A Dangerously Sexy Affair. Stefanie London

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СКАЧАТЬ stopped outside the hotel room, I was going to tell you.”

      “So you say.” She tugged her denim jacket closer around her small frame. “How can I believe anything that comes out of your mouth?”

      “You weren’t exactly up-front about where you worked, if memory serves me correctly.” He walked around the table to cut the distance between them.

      “Keeping my private details to myself is not the same as lying.” Her fists clenched at her sides. “You flat out lied to me. Did you think you’d have a better chance with me if I thought you were a gamer?”

      “No.” He shook his head, a dull ache spreading out from his temples as the ringing in his ears from his tinnitus started up. “That’s not why I lied.”

      “Enlighten me, then.” Her small pink lips pressed into a flat line.

      This was going downhill. Fast.

      You can lie to protect a life and you can lie to protect your country, but you cannot lie for personal gain.

      His father’s words swirled around in his head. He was the only man Aiden had ever met who managed to break the gray areas of life into fragments of black and white, assigning rules here and there so that he always had a framework for making decisions. The habit had stayed with Aiden, and while his moral code might not match everyone else’s, he stuck to it.

      No matter what.

      “I was there doing research for this assignment. I wanted to see if anyone was talking about Third Planet Studios or the leak about their new engine.” He rubbed at his temple. “I had a suspicion that Alana Peterson might have been involved since she has such a grudge against them.”

      Quinn reeled as if he’d slapped her. “So you approached me because Alana’s my friend. You acted like you had no idea who she was.”

      “I was doing my job.”

      “Your job started today, not last night.” There was a slight shake in her hands as she fiddled with a button on her jacket. “Did you sleep with me to get information?”

      The horror on her face made his stomach churn. He was a lot of things, but he didn’t use women in that way. If Quinn had given any indication that she knew what was going on with Third Planet Studios, he would have kept talking to her until he got what he needed. But he wouldn’t have slept with her to do it.

      “That was all real, I promise. I was attracted to you. I wanted to sleep with you. And you seemed pretty into it, as well.”

      “I can’t believe this.” Her fingers fluttered at her throat as if searching for something that wasn’t there. “You tricked me.”

      “I didn’t trick you into staying the night.” He ground the words out. “You were there because you wanted to be.”

      She swallowed and sucked in a deep breath. “You’re right. I did want to be there. But it sure as hell won’t happen again. If we’re going to work together, you can keep your hands to yourself.”

      “Fine.” He held his hands up, palms facing her. “Does that mean we have a truce?”

      “I wouldn’t go that far.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “I’ll work with you on this one assignment because I want something out of it. But I don’t trust you, and the second it’s over, I’m going to steer clear of you.”

      “At least you’re honest,” he muttered.

      “It’s more than I can say for you.” She tucked her laptop under her arm and headed for the door. “Come on, I’ve been told to take you for coffee.”

       5

      TODAY COULD HAVE been everything she wanted, but instead it was a pile of stinking irony and bad luck. The universe hated her, she was sure of it. But what could she do, cut off her nose to spite her face? She wanted this promotion, and she wasn’t going to let some lying phony take it away from her.

      Some superhot, crazy-skilled-with-his-mouth phony. Ugh.

      A little voice in her head reminded her that she had, in fact, stopped Aiden from talking about himself. She told that voice to shut the hell up. Instead, she found a free table in the far corner of the café, but even the familiarity of her favorite coffee spot didn’t soothe her nerves. Normally, the Brunswick Café was her safe haven, a place where she could bring her laptop and get away from the drama of the office. The guy behind the bar—who had long hair, tropical-fish tattoos and a broad Australian accent—knew her order by heart.

      Even the sight of the quirky meme-inspired posters on the wall didn’t make her smile.

      Behind the anger she’d hurled at Aiden was a kernel of fear taking root deep in her psyche. Had she been played by yet another guy? Used and exploited and made a fool of? Again.

      Now you know he can’t be trusted. So work with him but don’t let him near you.

      “One double-shot vanilla latte with a sprinkle of cinnamon.” Aiden put the towering coffee down in front of her. “Sounds like it has as much sugar as it does caffeine.”

      “Something has to get me out of bed in the morning.”

      He took the chair opposite her, his own coffee cup dwarfed beside hers. “You didn’t seem to have too much trouble today.”

      She ignored the dig. “What’s that? Baby’s first coffee?”

      “It’s a macchiato. A real coffee, not some cupcake masquerading as a drink.” His full lips quirked up. “I am sorry about lying to you, you know. I really was going to tell you last night.”

      “Easy for you to say that now.” She wrapped her hands around the coffee cup and relished the warmth seeping into her palms.

      “You have every right to be angry at me. But I am serious about this job, and I want us to be able to work together.” He brushed a stray black curl from his forehead, and Quinn’s heart jumped.

      Stupid, traitorous body.

      Sipping her drink, she focused on the sweet, sugary flavor instead of the way he was looking at her.

      “I understand that I’ll need to earn your trust back and I’m willing to do that, but not at the cost of this assignment. I’m going to figure out this leak whether you’re with me or not.” He crossed one ankle over his knee, taking up all the free space at their cramped little table. “I do what has to be done for the sake of the job. If that involves crossing a line or two, then so be it.”

      The smooth black wool of his pants curved around muscular legs. He wore a plain blue shirt a few shades lighter than his eyes, the sleeves rolled up and the top button popped open. She knew everything that was underneath that shirt—the ridges of muscle, the sharp V at his waist, the dusting of hair across his chest.

      How good he tasted.

      “I see you take yourself seriously,” she said, swallowing another mouthful of her drink.

      “I СКАЧАТЬ