Amee giggled again. She disentangled her arm and touched Ashley’s hand. “I have to go to the little girls’ room. Want to come?”
Ashley shot Jeff a helpless look before following the other woman out of the living room. Jeff glared at his partner.
“Just once I’d like to see you with a woman whose IQ was slightly larger than her chest.”
Zane grinned. “My normal response to that would be to say that I’d like to see you with a woman. But you’re with one. I’m surprised, Jeff. And impressed. What you lack in quantity, you make up for in quality.”
“Thank you.”
Maggie raced toward him, a moplike ball of fur tagging along. “Uncle Jeff, Brenda said I can brush Muffin and we’re going to watch a movie together.”
She raised her arms as she approached and he automatically swept her up against his chest. Muffin raised herself up on her back feet, her front paws scrambling against his legs as if she, too, wanted to be picked up.
Zane raised his dark eyebrows. “Uncle Jeff, why don’t you introduce me to this lovely young woman?”
Jeff would rather have left the brunch. Too many people were watching him, talking about the shock of seeing him with a child. He knew they were right, that he had no business being with an innocent like Maggie. But for reasons that weren’t clear to him, the little girl wasn’t afraid. He hoped he didn’t do anything to change that.
“This is Maggie,” he said. “Ashley’s daughter. Maggie, this is Zane Rankin. I work with him.”
Maggie’s blue eyes widened. “Uncle Jeff is very important. He keeps bad men away. Do you do that, too?”
“Sure,” Zane said easily. “But Uncle Jeff is the best.”
Maggie snuggled close to him. “I know.” She pressed her tiny rosebud mouth against his cheek, then motioned for him to put her down. “Muffin really wants to see the movie,” she explained, gave him a quick wave, then disappeared into the crowd.
As soon as they were alone, Zane’s gaze turned speculative. “I hadn’t realized you and the kid were so close.”
Jeff shrugged. “She’s pretty easy to like.”
What he didn’t say was that Maggie terrified him. He didn’t want to do anything to hurt her and the knowledge that he could was just one more thing that kept him up nights.
Zane looked as if he wanted to say something else, but then he stepped back. “The ladies have returned.”
Jeff turned and saw Ashley and Amee approaching. Zane was watching them, as well, but Jeff noticed his friend was paying as much attention to Ashley as to his own date.
Something hot flared to life inside of his chest. It took him a moment to recognize the bitter heat of jealousy. No way, he told himself. Jealous of Zane? Ashley hadn’t looked twice at the man. Besides, Zane would never try anything. Ashley wasn’t his type. But despite the logic, the feeling remained, making him uncomfortably aware of being out of his element.
He wasn’t prepared to be a part of society’s mainstream, he reminded himself. The cries of the dead were never quiet and he would do well to remember that.
“Amee was telling me the most interesting things about your business,” Ashley said as she stepped close to him. “Did you and Zane really single-handedly save the British royal family from certain death?”
Jeff shot Zane a questioning look. His partner grinned. “Okay, so I might have exaggerated the story a little.”
Ashley moved close to Jeff. “How much? I want to hear the part where you threw yourself on the queen to save her from a flying bullet.”
Amee beamed. “Aren’t they just the bravest men? Zane has over a dozen scars. You should see them.”
“Maybe another time,” Ashley murmured.
Jeff looked into her eyes and saw the humor lurking there. “There was no incident involving the royal family,” he said softly into her ear. “They have their own security.”
“I figured as much, but Amee was so proud.”
They watched as the blonde bombshell ran her manicured fingers up Zane’s arm. “Zane’s offered to show me what he does,” the young woman said, “but I’d be too frightened.”
“You mean, take you on an assignment?” Ashley asked, sounding doubtful.
“No. They have an executive training course in a couple of weeks.” Amee sighed. “But it’s just too scary for me.”
