few months of studying, andnowit was betraying me.
The blond-haired woman looked at us in suspicion as we approached. Her eyes narrowed as she zeroed in on the man’s hand on my wrist.
His palm was warm, and his hold was a tad bit possessive.
When she looked up, there was a wisp of fear in her eyes before she caught herself.
Up close, I recognized the signs. She was wearing a Chanel tweed dress and looking beautiful in it. But from where I stood, I could see her shoulder pads, and the pattern didn’t align at the seams.
It was most likely a knockoff, which I understood. I couldn’t afford branded clothes myself.
But a quick scan told me that brands mattered a great deal to her. Her clutch purse and even her earrings were meticulously chosen brands. The first was a Hermès Kelly pochette with an off-center logo and the latter, Louis Vuitton hoop earrings, where the monogram had jagged edges. Both were an attempt toconvey wealth she seemingly didn’t own. My heart went out to her.
The woman’s smile disappeared from her face, and her lips pressed into a thin line. I was very conscious of the man’s warm hand, firm and solid around mine before he took it a step further. He moved his hand to the small of my back and gave me a tiny rub. A sigh escaped me at the gentle caress, and I had to resist the urge to lean against his solid, tall frame.
I was being a horrible member of the female fraternity, but at least I could make up for it by being a better detective.
And outing another woman. Sure.
“Tahlia,” he said, speaking to the blonde lady. “Look who I ran into.”
Tahlia turned to me, a distrustful look in her eyes.
With the man’s hand on my back, I felt completely in sync with him. “I’m Lexi. It’s nice to meet you, Tahlia,” I said, affecting an ease I didn’t feel.
Tahlia’s eyes narrowed. “That’s Ms. McAllister to you,” she snapped. “And how do you know Jonah?” she asked, her eyes probing.
A flush crept up my neck.So, that’s his name. Jonah.
Jonah spoke up. “We met at the Whitney Museum Gala,” he answered for me.
