Page 69 of The Mouse and the Maestro

“Let me go, I need to hit him,” Jane yelled, still reaching for Nick even as the officers led him away.

“Maybe take her somewhere, help her cool off,” Ridge suggested, and he sounded amused.

“Right,” Blue said, tossing Jane over his shoulder as he headed down the block.

After Nick was out of sight and they’d gone about a hundred feet, she began to calm down. “Of all the idiotic things he’s everdone, that’s the most idiotic. I think that hurt more than when he cheated on me. To think he purposely faked my life’s work.”

“You’re more upset about that than the engagement ring?” Blue asked.

“Yes.”

“So I guess this means the wedding’s off,” he said with repressed glee.

“There never was a wedding,” she replied, sighing. “You can put me down now, I’m fine.”

“Nope,” he said. He continued to carry her like a flour sack until they reached his car. Then he set her down, pressed her against the car, and mashed his body to hers. “I hope I never make you that angry.”

“You already did,” she told him, though it was hard to remember when he was full on pressed against her, his face mere centimeters from hers.

“When?” he asked.

“When you walked away from me six months ago and never looked back,” she said.

“I had some things I needed to work on.”

“Did you work on them?” she asked.

“I’m here, aren’t I?” he said.

“I thought you were here for work,” she reminded him.

“Who do you think brought you on this project? I made a convincing argument that we couldn’t do it without you,” he said. “Are you really not getting married in two weeks?”

She shook her head. “Emily is getting married in two weeks. That was her dress you saw me wearing.”

“Why didn’t you correct my assumption?” he asked. He took her hands, pressing their palms together and winding his fingers through hers.

“How could you believe I was marrying Nick when you…” she trailed off.

“When I what?” he prompted.

“Exist,” she said. They stared at each other, their breathing labored, their heartbeats synced and thumping out of control. Blue’s phone buzzed with a text.

“I have to get that. It could be a work crisis,” he whispered, pulling the phone from his pocket. He read the text and puffed a laugh.

“What?” Jane asked.

He turned the phone to show her a text from Maggie.

FYI,Mic’s still hot.

“Who’s Mick?”Jane asked.

“Not Mick, microphone. You’re still wired, it’s still on, and they’re still listening.”

She squeezed her eyes closed. “How do we turn it off?”

“There is no off. It has to be contained,” Blue said.

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