Page 68 of Fierce-Zander

He grinned at her. Not one that was forced either. “I might like to see that.”

“Maybe we can go celebrate after dinner,” she said. “I’m starving. Detective work builds up an appetite.”

“Take your time eating,” he said. “We’ve got things to discuss first.”

This was where she was going to get the lecture for what she did, but it was so worth the adrenaline rush. Maybe she was a good girl too much in her life and Zander was bringing something out of her she hadn’t known was hidden inside.

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Zander was torn between wanting to yank Regan back to their table, and giving her a kiss for ending this wild goose chase he’d been on for months.

He’d get to the kiss later. For now he wanted her to know he didn’t appreciate the risk she took.

And it only reiterated in his mind he had to tell her what the Fierces were doing and that she was most likely part of the plan.

She was smart enough to add the clues up and if they both knew, maybe they could play with their employees a little too.

The last thing he wanted was Regan to accuse him of hiding something from her and she’d be smart enough to know he was aware of what was going on.

At some point, he wanted people to know they were dating andnotbe referred to as her brother.

Sure, she was good on the fly and he’d give her credit for that, but the last thing he needed to worry about was her putting herself in harm’s way because she thought it was fun.

Regan was quiet while she ate half her meal. “Go on. Lecture me. Get it over with.”

He lifted his head and saw her smirk. “It’s not funny. You don’t know what I do. You don’t know how to handle yourself in situations.”

“I did pretty well just now,” she pointed out. “In an open restaurant with my PI boyfriend right behind wearing his concealed gun that he thinks I don’t know he has on most times. I’m not reckless.”

He never made a point to hide it from her, but she hadn’t said a word about it once either.

“Fine,” he said. “You put some thought into it.”

“That’s right.” She held her finger and thumb up. “Just a little. And I got you the answers you’ve been trying to get by playing on his emotions that I could see in his eyes. Give me some credit for being able to read people well. He would have never opened up to you if you tried to do that.”

She was right there too.

“I never said you couldn’t,” he said. “But you don’t know about this case as I do.”

“I knew enough. I was able to see what was going on by not even talking to Tricia and just being in a woman’s place where she could let her guard down.”

“Good point,” he said.

“And Scott was young enough that I was able to fool him. If he’d acted like I was bothering him I would have apologized and said I was mistaken and come right back to you. I’m positive he wouldn’t have drawn attention to himself to begin with and even less when he saw the size of you.”

He was trying to calm his racing heart, but she was making valid points. “You got lucky this time,” he said.

“Lucky enough that now you can tell Justin what you discovered and you’ll have to pay for dinner with me on your own dime going forward.”

She was laughing at him. He squinted one eye. “Not funny.”

“It kind of is. I was fine. I wasn’t worried in the least. I think you’re worked up over the flowers and then this tipped it for you. Maybe it was bad timing.”

“Not so good timing for you to bring it up again.”

“We need to talk it through,” she said. “I told you about it. I will absolutely tell you about it if I get anything else, which I’m not sure I will. Miles is already compiling a list of clients I saw this week and making his own personal opinions next to them.”

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