“I think that’s my job,” Kyle replied. “And trust me, Sean can take care of her, but this is something we can’t fix. Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe kids these days will shrug and threesomes will become a thing, but I worry. I’m also worried about what happened last night. Did you two talk about how this is going to work now?”
They’d talked about important stuff, and this evening they’d talk some more. “I’m going to write up a contract between us. And I promise to always carry a condom from now on. Don’t tell Tag about that.”
The big boss had a thing about condoms. Probably because he had five kids.
A devilish grin came over Kyle’s face. “I’ll probably get a raise for saving you.” He sobered. “Seriously, have you two talked this out? You started a sexual relationship last night, and while you might be accustomed to one-night stands, she is not. You’ve read the reports on her. She hasn’t even dated in a couple of years. I seriously doubt she’s been tearing through guys. It’s not going to help us protect her if you break the client’s heart.”
“Why would you think I would break her heart?” He cracked a couple of eggs into a bowl. Then he looked at Kyle and cracked five more. He was a big dude. “I’m serious about her.”
“You’re serious about a woman you met yesterday?”
He shrugged, a light feeling coming over him as he beat the eggs and added some milk before pouring them into the pan. It didn’t seem like it was just yesterday. The morning before seemed light years behind him. “What can I say? When you know, you know. I’m not saying we’re getting married or anything.” That would be crazy, so he wasn’t going to say it. Not out loud, but some instinct told him Noelle was the one, the magical stupid one his married friends talked about. “But we’re together. Don’t worry about me hurting her. I’m going to take excellent care of her.”
Kyle’s expression told him he still wasn’t sure. “See that you do. You need to check your texts. Big Tag wants you in the office this morning. I’ll take Noelle to work and see if I can’t get a job.”
He wanted to argue, but sometime in the night he’d decided Kyle was right. He had the best in, and he should take it. “You’re sure you can handle undercover? Jessica Layne is smart, and she’ll see through you if you aren’t careful.”
“I think I can handle it,” Kyle said with the confidence of a man who’d done undercover. Though the files on him didn’t report he had. He’d been a Naval officer. The longer Hutch was with him the less he seemed like an everyday military guy. “I’m not going to forget that this is an op and we’ve got work to do.”
Hutch turned back to the eggs and hoped Kyle wasn’t the reason he was being called into the office. If Kyle expressed his worries to Tag, there could be trouble. He wasn’t about to allow himself to be pulled off this case.
“Say hi to MaeBe for me,” Kyle said. “Tell her it took a while, but my spine is finally straightening out.”
It was good to remember he wasn’t the only one who’d chased after a woman the day before. “Are you going to ask her out?”
Kyle seemed flummoxed at that question. He stopped and went still for a moment.
“It’s not a hard question.” Hutch watched him. It was odd to see that deer-in-the-headlights look on the tough guy. “You like the girl. You ask the girl out. You see if the girl likes you.”
He shook his head. “No. I’m not in a good place for that. I was just…I had fun with her yesterday. It’s been a long time since I was around someone as carefree as MaeBe. I don’t like her that way. Does anyone else think I like her like that?”
There was an odd, almost panicked undertone to his question. “I don’t think I’ve heard any rumors about you.”
Kyle’s face smoothed out, and he was back to the neutral expression he usually wore. “Good, because while I enjoyed spending the afternoon with her, we’re not compatible.”
Hutch kind of thought they were. MaeBe and Kyle had been in synch in a way he rarely saw two people who didn’t know each other be. They’d smiled more in each other’s presence. He’d caught MaeBe looking at Kyle when he turned away.
Something about Kyle’s obviously emotional response made Hutch think.
Then he wasn’t thinking about anything but Noelle because the door came open and she walked out wearing a pretty green dress and leaning heavily on her cane. She smiled brightly until she caught sight of Kyle. Then she gave him a polite nod, as though trying to hide the fact that they’d gone at it hard the night before.