walked out, then stopped suddenly when he realized she was right behind him. She stopped just short of colliding with him.
"What are you doing?" he asked, not turning to face her.
"What does it look like I'm doing?" she retorted.
He closed his eyes, counting to ten, and then turned to glare down at her.
"Stop."
She held up her hands, palms out in supplication. "I'm just going to my room. You did say we needed to be at the offices by seven, did you not?"
He actually growled and cursed low, under his breath, in Italian. She had a feeling he thought she didn't speak Italian. He was forgetting that she grew up best friends with Kacee Adtkisson, whose mother was Italian. She understood every word of the foul oath he'd just spat out, but decided not to let on that she knew.
"You want to move out of my way so I can pass, Commander?" she asked in as sweet a voice as she could manage.
He shook his head, muttering about crazy women as he stepped aside to let her breeze past him. Lainey smiled all the way up the stairs and into her room. She had him flustered and she was pretty sure that hadn't happened to the Commander in quite some time.
They made the ride to her offices in silence. Lainey glanced at his profile from time to time, seeing that muscle in his jaw ticking every so often, making her smile. She was quite certain he had never met anyone like her...at least not in a long time. She deferred to him when they parked and he put his hand on her shoulder to hold her close to his body as they walked t he short distance from the SUV to the lobby door. He kept her shielded with his body from the outside doors while they waited for the elevator, then stepped back to give her space once they were safely in the elevator car. He was standing slightly in front of her, and she admired the way his suit fit him. He wore a black suit with a white shirt, open at the collar, no tie. She loved the way the jacket fit his broad shoulders.
As the elevator doors opened, she saw two people standing outside her office doors. One was a really tall, really built man with dark curly hair and a day or two growth of scruff on his cheeks. He was wearing a black Henley and khaki cargo pants, and had the warmest brown eyes she'd ever seen. Next to him, was a tall, extremely beautiful blonde woman who wore a nice navy blue pant suit. Both were smiling as they stepped closer to greet them.
"Hey, stranger," the woman said, embracing Mike.
"Hi, Tess," he said, kissing her cheek.
"Hey, Boss," the tall man said, shaking Mike's hand and slapping his back in one of those one-armed hugs guys always did with each other.
"Thank you both for coming," Mike said, then stepped back, gesturing to Lainey. "This is Lainey Riley. Lainey, Tessa McCanton and Colt Harris."
"Nice to meet you, Lainey," Tessa said, shaking her hand.
"So, you're Riley's cousin," Colt said, shaking her hand as well. "He spoke of you often...though, he made it seem like you were a little girl."
Lainey laughed. "They all tend to forget I'm not a little girl any more."
"Let's get inside," Mike said to Lainey, nodding to her to unlock the office door.
She rolled her eyes and turned to do as he asked, huffing when he put his hand on her shoulder to prevent her from stepping inside first. She clenched her teeth to keep from snapping at him then followed him inside.
"Stay here with Tessa," Mike said to her as he took his scanner out to check for bugs. Lainey started to protest but stopped when the scanner began beeping, indicating the presence of new bugs.
"Oh, you have got to be kidding me!" she seethed.
Mike flashed her a look over his shoulder but didn't speak. Colt followed him through the offices, searching for and removing bugs as the scanner indicated.
"He just removed bugs from here yesterday," she explained to Tessa as they waited by the door.
"Well, after Colt gets this system installed, this guy will have a hard time
"What are you doing?" he asked, not turning to face her.
"What does it look like I'm doing?" she retorted.
He closed his eyes, counting to ten, and then turned to glare down at her.
"Stop."
She held up her hands, palms out in supplication. "I'm just going to my room. You did say we needed to be at the offices by seven, did you not?"
He actually growled and cursed low, under his breath, in Italian. She had a feeling he thought she didn't speak Italian. He was forgetting that she grew up best friends with Kacee Adtkisson, whose mother was Italian. She understood every word of the foul oath he'd just spat out, but decided not to let on that she knew.
"You want to move out of my way so I can pass, Commander?" she asked in as sweet a voice as she could manage.
He shook his head, muttering about crazy women as he stepped aside to let her breeze past him. Lainey smiled all the way up the stairs and into her room. She had him flustered and she was pretty sure that hadn't happened to the Commander in quite some time.
They made the ride to her offices in silence. Lainey glanced at his profile from time to time, seeing that muscle in his jaw ticking every so often, making her smile. She was quite certain he had never met anyone like her...at least not in a long time. She deferred to him when they parked and he put his hand on her shoulder to hold her close to his body as they walked t he short distance from the SUV to the lobby door. He kept her shielded with his body from the outside doors while they waited for the elevator, then stepped back to give her space once they were safely in the elevator car. He was standing slightly in front of her, and she admired the way his suit fit him. He wore a black suit with a white shirt, open at the collar, no tie. She loved the way the jacket fit his broad shoulders.
As the elevator doors opened, she saw two people standing outside her office doors. One was a really tall, really built man with dark curly hair and a day or two growth of scruff on his cheeks. He was wearing a black Henley and khaki cargo pants, and had the warmest brown eyes she'd ever seen. Next to him, was a tall, extremely beautiful blonde woman who wore a nice navy blue pant suit. Both were smiling as they stepped closer to greet them.
"Hey, stranger," the woman said, embracing Mike.
"Hi, Tess," he said, kissing her cheek.
"Hey, Boss," the tall man said, shaking Mike's hand and slapping his back in one of those one-armed hugs guys always did with each other.
"Thank you both for coming," Mike said, then stepped back, gesturing to Lainey. "This is Lainey Riley. Lainey, Tessa McCanton and Colt Harris."
"Nice to meet you, Lainey," Tessa said, shaking her hand.
"So, you're Riley's cousin," Colt said, shaking her hand as well. "He spoke of you often...though, he made it seem like you were a little girl."
Lainey laughed. "They all tend to forget I'm not a little girl any more."
"Let's get inside," Mike said to Lainey, nodding to her to unlock the office door.
She rolled her eyes and turned to do as he asked, huffing when he put his hand on her shoulder to prevent her from stepping inside first. She clenched her teeth to keep from snapping at him then followed him inside.
"Stay here with Tessa," Mike said to her as he took his scanner out to check for bugs. Lainey started to protest but stopped when the scanner began beeping, indicating the presence of new bugs.
"Oh, you have got to be kidding me!" she seethed.
Mike flashed her a look over his shoulder but didn't speak. Colt followed him through the offices, searching for and removing bugs as the scanner indicated.
"He just removed bugs from here yesterday," she explained to Tessa as they waited by the door.
"Well, after Colt gets this system installed, this guy will have a hard time
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