Zach’s tongue slid along his upper lip. “They’re like a little taste of heaven. Baker’s dozen, right? They wouldn’t miss just one.”
“Hey, keep your hands to yourself.” She pulled the box closer to her side of the table.
He leaned back on the stool and tucked a piece of hair behind his ear. His sun-kissed, shoulder-length locks settled in a tousled frame around his face. “So Ted finally came out of the closet? I always figured he’d be too afraid of your dad.”
“I shouldn’t have said anything.” Reagan uncrossed her legs and then crossed them again…left over right, right over left. It was like she’d decided to play a solo game of Twister. How long would it take for her antiperspirant to prove it wasn’t strong enough for a man? Not long if that man was Zach Anderson.
“It’s kind of a big secret. Not the coming out, but the fact that he and Cal are getting married. Cal’s one of my dad’s staffers. If the press got wind of it, my dad would have to do some artful political maneuvering.” As a conservative senator, and top pick for running mate of the front runner in the Presidential primaries, her dad made a career out of precariously balancing the political values of the party with his personal views.
“Good for Teddy. He deserves to be happy.”
The waitress approached and set a tall, full, glass in front of Reagan. She gulped. “That’s huge.”
“Happy hour. Free size upgrade until six.” The waitress passed a bottle of beer to Zach, then turned her attention to the table next to them.
“Cheers!” Zach clinked his beer against her drink and took a long swig from the bottle. His Adams apple bobbed up and down, drawing her attention to a braided leather cord hanging around his neck. The tight white T-shirt stretched across his chest hinted at the well-toned muscles underneath. His biceps bulged as he set the bottle back on the table. She raised her glass and took a long draw in an attempt to cool the heat his focused gaze generated in her panties.
The burn of rum hit the back of her throat and she sputtered. Liquid fire slid down her chest and settled in her gut.
“Water.” She grabbed for the glass of water he had passed her when she first sat down.
“The mojito any good?” A questioning smile played across his lips.
“More like rum on the rocks with a hint of mint.” She dabbed a napkin at the dots of liquid spattered across her blazer. “Can you watch my stuff for a sec? I’m going to run to the restroom.”
“You bet.”
She left Zach to nurse his beer alone and headed toward the nearest women’s room. What the hell had gotten into her this afternoon? Usually the epitome of cool, calm, and collected, she could assess, evaluate, and master a situation faster than most of her dad’s professional handlers. Running into Zach threw her completely off her game.
Always had.
Just a drink. She’d be on her way to Miami and back in control before midnight. Assured of her plan, she glanced back at him. He tipped his beer at her and tilted it, licking his lips right before the rim of the bottle met his mouth.
A jolt of something hot and crackling zinged through her, ricocheting off her gut and settling down between her thighs.
Zach.
The flame she’d carried for him in high school had all but burned out over the years. Seeing him now stirred all those old feelings into a giant, confusing mixture of emotional soup. The best thing would be to play nice, part ways in Miami, and never let the likes of Zach Anderson breach the reinforced walls of her heart again.
Like a salmon swimming upstream, Reagan struggled through the wave of passengers whirling around her. Two steps from the safety of the women’s restroom, she noticed the older, some might say distinguished-looking, Illinois Senator headed her way. A cannon ball of dread thudded into her gut.
Before she had a chance to duck into the restroom, he stopped in front of her, creating a private island for the two of them. The sea of travelers flowed around.
She swallowed hard. Hard enough to silence the panic alarm the sight of the senator had set off in her chest. Her gaze skimmed up his rumpled navy suit to rest on a paunchy, puffy face. A career in public service had taken its toll on the man her father considered one of his greatest political rivals.
With the mask of her public persona firmly in place, Reagan pasted on a well-practiced smile and offered her hand. “Senator Stewart, what a surprise.”
Douglas Stewart took her hand in his clammy grasp. She resisted the urge to pull away and swipe her now-damp palm across her pants.
“Reagan, I thought that was you. I’m on my way back to the office from DC. I hope you’re headed somewhere nice and warm, away from this weather.”
He’d be able to figure out where she was going if he turned around and looked at the gate monitor, so there was no use lying about it.
Smile secured, her tone laced with a casual inflection, she politely slid her hand from his grasp. “Florida. I have an event there this weekend. I hope you enjoyed your time in Washington.”
“Of course. Although I didn’t get a chance to catch up with your father on the Hill this time. Where’s he hiding?”
“Dad? Oh, he has family commitments this week. But he’ll be back in the office soon.” Family commitments was a truthful way to describe her father’s plans. Senator Stewart wouldn’t hesitate to punch his campaign manager on speed dial if he knew to the real reason for her father’s absence.
“Hmmph.” The senator leaned close to mutter in her ear. “I sure wouldn’t let a family commitment keep me from the action if I were on the short list for potential VP nominees.”
Reagan gritted her teeth, backing away from his stale coffee breath. “I can assure you he’s handling everything he needs to while he’s away.”
With a curt nod, the senator motioned to his small entourage of staffers and assistants. “Let’s get the car. It’ll take an hour to get into the city in this weather.” His minions scurried around them. Before he turned to follow, he narrowed his eyes and focused his red-rimmed gaze on Reagan. “I know your father’s been working on you to join his staff. You’re a smart cookie and a team player, kiddo. You ever want to join the good side, you let me know.”
She stifled a snort at the thought of her die-hard conservative father letting her go work for his left-wing nemesis. “Thanks for the offer. You’ll be the first one I call if I ever change my political affiliation.”
With a wink and quick turn of the heel, he strode away, down the terminal.
Her pulse slowed and the swoosh of blood stopped thumping through her ears. Close call. A run-in with Senator Stewart could have blown her flimsy cover into a billion pieces.
Creating a special day for Teddy and Cal had taken all of her free time and attention for the past six months. She needed to see it through. Five days from now she’d have plenty of time to figure out her career and relearn how to forget about her obsession with Zach. Nodding to herself, she ducked into the restroom and forced her well-worn mask of composure back into place.
Zach waited for Reagan to turn the corner before he picked up his phone. She wasn’t supposed to be part of this job. He scrolled through his contacts and located the number for the sleazy agency he’d accepted his most recent assignment from a few days ago.