“Good looking?”
Teagan conjured up Drew’s face with the wide jaw covered in dark stubble. His broad chest and wide shoulders. His dark hair worn a little too long due to his UC op. Her mind went to mush, and a rush of warmth flooded her body.
“Ah, yeah. Yeah. Your look says it all.” Mackenzie clapped her hands. “I can’t wait to tell everyone.”
“No!” Teagan shot out of her chair and grabbed Mackenzie’s arm with the hand not holding her laptop. “Please. It’s new. Very new. Don’t say anything. I’ll let them know if I think it might go somewhere.”
Mackenzie mocked zipping her lips as she hopped off the bed. “Don’t wait too long, or I might not be able to keep it to myself.”
She strode to the door, and Teagan ran her hands through her hair. She doubted Mackenzie would ever have to tell the family. Not when the dating would be over as fast as it started, and Teagan would be right back to her normal life.
Exactly the way she liked it, right? So why did that thought make her incredibly sad tonight?
8
Drew parked behind Teagan’s car and approached her large home. The sun beamed down on the brightly painted house on one of the few dry days they’d had this month. The forecasts called for rain tomorrow. Maybe even snow. Not a common event in the Portland metro area, but often occurring at least once a year.
He liked snow. Always had since he was a little kid when they would get the occasional snowfalls here and more snow when he lived in Italy while his dad was stationed at the Air Force base there, of course, Minnesota was a snowy state for sure. But they didn’t need snow hampering his undercover work. Not when time was ticking down on ICE’s deadline to close out the operation, and the Contis and their unknown associate were planning something big in two days. Maybe a day now.
And he didn’t much like this morning’s delay either. He should be working instead of meeting with Teagan and trying to stop her from insisting on participating in every aspect of the investigation.
Drew had spent hours last night searching the internet for the skinny guy from the warehouse. If he’d located anything he would’ve canceled this meeting with Teagan and tracked the guy down. Alone. But Drew’s searches brought up a whole lot of nothing. Zip. Zilch. He needed Nick Thorn’s findings, and Teagan was his go-between. Pretty smart on her behalf. Not so much on his.
He rang the doorbell and took a few breaths to clear away his irritation. Hurried footsteps clipped toward him, and the decorative wood door opened. Teagan had dressed in pale green slacks and a very tight-fitting ribbed top. She met his gaze and smiled. A soft, almost tender smile.
Poof.His irritation evaporated. Gone. A powerful emotion he couldn’t put a name to flooded his body. He took an instinctual step back.
“Come in.” She stood back, acting casually, as if she didn’t see his reaction.
How could she miss it? Wasn’t his heart thundering loud enough for her to hear?
He gulped in air and entered the home. The pungent aroma of fresh bread and savory bacon fought for his attention. Two smells that were guaranteed to make him stay no matter his other priorities or emotional distress. “Smells good.”
“I made an egg breakfast casserole along with maple bacon. I make it for my dad every Father’s Day so figured you’d like it too.” She closed the door and headed into a wide opening to his right. “We can review the report from Nick while we eat.”
He trailed after her, surprised by the more contemporary furnishings that he didn’t expect with the home’s traditional architecture. She stopped in a dining room holding a long table, and he counted twelve chairs. Two places were set near the wall that held a large painting.
“Have a seat, and the food will be right out.” She went through a swinging door, her hips swaying.
He sat and looked around for a report that he wanted to start reading not only to get the information, but to pin his attention in the right area and not on her. He didn’t spot a thing. She was keeping the details close to the vest. He didn’t blame her. She wanted in on the action, and that meant not letting him see anything without her.
The door swung open, and she carried in a large wooden tray. She set it on the table and placed a plate with the egg casserole, bacon, and perfectly browned toast on the placemat in front of him, which already held silverware. She added a glass of orange juice and a bowl of fresh fruit.
He gave her a look of approval. “This looks amazing.”
“Hope you like it.” She set the same items on the other placemat. “I’ll get the coffee, and we can get started on Nick’s report.”
He tracked her as she disappeared through the door again. She really was something. Made a meal like this and once faced down and apprehended bad guys, but now ran a large company. And of course, she was very pretty. Not the most important thing, but it sure didn’t hurt.
She came back with the coffee pot in one hand and a folder tucked under her arm. She poured him a steaming cup, the earthy scent perking him up after little sleep last night. “I grind my own beans so I hope you like the blend.”
“This smells and looks wonderful.” He waited for her to sit. “Mind if we pray quickly so I can dig in?”
“Go ahead.” She placed the folder on the table and offered her hand as she bowed her head.
He held on tightly and offered a sincere prayer for the meal then released her hand and looked up. “You don’t know how nice it is to find another person of faith in law enforcement, even if formerly in law enforcement.”
“Actually, I do. I guess I’d forgotten, though.” She forked a piece of pineapple and held the fork over the bowl. “You said your faith was suffering since going undercover. You think that will fix itself when the op ends?”
