Blind Spot - Katana Collins Page 0,81

colleagues and friends—but that jealousy raged like an inferno in my gut. I was blinded by it, rational or not. With a deep breath, I held a finger up to Sophia and charged the door.

My hand struck the tempered glass as I shoved it open, and a startled Shelby and Ryan both jumped, spinning to find me there, red in the face.

“Hey, Tate,” Ryan said casually, standing upright. “Everything okay out there?”

It even annoyed me how friendly he was to me. Like I wouldn’t notice the way he was leering at my girlfriend. I pressed my lips together, biting the inside of my cheek to stop myself from saying something stupid. “Things are…fine,” I managed through a coarse rasp. “I just need to ask Shelby a question.”

The two exchanged a look, and Shelby nodded. Without another word, Ryan turned, leaving the room and shutting the door behind him. Shelby’s gaze swept over me, concern marring her eyebrows. “What’s going on?” She ran her palm down my shoulder to my hand, and I gritted my teeth.

“What were you two doing in here?” I tried to keep the accusations down, but there was an edge of anger that I just couldn’t shake.

She tilted her head, pulling back, but I held on to her hand, pulling her into me. “What do you mean? I was prepping the receipts for tonight, but I had some questions about the categories.”

I dropped my voice. “He was staring at your ass. Did you not see him? Or did you just not care to stop him?”

She wrenched her hand from mine. “He was not. Tate, he’s my boss. He and I have to work together and you need to deal with that. He’s also my friend. Don’t be an asshole.” She whispered the curse, looking beyond me to make sure there were no children outside the door.

I rolled my eyes, diving a hand through my hair. “You can’t possibly tell me that the way he looks at you is innocent?”

She sighed, her eyes squeezing shut. “Maybe. Maybe not. But he’s my boss. So, unless you expect me to quit, you need to find a way to deal with it. He’s never been inappropriate with me.”

I threw up my hands. “Fine. I’m just saying that I think you need to watch out for him. If I wasn’t in the picture, he’d probably be working an angle to get into your pants right this second.”

Shelby glanced out the window, folding her arms. “Then how is it that he and I have worked together for years and he hasn’t tried a thing?”

I shrugged. “Look, I don’t know. He’s a moron first of all. I wouldn’t have gone a week working beside you without acting on it.”

She raised an eyebrow, but the slightest smile peeked through her angry facade. “I think we all know that. Trust me, Tate. You have nothing to worry about. Even if you’re right about Ryan having feelings for me…I would never cheat on you.”

God, I was such a moron. This was about Katie. Shelby was my first real relationship since I was cheated on, and it was fucking with my head. “I know,” I whispered. “I know that. I can’t help it that I get jealous. Especially because you’ve been spending so much time here at work—”

Shelby sighed, wrapping her arms around my neck. And God, her body…those tight curves, and the way her strong legs would clamp around my hips and ride me to orgasm.

“I’m busy.” She wet her lips, looking up at me through long, black lashes. “A lot, I know. With my jobs and school and friends—”

Jobs. Plural?

“But I’ll make time for you whenever I can…you know that,” she continued.

I groaned, placing my hands on her shoulders and pushing her back. “Control yourself.” I grinned. But it was too late…I’d need a few minutes before I went back out there. “I just talked to my mom. She and my dad are coming for Parents’ Weekend, and they want to meet you.”

The natural flush Shelby almost always sported drained quickly. “Oh?” was all she offered.

I shrugged. “Yeah…I mean, I know parent dinners are boring, and my parents suck balls, but it’s a free meal, right? And I get to pick the place.”

Her shoulders were rigid around her ears. “Where are we going?”

“I was thinking that new place, Ice, where all the food is served cold.”

Shelby’s chest deflated with a small sigh. “Oh. Um, yeah…okay. I mean, parents aren’t really my thing, but if you want