“Okay,” she muses. “I’ll consider your request.”
She spins on her heels and walks over to where she’s needed with a spring in her step, leaving me with my lips curling up in amusement. I’m treading a fine line and I know it. I almost confessed to Sterling on the spot what I’ve been up to with his daughter when I saw him. But something stopped me.
The threat of losing her.
Because there’s every possibility I’ll be out of a job when he finds out. And I’ll no longer be able to spend every day with her. I know I have to be the one to tell him. But I want to protect that lightness that’s overtaken her since we started this thing between us.
I want more time seeing her happy like this.
“I thought you’d decided to retire without telling anyone.” Theodora giggles as she comes to stand beside Sinclair to have their outfits checked one final time, ready for the runway.
“What made you think that?” Sinclair asks.
I shift forward in my seat, listening.
“You were gone a long time, that’s all.”
“Hardly. It wasn’t even two weeks. I needed some time out of the city awhile, that’s all,” she answers as someone sprays her hair with something and fluffs her ponytail.
“It felt like longer. I missed both of you.” Theodora looks in my direction and my neck stiffens as she meets my eyes.
“You can’t date him, Theo,” Sinclair says, following Theodora’s attention to me.
“Why? You were the one who told him to take my number.”
Sinclair shrugs. “That was then. This is now. He’s too busy looking after me to date. Aren’t you, Denver?” she calls over.
“Swamped,” I reply, holding Theo’s eyes.
Theodora bristles, studying me for a few seconds before she looks away, flustered. I return to cracking my knuckles as the girls are ushered to the rear of the stage where they’re needed. I need to move positions in a minute so I can see Sinclair when she’s out on the runway. But for now, I don’t want to let either of them out of my sight.
My phone chimes in my pocket, and I pull it out, scanning the text quickly.
Killian: I know you don’t take calls when you’re in public with Sinclair, but you need to hear this.
I hit dial and bring my phone to my ear.
“What is it?” I bark as soon as he answers, standing and moving along the wall so I’m closer to Sinclair.
“Neil.”
That one name has my shoulders bunching up in defense.
“What about him?”
“Jenson followed him to two streets away from Sinclair’s show before he lost him,” Killian says. “It wasn’t his fault,” he adds when I curse. “A woman got her purse snatched and Jenson intervened.”
“He get them?”
“Knocked three of the guys’ teeth out.”
“Hmm, good,” I grunt in admiration.
“Yeah, you should’ve seen how smug he looked when he told me.”
“So, Neil?” I ask, because I know Jenson will be dining out on that story for weeks now and I’ll likely hear it thirty more times before the end of the week. But Neil is within the vicinity of Sinclair, and knowing I have potential threats nearby to her has every muscle in my body coiling tight in preparation to unleash hell if necessary.
“He’s nearby, that’s all. Just wanted you to be aware.”
