Where Lex was bleach-blond and fair-skinned, Rizzo had jet-black hair and an olive skin tone. Both men, however, were inked and could go from relaxed to intense faster than Kieran’s newest thoroughbred horse ran down the straightaway at Belmont.
“O-T-C?” Rizzo asked.
She yawned and then blinked as if trying to keep her eyes open. “Yes.”
Blaise fought the urge to offer his shoulder as a pillow, but they didn’t have far to drive. He was also trying to sort through the mix of emotions being with Hadley brought to the surface—concern, protectiveness, respect, attraction.
Rizzo focused on the road. “Drink water tonight. Not alcohol. You want to stay hydrated.”
Hadley turned away from Blaise and then coughed. “Sounds like a plan.”
“It is,” Blaise agreed. “Rizzo is a trained medic.”
Rizzo nodded. “Have questions or need advice, I’m your man.”
“Medical ones, you mean?” she asked.
Glancing in the rearview mirror again, Rizzo winked. “Whatever you need.”
Was the bodyguard flirting with Hadley?
Blaise’s stomach burned. The guy was friendly, more so than Lex, but that was because of Rizzo’s outgoing personality. Both Laurel and Cambria had mentioned Rizzo was attractive. Iris, too. Would Hadley think so?
Doesn’t matter. She’s not your real girlfriend.
True, but Blaise wanted the logical part of him to be quiet and let him be indignant.
You mean, jealous.
Shut up.
He couldn’t believe he was arguing with himself.
“Have you spoken to Dash or Wes this week?” she asked.
At least she wasn’t flirting back. “Wes called to get a rundown on you. You were correct about his wanting to run a background check. I talked him out of it. Dash and I texted. Everyone is crazy busy. Especially me.”
Blaise was rambling, which was unlike him. He didn’t share much about his personal life, but something about being with Hadley sent the words gushing like water from a broken water main.
“Busy is your normal, right?” She sounded more amused than upset.
Good, that meant she was feeling better. “Yes. I get antsy if I don’t have enough going on.”
“Overachievers are like that. Guessing you and your friends have that in common.” She coughed again. “You mentioned Dash isn’t seeing anyone, but he must have women who are interested in him.”
“He does, but dating isn’t a priority, so he lets them do the pursuing.”
“That will make things easier.”
“Dash prefers easy,” Blaise explained. “He has a few nicknames. Wonderkid. Midas. The other is Mr. Status Quo because he’s not a fan of things changing or fond of conflict. He’ll do whatever it takes to avoid both.”
“Good to know,” Hadley said. “All these snippets of info will help me find the right match for him.”
Rizzo pulled into a parking spot near the restaurant.
“Do you feel the same as Dash about change and conflict?” she asked.
“I like change. I thrive on it.” Blaise thought about his battle with the board and issues with employees. “Conflict isn’t something I seek, but somehow it finds me.”
