Operation London (33 page)

“How about that?” he asked, bewitched by the fire in her eyes.

She was about to come up with a biting retort when she noticed Ava and Miguel had stopped dancing
. There were tears in Ava’s silver eyes and Miguel’s face was full of absolute adoration. As happy as she was for her friends, Magdalene felt a quick pang of envy.

“What’s wrong with Ava and Miguel?” Magdalene asked
. Cormac took her hand and they hurried over to see.

One look into Ava’s eyes told Magdalene the whole story
. “Oh Ava, congratulations!” she cried, hugging her friend close.

Miguel beamed with pride.

“Am I missing something?” Cormac asked, confusion all over his handsome face.

“I’m going to have a baby, Cormac,” Ava said.

Shock made him still, but in a moment he had his friend around the waist, kissing her cheek excitedly. He shook Miguel’s hand and said, “Brilliant, mate. Bloody brilliant!”

Suddenly a cloud passed over Cormac’s eyes
. “But Ava, will you quit the case?” he asked.

“No!  No, I’ll just have to work from home, handle the technical aspects and the information
. You two will be out in the field together.”  She said it with a straight face, but inside she couldn’t help appreciating the horrified faces they made.

Family and friends began to crowd around Ava, reveling in the good news
. Cormac and Magdalene wound up back on the dance floor, entwined in one another’s arms, scowling.

“This should be bloody hell,” Cormac said.

“Imagine how I feel,” Magdalene sputtered. “I’ll have to be stuck with you all through this damn case!”

Something about her fury ticked Cormac off
. They had always had fun bantering and baiting one another, but did she need to be so rude about her feelings?  Plus that, he could tell she liked him. And she knew he could get her to melt a little over time.

“It won’t be that bad, lovey,” he said smoothly, giving her a winning smile.

“You’re used to your own idiotic behavior. I’ll have to adjust,” she answered smartly.

Something like rage mixed with desire passed through Cormac, and before he knew it he was pulling her closer. And he knew he wasn’t imagining when he noticed that she was more than willing
. His tongue found hers, fought to drink in her warmth. His mouth caught at her hungrily.

She answered him, and it made his blood sing
. They had been together as young teens, but neither was ready for the passion that had been there, too intense and needy. After calling the relationship off, they had engaged in constant battle. But their desire was always hot and alive, right under the surface, almost ready to explode.

Magdalene was lost in the kiss, taken in by Cormac’s magic just as she had been years ago
.

The heavy silence of the room finally broke the spell, made her realize that they had locked tongues explicitly in a room full of people they both knew and loved
. Pulling away she saw Piper’s mouth hanging open, her mom covering her face, and Miguel and Ava nudging one another.

“You idiot!” she cried, smacking him clean across the face and marching away to hide her very red face.

Cormac smiled lazily and bowed after his temptress’s very cute backside.

“This is going to be a long case,” Ava smiled, kissing her husband happily
. Something in her heart told her the adventure had only just begun.