“On the same team?”
“Yeah.”
For the first time since he’d started at Cobalt & Dane, she reminded him of the Quinn he’d first met. Adorably awkward, a little unsure of herself. Vulnerable.
He wanted to scoop her up and tell her everything would be okay. But that was not only inappropriate given their current situation—and her anger toward him—but he knew that it would only push her further away. She needed space to trust him again...if she ever decided he was worth it.
“Act like you normally would if it was your first day at a new job. Introduce yourself to people, stick to your script and don’t take any notice of me. If you actively try to avoid me, that could seem suspicious, so pretend I’m not there.” He stifled a smile. “You’ve been doing a pretty good job of that all week.”
Her lip twitched. “Would you buy it if I said I was practicing?”
“Not a chance.”
“See, honesty suits you.” Her eyes tracked his face.
“Why are you talking to me now?”
“I wanted to make sure we were on the same page...you know, for the assignment.” She traced patterns with the toe of her purple high-top sneakers. “And Rhys said I had to check in with you.”
“Are you nervous?”
Her eyes avoided his. “Maybe.”
He packed up his desk, tucking his laptop into his satchel and stacking two disposable coffee cups in one hand. Quinn followed him into the kitchen, where he dumped his trash.
“There’s nothing to worry about. Rhys wouldn’t be putting you in there if he didn’t believe that you could do it.” He leaned against the kitchen table. “It’s no different than starting a new job. Be your charming self and make friends.”
“You say that like it’s the easiest thing in the world.”
“It is. You love games. They love games. Pretend you’re at a convention and you’re talking to people while lining up for something.”
She laughed and hitched her backpack higher up on her shoulder. The straps were decorated with pins that appeared to be from various gaming events. “I never talk to people in lines.”
“You talked to me at the cocktail party.”
“And look how that turned out.” She shook her head, a blush staining her pale cheeks.
“Pretty good, I’ll say.” Aiden crossed his ankles and braced his hands on the edge of the table. “Despite what happened the next morning, I don’t regret that evening at all. I had a great night with you.”
She made a hmm noise that could have been agreement or skepticism; he wasn’t sure. There appeared to be a fine line between those two things when it came to Quinn.
“Do you regret sleeping with me?” he asked.
“I think I should have stuck with Leafina.” The words were chosen carefully, perhaps so she could avoid lying without actually revealing anything to him. “Trees make good friends, you know. They don’t spill your secrets and they don’t argue with you.”
“Why would an honest gal like you have any secrets?”
The change in her expression was akin to the aftermath of a flash of lightning; one moment filled with light had suddenly plunged into darkness. Her brows crinkled and her bottom lip caught between her teeth. She ran her tongue over where she’d bitten herself, smearing a drop of blood.
“So I’ll see you on Monday,” she said, hooking her thumbs under the straps of her backpack. “If I’m still around in the evening.”
Without waiting for a response, she turned and left the kitchen, disappearing into the office and leaving Aiden wondering what the hell had happened.
Just because she doesn’t lie doesn’t mean she’s not hiding anything.
6
QUINN ACTIVELY AVOIDED the nightmare of starting a new job. She’d only ever had three jobs—selling burgers at a fast-food chain through high school, her first tech job in a computer store, where she sat in the back and fixed PCs, and then Cobalt & Dane.
She hated leaving the comfort of a known environment. What if the boss hated you? What if you sucked? What if your colleagues decided to single you out?
Kind of like how you singled Aiden out on his first day?
A sliver of guilt made its way into her gut but she rationalized it away. Aiden was the one who’d fooled her, so the situation with him was different. He wasn’t some innocent guy rocking up to a job totally unaware.
If anything was true about Aiden, it was that he was totally aware. Of everything.
Like how he’d zeroed in on her nerves last night. Or the way he’d seemed to sense she was hiding things from the world. She’d never met someone who seemed to be able to figure people out so quickly. How did he do it?
“You don’t have to stay all night because it’s your first day.” One of her new colleagues—Jason...or was it James?—said as he walked past her desk. “We try not to work the newbies into the ground right away.” He flashed her a wide smile and looked her up and down.
“It’s fine. I have one thing to finish off before I go.” Her eyes darted to the door near the now-empty reception desk. Still no Aiden. Where was he?
They’d left the plan open as to whether or not she’d see him tonight, but the truth was she didn’t want to be left out of the action. This was her chance to shine, so she couldn’t leave now.
The office was clearing out. Hopefully, by the time he arrived there wouldn’t be anyone left to catch them together.
“Don’t stay too late.”
Quinn smiled tightly. “I won’t.”
“See you tomorrow, then.” He hovered for a moment before leaving.
Only a few people dotted the funky white-and-green desks. The office had been decked out in the company’s colors, with small earthlike orbs hanging from random sections of the ceiling. Quinn counted four life-size statues of game characters in her immediate vicinity. A clear glass case near the reception desk held awards and memorabilia.
So far the people at Third Planet Studios seemed nice enough. They’d given her a desk, encouraged her to put a few personal belongings down and had shown her around the facilities. Did any of them suspect she was lying about her identity? Thankfully, a fake surname and LinkedIn profile were all she needed for her cover, and she’d kept her first name to ensure she responded to anyone who called out to her.
They’d kept her job history pretty similar, too—the less false information she had to remember, the better. Lying, it turned out, was a complicated business.
“You’re still here.” A deep voice broke her out of her thoughts.
“You’re not supposed to be talking to me,” she said under her breath, her eyes flicking around the room to check if anyone was within earshot. “Not with people around.”
“Relax.” He seemed totally at ease with their situation. “Walt is kicking everyone out now.”
Quinn, on the other hand, could have snapped the edge of her seat for how tightly she was holding it. She balled her hands into fists and then released them the way her therapist had taught her.
“This is cute.” He leaned over and reached for the fluffy llama she had on her desk—the lone personal item she’d brought with her.
“I won it at a convention.”
He inspected the small stuffed toy. “What’s his name?”
“Palmer.”
“Palmer the llama? Really?”
She stifled a laugh. “I never said it was a good name.”
Aiden placed it back on her desk and walked away, shaking his head. For the first time all day, her heart didn’t seem to be thundering in her chest, her hands weren’t shaking and her breath appeared to be coming and going at a normal rate.
Her eyes followed him down between the neat rows of desks. Dark denim hugged his strong legs and perfect ass. He wore a whit
e shirt, but it was tucked in, highlighting his trim waist and the broad expanse of his back. Dark, curly hair brushed the top of his collar, wild and messy enough that her fingers ached to touch and tug.
Heat flittered low in her belly as she remembered what he felt like on top of her, inside her. Covering her. Pleasuring her.
“Stop it,” she muttered under her breath as she watched him disappear into the boss’s office.
But the images wouldn’t go away; it was as if he’d tattooed them on her brain. Eternal torture of the sexiest kind. Why couldn’t he have been any other guy...particularly one that she didn’t have to work with?
She couldn’t hide the truth from herself. She was oh, so ready to repeat their night in the hotel. Every single kiss, every lick, every touch—she wanted it all again.
Stupid libido. She hadn’t heard from it in two years and then all of a sudden it became a deafening roar in her ears. Didn’t it know she had a job to focus on right now? Talk about an inopportune time to make a comeback. Her sexual hibernation period appeared to be over, thanks entirely to Aiden.
Go home to your vibrator and take care of it yourself. Much safer.
“Quinn!” her “new boss” called from the depths of his office. “Can I see you for a minute?”
She jumped up, flustered and filled with raging heat. “Yes...uhh, just a minute.”
Swigging her water bottle, she fanned herself furiously with one hand and hoped to hell her face wouldn’t be the same color as the streaks in her hair. The last thing she needed was to appear anything but one hundred percent professional.
Putting one foot in front of the other seemed tougher than usual, as if she’d used up all her brain cells today and now her body was compensating by obliterating her motor skills.
“I’ve gone around the office and sent everyone home, so there’s no need to worry about anyone seeing you here now,” he said as she entered his office. Aiden was already inside.
Walt Dixon seemed an unlikely name for a guy who headed up a hugely successful video game company, but one look at the man and it was clear he was in the right job. A white T-shirt featuring a concept drawing of one of the characters from their latest game, “Occupant Z II,” stretched across his protruding stomach. His office walls were heavily lined with signed game art, stills and industry photos. Figurines were arranged in one corner of his desk, a little cluster of blood-spattered zombies and heavily armored fighters. An enormous stuffed pink unicorn toy sat in the corner of the room, staring at her with unblinking eyes.
“I’m going to leave you both to your own devices this evening because it’s my little girl’s birthday. But I’ve given Aiden all the access he needs to look around.” Walt toyed with the end of his frizzy ginger-and-gray beard. “I know it was only your first day in here, Quinn. Still, did anything come up?”
She shook her head. “Not yet, but I’m definitely keeping an eye out.”
Walt nodded and handed her a card. “You’ve both got my number if you need to ask me anything tonight. But I’d appreciate if you saved it for only the most important stuff.”
“We won’t interrupt your family time unless it’s absolutely necessary,” Aiden said with a nod. “I’ll be coming into the office tomorrow anyway, so I’m sure any questions can hold over until then.”
“I appreciate it.” Walt grabbed the jacket from the back of his chair. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a toy to deliver.” He picked the unicorn up by its rainbow-colored mane and strode out of the room.
“It’s not every day you see a big, burly guy like that carrying a unicorn.” Aiden tilted his head.
“You clearly haven’t been to many cons.” Quinn shoved her hands into the pockets of her black skinny jeans. “I’ve seen a guy bigger than him dress up as a My Little Pony.”
“No way.”
“Yep.” She nodded. “He rocked it, too. I’ve never seen a sassier version of Rainbow Dash anywhere.”
“I’ve missed out on the whole con experience. I should go to one.” He narrowed his eyes in mock seriousness. “But there’s no way in hell I’m dressing up as a pony.”
“I figured you more for a Powerpuff Girl.” She smirked. “Blossom, I think. Pink is definitely your color.”
He stepped closer and put his hand on the desk next to her. “I would rock the shit out of the Powerpuff Girls.”
“That may be the sexiest thing anyone has ever said to me.” Laughter bubbled up in her throat, dissolving the tension and stress of her day.
“I’m not threatened by the color pink,” he said, reaching out slowly, gently, and touching the end of her braid, his thumb stroking over the dyed strands mixed in with her natural brown ones.
“I can see that.” Her breath stuttered.
She waited for the nerves to kick in, the anxiety and wariness that normally accompanied having someone this close to her. But nothing came. Aiden dropped her braid.
“I’m going to get this search started,” he said, pushing up from the desk. “I don’t want to be here all night.”
“What do you need me to do?”
“Nothing. You’re free to go.” He held the door open for her as they exited Walt’s office. “You did your duty today.”
“Oh. But Walt said he’d cleared everyone out so we could look around.” She flicked her braid over her shoulder, determined not to be left out of the action... At least, that was what she told herself.
“Yes, but I’m running point on this assignment. And I’m saying you can go home.” He thrust his fingers through his dark curls, and Quinn’s blood thrummed.
“You’re running point?”
“Yes.” He dug a hand into his pocket and pulled out his phone, checking it briefly before putting it back into place. “I’m the senior consultant and you’ve been assigned to assist me.”
“Isn’t Rhys in charge?” She shot him a look as she checked the desk closest to her, gingerly leafing through a few papers left on the desk. “I don’t answer to you. I answer to him.”
“While we’re in the field, you answer to me.” His blue eyes narrowed, their color suddenly seeming less like a warm summer sky and more like an iceberg. “It’s important that you respect that.”
“Spare me the male-pride act,” she scoffed.
“The fact that I’m male has nothing to do with it.”
“Enlighten me, then, oh great one. Why are you in charge?”
“I’m in charge because I’m more experienced.”
The words made her cheeks burn. “So Rhys told me when I found out you got the job and I didn’t.”
“I didn’t know you applied for this job.”
She shrugged and didn’t say anything further.
“In any case, I’ve done this before, and I know what happens when things go wrong.” A shadow crossed over his face, a hint of the past. A secret. “You need to follow my direction so we’re on the same page and so I can make sure nothing bad happens to either one of us.”
“Because I can’t look after myself?”
“No, but this isn’t just about you. I don’t expect you to trust me yet, but I do expect you to follow my lead while we’re working on this assignment.” He started toward the HR office. “If you’re not comfortable with that then have a chat with Jin. Maybe they’ll let you work with another consultant.”
“That will only make me seem difficult. I don’t have much of a choice, do I?”
* * *
QUINN FOLLOWED AIDEN into the office of the company’s HR manager. But he left the door open in case someone returned to the office unannounced.
He’d been anxious to see Quinn all day, to the point that he’d been distracted in meetings and fumbled his words when Jin had thrown him into a brainstorming session. Not like him at all.
Women didn’t rattle
his cage the way Quinn had. Usually, he was the cool, calm and collected type. Unattached. Good for a fun time only. He wasn’t against relationships per se, but they didn’t fit into his life. His job had always come first and what little time he had to himself was divided among his friends, family and a few hobbies.
The women he’d dated had all been quickly pissed off at their low priority in his life. But he hadn’t promised them anything more. He figured he had years ahead of him to worry about finding a partner; for now he was on a mission to get his career on track. To make a name for himself that didn’t come with the privilege of association.
But Quinn had blown his neat, consistent list of priorities right out of the water after only one night.
“Are you sure you don’t want to head home? You’ve been here all day,” he said, ignoring the part of him that hoped she’d stay.
“I’m not going anywhere.” She bounced on the balls of her feet. “What are we looking for?”
She’d toned the Quinn-ness down for her first day undercover, swapping ripped skinny jeans and sneakers for neater black jeans and a pair of low-heeled ankle boots. On top she wore a fitted black tank top and a leather motorcycle jacket. The combination gave her a sexy, kick-butt ninja vibe.
“I asked the HR Manager to set aside the employee files of anyone who’s faced disciplinary actions in the last twelve months.” He gestured to the neat stacks of files sitting on top of the filing cabinet. “We’re going to go through them and look for anything that might suggest the person has a grudge against the company. If he or she does, put that file into a separate stack, and that will form the basis of my interview list.”
Bobbing her head, she made her way to the pile marked A–D. “I’ll start here.”
“Actually, do you mind if I take the A’s?” He tried not to cringe. Normally, he was on his game enough that he positioned himself with his working ear facing out. “That way you’ll be on my good side.”
For a moment she looked as though she was going to offer some sympathetic comment, but instead she said, “So you’re Mariah Carey all of a sudden?”
A Dangerously Sexy Affair Page 6
