“You won’t be working undercover. Reyna will. All you have to do is pretend to be dating her. And did I mention she’s ridiculously hot?”
“You did.” I glare at him. “You think that’s what I’m thinking about right now, whether or not she’s hot?”
He shrugs. “It doesn’t hurt that she is.”
I exhale hard. “Dude, I’m already under a ton of pressure. It’s early in the season and we’re grinding for every win. And I travel all the time.”
“You won’t actually have a girlfriend. You don’t need to call from the road or send her flowers.”
“Yeah, but—”
My brother cuts me off. “You need to at least meet her. She’s not gonna catch feelings, trust me. She specifically said she’s not sleeping with you.”
I throw my hands up. “I can’t believe you fucking pitched this to her without me even knowing.”
“That’s how law enforcement works.”
“How long would it be for?”
Logan shrugs. “However long it takes. If I had to guess, a few months.”
“Christ.” I let out a long sigh and look up at the ceiling.
“Come on, man. It’s not like it’s gonna keep you from dating anyone else; you don’t even want to.”
“Yeah, and everyone knows that. Will they really buy this phony relationship?”
“Yes.”
I roll my eyes. “And how the fuck would you know that?”
“When you see her, you’ll get it.”
“I can’t believe this. You’re an asshole, you know that?”
He grins. “Catching bad guys is more intense than passing a puck back and forth on a sheet of ice. The pay is shit, too.”
“I just don’t—”
“Look.” Logan’s expression turns serious and he leans forward, elbows on his desk. “I’m not really asking. I need you to do this. The whole plan I’ve been working on for a month hinges on it.”
“Kit’s single and I know he’d do it.”
“It has to be you. You’re the only one I know and trust.”
“Fuck.” I scowl at him. “You’re gonna owe me for the rest of your life.”
He stands. “Let’s go. I’ll introduce you to Rey.”
“What, right now? She’s here?”
“Yep. Hope you’re wearing deodorant. You’re about to meet your fake girlfriend.”
My heart pounds the way it does a split second before an opponent takes a shot. When I see it coming, but it hasn’t happened yet.
“Do you know if she has any interest in me doing this?” I ask, standing.
Logan scoffs and says, “It’s not about interest for her. She’s a professional. She could pretend to be into a troll if she needed to for a case.”
“That’s reassuring,” I mutter.
My brother leads the way down a hallway, around a corner and then down another hallway. He stops in front of a door, glances at me and then opens it.
With a deep breath, I follow him in.
A woman sits on one side of a conference table and a man sits on the other. Both of them get up. My gaze goes directly to the woman.
“Agent Reyna Diaz, this is my brother Jonah West,” Logan says. “Jonah, this is Rey.”
Jesus. My brother wasn’t kidding. This woman looks like Eva Mendes, curvy in all the right places, her mahogany eyes framed by long lashes and her dark hair pulled back in a ponytail. Her skin is a beautiful light brown that just seems to glow. She’s the definition of a natural beauty.
And then she smiles, and it’s like looking at a model in a toothpaste commercial. “Hi Jonah, nice to meet you.”
I’m momentarily struck speechless, but I clear my throat and get myself together.
“Hi, nice to meet you, too.”
“Does this mean you’ll help with the case?”
“He’s in,” Logan answers for me, clapping me on the back.
“Hey Jonah, I’m Doug Jones and I work with Logan,” the man on the other side of the table says, offering me his hand to shake.
“Great to meet you,” I say.
“Looks like you guys are off to a great start this season,” he says.
“Yeah, we’re finally firing on all eight.”
“We really appreciate you taking part in this case.” He sits down and puts on a pair of dark reading glasses. “I’m sure your brother told you this Shields guy deserves to spend the rest of his life in a cell.”
I follow the leads of Logan and Rey and sit down at the table. “He did. But I need to be honest and tell you I hardly know Darren Shields. I’ve made small talk with him a few times at events, but that’s it.”
“That’s okay,” Rey says. “For the first month or so, we’re just going to establish that we’re dating. We’ll go out, I’ll come to your games, and we won’t make any moves toward Shields. After we’ve been established as a couple, you’ll start introducing me to teammates and taking me to events with you. That’s all I’ll need. I can establish a relationship with Shields from there.”
“Okay,” I say, uncertain. “And you’re sure you’ll be okay? If he suspects something is off—”