The Moth and the Flame (When Rivals Play #2) - B.B. Reid Page 0,139
she was being untruthful. It was shocking to see that he cared this much. I knew he wanted to bang her, but he also acted like he couldn’t stand her. It wasn’t until they stood nearly toe-to-toe that I realized just how tall she was. Jamie still towered over her but not as much as he did me. He had maybe four inches on her while he stood nearly a foot over me.
“How tall are you?” I blurted, interrupting the tension. They both shot me questioning gazes, but I had eyes only for her.
“I’m five ten,” she answered with an arched brow. To Jamie, she said, “Why are you here?”
“I’m not prepared to answer that since you weren’t supposed to be here.”
“I live here.”
“Where are your babysitters?”
“You mean the staff?” He only stared down at her waiting for an answer. “They have Sundays off.”
Rather than be placated, his frown only deepened. “Since when do they get days off? Your dad thinks he’s too good to wipe his own ass.”
She nervously looked away when she never had trouble meeting his glare before. Either Jamie didn’t notice his questions were making her uneasy or he didn’t care.
Somehow, I felt compelled to defend. “Why don’t you lay off?”
I caught her grateful glance the moment Jamie looked over his shoulder with a bored expression. “You find the safe yet?”
“What are you talking about?” It was my turn shift and look away guiltily.
“The combination is 0618, and the safe is loaded. Cash, jewelry, bonds—make yourself scarce.”
My jaw dropped while the Barbie, who rolled her eyes, didn’t seem the least bit surprised. “How do you know the code to her father’s safe?”
Jamie stared back at me long and hard. I knew I was pissing him off, but I wanted answers. Besides, no one was scarier than Wren Harlan when pissed off, and his moody glares didn’t faze me, either.
“Because the code is my birth date,” she said quietly.
“Oh.” It was all I could think to say.
It didn’t matter because they’d already forgotten me as Jamie and his plaything seemed to get lost in each other’s gazes. Feeling like a third wheel, I quickly retreated, escaping the awkward feeling. Pressing my back against the wall, I closed my eyes and opened my ears.
“Why do you keep breaking into my house?” she demanded the moment I was out of sight.
“Why do you keep making the key so easy for me to find?”
“My father would get suspicious and would want to know why.”
“And you’d get lonely,” Jamie announced knowingly.
“It hasn’t bothered me in four years.”
“I guess I should thank my cousin?”
My eyes popped open at that. I hadn’t missed the way Ever had stayed at her side for most of the evening three nights ago but could barely keep his eyes off Four. I wanted to ask questions at the time, but I kept hearing Wren’s voice echoing in my head to mind my business.
“Give it a rest, Jamie. No one’s feeling sorry for you.”
His voice lowered and became huskier when he said, “You wouldn’t be saying that if you knew just how long I can go.”
I heard her intake of breath, and when she spoke, her voice had lost some of its venom. “So I guess the rumors are true?”
I threw caution to the wind and peeked inside just in time to see them drift closer at the same time. The crazy part was that neither one seemed to notice. It was as if they were drawn by the same invisible force, the push and pull that plagued Wren and me.
“About my stamina?” The edges of his smile became sharp as he looked her over. “Take me for a test drive. See for yourself.”
Her gaze turned mocking as she regarded him with her nose in the air. “You shouldn’t start something you can’t finish.”
Jamie smiled wider, not the least bit perturbed. “I always finish, Bette…just not with them.”
It was then that I remembered her name. Barbette.
Believing I’d learned maybe more than I bargained for, I slowly backed away, and the moment I was safe from being detected, I bolted down the stairs. I could wait for Jamie in the car.
But first, a little pitstop.
After a couple of minutes of unsuccessfully attempting to lift the portrait, I discovered that it was attached to some kind of swinging mechanism. Keying in the code that Jamie gave me, I did a little victory dance when it disarmed. However, my glee died a quick death when I opened the safe and looked