CHAPTER TWO
Monday, July 17th
Claire shoved a pencil into the bun on top of her head and blew out a breath as she glanced at the two wall-mounted monitors. The one with a view of the south side of the city held her attention because she was tracking two men who were of interest to the company. Hunter had tagged the men’s vehicles last week with GPS locators and she’d hacked their phones.
As far as she could tell, the program she’d written was working and the data she was mining was going to be the difference between winning a case and losing one. At least, that’s what their client had said earlier when she’d given him an update.
Hearing heavy footsteps, she glanced up and watched Kane stroll in and collapse into a chair. “What’s up?” she asked.
“Did you and Andi have fun dancing the other night?”
Leaning back, Claire crossed her arms. “Not sure why you’re asking. You were sitting at the bar spying on our every move.”
He ran his hands through his hair and then gave her a sheepish grin. “Had to make sure the men behaved.”
“Surprised you didn’t bring the whole gang to watch us shake our groove thing and get our drink on.”
“Didn’t want you ladies to kill me, so I made it a solo recon mission.” He shrugged and then locked his hands behind his head. “You know I’m interested in Andi, and lettin’ a man get near her isn’t going to happen.”
“She wasn’t impressed with your spying and felt like a fool that she’d let you know where we were.”
“I’ve asked that woman out a hundred times and she keeps telling me she’s busy. Until she gets unbusy, I’m going to make damn sure no one gets close to what’s mine.”
“She’s a pediatric resident. She’s not going to be unbusy for a while.”
“Not a problem ’cause I’ve got a ton of patience.” Wiggling his eyebrows, he grinned. “Last man standing always wins.”
“And you plan on being that man?”
“Absolutely, darlin’. Absolutely.” He stood and threw her a wink. “And she must not have been that mad at me ’cause she gave me a couple of smooches before you all left.”
“I knew there was a reason for her smile. I just didn’t know what it was.”
“Me,” Kane replied as he thumped his chest. “The woman is going to be mine eventually.” He knocked the door frame before he walked out and started whistling.
After he left, Claire let out a laugh. He was a handsome man with a big heart and if she had anything to say about it, Andi would give him a chance—it just wasn’t time yet. And that wasn’t something that could be changed. There was no way to make something move faster any more than you could slow something down.
Talk about timing. One of her monitors beeped, which told her the program she’d installed was done running. Scooting her chair backward in the direction of the far wall, she bumped into something solid. Lifting her head, she looked directly into Brady’s metallic blue eyes. “Hey.”
“Hey, darlin’.” Resting his hands on her shoulders, he grinned. “I came by to see if you had a chance to look at the phone I left on your desk this morning.”
The weight of his hands felt nice but she was getting a crick in her neck, so she slipped away from his hold and stood. “I haven’t had a chance yet.” Her haphazard bun was starting to loosen, so she pulled out the pencil she had shoved in earlier and was surprised to see three fall into her hands. “Unless it’s a matter of life and death, I won’t get to it until tomorrow.” Sweeping her arm around the room, she frowned. “I have at least a dozen projects going and I don’t expect to dig out anytime soon.”
“Okay, no problem.” He shoved his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels. “How was the dancing the other night?”
Groaning, Claire stepped around him and pushed her chair back to her desk. “You are the third man to stop by today and ask. Why is my social life so damn interesting all of the sudden?”
“I was just making conversation.”
“To answer your question, it was fun. I met a nice man who I might meet for coffee later this week.” She collapsed into her chair and grinned. “I have a good feeling about him.”
“Really…”
Leaning back, she crossed her arms. “Is it that hard to believe that someone would want to spend time with me?”
“No, not at all.” He walked over and leaned his hip against the desk. “You are smart, beautiful, and funny. There isn’t a man alive who wouldn’t give his left nut to spend time with you.”
“Just the left one and not the right?” When he looked embarrassed, she patted his leg and then laughed. “Thank you, Brady. That was a very…interesting compliment.”
“It sounded a lot better in my head.”
“No worries.” A monitor beeped again and she glanced over his shoulder and sighed. “I better get back to work. I’m leaving at a normal hour from here on out, so I have to learn how to cram twelve hours’ worth of work into eight.”
“Sounds challenging,” he responded. “Why the change?”
Lifting a pen off her desk, she rolled it through her fingers. “I’m jump-starting my social life and I have a date every night this week. I signed up with a dating site last month and I’ve come up with seven potential candidates.”
The look of horror that crossed his rugged features almost made her laugh. “I didn’t just tell you I was going on a crime spree. Don’t look so disgusted.”
When he ran his hand over his jaw, she heard the scrape of stubble and wondered what it would feel like against her cheek. Down her neck. Between her legs. Which were not thoughts she should be having, considering she had a date with…what the hell was his name? Leaning forward, she moved her mouse around and clicked on the spreadsheet she’d made earlier. Kevin. Kevin the pharmacist was her date this evening. By all accounts, he was a lovely man who had no criminal record, weird habits, or odd sexual appetites. At least nothing she could uncover from the background check she’d done on him. The fact that he’d answered cats over dogs was worrying but not enough to deter her.
“I’m not disgusted or horrified. I’m perplexed,” he responded as he leaned his face in his hand and studied her closely.
Not blinking, she held his gaze and wondered if they were playing some weird game of chicken. Not one to give up, she stared back and felt a little frisson of excitement run over her skin as his eyes bore into hers.
“You are the whole package, Claire.”
“And…”
“Nothing. I guess I’m just out of it and don’t understand why a woman like you would choose online dating. I thought that sort of thing was for weirdos and losers.”
“That is the furthest thing from the truth. One in five relationships results from people meeting online. It’s a great way to suss out potential mates and cut out the riffraff. Time is precious and going on a bunch of dates only to find out you have nothing in common is a waste of time.”
“What about good ol’ chemistry? Where does that play into online dating?”
“Chemistry has nothing to do with it. Compatibility and shared interests are where it’s at.”
He leaned forward, pushed some hair behind her ear and shook his head. “I must be old-fashioned because I don’t want to spend time with someone who doesn’t make me want to act like an idiot.”
“I’ve done the acting like an idiot dating and I’m ready to try something new. Something that doesn’t leave me a weeping mess on my couch. Rational dating is a much better option.” Leaning away from Brady, she checked her computer again so she could remember her date’s name. “With Kevin, the pharmacist.”
“When you’re done with seven days of rational dating, how about you give me a chance to take you out on a non-rational date?”
“Why?”
“Because…” He lifted her hand and held it gently. “Chemistry beats the shit out of compatibility any day.”
Chemistry. She loved it but it had never really worked out for her. All those crazy feelings had never transformed into anything she could hold on to. And that’s exactly what she wanted: something that didn’t slip through her fingers…just when things were getting good.
The world of hookups and meet-ups had never worked out and that’s why she had decided to try the online dating thing. It seemed she had a better chance of finding out what someone was looking for before she wasted her time or, worse, got attached. “I’m going to stick with compatibility for a while and see what I come up with.”
“Maybe we’re compatible.”
“Maybe.” Running her finger over his hand, she wondered where he’d gotten the long scar that crossed his skin. “Do you have a good story to go with the scar?”
“I have a lot of scars and a lot of stories. Doubt any of them are very good. But if you’ll let me take you to dinner after you’re done with the bozos, I’ll come up with one.”
“Well…maybe.”
“I’m going to turn that maybe into a hell yeah before the week is over.” He stood, lifted her hand to his mouth and brushed his lips across her skin. A shiver of excitement ran down her spine as a picture of the two of them walking along the beach flitted across her mind. Holy catastrophe, she’d gone from a maybe to a full-blown Hallmark moment in less than a minute. If that didn’t tell her to keep her distance, she didn’t know what did.
What kind of magic did this man possess? Five minutes in his company and she was filling her mind with romantic fantasies. If he stuck around any longer, she’d probably have pictures of him dancing naked running through her mind.
Slipping her hand away, she cleared her throat. Time to get her head back in the game. Rational, sensible dating wasn’t something she should give up on before she even started. Moving her hair off her shoulder, she gave him a small smile and stood. “Better get to work. Lots to do.”
Walking around him, she headed over to her monitor, crossed her arms, and studied the information scrolling across the screen. When he stepped next to her, she almost jumped out of her skin. “Lord, don’t sneak up on me.”
“No sneaking, Claire.” He lifted her face with his finger and waited until she looked him in the eye. He must’ve been satisfied because he finally spoke. “Call me if you need anything. Don’t call an Uber to come and get you. Call me. Anytime.”
“Don’t think that will be necessary.” Straightening her T-shirt, she smirked. “I’m driving myself, anyway. Everyone knows you don’t get in a stranger’s car.”
He nodded and then headed toward the door. “Smart move. But if you feel uncomfortable or even bored, call me.”
“Okay.” She lifted her hand and waved as he walked out. Leaning over the table, she let out a breath. “Have mercy upon my soul and my wayward libido,” she whispered. Damn Brady and his chemistry. It was the last thing she needed as she embarked on her dating adventure. Clearing her mind, she took five deep yoga breaths. “Nope, not going to let it cloud my mind,” she instructed herself. “No way.”