Page 24 of Strike Fast

Reid turned his attention back to his daughter. “I’m sure you’ll see her again. We can set something up for when she comes into town next.”

While her heart leapt at him talking about a next time, she was still preoccupied by the unfairness of the situation. She had half a mind to march up to the front door and speak to Sarah herself, see if she could sweet talk the woman into changing her mind, but it wasn’t Tess’s place and she had no right to interfere.

Autumn’s face fell and she slumped in the passenger seat. “Yeah, okay.”

“Hey,” Reid said, gently chucking her on the chin with his fist. Autumn tried not to smile, but failed. “We’ll ride with the top down when I come to pick you up for your sleepover when I get back from my training thing. Okay?”

“Okay,” she muttered, and slid out of the car to face Tess. “When you come back into town next, will you come with us?”

Tess didn’t want to lie to her, and didn’t want to be condescending. She glanced at Reid for help, and the way he watched her so intently made her insides tingle. It was as though he wanted her to promise to come back.

She smiled at Autumn, a little overwhelmed. There was a lot to take in here, with Reid’s job, child, ex, and past alcoholism. Her gut instinct was to let whatever happened happen, but it would be smart to be cautious when this much baggage was involved, especially on the first date. “I don’t know exactly when that will be, but yes. I promise.” As long as your dad still wants me around, she added silently.

Autumn grinned and threw her thin arms around Tess’s waist. “Thank you. And maybe sometime you could take me flying?”

Aww, hell, that was Tess’s weakness. She could become attached to this kid all too easily. “That would be so awesome.”

“I get to come too,” Reid said.

Tess met his gaze, and smiled at the admiration she saw written there. Guys thought it was cool that she flew Blackhawks, but few understood the risks her job entailed. Reid was one of them. “That’s up to Autumn.”

“He can come too, as long as it’s not a girl’s only thing,” Autumn said.

“What she said,” Tess told him, and the grin he gave her was like a punch to the solar plexus. He was charming enough in his own right. These two together were a deadly combo she had no prayer of resisting, and she didn’t want to.

“Oh! Almost forgot,” Autumn said, digging into her pocket. She pulled out a white pom-pom dog and handed it to Tess. “This is the one we made together. I thought you could put it on the helicopter dashboard. Her name’s Winter.”

Oh, dammit… Tess took it, heart aching as though someone had wrung it out like a wet dishrag. “Winter will look awesome in the cockpit. Thank you.”

“Welcome. See you guys. Love you, Dad,” Autumn called as she started back up the pathway.

“Love you back,” Reid answered.

Tess waited until Autumn waved from the front porch and disappeared into the house before sliding back into the car, Winter the fluffy white pom-pom creature cradled in her palm, its little plastic googly eyes staring up at her. “Oh, my heart,” she said to Reid.

“Yeah, I know. She’s an expert at tugging the heartstrings,” he said, firing up the engine.

Smiling, Tess set Winter on the center of the dashboard next to the German Shepherd Autumn had made Reid, both of them right up against the windshield so they wouldn’t fly out. They both laughed as the little black pupils bounced around with the car’s motion. “She’s such a great kid, Reid.”

“She is,” he agreed, his voice full of fatherly pride. “I keep hoping things will get better the more Sarah sees me trying, but… So far that’s not happening.”

Tess reached across the console for his hand. He shot her a grateful smile and laced his fingers through hers, squeezed in silent thanks. “Where to now?” he asked. “Want to go back to my place?”

Her body hummed with a low-grade arousal that would burst back into flame with a single kiss or caress. She wanted Reid, even if she could only have him this once. “Hmmm. My hotel’s closer.”

He met her gaze, and the sudden flare of heat in his eyes started a delicious throb between her legs. The slow grin he gave her made her insides shiver in anticipation. “You’re right. It is.”

Chapter Seven

If she’d thought she’d been nervous before, her anxiety level was way higher when they arrived at the hotel fifteen minutes later. Tess’s heart thudded against her ribs as Reid parked out front and turned slightly in his seat to look at her.

“Want me to walk you up?”

He’d just given her an out if she wanted to use it. And that melted her heart. “Yes.”

He nodded and pushed his door open, and her belly flipped as she watched six-foot-plus of gorgeous male climb out and walk around to her side. His dark blue gaze held hers as he reached for her hand and gently pulled her to her feet to stand in front of him.

She expected him to kiss her but instead he took her face in his hands, staring into her eyes for a long moment. Searching for something, she didn’t know what, while her pulse beat out of control and her entire body tingled.

---