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“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.”
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.
“Yeah, kind of.”
They both hovered for a moment, drawing out the sizzling anticipation before he slanted his mouth over hers, claiming her. He tasted of Scotch and smelled of heaven and temptation. A tremor ran through her body as his tongue met hers, gentler than she expected. Teasing. Inviting.
Scorching heat seared her from the inside out, melting her into his embrace. His hand slid up her neck to cup her jaw. Then he tilted her head back, deepening their kiss. Even though they’d never kissed before, he moved as if he knew her. As if he understood her.
Her hands fisted in his shirt, pulling him harder against her. His hot breath whispered across her skin as he trailed kisses along her jaw, stopping at the shell of her ear.
“Yes,” she said, her breath stuttering in and out. “My answer is yes.”
“I didn’t ask anything.” The corner of his mouth quirked.
“Your kiss did.” She released his shirt and stood, holding her hand out to him.
* * *
AIDEN HELD PINK close to his body as they walked through the hotel lobby and into the bay of elevators. She interlaced her fingers with his, her small hand gripping him tightly. He couldn’t remember the last time any kiss had made him feel this much anticipation.
Guilt churned in his gut that he hadn’t been completely honest with her. He didn’t have a problem with lying on the job—it was often a requirement, in fact—but this wasn’t work. And she wasn’t an asset or a suspect. Judging by the blank stare she’d given him when he’d asked about the gaming engine, she didn’t know anything. So taking her up to his room was purely personal, and he wanted to make that clear.
The elevator dinged and they filed in behind two other couples. Keeping himself from touching her was torture, especially when Pink leaned back against him, her sweet behind fitting directly against his crotch.
Stifling a groan, he thrust his hips slightly to press into her.
She looked over her shoulder, a sly smile on her lips. “Competitive and impatient.”
“I never said I was perfect.”
Mercifully, the elevator stopped and they were first out. Laughter filtered into the hallway from one of the rooms, mixing with the soothing classical music playing through the hotel speakers. The whole scene was calm and in complete contradiction to the arousal raging inside him.
“Hey, there’s something I should tell you,” he said as they walked hand in hand down the corridor toward his hotel room.
“You’re not married, are you?” Their steps were muffled by the plush carpeting. “Or a serial killer?”
“No,” he said with a laugh. “But I’m—”
“I don’t want to know.” They stopped outside his hotel room door and she held up a hand. “So long as you’re not cheating on anyone by being with me and you have no intention of hurting me, I don’t care about the rest.”
He hesitated and uncertainty flickered in her eyes. “We’re fine on both counts. You have my word.”
“Good. Because we’re both aware what this is, and we don’t need to be coy about it.” Her voice wavered but he wasn’t about to call her out on it. “It’s sex. I don’t need any more detail than that.”
As much as he would have preferred to come clean there and then, she’d made her case. If she only wanted sex, then that was fine by him. More than fine, in fact.
“Fair enough.” He swiped the key card and pushed open the door.
It wasn’t a fancy suite—playing the role of a lowly tech employee meant skipping on the extravagant hotel room—but the large king-size bed would be more than enough. Not to mention the double shower that had been a pleasant surprise when he’d checked in.
He imagined Pink with water streaming over her naked body, and the picture was enough to make whatever blood was left in his head rush south. His cock strained painfully against his fly.
“We can still stop at any time if you’re not comfortable,” he said as she surveyed the room, an unreadable expression on her face.
As desperate as he was to touch her, he needed to hear her say she was in.
“I’m comfortable.” She nodded, stepping toward him. A shy smile played on her lips. “But I’d be more comfortable if you got me out of this dress.”
“I can definitely help with that.” He grabbed her hand and planted a soft kiss on her lips before turning her around. A gold zipper ran from between her shoulder blades to the sweet curve above her ass. She reached around to sweep her long hair over one shoulder, exposing the delicate line of her neck. His lips gravitated to the spot, as if pulled by a magnetic force. The scent of her creamy skin—soapy and clean—teased him as his hands smoothed down the lengths of her arms.
A shudder ran through her and goose bumps rippled across her skin as he gently scraped his teeth along her shoulder. He tugged on her zipper, drawing it down with deliberate slowness. One didn’t rush a decadent dessert; you savored each and every bite.
And that was exactly what he intended to do with Pink.
The V of bare skin deepened, and soon it was obvious that she wasn’t wearing a bra. Lord help him, this woman was hot enough to start a wildfire.
“You still breathing back there?” she asked, her tone dancing with laughter.
“Just admiring the view.” He pushed the dress from her body and it slid to the floor.
She stepped out of the puddle of fabric, kicking it to the side. Bright pink panties barely covered the gentle curves of her ass and hips.
“Are those ninjas on your underwear?” he asked, spinning her around.
“They might be.” She ran her palms up the front of his chest until they curled over his shoulders, pressing him down. “Perhaps you should take a closer inspection.”
