Page 56 of Tango

“What’s going on?” My gaze moved to Ty. His tight t-shirt made his arms look even bigger. How is that even possible?

“We planted a seed to trap Hill before I left for Washington,” Ty answered, “and now, we’re ready to act on it.”

“Great. When and where?” I was more than interested in bringing that guy down. It was personal now.

“Nope,” Ty shook his head, “not this time.”

“Come again?”

“I won’t put you in the middle of this.”

“It’s too late for that, Ty.”

“Agreed, Ivy, Hill isn’t stable,” Moore chimed in as he tapped his head to make his point.

“Oh, is that so, Moore?” I gave him an as if look. I was a psychologist, after all.

“Yes, and it makes him dangerous. Who knows what he’ll do next.”

I looked between the two of them and studied their expressions. “I will not be written off just because I’m not a soldier.”

“You’re being written out of this because you’re my girlfriend and I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

“Where was this when we were in Washington together at that bar?”

“That was different. I was there to protect you. It just happened to work out that time that we could go there together, but now Moore’s here—”

“Now that Moore is back, I’m no longer needed.” I put my hands on my hips. “I’m just expected to stay out of it?”

“That’s not what I meant.”

I tried not to get upset, but the truth was it bothered me. We’d worked well together up until now, and it made me feel more connected to Ty. I was more than just a girlfriend. I knew I was capable, and I wanted him to see that. I also didn’t want to argue with him in front of Moore.

“Well, I’m glad I know where I stand in all this.” I skipped the coffee and headed down the hallway.

“Hey, wait.” Ty chased after me, and I turned and drew in a controlled breath. “I’m sorry I upset you.”

“I don’t want to be a Demi,” I blurted and blinked when I realized what I’d just said.

“Demi?” He shook his head, baffled that I went there. “Where’s that coming from?” Shit. I closed my eyes; this was not the time. “Ivy?” He folded his arms, and I internally kicked myself.

“What the heck has Demi got to do with anything?”

“When you were gone, Moore and I were in town for lunch and ran into your family.” His mouth went slack as his eyes widened. “Shelly and your parents. They were headed to the ski hill and stopped for lunch. They seemed lovely,” I added, worried that his face was like stone. “Anyway, after they left, and Moore went to walk them outside, Demi found me.”

“Oh, really?” His tone was clipped. “And what did she have to say to you?”

“She said she just wanted to meet me and…”

“And?” His eyes drilled through me.

“And she warned me that you don’t love people, only your job.” I waved it off. “I know that’s not true. I know you two were purely physical,” I assured him. “But, Ty, besides all that, what I really mean is that when you and I were working together trying to find out stuff on Hill, I really loved it. We have a lot more than just a physical relationship.”

His arms dropped to his sides, and he sighed. “How many times do I have to tell you that what we have is different than whatever she and I had?”

“You don’t have to tell me. I know we are, but I need you to know I want what we had when we worked together before. It made us different. We were a team.”

“First, you and I,” he flicked his finger between us, “will always be a team. As for Hill, I won’t stop you from helping, but I won’t put you in harm’s way, ever. Especially when it comes to actually taking him down.” I relaxed my shoulders at that, as I saw it from his standpoint. “There’s that physical,” he stepped close and tipped my chin back with his finger, “like I’m going to beat his ass to the ground, then there’s our kind of physical.” He leaned down and brushed his lips over mine.

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