And he was determined to hit the ground running. Success would be his, no matter what. Even if it meant giving up part of his weekend to do optional recon.
However, he’d picked up nothing but flimsy rumors all night. Definitely nothing that hinted at who was involved. Now, several hours later, he was tired of banal conversation and dead ends. The king-size bed in his hotel room called to him. It was late and he should get a good night’s sleep.
Aiden shrugged off the temptation. The only lead he had was a leggy blonde by the name of Alana Peterson, who apparently had some kind of grudge against the company. But his attempt to engage her in conversation had resulted in his being turned down flatter than a pancake.
A flash of color caught his attention. A woman stood next to a potted plant, her lithe figure encased in a little black dress that was hot enough to melt brain cells. But it was her hair that captivated him. It tumbled down to her waist, dark brown at the top and hot-pink through the lengths. She had a nose piercing and five earrings in one ear. He couldn’t help but linger; she was sex on a stick.
Plus, he’d seen her talking to Alana Peterson earlier. Were they friends? Or simply two women gravitating toward one another in a sea of men?
The woman turned to the potted plant, her lips moving. Was she talking to a tree?
A laugh bubbled up in his throat. She was definitely more appealing than a bunch of geeky men whining about online dating...even if she did appear to be talking to an inanimate object.
“What does your friend think of the party?” he asked, coming up beside her.
She jumped. “Excuse me?”
“Your friend.” He inclined his head toward the tree. “You were talking to him, weren’t you?”
“Her,” the woman corrected, her face totally neutral. “This is Leafina.”
“Nice to meet you, Leafina.” He grabbed a frond, shaking it up and down. “And you are?”
“Not a tree.” The corner of her lip twitched as she accepted his proffered hand.
Damn, she was gorgeous. Quirky, a little awkward, but sexy as all get-out.
“I’m Aiden, also not a tree. I’m not much of a partygoer, either.” Something warned him being overconfident wouldn’t work with her—hopefully, he’d read her right.
Her face softened. “Me, neither. Are you here by yourself?”
“Yeah, but this is a work thing.” He flagged down a passing waiter and grabbed a glass of red wine. “I’d rather be home, to tell you the truth.”
She made an adorable snorting noise, bobbing her head in agreement. “I got dragged here by a friend.”
“So you’re not a tech-head?”
“Oh, I am, but I do that on my own time.”
He sipped his drink. “Who’s your friend? I might know them.”
“Alana Peterson. She’s a tech reporter.”
Bingo. Not only were they friends, but they’d come here together. If Alana was involved in the leak, this woman might have heard about it.
“I’m familiar with the name, but I don’t think I’ve met her.”
“You would remember if you had.” A genuine smile tugged at her lips. “She’s quite a force.”
“Is she working on a story?”
“Yeah. She’s always fighting for better representation of women in the gaming industry,” the woman said, her voice tinted with pride. “She wants one of the game companies to commit to having a female lead in their games. Or at the very least she wants to find out why they haven’t had one to date.”
Ah, so that must be the grudge he’d heard about. “That game company wouldn’t happen to be Third Planet Studios, would it?”
She blinked. “How did you know that?”
“People talk. Her opinions have caused a stir, and not too many guys here seem to care about feminism.”
“Color me shocked.” Quinn rolled her eyes. “That only proves why we need people like Alana asking questions.”
“You’re absolutely right.” He breathed a sigh of relief.
He could recognize a lie when he heard one—he knew how to detect the sound of it, how to look for the telltale facial movements and tics. And how to do all of that without giving a thing away himself.
Thankfully, there was nothing but honesty in this enigmatic woman’s responses.
Which meant he could keep talking to her without the weight of suspicion hanging over them.
“Who do you work for?” she asked.
“Ricochet Studios,” he said, keeping to his script.
The plan was to tell people he was a game designer, some low-level minion at a big company where no one would be likely to call him out on the lie. He had enough knowledge to have a basic discussion about game design, and he was adept at manipulating conversation should anyone get close to sniffing him out.
His experience working for the FBI had equipped him to skate the truth with ease, not that he took any pleasure in it. But his job came first.
“The company who made ‘Slayer’s Faith’?” Her pink lips parted. “You worked on that game?”
The reverence in her voice was a huge boost to his ego, which was stupid since it meant nothing. “You play?”
“I clocked over a hundred hours on it. You don’t make it easy to get the platinum trophy.” She folded her arms, the action plumping up her breasts so that they pressed together in the deep V of the dress’s neckline. “It wasn’t quite as bad as finding all the pigeons in ‘GTA Four,’ mind you.”
A hot girl who knew her games? Heaven must have been smiling down on him. “Ah, you’re a completionist.”
“All the best gamers are.”
He took a slow sip of his wine. “What’s your favorite game?”
“That’s like asking me to pick a favorite limb.” Her dark brows creased.
“Chicken.” He laughed when she narrowed her gaze at him.
The diamond in her nose winked in the light and she tapped a finger to her cheek. The chipped black polish on her fingernails seemed at odds with the hotter-than-sin dress and sexy heels. But he enjoyed the combo; a little bit of contradiction made things more exciting...like there were secrets to be uncovered. A real person under the gloss.
“‘Slayer’s Faith,’” she said, nodding as if convincing herself. “Followed closely by ‘Mario Kart.’”
“What about Leafina? What does she play?” He looked at the potted plant again and a laugh burst from the pink-haired woman’s lips.
“Can I tell you a secret?” she said, her hazel eyes glinting.
“Sure.”
She leaned in close to his ear and cupped a hand around her mouth. “Leafina is kind of boring.”
Her hot breath on his neck flipped an “on” switch deep inside him and filled his whole body with energy. Damn.
He turned toward her, his nose inches from her cheek. “What did you say your name was?”
He realized then that she had hardly any makeup on. Her lashes were dark but not artificial, leaving the unusual green and gold flecks in her eyes to stand out on their own. Her pupils were wide, black.
A delicate blush spread out across her cheeks. “You can call me Pink.”
“Oh, it’s like that, is it?” He took a step closer until the space between them shrank to mere inches. “You’re playing hard to get.”
“I’m worth it.”
He didn’t doubt her for a second.
2
QUINN SIPPED HER WINE, the need for a little Dutch courage outweighing her dislike of the taste. The man in front of her was hot with a capital H—curly black hair, a sharp jaw and blue eyes that burned right through her...not to mention a pair of soft jeans that molded to his thighs like a dream—and she was flirting with him.
She didn’t flirt. Ever.
&
nbsp; “I bet you’re a whiz at ‘Super Mario,’” Aiden said.
“What makes you say that?” She shifted on the high heels Alana had lent her, wishing that she was wearing something more comfortable.
Having a gorgeous guy stand so close to her was making her body haywire enough; she didn’t need to compound the effect with precariously tall heels. All that talk of sex and orgasms with Alana had her wound up tighter than a coil. Could this guy be the one to help her get back in the proverbial game?
She didn’t know him from a bar of soap...which was kind of the point. One-night stands didn’t end in betrayal because there were no expectations for tomorrow.
“You’ve got good gamer hands,” he said.
“Really?” She swallowed, curling her fingers into a fist to hide the chipped polish that she hadn’t had time to remove.
“Yeah, I can tell. Those are magic hands.”
She laughed and shook her head, hoping her face didn’t convey the electric thrill he’d given her. How was it possible for her to be so attracted to him so quickly? In the past it had taken her months of chatting to someone online before she would agree to meet and, even then, it would take several dates before she’d be comfortable enough to even fool around. Until she’d dated her ex...
She shuddered. No man had gotten close to her since. But two years had passed; she’d recovered. Moved on. And her libido had definitely returned.
“So tell me, Pink. What do you do for a living?”
Quinn took a swallow of her wine, stalling. She didn’t want to admit she was a lowly IT support officer, especially not when his job was so exciting. But she didn’t want to lie and say she was a tech-security expert, either, because that job wasn’t hers...yet.
“I, uh...” She swirled the wine in her glass. “I’m actually trying to figure out where I’m going.”
“That’s sufficiently vague,” Aiden said, laughing. “I get it. You don’t have any reason to trust me.”
“Don’t take it personally. I don’t trust Leafina, either,” she quipped.
“I’m going to be bold.” He drained the remainder of his wine and handed the glass off to a passing waiter. “I like you, Pink. You’re kind of fascinating.”
“Kind of?” Heat crawled up her cheeks as she looked out at the crowd, her eyes searching for Alana. She wanted to signal to her friend that she was about to make good on her plan.
“Yeah. You’re also kind of hot.” His words smoothed over her like a caress. “Okay, that’s a total lie. You’re insanely hot.”
“And you’re kind of smooth.” Her voice came out far steadier than she’d expected. “I bet that works on a lot of girls.”
“Is that your way of saying it’s not going to work on you?”
The last third of her wine mocked her. She brought the glass to her lips and finished it in one smooth gulp. “I didn’t say that.”
“You want me to work for it?”
“Damn straight.”
His arm snaked around her waist, drawing her closer. “That I can do. How about I take you for a proper drink?”
Could she really do it? Part of her resisted the idea of going for a drink with a man she didn’t know, but her attraction to Aiden sizzled, and no warning bells had sounded thus far.
“I’m a red belt in Tae Kwon Do.” She tilted her head up to him. “And I know a lot of scary people.”
“Pink, I’m not going to do anything that you don’t want me to do. If at any point you decide to call it a night, I will organize a cab and see that you get home safely.” His breath was warm against her neck as he lowered his head. The scent of aftershave and wine mingled in her nostrils. “If you don’t want to leave... I’m more than happy to oblige there, too.”
A delicious shiver ran up the length of her spine. “I’ll take you up on that drink.”
“Do you need to tell Alana where we’re going?”
“I’ll text her.”
Aiden’s hand found the small of her back as he escorted her out of the cocktail party and into the lobby of the hotel. Alana was nowhere to be seen. Her friend would understand, but she texted her anyway.
“Tell her my name is Aiden Odell, room two-thirty-two,” he said. “We’ll be having a drink in the Lion Lounge if she wants to come find you.”
Typing with her thumbs, Quinn sent the details through to Alana. Slipping the phone into her bag, she swallowed down any reservations and allowed Aiden to guide her toward the dimly lit bar on the other side of the hotel lobby.
Two hours later they were sitting on a leather sofa, surrounded by soft lighting designed for intimacy. They were also several Scotches down and in midargument about who was a more avid gamer.
“I got my first console at six years old,” Quinn said, gesturing with her glass, the last bit of liquid swishing precariously up the side. “I’ve kept every single one since then.”
“Console collecting does not make you a master gamer.” Aiden shook his head, his dark curls looking slightly wild and out of control.
Her fingers ached to run through them, to tug them until his head was right where she wanted it. “If you had one in your hotel room, I would prove to you right now that I could kick your ass in any game.”
“That’s a bold statement, Pink.” He leaned forward and braced his forearms on his thighs, nursing a crystal tumbler in both hands. “But it’s complete crap.”
“It is not!” She pursed her lips and tried to be mad. But truth was, she loved the banter and the fact that he challenged her. Most male gamers wouldn’t even bother; they’d assume she wasn’t their equal and move on.
“It is.” He rolled the glass between his hands, warming the last of his drink. “Because if I took you up to my room, the only thing you’d be playing would be me.”
Her sex clenched and she pressed her thighs together, failing to dull the throbbing. “How can you be certain I’m not going to thank you for the drinks and then leave?”
“I can’t.” He grinned, a wicked glint lighting up his vibrant eyes. “But if you’re half as attracted to me as I am to you...well, then it’s going to be fun.”
“You don’t know anything about me.”
He leaned back in his seat, finished off his drink and set it down on the mirror-finish table in front of them. “So fill me in. You don’t have to tell me your name or what you do. Or anything serious.”
“A random fact, then?”
“Yeah, something you think other people wouldn’t care about.” He rolled up the sleeves of his cotton shirt, exposing arms smattered with dark hair.
His denim-clad thigh sat inches from hers, and heat pulsed between them. Over the past couple of hours, she’d kept her space and he hadn’t pushed, hadn’t tried to make a direct move. But his words and actions were heavy with intent, each naughty suggestion pushing her further and further toward deciding to go upstairs with him.
“I’m an only child,” she said, figuring that such a benign detail was probably safe to share. “And I prefer it that way.”
“You never wanted a brother or a sister?”
“I don’t like sharing my toys.” She laughed. “I do things my way, on my terms.”
“Yeah, I got that impression.” His eye raked over her. “I have a brother and a sister.”
The darkness in his tone made her pause, but the friendly smile sprang back into place. “So how do you know Alana? Are you a tech reporter, too?”
She shook her head. “We went to school together. When she started her site, I offered to review games for her.”
“I bet she gets a lot of inside information.”
“Yeah, she does. Lots of companies send her prerelease stuff, and she’s always getting invited to parties like this.” Quinn smirked. “Then she drags me along and bails when a story comes up.”<
br />
Aiden paused and took a swig of his Scotch. “I’m surprised she’s not looking into the game engine Third Planet is building. There’s been a lot of buzz about that lately.”
Game engine? “I haven’t heard anything about that.”
“Really?” He cocked his head. “Apparently, it’s going to revolutionize the way games are designed.”
“I guess she would be interested in that.”
A dimple formed in his cheek as he smiled. “Okay, that’s enough nerd talk from me.”
“Don’t stop on my account.” She held up a hand and laughed. “I’m all for nerd talk.”
“What if I want to talk about you?” His eyes raked over her, hot and steady, lighting a path from her cheeks straight down to her sex.
“I don’t really enjoy talking about myself. Call it a lesson learned.”
His lips pressed into a line. “Sounds like you’ve got a bad story there.”
Was he genuinely concerned? Probably not. After all, they didn’t really know each other. She hadn’t told him her real name, where she worked or lived...but those were her rules. A one-night stand would be fine because she could call it quits when she wanted, and Aiden couldn’t come after her if he didn’t have her name.
“I’m a big girl. I can look after myself.” She squared her shoulders. “So, two siblings, huh?”
“Yeah, but I’m not good at sharing, either.”
“Maybe we won’t be compatible, then,” she said with mock seriousness. “We both hate sharing. We’re both competitive.”
“I’ve always found competition to be a healthy thing.” The words came out rough, low.
“Even where sex is concerned?” She bit her lip.
“Especially where sex is concerned.” His arms slid along the back of the sofa, and Quinn scooted closer to him until their knees were touching.
“I’m going to be bold,” she said, echoing his words from earlier. “I like you. You’re kind of fascinating.”
“Kind of?” he asked as his head dipped, his lips inches from hers.
A Dangerously Sexy Affair Page 2
