Teague (23 page)

He nodded.

“What if evidence came up to dispute what you found out over there? Would you go back to Syria again?”

Okay, she was twisting things and he was starting to get pissed off.

“That’s not going to happen.”

She shrugged. “Say it did. Hypothetically. Would you go back there?”

“I…” He glared at her, hands clenched at his sides.

“Or what if Bowen called you up about a hot story in some dangerous part of the world that only Teague Simon could cover. Do you expect me to believe you wouldn’t leave?”

“I’m not playing this game, Sabrina.” Didn’t she get what he was trying to say?

“But that’s the thing, Teague. This is my life. It’s not a game.” She cocked her head to the side. “I’ve had, what, one conversation with you in two months? What the hell does that say about whatever this is between us?”

“I don’t know,” he exploded. “But maybe we can figure it out? I want to have a future with you, Sabrina. A life with you.”

He could see the shock in her face. The hurt. The confusion. All of it settled into those big blue eyes and it cut him to the bone.

“You want a life with me?” she whispered hoarsely.

“I do,” he said, taking a step closer. “I love you, Sabrina. And I’m not going anywhere.”

Her eyes squeezed shut and stayed that way for a long time. So long that Teague became concerned. He took another step closer but just when he was about to touch her, they flew open. She glanced behind him and the fury inside their blue depths was something else. “Harry and Morgan, get to the car. We’re leaving.”

“But Mommy,” Harry started.

“Car,” she repeated. The kids stood near the edge of the dock and at the tone of their mother’s voice, they didn’t hesitate. They ran back up to the car without another word.

“Bree, give me a chance here. I know I screwed up and I want to make things right. I’ll do whatever it takes. Just tell me what you need me to do.”

“It’s not that simple, Teague. This is not just about me and what I want and it sure as hell isn’t about what you want. I have two kids who’ve already lost so much. How can I let you back into their lives, knowing that you could leave us again?”

“That’s not going to happen.” He was firm on that. Why couldn’t she see?

“You love me,” she repeated.

“I do.”

A heartbeat passed. And then another. The pulse at her throat—the one he was dying to kiss—took off like a rocket. Her lips parted. Her eyes glistened and her chest heaved.

A shot of hope ran through him and he took a step toward her.

“You love me,” she muttered, sparks flying from her eyes. “Prove it,” she said, pushing past him.

Teague had no time to react, at least not without causing a scene, and he watched as Sabrina marched up her driveway. She fired up the engine of her vehicle and less than ten seconds later, disappeared from view.

What the hell had just happened?

Prove it, she’d said. She hadn’t said, go to hell or get lost or I hate you. She’d said none of those things. She’d said prove it.

Guess Sabrina didn’t know him as well as she thought she did. She’d just thrown down the gauntlet and fired him up. Teague Simon grinned into the early evening gloom and stood alone on the dock for a long, long time. So long that when he finally made his way back up to the house to join the party, the grass was wet with dew and the sun was long gone.

He made small talk with his family and all their friends who had gathered together for the event. He even held the new baby—a first for him. But his mind wasn’t on those things. Nope.

He had plans to make and a woman to seduce all over again.

Sabrina was on edge and she looked like shit. She’d not slept a wink the night before and the kids had crawled into her bed way too early on this Saturday for her liking. They’d been full of beans and trying to keep up with the questions fired her way was exhausting. Especially because all of them were in some way connected to Teague Simon.

Teague this.

Teague that.

Ugh. She didn’t want to think about him right now because she was still trying to process what had gone down the night before.

But kids aren’t easily swayed or put off and their questions didn’t let up. By four o’clock, she shooed them back outside to play while she figured out dinner and worked on the laundry situation. She had The Eagles playing from her iPod, which usually lifted her spirits, but no dice today. No Tequila Sunrise for this girl. Figures.

The sun was shining, the early fall colors were breathtaking, and yet she felt as gray and dull as a slug. As far as she was concerned, it was a certain someone’s fault.

How could he drop that on her after weeks of silence? Who did that? He’d said the L-word and now her head was spinning.

She slammed the washing machine door closed and swore when her finger caught in it. Sucking the tip to ease the pain, she headed for the kitchen, only to turn on a dime when the doorbell went.

Must be Allie, she thought, but frowned as she reached for the handle. Allie would have rung and then walked in. She peered through the frosted glass. The shadow on the other side of the door was definitely not Allie. It was tall and male, and tall…and…

Teague.

Shit.

For a second, Sabrina’s mind went blank. And then all sorts of ridiculous things crowded the space inside her head, but the gist was pretty much the same. Hide.
Now.
Don’t let him see you looking like crap because he’ll know you spent the entire night thinking about him.

“I can see you Sabrina.” Teague’s deep voice made her jump and she reached for the door handle, taking a few seconds to get her nerves settled.

She swung the door open and her heart fell out of her chest. If it were physically possible, her heart would be lying on the ground at her feet, flopping around like a fish out of water.

Flop. Flop. Flop. How could this man still have this kind of power over her? And yet, the cells in her body erupted and every single one of them was literally singing.

Teague stood with legs spread slightly, one hand shoved into the front pocket of his pants, the other holding a vase filled to the brim with deep red roses. He was dressed formally, and holy hell did formal look good on Teague Simon. The black suit and crisp white shirt made him look darker, more dangerous and—she couldn’t lie—sexy as hell.

Calm the hell down.

“Are you going to invite me in?” His voice was light, and a hint of that lopsided grin she so desperately missed, hung around the corners of his mouth. “It’s not like I’m a vampire.”

“You don’t have to be a vampire to bite,” she responded, glad that she didn’t sound like a complete idiot.

“True, but I promise I won’t bite unless you ask me to.”

She hesitated and that smile of his deepened. And even though her body was saying COME THE HELL IN, that part of her that had gotten her through all the darkness of the past few years, well, it roared to life and infused her with some sort of calm. She wasn’t going to roll over this easily.

“How did you find out where I live?” Sabrina asked.

“Allie.”

“Of course,” she replied, disgusted by how easily her friend had caved.

“Are you going to let me in?”

“Why are you here?”

“I’m here because I love you Sabrina.”

Shocked at his forthright words, she was left with her mouth hanging open. There was that L-word again. Dammit. Why was he doing this to her?

“I’m prepared to camp out here all night, but I’m not sure if Chef Jean is. She’s come a long way to cook dinner for us, so you might want to at least think about letting her in.”

Chef who?

Sabrina cranked her head to the side and spied a small woman standing behind Teague. Dressed in white, she nodded and pointed to the basket of vegetables at her feet. “I bring?” she asked with a grin.

The woman didn’t bother to wait for an answer. She scooped up the basket of vegetables and stepped past Teague. “You get the rest, okay big man?”

Teague handed Sabrina the roses and she was pretty damn sure his fingers trailing over the soft spot under her wrist was no accident.

“You better take these,” Teague said with a knowing smile. “We don’t want to disappoint Chef Jean since she’s making our dinner tonight.”

“Our what?” Confused, Sabrina swung her gaze back to the kitchen but the little woman had already disappeared.

“Chef Jean comes highly recommended from Abby and Tucker. She’s part owner and head chef at an amazing Thai restaurant in Manhattan.”

“But,” Sabrina stuttered.

“I managed to convince her to fly up here and give us a meal to remember. I know how much you enjoy Thai.”

Shocked she stared up at Teague. “How would you know that?”

“You mentioned it once during the summer. If I remember correctly, you said that you lost a battle to have Thai served at your wedding and you had to settle for chicken. And you hate chicken.”

“I…” She was stunned that he would remember a small detail like that. “This is…this must have cost a fortune.”

Teague shrugged and smiled that devastating smile of his. “A man’s got to do what a man’s got to do.”

“You! Simon man! You bring me the rest of the baskets, yes?” Chef Jean frowned at Sabrina. “Lady you should get clean and maybe change. Okay?” She clapped her hands together. “We have a good night.”

The little woman disappeared once more.

“You might want to listen to her,” Teague said softly, as he passed by her with a large cooler and a smaller basket of food. “I think she’s used to giving orders and there might be hell to pay if you don’t follow them.”

She glanced down at her worn jeans and the paint-stained T-shirt that was two sizes too big.

“Maybe wear that blue dress,” Teague said with a wink, and then he too disappeared into the kitchen.

She heard the excited voices of her children and the mad barking of Bingo. The welcome crew was out in full force. Sabrina slowly closed the door and set the vase of red roses on the table in the hall.

Morgan was shrieking “Tigger! You have to see our fort. You have to!” While Harry was asking if he had to eat all the vegetables in the baskets. He informed Chef Jean that he hated the green ones. Sabrina couldn’t hear the lady’s response, and the timbre of Teague’s voice was low. Intimate. This entire situation was surreal.

Whatever he said quieted the children, and wonder of all wonders, the dog followed suit.

Wow. Head spinning, Sabrina climbed the stairs to her bedroom. She was outnumbered and outgunned and totally unsure. Letting Teague into her home might be the biggest gamble of her life.

She closed her bedroom door and leaned back on it for a few seconds, trying to gather her scattered thoughts and trying to calm her fast beating heart. It was no use, of course. There would be no calming of the nerves and no way would her heart slow down, not with Teague in the house.

She eyed her closet and after a moment’s hesitation, headed for it.

Forty-five minutes later, she was ready for dinner. She’d dug out the blue dress she’d worn for Teague on their last night together in the summer, but opted for flats instead of heels. Her hair was secured to one side in a loose bun, her cheeks were flushed a healthy pink, and oh, the butterflies in her stomach were working overtime.

How was she ever going to eat dinner if the damn things didn’t disappear? She stood on the last stair, hand clutching the railing.

Bingo rounded the corner and stared up at her, tail wagging madly. The dog was in his happy place. “Traitor,” she murmured, bending over to scratch behind his ears. She straightened when she heard a noise from the dining room.

On tiptoes, Sabrina made her way across the hall. She took a moment and then peeked inside. It didn’t take long for her heart to squeeze and then turn over. The table was set for four, and Teague was handing Morgan the silverware. His head bent low, and he was listening intently as she told him about the rep hockey team she’d made.

“I’m the only girl on the whole team, Tigger.”

“That’s impressive.”

She nodded. “I know. And I get my own dressing room. Just like I’m a princess or something.” She giggled. “The boys’ room stinks.”

“Does not,” Harry said, placing a napkin on the finished plate setting. “Girls are stinkier than boys.”

Teague laughed at that. “That is not true, bud.”

“Well I think it is,” Harry muttered. “They stink and giggle all the time.” “Give yourself six or seven years and I’ll bet you’ll look at it differently.” Teague glanced up then and Sabrina’s heart stopped. Literally. She gasped for air and hid her distress by faking a cough.

“Mommy! Chef Jean let me put the shrimp into the pot. They were gray when I put them in and now they’re pink!” Morgan clapped her hands, her face frozen in a big, ‘O’. “You got your princess dress on! Mommy you’re so pretty.”

With three sets of eyes watching her intently, Sabrina couldn’t help but blush. She smoothed her skirt and stepped into the dining room.

“The table looks beautiful,” she said softly.

“Yeah. Beautiful,” Teague murmured.

Chef Jean appeared, her eyes alive with approval when she spotted Sabrina. “We eat our spring rolls now?”

“Are there green things in them?” Harry asked with a frown.

“Yes there are green things. And yes you will like them.”

“I don’t think so,” Harry replied.

“I promise,” Chef Jean said with a grin. “Sit. I serve and you eat.”

She disappeared back into the kitchen and Teague pulled out a chair as the kids scrambled onto theirs. Trying to calm her nerves, Sabrina took the last few steps to the table and slid onto the chair.

Teague’s fingers touched her neck, a gentle caress that was gone just as fast. She blew out a breath and reached for her napkin, glancing up at Teague when he settled in the chair across from her.

The smells from the kitchen were amazing. Her kids were smiling. Heck, even the dog looked as if it had mastered the human smile.

Sabrina had no idea how this night was going to end, but right now she wasn’t going to think about that. So what if Teague had probably paid a small fortune to fly Chef Jean up from Manhattan to her home to cook dinner?