Sworn to Protect (4 page)

At least she felt better prepared to see him today. She’d worn black pants with a skinny belt and a pale blue silk top under a tailored jacket that narrowed at her waist, making her look slimmer than she was. Even though she hated them, she’d worn four-inch heels. She’d kept her jewelry a little boring and business casual, at least for the first day. Athena had seen Lizzy this morning before her meeting and her friend had said Athena looked fierce. Right about now, she felt fierce. Perfect timing to be confronted with Mr. Sexy.

When Athena stepped out into the open assistant’s area, her heart skipped a beat to see Quinn standing next to Raegan’s desk.

And he was wearing a
suit
. She might have to check for drool in a second.

She’d never gone for corporate types before and the thing was, Quinn didn’t
look
corporate. He looked like he’d be more comfortable wearing military fatigues and carrying around one of those big guns she didn’t know the name for. He was wearing a suit because he had to. Which made him even sexier. There was no way to hide all those sleek predatory lines and muscles.

Sweet Lord the man looked divine. Best. Suit Porn. Ever.

That was when she realized Raegan and Quinn had stopped talking. Crap, how long had she been staring? Not too long if Raegan’s casual expression was any indication.

“How did it go?” Raegan asked, her bright smile so big and welcoming it was hard not to adore the woman even though they’d only known each other a week. They’d spent time together before Athena’s first day so today would go smoother. The fact that Raegan was Keith Caldwell’s niece was a little weird but Athena had learned enough about their family dynamics that she knew Raegan wouldn’t keep this job if she wasn’t good at it.

“Ah, good I think. Really good.”

“Was Uncle…uh, was Mr. Caldwell senior excited about it?”

Athena bit back a grin and nodded. Raegan was pretty much fresh off the farm—literally—and had moved to Miami only six months before from a tiny Midwest town and was trying so hard not to play on her relationship with the Caldwell’s. But Athena didn’t mind. “He was. Harrison was harder to read until the end and they’ve got some security concerns but I think it went well. How do you feel about going to the Vegas tradeshow with me next week?”

Raegan’s eyes widened but the woman just nodded and seemed to struggle with not getting too excited. “That would be great. Thank you.”

Smiling, she glanced at Quinn. “Hey, is everything okay?”

“Yeah, just wanted to see if you wanted to grab lunch.” His expression was once again intense and even though those dark eyes didn’t leave her face she felt as if he was undressing her with his eyes. She hated that he’d seen her partially naked. Sort of. They’d gotten so far as him taking her top off. Not her bra though.

Worse, she wanted to get naked with the man. Full-on, skin-to-skin. Gah. Stupid attraction. Athena cleared her throat, thankful she didn’t actually have to lie. “I have an appointment but—”

“It was rescheduled when you were in with Harrison and the others,” Raegan said oh-so-helpfully. “I moved some stuff around and sent the revised schedule to your email and synced all your accounts.”

Though Athena was annoyed, Raegan was just doing her job, so she didn’t show it. “Thanks.” She looked at Quinn, keeping her expression as neutral as possible. “I’ll meet you in the lobby in half an hour?”

He paused, his gaze sweeping to her mouth for just a moment before he nodded. “Looking forward to it,” he murmured. Then he was gone.

How he managed to make that simple statement sound almost sexual was beyond her. Once he was gone and out in the hallway, she waited a moment, then peeked around the corner of the wall to see him disappearing into the elevators. His ass looked amazing in the suit too. Figured.

“Are you two together?” Raegan asked innocently as Athena turned back around.

“No. Just friends.”

Raegan nodded once but it was clear she didn’t believe Athena. “Oh, okay. I just met him for the first time today but he seems interested in you. A lot.”

Athena didn’t want to talk about her personal life at work. At least not on her first day and not until she knew Raegan better so she gave a non-committal shrug. “I’m going to check the schedule for the changes you sent me but after lunch do I have any free time?”

Raegan nodded. “About forty-five minutes before your first conference call.”

“Good. Plan to meet with me in my office then. I want to go over some of the Vegas details and we can do some brainstorming.”

Raegan blinked once in surprise but said, “That’s great.”

Athena hurried to her office and did a quick scan of her schedule for the rest of the day and the full week. It was jam-packed and for that she was grateful. She didn’t like having spare time at work. Staying busy made her happy and feel useful. She knew she’d have to prove herself here, especially in the beginning, so she wanted to tackle everything full force. It was too soon to know for sure, but from what Athena had read from Raegan’s resume and the woman’s general attitude, Athena had a feeling she would be a big asset.

After she’d caught up on what she needed, Athena shelved thoughts of work and picked up her purse, coat and stood. She hoped they’d be walking somewhere since she wasn’t taking a long lunch or even her full hour. Definitely not on her first day. There was simply too much to do.

Downstairs she found Quinn in the spacious, quiet lobby talking to a man with a Mohawk. The hairstyle seemed out of place but the guy was tall and ripped just like Quinn and had that same military air about him.

Quinn straightened slightly when he saw her, his look going all predator again and sending her mind into a tailspin. What was up with him? She didn’t do hot and cold so during this little lunch she was going to make sure he understood they were just going to be friends. Not that she particularly wanted to be friends with him, even though she did genuinely like him. But she could do the mature thing since they were working together.

He was the one with the issue anyway and he’d had his chance with her. Since he’d lost it, anything else happening between them past friendship was a moot point.

She smiled at both men as she approached, shoving all those pesky thoughts aside. Time to put her game face on.

“Athena, this is Travis Sanchez,” Quinn said, making quick introductions.

The big man nodded once, an easy smile on his face. “I’ve heard good things about you from Noel.”

Athena blinked once before recognition slid into place. “You’re Noel’s husband?”

He nodded once, that smile still in place.

“Man she can make some serious hot chocolate.” Athena had been at Lizzy’s place when Noel had brought her own baby over for a ‘play date’ with Lizzy’s boy. Since neither kid could walk or talk it wasn’t much of a play date as far as Athena could tell. It had been more like a reason for the women to talk and relax—and she couldn’t blame them.

His face flushed with pride. “Yeah, she makes everything from scratch. I was just telling Quinn that you two should head over to her coffee shop. They do Paninis, salads, soup and stuff like that. You can walk there and the service is fast.”

She looked at Quinn, eyebrows raised. “Sounds good to me.”

He nodded once.

After saying goodbye to Travis, who was heading back into work, she walked out with Quinn. A cool rush of air rolled over her as they stepped out into the bright day. It might be in the fifties, but she didn’t bother with her coat. Not when there were no clouds in the sky and the sun felt so good against her face. “I can’t wait until it’s spring,” she murmured, putting her sunglasses on.

“Summer’s my favorite,” Quinn said, doing the same with a pair of aviator-style shades that made him look too sexy for his own good.

The street was relatively quiet, with a few people strolling down the sidewalk all bundled up since Florida was actually having a winter. It wouldn’t last though, she knew. She’d grown up here and in a couple weeks all those coats and scarves would be in storage for another nine or ten months.

She let out a light laugh at his comment and shot him a quick glance. “I’m guessing because it’s bikini weather.”

He snorted. “It’s been a long time since I’ve worn one.”

She nudged him with her elbow. “Ha, ha. You know what I mean.”

He just lifted his shoulders in a casual gesture that shouldn’t have affected her at all. But just being near him had her adrenaline pumping. Another good reason not to bother with her coat. It was as if being in his presence just heated her up from the inside out.

“So your meeting was good?” he asked as they reached the cute shop with outdoor seating. He held open the door for her and she couldn’t help but notice the way he scanned their surroundings, as if it was second nature.

Athena had noticed that Grant and pretty much anyone who worked for Red Stone Security did the same thing. They were always on alert for any sort of danger. After traveling across the globe, she could appreciate that. “Yeah, I think so. Harrison’s hard to read but I have a feeling he’d tell me straight out if he was unhappy with anything. Of course it’s too early for him to be unhappy with me.”

“Forgive my ignorance,” he said as they got in the short line. “But what exactly is your position? I’m a little unclear on the details.”

“Well, they’ve basically created a new position. Not for me specifically, but I’m a good fit.” Or she really hoped she would be. “You obviously know how many different functions they provide security for?”

When he nodded she continued. “They’re always expanding and now instead of just providing security, they’re being asked to host or set up events taking place in Miami. I’m basically going to be an event coordinator for all local events—and an upcoming tradeshow in Vegas, but that’s a little different.” Something she didn’t plan to get into now. “They want me—along with a team—to make sure the event isn’t…”

“Boring, military, staid?” he asked, making her laugh as they reached the counter.

Smiling, she nodded because he was dead on. “Pretty much.”

After they ordered, he paid for her food—much to her annoyance—telling her it was because it was her first day, but she wasn’t so sure. It wasn’t worth making an issue over, however.

Travis had been right because the service was quick. With her iced green tea and salad, she and Quinn managed to snag the last table outside. Considering the gorgeous weather it seemed everyone else had the same idea as they did.

Once they’d settled at their table, Quinn threw her for a loop when he asked, “So what’s up with you and Carlito?”

Thankful she had her sunglasses back on to shield her eyes, she paused with her drink halfway to her mouth. “What do you mean?”

“Are you two dating?” Even though she was glad for her own sunglasses, she hated that Quinn had his on too.

All she could see was herself in the reflection. She shrugged, deciding not to give him a straight answer. It really wasn’t any of his business. “Why do you care?”

“I want to know what kind of competition I’m up against.” He took a bite of his Panini, his body language casual, as if he hadn’t just shocked the hell out of her.

Okay then. If he was going to be blunt then she was too. “You ended things with me, Quinn.”

His jaw tightened. She was glad for the little sign that he wasn’t as calm as he wanted to put off. “I was a jackass.”

“No arguments here.” She let out a quick laugh and took a bite of her lunch.

“I’d like to take you out again. On a real date.”

Well, hell. Of all people she appreciated honesty. She didn’t like playing guessing games with people and in her job so many often couldn’t be straight with her about what they wanted. Or they were simply indecisive. A serious pet peeve of hers.

“Nothing about me has changed, Quinn.” Which, yeah, she could have tried to play coy about
that,
but screw him. She wasn’t going to pretend to be something she wasn’t. It had taken her years to get over her insecurities and okay, she actually hadn’t gotten over them. Not completely. She needed to know where she stood with people. It made her feel grounded, she supposed, in control. And he’d just completely pulled the rug out from under her when she’d trusted him enough to be open with him. “Still a virgin.”

He shifted in his chair and she couldn’t tell if it was from embarrassment or something else. “I wasn’t sure, but yeah, I figured.”

“So what, it doesn’t bother you now? Or you just got jealous when you saw me with Carlito and decided to act all caveman?” Now that he’d thrown down with the honesty, she was going for broke. She wanted to know what had changed for him in the last two months and the truth was, she felt like she deserved the truth. He’d hurt her more than she wanted to admit.

Sitting back in his chair, he rubbed a hand against the back of his neck. “Shit, not pulling your punches, huh?”

She shrugged.

“I haven’t been able to get you out of my head the last two months. I screwed up, and seeing you made me realize how much.” He leaned in closer now. “I…I’ve never been as attracted to someone as I am to you.” His voice dropped an octave as he said the last part, the deep quality of it sending a shiver racing through her.

She refused to let him affect her. They had a serious physical attraction, something she had no problem admitting. She couldn’t deny it anyway because it was like an electric thing, almost tangible. But he’d freaked out on her once, she wasn’t going to deal with that again. “Look, I…” She struggled for the right words, not wanting to be too harsh. “Our attraction is intense, no denying it. But I’m not interested in pursuing anything with you other than friendship.” And she wasn’t going to give him a reason why either. She didn’t have to and didn’t feel like articulating why. He’d lost his chance, simple as that.