Sam

“That guy had some nerve,” I say, as we head back upstairs in the elevator.

Beth’s standing between me and Shane, and Shane’s got his arm around her, holding her close.

She still looks a little shell-shocked. “He came out of nowhere. I was just walking, and then there he was.”

“What did he say to you?” I say.

She frowns. “He asked me if come here often—what a lame pick-up line.”

“Don’t worry, sweetheart,” Shane says, leaning over and kissing the top of her head. “Sam put the fear of God into him. I think he got the message loud and clear.”

When we arrive upstairs, we find Cooper in the kitchen, grabbing a cold drink from the fridge. “Hey, there you are,” he says to us. “I wondered where you’d all gone.”

“Downstairs to the fitness center,” Shane says.

“Until Beth got hit on by this older guy,” I say.

Cooper grins at me. “Hey, watch it. Don’t disparage the older guys.” Then he sobers, looking at Beth as he meets her halfway, holding her at arm’s length to get a good look at her. “Are you okay, honey?” he

She nods, if a little bit reluctantly. “I’m okay. He just made me nervous.”

“I’ve got to grab a shower before I head to the office,” Shane says. He kisses Beth’s temple and rubs her back. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

She nods.

“All right then. You guys have fun.”

“Wait, I’m coming with you,” Beth says, following Shane to their suite.

Cooper walks into the kitchen and opens the fridge door to see what we have on hand. “You hungry?” he says.

“Yeah. I only ran a mile, but I worked up an appetite.”

He pulls out a package of deli meat. “How about a turkey bacon melt?”

“Sounds great.”

I take a seat at the counter as he pulls out a pan and gets busy cooking. Once he’s got the bacon frying in the pan, he pulls two bottles of water out of the fridge and hands me one. “How’s your leg after that run?”

“Not too bad.” I reach down and rub my left thigh. “It aches a little.”

“Want some pain killers?”

“Nah. I’ll tough it out.”

He nods, then looks away, seeming distracted all of a sudden.

“Something wrong?” I ask him.

He scratches the back of his neck, looking nervous.

When he doesn’t answer me, I say, “What’s wrong? Spit it out.” His apparent nervousness is making me nervous.

He exhales a long, heavy breath. “Nothing’s wrong. I was just wondering something.”

“Yeah?”

He turns away to start making the sandwiches. For a moment, I think he’s not going to say anything. Then, he suddenly turns to me and blurts it out. “Would you like it if I took you out for dinner tonight?”

My eyes widen, and my pulse starts racing. I’m not even sure I heard him correctly. “Are you asking me out on a date?”

He gives me a classic duh look. “Yes, I’m asking you out on a date.”

“In public?”

He frowns. “Yes, of course in public. How about Tavern on Rush? Shane said—”

I set my water bottle down hard. “Oh, my God, yes! Of course, I want to go out on a date with you! Tonight? Really?”

He smiles, apparently satisfied with my reaction. “Yes, really. Don’t sound so surprised.”

I give him a look. “Cooper, we’ve been together for two years now, and you’ve never asked me out for dinner. Not on a date anyway, and certainly not in public.”

He shrugs. “I guess we’re overdue then. Shane got us reservations for six o’clock.”

I shake my head in disbelief, my mind already jumping ahead to what I’ll wear. I know this restaurant. It’s pretty swanky, so my ripped jeans and snarky tees won’t cut it. “I don’t have anything to wear.”

“I’m sure you can come up with something.”

“What are you wearing?”

He shrugs. “Black dress slacks and a white shirt. Maybe a tie.”

A tie? Holy shit. Other than when he officiated at Beth and Shane’s wedding, I’ve never seen Cooper in anything other than jeans or sweats. “You’re serious about this, aren’t you?”

He nods, looking a little green around the gills. “As a heart attack.”

 * * *

I lurk outside Beth and Shane’s suite until Shane comes out, dressed for work.

“See ya, Sam,” he says, walking right past me.

“Is she decent? I need to talk to her. It’s urgent.”

Shane grins. “Yes, she’s decent. You can go in.”

I knock on their door, and Beth calls out, “Come in!”

After stepping inside and scanning their spacious suite, I spot her sitting on the sofa by the fireplace, dressed in her fluffy robe. Her hair is loose around her shoulders, the ends a bit damp. It looks like she might have assisted Shane in his shower.

Her bare feet are tucked up beneath her on the sofa, and she’s reading something on her phone. “What’s up?” she says. “You look like you’re about to bust a seam.”

“I need your help,” I say, dropping down beside her. “It’s urgent.”

She lays her phone in her lap and gives me her full attention. “Okay, shoot.”

“Cooper asked me out on a date—a real date, tonight.”

She beams at me. “That’s wonderful!”

I shake my head. “Well, yes, it is, but the problem is I don’t have anything to wear. He’s dressing up in slacks and a dress shirt, maybe even a tie. I don’t own anything other than ripped jeans and snarky T-shirts.”

She looks suitably concerned, which makes me feel better. “All right,” she says, thinking aloud. “So, we need to go shopping, right? What time is your date?”

“Six.”

She glances at her phone screen. “It’s only one o’clock. We have plenty of time to find you something suitable to wear.” She hops up and heads for her ginormous walk-in closet. “I’ll get dressed and meet you in the great room. We’ll go find you something nice at Water Tower Place.”

I head out to the great room and find Cooper seated at the breakfast bar with a cup of coffee and a copy of the Chicago Tribune. “Beth and I are going out. Shopping.”

He spares me a quick glance before returning his attention to the newspaper. “No, you’re not.”

At that moment, Beth comes scurrying into the great room, slipping on her sneakers. She’s dressed in blue jeans and a pink maternity blouse and white sweater. “Ready,” she says to me, a little breathless.

“You’re not going anywhere,” Cooper says, giving us both a stern look.

Beth glances at me, looking wary. Oh, no he doesn’t. I am not going to let Cooper pull this I’m-the-boss-of-you shit right now. This is too important. It’s our first real date, and I need to go shopping.

“We’re just going to Water Tower Place,” I say, keeping my voice level. “We won’t be gone long.”

“I said no. Shane and I don’t want you two running around the city until Stevens is apprehended.”

“Who knows when that will be?” Beth says, sounding frustrated. “We can’t just put our lives on hold forever.”

Cooper eyes us both, then shakes his head. “It’s not worth it.”

I start to say something, but Beth shakes her head, cutting me off. Then she walks up beside Cooper and lays her arm across his shoulders. She leans into him. “It’s just a quick trip,” she says. “Just to Water Tower Place and back, I promise. Please, Cooper. Sam seriously needs to go shopping for your date tonight. This is a big deal for him. Please don’t spoil it.”

Cooper sets the paper down on the counter with an exasperated sigh. “All right, fine. But you’re taking security with you.”

“But I have Sam,” she says.

Cooper shakes his head. “Technically he’s not back on duty yet, so you will take someone who is.”

“Okay, fine. Who?”

Cooper picks up his phone and makes a call. “Hi,” he says into the phone. “Can you spare someone for a couple of hours to escort Sam and Beth to Water Tower Place?” He pauses as he listens. “Yes.” Another pause. “I know, but they really want to go. It’s just for a couple of hours.” Another pause. “Okay. Thanks. Send him up.”

Cooper ends the call and sets his phone down. “You have two hours,” he says. “I mean it. Two hours, and then I want both your butts back here.”

“Thank you!” Beth says, hugging Cooper as she kisses his cheek.

“Who’s sending someone up?” I ask.

“Jake has a perimeter security team downstairs. He’ll lend us someone for a couple of hours.”

A moment later, the elevator pings, and the doors slide open. Killian Deveraux walks through the foyer door, his tall, lean gait as seductive as a panther on the prowl. His dark hair is tousled on top, and he’s got a short dark beard. And those eyes—damn! His irises are so dark they look black.

When Beth turns to see who’s arrived, her eyes widen in appreciation and she gives me a quick glance. Apparently, no one is immune to this guy’s looks.

“Eye candy,” she whispers to me. “You can look, but don’t touch.”

I jab her with my elbow as Killian reaches us. I’ve met this guy a few times at the McIntyre Security office building, but I don’t know him well. I’ve heard rumors about the Cajun—that he used to wrestle alligators bare-handed as a kid back in the bayou. Looking at him, I can easily believe it. He’s whipcord lean and muscular, a deadly combination. There’s something wild about him—he almost seems feral.

“Killian,” Cooper says, standing to shake the man’s hand. “Thanks for stepping in this afternoon. I appreciate it.”

He gives Cooper a curt nod, then he eyes me and Beth, a hint of a smirk on his too-handsome face. “I heard we have a shopping emergency,” he says in his low Cajun drawl.

“Hey, don’t make fun,” Beth says, laughing. “It’s important. Sam has a date.”

Killian raises an eyebrow, his gaze going first to me, then to Cooper. “Why didn’t you say so in the first place? Let’s get a move on.”

“Two hours, max,” Cooper says, using his stern drill sergeant voice. Then he looks at Killian. “Don’t let them talk you into anything more.”

“Aye, sir,” Killian says, winking at Beth as he salutes Cooper.

Killian had already called for an Uber, so within minutes, there’s a black SUV waiting for us outside the front lobby doors. As we step outside, I immediately scan the property and three vehicles parked strategically along the outer perimeter of the parking lot. I see Jake’s black Tahoe, although it’s currently empty. I see Cameron Stewart in another SUV. The third vehicle is a beat-up pick-up truck, but it’s empty as well. Presumably, that’s Killian’s pick-up truck.

“Hi, guys,” Jake says, joining us beside our Uber ride. He claps me on the back. “Stay close to Killian.”

I roll my eyes. “Yes, dad.”

Jake narrows his gaze at me. “Don’t get smart with me, or we’ll call this little expedition off.”

I shake my head at Jake as Beth smiles brightly. “We’ll be on our best behavior,” she says. “Promise.”

Killian opens the rear passenger door for Beth, and she scoots inside the vehicle. I slide in beside her, and Killian sits in the front passenger seat. Our driver is Middle Eastern, with a thick head of black hair and a heavy accent. He’s got a sizeable collection of tiny Minion figurines hanging from his rear-view mirror.

Once Beth has her seat belt latched, we’re off.

* * *

As soon as we set foot inside the impressive entrance to this shopping heaven and ride up two sets of escalators to the main floor, Killian does an amazing job of blending into the scenery and becoming essentially invisible. I know he can’t be far away—he knows better than that—but he’s not easy to spot. He leaves us alone to do our thing, and I appreciate that. It’s bad enough being babysat, without being smothered too. Damn, I really need to get recertified at work. If I were back on the job, Beth and I could have done this alone, just the two of us.

“Where shall we start?” Beth says, as we reach the first floor of shops. She tilts her head back and gazes up through the center open space. It’s an impressive sight, seven levels of glass, gold trim, and sparkling lights. “And no, we’re not stopping at the Lego store,” she says, as she catches me eyeing an impressive Lego display sitting inside a Plexiglass case.

They have all the cool clothing shops here, but I’m not looking for jeans or tees. I have plenty of those. Beth takes my hand and drags me to the glass elevator, which we ride up to the fifth floor. There, she leads me to Armani Exchange. “Here,” she says, pushing me through the entrance. “Very chic, classic style. It’s perfect for impressing your date.”

“This is Cooper we’re talking about,” I remind her. “I don’t think he’ll be impressed by what I’m wearing.”

“True. But you still need to look amazing.”

We peruse the store, and I end up trying on half a dozen pairs of trousers in varying shades of black and gray as she waits for me to model them.

“Those!” she says, when I step out of the changing room wearing a pair of slim profile black trousers. “Hot damn!”

I laugh at her enthusiasm as I check out the fit in the mirror. They’re comfortable, but they’re a little dressier than I’m used to.

“Now a shirt,” she says, pulling me to some racks of long-sleeved patterned shirts. She rifles through their selection and settles on a long sleeved button-down shirt with a subtle, black-and-white design. “This!” she says. “With a black jacket and black boots. That would look awesome.”

I try on the shirt, and it’s a perfect fit. And I like it. Then she drags me to the jackets, and I pick out a light-weight, slim black bomber jacket.

When I come out of the dressing room wearing the entire ensemble, her eyes widen appreciatively. “Very metrosexual,” she says, nodding her head.

I grin. “I’m homosexual, not metrosexual.”

She swats my arm. “They’re not mutually exclusive, you know. In fact, aren’t most gay guys good dressers too?” She gives me a dismissive wave of her hand. “You notwithstanding.”

“You are stereotyping, princess,” I tell her, dragging her toward the shoe department. “I want some new boots that will go well with these pants.”

I end up selecting a pair of low-profile, black leather Chelsea boots that work great with the slacks, and to finish off the outfit, a pair of dark aviator sunglasses. “I look sick!” I say, staring at my reflection in the mirror.

Beth laughs. “Yes, you definitely look sick.”

Then she talks me into getting a second pair of these trousers in a dark gray, and a few more shirts. “You’re twenty-eight, Sam, soon to be twenty-nine. It’s time for you to move beyond ripped jeans and snarky T-shirts. Besides, Cooper might ask you on a second date, and you’d have nothing else to wear.”

“It took him two years to ask me out on our first official date. I’m not holding my breath that there will be another one any time soon.”

Beth fiddles with my jacket, admiring my new threads. “I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” she says. “I think he’s really trying hard. Don’t underestimate him. Besides, when he sees you dressed up like this, he’s gonna be like, ‘Damn, I need to take Sam out more,’ right?”

I shake my head as she says this last bit in her best Cooper impersonation. “Are you okay?” I say, as I feel her forehead.

She ducks her head, swatting my hand away as she laughs. “I’m fine!”

As we head to the check-out so I can pay for my new threads, I catch sight of Killian standing just outside the store’s entrance, monitoring our progress. He’s dressed in all black—the bodyguard’s dress code—and I know he’s packing heat beneath his jacket. It’s strange being on the receiving end of protection. I’m used to being the one doing the protecting, not the other way around.

I’ve accomplished all my shopping in less than an hour. “We still have some time to kill, you know,” I tell Beth. “Is there anything you want to do?”

She grins. “Can we go look at maternity clothes? And maybe baby clothes?”

On another floor of the shopping center, we come across a mom-and-baby shop. Beth tries on several casual maternity dresses and picks out a mint green floral chiffon dress that looks amazing with her blonde hair.

“How about a lingerie set?” I suggest, when we come across a display of sexy little two-piece outfits. “Pick out something sexy and slinky to surprise Shane with tonight.”

“I can’t.”

I laugh. “Why not?”

Her hand automatically goes to her baby bump. “I’m showing.”

“Oh, for God’s sake, don’t be ridiculous. You realize your husband is smitten with you, right? You could wear a brown paper sack and he’d be all over you. Honestly, sweetie, he’d love to see you in new sexy lingerie, baby bump or not. Besides, in case you’ve forgotten, he’s the one who put that baby in you in the first place.”

She grins, turning a pretty shade of pink when I point at a mannequin wearing a cream-colored babydoll lingerie set, with a sheer gauzy and lace top and matching barely-there string panties with a tiny little swath of fabric barely big enough to cover her pussy.

“That’s really pretty,” she says.

“Hell, yes, it’s really pretty. It’s fucking awesome. You definitely need to wear this tonight, for Shane’s sake. I guarantee you, he’ll love it.”

But the best part of the trip is when we come across the baby clothes section. I’ve never seen so many cute little outfits in my life. “No wonder people have babies,” I say. “They want an excuse to buy all these darling clothes.”

Beth picks out a few cute little newborn sleepers. I pick out a onesie that says Daddy’s Mini Me, cause I figure this little guy is going to be a chip off the old block.

Once our purchases are made, we still have twenty minutes to spare before we turn into pumpkins, so we stop for ice cream cones and sit down at a little bistro table to eat them. Killian lurks just on the edge of my peripheral vision.

I tip my head in Killian’s direction. “Don’t you think it’s kind of ridiculous, how good looking he is?”

Beth nods as she licks her ice cream. “Mm-hmm. He’s really nice, though, and I love that Cajun accent. I wonder if he has a girlfriend.”

I shrug. “I have no idea, but seriously, all that hotness is going to waste if he doesn’t.”

Beth leans back in her chair and groans as she stretches her legs. “My feet hurt.” She licks her ice cream cone. “Are you excited about tonight?”

“Yeah. And nervous, too.”

“Why are you nervous?”

“He’s never done this before. What if someone makes some dumb-ass comment? I don’t know how well he’ll handle it. I guess I’m afraid something will happen to mess up tonight and make him regret taking me out in public.”

“I don’t think you need to worry about that.” Beth lays her hand on my arm and gives me a reassuring pat. “He really wants to make you happy, Sam.”

When some random guy approaches our table, asking for money for bus fare, Killian pushes away from the wall and heads right for us. I hand the guy a five-dollar bill, and he thanks me and walks off.

“What was that all about?” Killian says, when he reaches us.

“Nothing. Just a guy asking for money. No problem.”

Killian nods and then checks the time. “Are you two ready to head home?”

I stand. “We are.” I hold out my hand to Beth, and she lets me help her to her feet. “I think our expectant mother is worn out.”