by Katie Reus
“She seems really nice,” Athena murmured, taking a step into the hallway and away from him.
It took a second for it to register what she was saying as he was mentally ordering his dick to stay down. What. The. Hell. He’d always been in control of his body. Always. Being around Athena again reminded him of why he’d run. Well part of the reason. The virginity thing had been an excuse he’d used to convince himself to end things. Because he’d known that after her, he’d be turning in his bachelor card forever. There was something so sensual and raw about her that called to him on the most primal level he’d just known she could be it for him. Quinn hadn’t thought he was ready for anything serious or to settle down.
Seeing her again, he couldn’t believe he’d actually walked away. Over the past two months he’d tried to convince himself he’d built her up in his head. No such luck.
It was clear she wanted to head back to the party and he didn’t want to make her uncomfortable so he tilted his head toward the end of the hallway. “Want to grab a drink?”
“That sounds good.” A real smile touched her lips then, fleeting, but long enough for him to feel the effects of it through his entire body. “It was kind of a jolt to see you out there,” she said softly as they headed down the hallway.
Something eased inside him at the slight shift in her tone. “Yeah, no kidding. You look like Belle, I can see the resemblance now.” She was a little shorter than her cousin, but they were both knockouts.
She lifted her shoulders, no awkwardness there now. “Our fathers are brothers.”
“On Monday I’d like to take you to lunch,” he blurted. They’d reached the end of the hallway and he knew his time with her was limited. He didn’t think she’d want to stand around talking with him much longer even if she did seem more relaxed. “Since it’s your first day,” he tacked on, even if it was a lie. He’d make it seem casual even if that was the last thing he felt.
A tactician by nature, he was going to play things right this time. Or give it his best shot.
“Ah…” She trailed off as they reached the end of the hallway.
It emptied into the oversized foyer where Grant, Belle and Carlito Duarte, a detective for the Miami PD, were talking.
Carlito—good-looking bastard—smiled at Athena with a familiarity that grated against Quinn’s nerves. “Hey, Quinn. Athena, I didn’t know you’d be here,” he said, moving in to give Athena a hug like he had every right in the world to do so.
For all Quinn knew, the guy did. Athena didn’t spare Quinn a glance as Carlito hustled her off toward the kitchen where the sounds of the loud partygoers filled the air.
“Who died?” Belle asked, drawing his attention to her.
Blinking, he looked at Belle and Grant to find her watching him curiously and Grant with an almost knowing expression on his face. “What… oh, I just need a drink.”
There was a loud knock on the door, making Belle push out a laughing breath. “I’ll get it,” she said nudging Grant with her hip. “Go find a drink for Quinn and get me one too while you’re at it.”
Grant dropped a quick kiss on her mouth before clapping Quinn on the back. “I recognize that look,” he said as they entered the half-full kitchen.
Quinn decided to play dumb as he made his way to an ice bucket filled with beers. He grabbed two, handed one to Grant. “What look is that?”
Grant just snorted as he took the beer then set it on the nearest counter. “She’s my wife’s cousin and a new employee. Tread carefully.” There was an unexpected warning bite to his friend’s statement as he pulled a half-empty champagne bottle from the same bucket and began to pour a glass, presumably for Belle.
Maybe the tone shouldn’t be unexpected. Grant would consider Athena family. “I will.”
“Good. Then we won’t have a problem.”
Acknowledgments
As always I owe thanks to Kari Walker! I couldn’t ask for a better critique partner or best friend. Thank you to Julia Ganis for taking on this project. Working with you was a wonderful experience. Many thanks to Jaycee with Sweet ‘N Spicy Designs for another beautiful cover. To Tammy, Grace, and Joanna, thank you for your help confirming a translation. For my readers, you keep asking for more Red Stone books and I’m thrilled to bring you another one. Thank you all for reading this series and your wonderfully supportive emails. For my husband and son, you guys are my rocks. I’m also very grateful to Sarah for all the behind-the-scenes stuff that she does. Thanks to her, I get to write more! Last but never least, I’m grateful to God.
About the Author
Katie Reus is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Red Stone Security series, the Moon Shifter series and the Deadly Ops series. She fell in love with romance at a young age thanks to books she pilfered from her mom’s stash. Years later she loves reading romance almost as much as she loves writing it.
However, she didn’t always know she wanted to be a writer. After changing majors many times, she finally graduated summa cum laude with a degree in psychology. Not long after that she discovered a new love. Writing. She now spends her days writing dark paranormal romance and sexy romantic suspense. For more information on Katie find her on twitter @katiereus or visit her on facebook at: www.facebook.com/katiereusauthor. If you would like to be notified of future releases, please visit her website: www.katiereus.com and join her newsletter.
Complete Booklist
Red Stone Security Series
No One to Trust
Danger Next Door
Fatal Deception
Miami, Mistletoe & Murder
His to Protect
Breaking Her Rules
Protecting His Witness
Sinful Seduction
Under His Protection
Deadly Fallout
Sworn to Protect
Secret Obsession
Love Thy Enemy
The Serafina: Sin City Series
First Surrender
Sensual Surrender
Sweetest Surrender
Dangerous Surrender
Deadly Ops Series
Targeted
Bound to Danger
Chasing Danger (novella)
Shattered Duty
Edge of Danger
A Covert Affair
Non-series Romantic Suspense
Running From the Past
Dangerous Secrets
Killer Secrets
Deadly Obsession
Danger in Paradise
His Secret Past
Retribution
Merry Christmas, Baby
Paranormal Romance
Destined Mate
Protector’s Mate
A Jaguar’s Kiss
Tempting the Jaguar
Enemy Mine
Heart of the Jaguar
Moon Shifter Series
Alpha Instinct
Lover’s Instinct (novella)
Primal Possession
Mating Instinct
His Untamed Desire (novella)
Avenger’s Heat
Hunter Reborn
Protective Instinct (novella)
Darkness Series
Darkness Awakened
Taste of Darkness
Beyond the Darkness
Hunted by Darkness
Into the Darkness
