Page 58 of Romance Is Dead

“I’ll think about it.”

I had to put a stop to this. I stepped out of the shadows. “What are you two talking about?”

Both of them startled, looking as guilty as two schoolboys caught cheating on a test.

Scott recovered first. “Football. Just going over the game from last night, right?” He gave Teddy a not-at-all-subtle wink.

“Uh, yeah. Definitely.” He forced a chuckle. “Love those Eagles.”

I narrowed my eyes. Damn it. If only I knew whether that was a real team or not.

“I need to skedaddle.” Scott gave us a wave as he walked toward the stairs. Before descending, he turned. “And remember”—he gave Teddy a long, weighted look—“what we talked about.”

“Bye, Scott!” Teddy said loudly as he waved the older man away. He drew closer, one corner of his mouth curving up in a smile as he flipped a hand towel over his shoulder, looking a little too charming for someone covered in fake gore.

When he got close enough, he reached out to touch my elbow. “I missed you last night.”

For a moment, my heart stuttered, and I considered ripping his shirt the rest of the way off. But I forced myself to push it from my mind. There were more important things at hand. Or at least, equally important.

“I need to talk to you.” I pressed my eyes closed, blocking out the intensity of his lake-blue gaze.

“What’s up?”

A lighting tech shuffled past, bumping into us as he moved down the hall. This wouldn’t do—we needed privacy. I glanced around frantically, my eyes landing on a narrow door to our left. I yanked it open, pulling Teddy in after me. As I closed the door after us, I realized it was a very small closet.

Dust plumed around us from the sudden disturbance. We both sneezed as I grappled above my head, searching for a light. Succeeding in finding a string, I pulled it and a weak glow filled the space enough for me to see that we were now squeezed in amongst dusty clothing and neglected cleaning supplies. Teddy was crammed against a stack of brooms and I was straddling one of his legs, pushing a stiff denim jacket out from between us.

It was at this moment that I remembered the last time I’d seen him had been moments after our kiss on the porch. Seeing him up close again, his lips mere inches from mine, made it temporarily hard to catch my breath. Teddy’s arm snuck around my waist and pulled me close, his eyes falling to my lips.

“It’s nice to see you, too,” he teased, maneuvering his arm free from where it was pinned against the wall so he could cup my cheek in his hand. “I thought you were blowing me off last night.”

He leaned in, the space between our lips rapidly closing. I stiffened. As easy as it would be to kiss Teddy again, I knew that if I gave in to that, I would forget all about the note and the killer that was quickly closing in on us. And if I was honest, the question of what was brewing between us was almost scarier than a killer being on my ass.

I leaned away, pressing one hand gently on his chest.

“Oh.” Teddy stopped, his smile disintegrating. “No?”

“Sorry, I—”

“No, it’s ok.” He cleared his throat, pulling away to place some distance between us, even if the close quarters only allowed for a few inches. “I just thought—”

“Did you check your phone?” I blurted. “I tried to text you.”

“No, we were filming all morning.” He shifted and twisted, trying to reach into his pockets. Finally, contorting his body like something out ofThe Exorcist, he managed to retrieve his device. He tapped the screen, scrolling until he finally froze. “Another one?”

“Here.” I wriggled until I was able to pull the note from my pocket. “And things get even weirder.” I quickly filled him in on my run-in with Brent.

Teddy’s face clouded. “I knew he was a bad dude.”

“Did you? Weren’t you the one who suggested we give him the benefit of the doubt?”

“I don’t remember that,” Teddy said stubbornly.

“Regardless. He definitely knows something, whether he killed Trevor or he knows who did. We need to talk to him again.”

“I’ll do it. I don’t want you anywhere near him.”

Something inside me bristled. “I’m not a child—I can do it myself.”

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