Vaughn half-groaned in agreement. “I need a drink.”
Cade concurred wholeheartedly with both those sentiments, so the three of them went to an Irish pub located a block away from the federal building. After they ordered dinner and a round of drinks, Cade quickly checked his cell phone.
Of course Vaughn, with his FBI superpowers of perception, had to comment.
“Got another offer on the table that expires soon?” he asked.
“Go away.”
Vaughn grinned. “You’re quite circumspect about this situation with Brooke. I find that very intriguing, don’t you, Hux?”
No reply.
“Hux?” Vaughn looked to his right, where Huxley was reading something on his phone. With an unmistakable smile, he tucked his phone into the pocket of his impeccably tailored Ralph Lauren suit, and then noticed Cade and Vaughn looking at him. “Sorry. What were we talking about?”
“Just giving Cade crap about a certain sexy general counsel. But never mind that.” Vaughn pointed suspiciously. “What’s going on here, with the phone and the sneaky smile?” He studied his partner. “Don’t tell me you actually have a hot date tonight.”
“Okay, I won’t tell you.” Huxley took a sip of his beer, deliberately leaving them hanging.
“Look at you,” Cade said. “With who?”
“Addison.”
“Addison? Who’s—” It took Vaughn a second, then his mouth fell open. “Agent Simms? When did this happen?”
Huxley swirled his glass, looking quite coy. “Things have been percolating for a while. But they shifted into high gear after our fake date at Sogna.”
Vaughn threw out his hands in exasperation. “First Morgan, now you. Plus McCall’s getting married next month, and Pallas is having a kid. Purposely. Am I the only one not getting laid as part of an FBI sting operation?”
Huxley pretended to muse over this. “Maybe you should take some time. Figure out what’s gone wrong with your mojo these days.”
“My mojo is perfectly fine,” Vaughn assured him.
Cade was curious. “Is it serious?”
Huxley smiled. “Yeah. I think so.”
Vaughn scoffed at this. “Come on. You’ve only been seeing her for, what, a month?”
Huxley shrugged. “I like her. She likes me. It’s not that complicated.”
Cade and Vaughn threw each other looks. Right.
“Amateur,” Vaughn said, with a conspiratorial grin.
“Amateur, huh? I’ll be sure to ask Addison tonight if she agrees with that assessment.”
And if his confident smile was any indication, Agent Seth Huxley wasn’t worried about the answer to that one bit.
* * *
“YOU REALLY DO impress me, you know.”
Cade peered down at Brooke, who lay against his chest, curled up in the sheets of her bed. “Thanks. I even impressed myself with that one.”
She chuckled. “I wasn’t referring to that move you threw in at the end there. Although, yes, well done, you.”
“Glad you approve.”
“Actually, I was thinking about our conversation earlier, when you were talking about being out with Vaughn and Huxley.”
“You’re thinking about Vaughn and Huxley while we’re lying in bed together? Not sure I like the sound of that.”
She perked her head up and looked at him. “Oh . . . so that’s not something you would ever consider? The three of you, you know . . . all at once? Because I kind of have this fantasy I was going to talk to you about.”
Cade was about to laugh, but then she held his gaze so unflinchingly that for a split second he wondered if she was actually serious.
Okay . . . this definitely was not a conversation he’d ever expected to have with Brooke Parker of Sterling Restaurants, the Gorgeous Green Eyes, and Holy Shit She’s Into Foursomes.
But then he saw the telltale sparkle in her eyes.
He exhaled. “You suck.”
“Oh my God, you should’ve seen the look on your—” She cut off, laughing when he beaned her with one of the pillows. Then he bonked her two more times for good measure.
She sprawled across the bed when he’d finished, her hair tousled about her shoulders. “So that’s a ‘no,’ then?”
Cade smiled. The woman may have driven him crazy, but he had a grin on his face the whole way. He lay on his side, facing her. “That is definitely a ‘no.’ And you still suck.”
She turned into him, absentmindedly trailing her fingers over his bare chest. “What I was referring to, when I said I was impressed, was the way you’ve managed to have so much balance with your job. You’re obviously very successful. You have a great career at the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Yet you still have time to play football and hang out with Vaughn and Huxley and just . . . have an actual life.” She mused momentarily over this. “I haven’t figured out that trick yet.”
“I get busy, too, especially when I’m on trial.” Cade paused, proceeding cautiously with his next words since he knew it was a sensitive issue. “But you do realize that your work schedule isn’t exactly the norm, right?”
She thought about that. “It’s just because we’re building the company right now,” she said, ready, as always, to defend Sterling. “Ten years ago, Ian owned one restaurant. Now, on top of seven additional restaurants, we’re in ballparks and arenas across the country. Things will quiet down eventually, but for now I just have to keep chugging away.”