Wolf Untamed (SWAT - Special Wolf Alpha Team #11) - Paige Tyler Page 0,42
up in all that ooey-gooey chocolaty goodness when he realized Bree was sitting there with an amused expression on her face. He resisted the urge to look down at his shirt to make sure he hadn’t dumped frosting on it.
“What?” he asked.
“Nothing.” Her lips curved. “I like it when a man enjoys himself.”
The words would have been rather innocent if not for the heat in her gaze and the subtle change in her scent making those strawberry and vanilla tones even sweeter. Forcing himself to focus on something other than Bree’s scent, he took another bite of cake, then washed it down with some wine. Red wine and chocolate cake went together much better than he would have thought. Like he’d planned it.
“So,” he asked, figuring he’d better change the subject before his inner wolf was over there humping her leg. “What kind of work do you do?”
When another smile tugged at the corner of her very kissable lips, her knew his attempt at casual conversation had failed dramatically.
“I’m an insurance investigator for Lexington Mutual Group,” she said, taking a small bite of cake. “I look into high-price claims that have been filed and figure out if there’s any kind of fraud going on. If the claim is legit and the insured property has actually been stolen, damaged, or destroyed, I try to help the cops track down the people responsible.”
Huh. “So, it’s kind of like being a private eye?”
“A little bit, I suppose,” she said, shrugging those perfect tanned shoulders in the sexiest way he’d ever seen. “Except I don’t have a fedora or a dimly lit office. Or a gun. The only camera I have is the one on my cell phone, and I never ever get into a physical confrontation with the bad guys. I find the evidence and turn it over to the cops, then stand back and let them take all the credit.”
Diego was surprised by how much that last part had him breathing a sigh of relief. The thought of Bree out there doing something dangerous had him feeling all kinds of funny.
“You might not be cuffing the bad guys, but you still have one cool-ass job,” he insisted. “How did you get into it?”
“I worked at LMG for years doing administrative work, but after the divorce from Dave, we needed money, so when my boss mentioned the investigator position, I jumped at it. The pay is great, and I ended up loving the work even though I hated the travel that comes with the job, especially when Brandon was little.” She looked pensive as she took another nibble of cake. “I felt like I was deserting him. Every time I went on a two- or three-day trip to Houston or Austin, I’d spend half the nights crying in my hotel room.”
The anguish in her voice was so painful, it was all he could do not to reach out and pull her into his arms. “When we lived in LA before we moved to Texas, my dad walked out on us,” he said instead, his voice soft. “I was barely thirteen and my brother and sisters were all younger than me, and my mom had to work three jobs at one point to cover the bills. I’d hear her crying after she came home late at night because she couldn’t be there in the morning when I got my brother and sisters up and ready for school. She hated being away from us so much, but we never held it against her. She was doing what she had to do to keep the family going. I’m sure it’s the same way for Brandon.”
Bree smiled gratefully at him, tears glistening in her eyes. “How old were you when your mom and stepdad got together?”
“Seventeen.” He smiled at the memory as he used his fork to slice off another bite of cake. Though he’d since retired, his stepfather was a Dallas PD cop back then and one of the reasons Diego joined the force. “They met a little while after we moved here and probably would have gotten married sooner, but Mom wanted to make sure it was the real deal before she committed.”
“I can understand that,” Bree admitted. “Dating is complicated when kids are involved. As a woman, you want to go where your heart leads you, but as a mother, you know you have to keep your head and think about your children first. It makes finding that perfect someone so much harder.”