His Best Mistake (Shillings Agency 6)

Well, shit.

Was Lauren right? And if so, was Daisy unaware of this crush, or was she pretending not to notice because she wasn’t ready for something that could be real?

Maybe she was fucking around with Mark because she was too scared to face something with her partner that could actually pan out. Maybe Mark was a distraction, and the second she got over her fear, she’d fall in love with her partner. And hell, maybe that would be better for her. If they were to have a relationship, at least her partner would accept what he was buying because he would be selling the same thing.

“Was he ever in the military?” Mark asked.

“No.” Steven opened his car door. “You know where we’re going? Flannigan’s?”

Yep, and now that he’d found out Daisy was there, and she had this unrequited love story going on with her partner, he couldn’t wait to see her. He had a few questions, and he’d get his answers, one way or another, tonight.

“See you there.”

Chapter Thirteen

I’m too tired for this.

That’s all Daisy could think as she sat there with her friends, trying to put on a good face but failing because her mind was a million miles away, dwelling on Mark and what had happened last night. Had he actually been asking her if she’d consider taking a safer desk job, or had she just jumped to conclusions and run for nothing? Although, it hadn’t been for nothing, because for a second, just a second…

She found herself considering it.

Debating whether she’d give up her career for a chance to be with him.

That was unacceptable on so many levels. If, for some crazy reason, they decided to be a couple—a real couple—it had to be because he wanted to be with her.

The real her.

Not some version of herself she became for him.

Laughter surrounded her, and music played in the background, while five different types of games and sports were on the TVs surrounding them. An untouched beer sat in front of her, and everyone else at the table was in high spirits. Everyone but her. And there was one reason for that. She felt bad for running out on Mark last night…again.

It was becoming a thing, her doing that.

Instinctively, she was looking for a way to shake him off because she was scared he was going to hurt her. So all he had to do was sneeze in the wrong direction, and she’d run for it. And she’d keep doing it until she finally pushed him away, or until it stuck. Judging from the complete silence she’d gotten from him since yesterday, besides the text that he would be unavailable tonight…she might have succeeded.

That should fill her with relief. If it was over, then she was safe. He couldn’t hurt her, and she certainly wouldn’t hurt him. And that was a good thing, or so she kept telling herself.

Tim elbowed her, turning his back to the rest of the group so he could talk to her, and her alone. His brown hair was combed to the side neatly, and his blue eyes were locked on her. They were always locked on her. He had a thing about eye contact, and he never let go. A lot of people mistook it for attraction or interest, but he was just an intense guy. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” she said quickly, shifting away from his huge bicep so she could see him more easily. She always teased him that he should be in the ring for WWE instead of on the force. He was ridiculously huge—and his heart was just as big as his muscles. He was a good guy. A great guy. She often joked that they should just get married and enjoy the tax benefits, since they already lived together, and he’d always smile softly and say she’d find someone better someday, but he was there for her if she didn’t. “Why?”

“You’re quiet.” He stared at her cast. “Are you still pouting at missing out on the action today?”

He’d chased down a drug dealer and tackled him in the alley off Fifth Street. If not for her arm, she would have been there, too. And she always ran faster than him, so it would have been her tackling that perp, not him. That wasn’t what had her pouting…but it was a good excuse. “Yeah. I’m just ready to get back in action, you know?”

He considered her, his huge arm flexing as he reached out and rubbed her back. Leaning down, he whispered, “Liar, liar, pants on fire.”

Daisy stiffened, leaning in even though he was so close already that their noses were practically touching. “I’m not lying.”

Yes. You are.

“Oh yeah?” He leaned impossibly closer, his hand resting below the back of her neck intimately. Tim was always overly touchy-feely, which made people think he had a torch burning for her, but they were wrong. He was a nice guy, and she loved him, but not like that. Besides, he had a thing for the cute brunette in CSI. “Are you sure it has nothing to do with the guy who was in your room the other night, making all that racket?”

Well, crap. He’d heard them. How embarrassing. Could the floor open up and swallow her whole, or maybe the President could walk in to the bar and distract Tim so she could slip away? Because knowing he’d heard her and Mark was too much to bear. “Oh, God.”

“Does this mean what I think it means?” A smile lit up his face for the first time since they started talking about her quietness. “Are you ready to move on?”

“N-no. It was nothing. Me and…that guy…we are just messing around.”