She picked up speed, charging up the winding, well-trodden path that cut through the dense cluster of towering bald cypress and sycamore trees. He’d been amused by her attempts to test him, suggesting they take the more demanding walking trail and setting an aggressive pace from the very outset. As far as Samiah knew, he was a lifelong computer geek who spent most of his time behind a monitor. He’d own up to being a computer geek, but he’d also spent months trekking across the shrubland of Djibouti with fifty pounds of gear strapped to his back and a Marine Corps–issued M16A4 rifle nestled against his chest.
Still, a vigorous hike was a vigorous hike. They were both puffing for air by the time they broke free of the thick trees and came upon an outcropping of limestone that jutted out over a rushing stream.
“Holy shit, this is beautiful,” Daniel said.
“Onion Creek,” Samiah said. “Worth the hike?”
He glanced over and had to catch his breath at the portrait she created. The sun filtering through the wispy clouds cast a warm glow over her profile, making her sumptuous brown skin even more alluring. The urge to reach over and run the backs of his fingers along her cheeks—still flush from their hike—overwhelmed him.
“Absolutely,” he said.
She turned to him, and all the fantasies he’d tried his hardest to suppress slammed to the forefront of his mind. Curbing the impulse to lean into her and taste those lips he’d dreamed about for weeks took a strength he hadn’t realized he possessed.
Just ask her.That’s all it would take. One simple question.
He already had the answer. It was staring right back at him. The lambent arousal flickering in her eyes, the way her lips parted slightly; she gave off the kind of vibe that couldn’t be mistaken. Three weeks of steadily escalating flirtation had to lead to something. Maybe this was it. This moment when they were finally alone, away from all distractions, from every hindrance that could get in the way of exploring where the undeniable attraction between them could lead.
All he had to do was ask.
But then, in the pulse of a heartbeat, Samiah seemed to come to her senses. Her eyes widened and she took several steps to the left, increasing the distance between them.
Daniel ran a hand down his face and sucked in a shallow breath in an attempt to gain back some of the control he’d lost.
What in the hell was he doing? Was hetryingto earn the top spot on Lowell Dwyer’s shit list? Or worse, get himself pulled from this case? If his supervisor knew about what he was up to this morning, Daniel had no doubt he’d have him on a plane to Virginia by this afternoon.
Peering out over the creek, Samiah cleared her throat and asked, “So, um…how are you adjusting to Trendsetters?”
“It’s been…surprising,” he said, giving her an honest answer for once.
She regarded him with a curious quirk to her brow. “Really? How so?”
“It’s just not what I’m used to.” Daniel shrugged, picking up a quarter-size chunk of limestone and pitching it into the water. “The atmosphere is so different from all the companies I’ve worked for in the past. Most sit you in a plain gray cubicle and expect you to spend the day slaving behind a computer screen. It’s all about what you can produce. Trendsetters puts a lot of effort into building a sense of cohesiveness among their employees. I like it. You don’t see that everywhere.”
“How many places have you worked?” she asked, an incredulous tinge to her laugh. “You make it sound as if you’ve been with a dozen companies already.”
“No, no. Not a dozen.” More liketwodozen.
Dammit, he knew better than to allow that kind of slipup. The average twenty-eight-year-old software engineer with his academic background would have had approximately two-point-five employers at this stage of his career, not counting a couple of internships. It was the opposite of typical to have completed four years in the Marines and another two infiltrating companies engaged in white-collar crimes.
He should never have put himself in the position of having to discuss his employment background. The less details he shared, the better.
“Hey, I don’t know about you,” Daniel said, needing to change the subject, “but I could use a little sustenance before we get back on the hiking trail.” He slipped a hand in the side pocket of his cargo shorts and pulled out his secret weapon. “Can I interest you in a snack?”
Samiah burst out laughing at the sight of the granola bar.
“How could I say no to that?” she said, her grin a reminder of why it was so hard to say no to this…this thing that had blossomed between them.
They settled down on the massive gnarled roots of an old cypress. Daniel held her hand as she found purchase before taking a seat next to her.
“So, where did you work before Trendsetters?” he asked, handing her a granola bar. Because she wasn’t a subject, the dossier on Samiah had been pretty high level, covering her academic background and the various roles she’d held at the company, but he didn’t have anything on her career prior to Trendsetters.
“I worked for one of the other tech companies in the city right after grad school, but that lasted less than a year. I started at Trendsetters three years ago.” She held her hands up. “And I know what you’re thinking. ‘It took youthatlong to finish grad school?’”
“Hey, I understand. Grad school is no joke.”
“Actually, I went to summer school and carried a full workload so that I could finish a semester early, but that’s only because I got a late start. I earned a degree in education before I found the courage to tell my family that I didn’t want to follow in my parents’ footsteps.”
He stopped in the middle of tearing the wrapper from his bar. “You were going to be a teacher?”
