Page 34 of Baby Take Me Home

“She’s usually right about these things,” Mai told me. “Which is also fucking annoying. In fact, the longer you stay here with us, the more you’ll realize I’m the only one on this team who isn’t fucking annoying.”

That led to a good-natured discussion peppered with four-letter words until Samantha came downstairs. Jason popped his head out of the kitchen to invite us to the breakfast he’d prepared. Mai unwound my hand wraps for me, then followed Cynthia to the kitchen as they continued their discussion of each other’s most aggravating traits. I glanced at TJ’s office, wondering if, or more accurately, hoping he would join us.

Samantha fell into step beside me. “He has a lot of work to do before the morning staff meeting. Apparently, he got a late start today.”

I stopped walking, causing her to do the same. “Is there something you want to ask me?”

She sighed, then slowly shook her head. “I don’t need to ask. I see the same look on your face that I saw on his when I spoke with him an hour ago.”

“And you don’t approve.”

“Approve?” She glanced at TJ behind the glass wall of his office, then back at me. “You don’t need my approval, but if you’re wondering, I think you’re good for him.”

“Then why do you seem so unhappy about whatever it is you suspect? He said you’re one of his closest friends. I would think you’d be happy for him.”

“I am happy for him. But I’m also sad because he’s worked hard to build his career and to put together the best team HEAT has ever seen.”

“What does any of that have to do with me?” I asked.

“Everything, if he’s forced to choose between you and HEAT.”

* * *

TJ

By 0830,I’d been at my desk for nearly an hour, collating the data from the reports I’d been reading to prepare for the team’s morning briefing. I left my office and headed for the staff kitchen for one more cup of caffeine, a shot of energy to replace what I’d lost from lack of sleep and skipping my workout. It was more than worth the sacrifice for the way Ashlee and I had spent our additional hour in bed.

As I crossed the gym, I managed a sidelong glance at her working with Kessler and Li on her fighting stances to add power to her punches and kicks. When Ashlee caught me watching her, she glanced away but smiled.

“Wow, subtle.” Jensen was standing in the doorway to the kitchen with a dish towel slung over his shoulder.

“Something you want to say to me?” I asked him.

He raised his eyebrows in mock surprise. “Me? No. Not a word.”

He stepped into the kitchen with me and offered to make me some bacon and eggs.

“No thanks.” I furrowed my brow as I poured my coffee. “Why are you hovering in here like a short-order cook waiting for your next customer?”

Penn came into the kitchen and closed the door behind him. “Morning, TJ.”

Shit. I’d been distracted by watching Ashlee and I’d stepped right into a trap. “Is this intervention about my third cup of coffee or substituting power bars for real breakfast?”

“Funny,” Penn said without smiling.

“At least he hasn’t lost his sense of humor,” Jensen said.

“Implying that I have lost something.” I glanced between them. “Tread lightly, gentlemen.”

Jensen held up his hands in a gesture of surrender, but Penn frowned. He’d spent ten years in the Marine Corps before joining HEAT three years ago, so he didn’t back down easily.

“You know what thesomethingis,” Penn said.

“Do I?” I asked, but of course, I did. My objectivity when it came to Ashlee. And also, it appeared, my ability to hide my love life from my team.

“We think it’s great,” Jensen said. “We think she’s great. And it’s not that we’re prying, it’s just... You work in a building full of spies. We’re trained to pick up on the clues, and—”

“Jensen,” Penn said quietly to make our tech lead stop talking. “Look, TJ, this is just a heads-up that we’re a little concerned.”