She’d lain awake a long time last night trying to understand why she’d been so strongly affected by a simple kiss. She’d known since her first day on the job that she and Trevor had some kind of connection. And that connection was getting stronger than she’d ever experienced with any other partner or team member she’d ever had.
Who the heck was she kidding? The thoughts she’d been having about Trevor last night weren’t things she’d ever thought about any teammate she’d ever had. Those had been I-want-to-get-you-naked-and-wrestle-with-you-on-the-floor kinds of thoughts.
“Earth to Alina.”
Alina jerked out of her musings to see Kathy waving her hand in front of her face. “Sorry.”
“You’ve been sitting there grinning like an idiot for the past two minutes,” Kathy said. “What’s so funny?”
On the floor, Molly and Katelyn seemed interested in knowing the answer to that, too. They’d stopped playing with each other and were eyeing her curiously.
“Oh, it’s nothing,” she said.
“Don’t give me that,” Kathy said. “I’ve known you long enough to recognize when you’re hiding something.”
Alina picked a nonexistent piece of lint off her pantsuit. “It’s possible I’m starting to feel things for Trevor that I shouldn’t necessarily feel for my work partner.”
Kathy gaped at her. “Wait a minute. Are you saying you’re falling for him romantically? I mean, not that I blame you. Trevor is definitely hot. I haven’t seen abs like that since the Chippendales tour came to town. And he’s attractive as sin. Like that guy on that show.”
“What show?” Alina asked, knowing she shouldn’t.
Her friend was always saying someone looked like an actor on TV or in the movies, but she could never remember the actor’s name, so it usually devolved into a big game of twenty questions.
“You know, the one on the Syfy channel.”
Alina sighed. “Kathy, the Syfy channel has a lot of shows.”
Her friend waved her hand. “I don’t know the name of it. I don’t think it’s on anymore, but I’m sure you know exactly what I’m talking about. It was the show about the people who go through the gate in time. They’re surrounded by water, and there are spaceships and soul-sucking aliens with white dreadlocks. He was the good looking one with the quirky smile.”
Alina had absolutely no idea what show Kathy was referring to, much less what guy. Her work schedule over the years hadn’t left her a lot of time to watch TV. But she let it go. The name of the show would pop into her friend’s head at some point.
“Okay, regardless of which movie or TV star you think Trevor looks like, I’m not falling for him romantically.”
Kathy looked doubtful. “You sure?”
Alina was about to declare that of course she was sure, but then she realized that would be something of a lie. “Okay, maybe I am…a little. But I didn’t intend for things to get out of hand like they did last night. It just happened.”
Kathy’s eyes widened. “What got out of hand? Are you talking about the way you were groping him when I walked into your apartment last night?”
“I was not groping him,” Alina insisted. “I was rendering first aid.”
Kathy snorted. “I’m pretty sure what I stumbled in on last night isn’t the kind of first aid they teach down at the local YMCA.”
“Whatever,” Alina said. She refused to engage in that line of conversation. “Besides, that’s not what I’m talking about. While we were undercover, we kissed. It was supposed to be a little smooch as part of our cover, but it ended up being hot, and I got kind of turned on. Things got even more sexually charged when we got back to my apartment. When you walked in on us last night, I was damn close to jumping him.”
Kathy blinked, clearly too stunned to speak. “Wow,” she finally said. “Not that I don’t envy the heck out of you, but doesn’t what happened last night complicate things? If they weren’t complicated enough already, I mean. I don’t suppose you have a clue if he felt the same way about the kiss?”
Alina shook her head.
Kathy thought a moment. “Remember before when I suggested you tell Trevor how you feel? Maybe you should leave out the part about wanting to have sex with him. At least for right now.”
Alina couldn’t disagree with that logic.
She would have asked if Kathy had any other suggestions, but then she heard a knock from across the hall. “That’s Trevor. I have to go.”
“Good luck,” Kathy said as Alina headed for the door.
“Thanks.”
