Page 30 of Thiago

She glowered at him. “It’s called a mask. What are you doing here?” she asked irritably.

“I came to see you,” he replied.

“Obviously, but why?”

“We need to talk.”

“About?”

He rested a hand high on the door frame and leaned closer. “Are you going to allow me inside or not?”

“Now is not a good time. If you have something to say, say it and leave.”

Something inside him snapped. She was treating him as if she didn’t want him there, and he had never experienced that before. He shoved the door wider and marched in, brushing past her.

“What do you think you’re doing?” India demanded.

Thiago stopped at the edge of the living room. Now he understood why she didn’t want him there. A box of pizza sat on the table beside a decanter of red wine. Two glasses were also on the table, along with silverware and two plates stacked on top of each other.

Slowly, he turned to face India. “Do you have a date tonight too?” he bit out.

She folded her hands across her torso.

“Answer the question!” Thiago barked.

“This isn’t the office,” she retorted. “You can’t boss me around in my own home.”

“Do you have a man coming here tonight—yes or no?”

She sighed, and her shoulders dropped like someone at the end of her rope. “I have plans with someone, yes.”

“Plans? Oh, really? Who is he?”

“You don’t know him.”

“Of course I know I don’t know him, India, but who is he? And how long have you been fucking other people?”

“I’m not fu—why are you making such a big deal about this?”

He didn’t miss what she had been about to say. Perhaps she wasn’t screwing the man yet.

“Because you canceled on me the past two weeks, and now I know why. There is another man in your life, and I feel blindsided.”

“I’m sorry, but what do you want from me? Am I supposed to sit at home every night waiting by the phone for you to call?”

“I didn’t think you would be doing that, but I certainly did not think you would be doingthis, either.” He stabbed a finger in the direction of the food. “How serious is your relationship? How long have you been seeing him?”

India closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and released it. “Woosah,” she said softly.

“Hoo-saw? What the hell does that mean?” Thiago demanded.

She opened her eyes. “He and I started seeing each other in the past few weeks, okay? He’s a doctor I met when I had to go to the emergency room a while back.”

“You were in the emergency room?” Thiago exclaimed. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Why would I tell you? I went there on a Saturday.”

She answered in such a flippant manner, he was appalled to realize she believed he wouldn’t care she had been in the hospital because her visit didn’t occur on a Friday.