Page 18 of Spy With Me
She believed him. Zach Reed seemed to know what he wanted,and he wanted her. “Well, I can give you something more to look forward to. Ithink when you get back you should come to dinner at my parents’ house.”
His lips spread in a slow smile. “And we’ll introduce meas…”
“My boyfriend,” she admitted. “They can extrapolate the Dompart. It’s weird talking about the lifestyle with my parents.”
“Boyfriend is good.” He kissed her again. “For now.” Hesighed and glanced down at the clock. “I should go.”
She didn’t want him to go. She was like a love-struck teen,desperate to keep the object of her affection close. But she was a whole grownass woman, so she sucked it up. “We’re getting you a car when you get back. Italked to Kala about it and everything.”
He snorted. “I’ll do as she says.” He sobered slightly. “Youlike double dating with them, right? I ask because I really like it, but we canslow play that if you want to.”
“I love it. I love watching them date when neither of themwill admit they’re dating. It’s so weird. Are they like that in the field?”
He sighed. “So much worse. Coop is useless because he can’teven pretend to flirt with anyone else. Huh, I guess that’s going to be hardfor me now, too. I didn’t think about that.”
He was adorable. She kind of loved that about him. It washonestly hard to think of him as some scary spy who did in the bad guys. He wasZach. Sure, he could be ahardassDom, but that wasall about play. When her cousins talked about Zach it was like he was somelarger than life killing machine, and that just wasn’t Zach. He was like herbrother and her dad. Yes, they were military, but in ahuggy,Golden Retriever way. She kissed him again. “No flirting in the field. I likethat rule. But seriously, you have to come to dinner. My mom wants to get toknow you better. She likes you. She was the one who suggested—and I mean thatin the Erin Taggart definition of the term—I haul your ass to family dinner.Her words, not mine.”
His grin amped up. “I like her, too. Your mom is a legend.And I’m glad she married your dad because I’ve heard he makes a mean brisket.”
Oh, she was going to miss him. “I’ll make sure he knowsyou’re looking forward to it.”
He opened the car door and got out, grabbing his bag fromthe backseat. “Well, come on, sweetness. Let’s get this part over with.”
She was unaware there was another part. She looked at himthrough the open door. “I thought I was just dropping you off. Aren’t wesupposed to play this cool?”
He snorted and closed the door, jogging around to open hers.“Kala knows. And we haven’t exactly been playing it cool with her and Coop.They know we’re serious, so everyone knows we’re serious. Although I don’tthink your brother knows, so he might punch me. I can take it.”
She took the hand he offered her and grabbed her purse withthe other. “He will not punch you. But my uncle might be surprised I knowyou’re leaving on a classified op.”
Zach held her hand as she locked the car and then started tolead her toward the terminal. “Then he shouldn’t have made this a whole familything. Everyone knows. We’re the worst kept secret ever. Look, it might bedifferent if your last name wasn’t Taggart, but I’m not going to pretend tokeep things from you. Mostly. I mean, baby, you know…”
She waved him off. “I do not need to know. If I needed toknow my brother or my cousin would tell me, so I’m going to add you to thatlist. I’ll trust you to tell me the things that would affect me or us.”
He stopped in front of the doors to the lounge. “I’m crazyabout you, Devi. Don’t forget that while I’m gone.”
“Promise, and same to you,” she said, her damn stupid heartso full. She was falling hard for this man. So hard.
She already pretty much loved him.
He guided her into the lounge. The overflowing with herfamily lounge. It wasn’t only the team. Uncle Sean was here, and so was LiamO’Donnell. She glanced over and her brother was half asleep on one of thebenches, wrapped around Lou. Such a cute couple. She should have taken morepics of her and Zach. She had a couple of selfies, but looking at Lou and TJshe wanted a phone full of pics so she could remember him when he was working.She didn’t get to tag along like Lou.
Uncle Ian stared at them, his eyes narrowing. So neither hermom nor her cousin had told on them. It was a little surprising since they bothwere on the gossipy side. “Dude, did you not get the not-a-family-reunion memo?You brought my niece to an Agency meeting? You know she’s not supposed to knowwho you work for.”
Zach’s arm tightened around her shoulders, and she leanedagainst him. “Everyone knows, and every day with this team is a freaking familyreunion. Devi gave me a ride.”
“I just wanted to say hi, and y’all go and get whatever badguys need to be gotten.” She could be the cheerleader. Go team spy.
Her uncle sighed, his head shaking. “We’re leaving now.Zach, we’re going to have a talk.”
“I expected we would, sir.” Zach turned to her and didn’teven hesitate. He leaned over and kissed her, lightly at first, and then likehe was going to make her remember him while he was away.
When Devi came up for air, she remembered she was supposedto remind him. He’d done some work while he’d been at her place and mentionedhe was worried about something. “Hey, don’t forget you were going to warn themabout the Tara person.”
Zach winced. “Yeah, uhm, we’re going to have to be carefulwith the twins because Tara’s already in Montreal. I’m sorry, Tris. I justfound out about it. Did she call you?”
Her cousin Carys looked to Tristan. “Tara?”
“She works as my technical assistant when I’m dealing withThe Jester missions.” Tris moved into her space, cupping Carys’s face. “There’sno reason for any jealousy. She’s nothing but a woman I work with.”
