The full moon illuminated his face. And his entire six feet and two inches of muscle in that perfectly tailored tux. Sweet mercy, he was handsome. And he was staring at her. She needed to say something. Now.
“Um.” Good start, Tayla. Okay, don’t concentrate on his brown eyes. Or his broad shoulders. Just start talking. “I hope that was okay. Inside, I mean. Introducing you the way I did. If I didn’t say anything, Chance would’ve wondered why. And I thought—”
His smile—which was also doing things to her heart rate—assured her everything was fine. “You did great, Tayla. I’m not undercover. If I was, I’d be wearing a disguise and we would have a different plan for tonight. We don’t need to share any details about the last forty-eight hours with anyone, of course.”
“Yes, I wouldn’t . . . but . . .”
“What?”
“I noticed three or four other people in there that I know, well, at least as an acquaintance. What do I say if they ask about you? I mean, I implied to Chance that we were here together. I mean, I know that was the idea, that coming to the party together would look more natural, but I didn’t realize people would know me.”
He looked amused. “Are you embarrassed to be seen with me?”
Not one bit. Actually, the only thing that felt odd was how incredibly comfortable she felt as Jason Bridger’s pseudo date. She hadn’t been on a real date in . . . oh, this was not time to dwell on that. “Of course not. I just didn’t want it to get awkward if they got nosey and—”
“Don’t worry about it. You did great a minute ago. Tell them exactly what you told Mr. Chesson. We met yesterday. If they ask, tell them I work in security. No reason to lie. We’re just not sharingeverything.”
“Of course. Okay, I can do that.” She glanced through the windows at the well-dressed crowd mingling and laughing. A few couples were dancing. “You know, if they really quiz me about you, I could honestly say I don’tknow much. Though Knox did tell me you worked for the CIA.”
His eyebrows shot up. “He did?”
She wasn’t sure how to interpret his reaction. “Yes. Was he messing with me? Is it true?”
A half-laugh escaped his lips. “Yes, it’s true. I don’t advertise it, but it’s not a secret.” He shook his head. “Knox got pretty chatty with you.”
“I think he was trying to reassure me that you’re capable of handling yourself. I already knew that, though.”
An almost-grin played on his face. “Okay, I like coffee. I work with your uncle, and I’m former CIA. What else do you want to know?”
“Do you have a girlfriend? A wife?” Wow. Did she really just ask that? Was that appropriate? The grin was gone.
Maybe she overstepped.
But he did ask what she wanted to know.
“Tell you what. You gave me a few highlights from your past today, so I’ll give you some of mine.” The quiet seriousness in his voice signaled that she might not like what he was about to say. “I was married. Six years ago, my wife was killed. There was a shooting. In a restaurant.”
Oh, no. Oh, wow. Oh, Jason. Emotion welled in her chest. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered.
“Thank you.”
“Did they . . . catch the shooter?” Nowthatwas probably wildly inappropriate. Could she just keep her mouth shut?
“He’s dead.”
Oh.
He cleared his throat and turned to the moonlit expanse in front of them. “No girlfriend. To answer your other question.”
“Jason, I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have asked—”
“It’s fine. Like I said, you shared earlier today, so—”
“Okay, well, I think we’re even on personal highlights for now.”
“Yes.” He stuck out his elbow, inviting her to take his arm the way she’d done when she’d introduced him to Chance. “Should we return to the party? Let’s see if Frederick Kost has shown up yet.”
Frederick Kost showed up. With an entourage. Now Jason understood why Drakos was so sure Frederick would be at the party. He wanted to see and be seen by this crowd. And he was having a good time doing it.
