Page 18 of Lying Lainey

When his gaze met mine, it was as if he was seeing me for the first time. His eyes trailed over me as if he couldn’t get enough of the sight of me in casual clothes. Then he must have realized it and snapped his eyes back to mine with a slight head shake.

“Yes,” he blurted, then cleared his throat, scrubbing a hand over his neatly trimmed beard. “Sorry, I don’t usually do something like this, but I thought it was best to have this conversation off-site.”

With those words, the man had my full attention, causing me to sit up straighter.

“I took the liberty of reaching out to your previous employer and the man who referred you to Quintin. What I needed to know was something a resume couldn’t tell me but would be vitally important to working for me,” Halstead explained.

“Color me intrigued,” I commented. “So does you standing in my living room mean I passed the test and got your approval?”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” he warned, lifting a hand as if to slow me down. “For now, I’ll tell you what you need to know, and if things go well, I’ll expand on that knowledge.”

“I can work with that,” I agreed, resting my arm on the counter to lean on. “Do you mind if I ask what you were looking for and their answers?”

Halstead started to pace the width of the living room, making it clear to me he wasn’t a man who liked to sit still for long. “You already know that Cyclone had hired Kerian as a contractor to help with a project. The thing of it is, I don’t trust Reuben, the owner of Cyclone. He’s up to something. Well, he’s always up to something, but this time he’s involved one of my people in his scheme. As for what I asked those two…”

Pausing, he faced me and stepped forward so we were only a foot apart. Until that moment, I’d been doing good controlling myself around his scent, keeping him at a distance. Now with him so close, it took all my willpower not to lean in and meet his advance with my own.

“I needed to know your skills at discretion as well as observation, gathering intel, and rooting out the truth of the matter. Anyone can see you’re bright and quick on your feet, but I needed to know just how far that goes,” he informed me.

A smile bloomed on my lips at the prospect of what he wanted me to do. “My guess is they told you I was all of those things and more.” Giving into the urge, I sat up, putting Halstead a mere few inches away, and I could taste his scent on my tongue. “Tell me, Mr. Norlund, are you perhaps looking to get some information on a rival company? One which is as locked down in the security department as you are?”

“Not on the company, but Reuben and what the fuck this code really is. You see, I’m a coder myself. In fact, that’s how Reuben and I met the first time. We attended the same college, and he was a snake even then,” Halstead said with a growl. “I’ve looked over what Kerian is working on, and it’s only a piece of the puzzle. Yet no matter how I look at it, what they’ve been telling us it’s being used for doesn’t make sense.”

“There it is, the true purpose of this visit,” I whispered. “You want me to find answers so you can make sure Kerian isn’t standing in quicksand?”

“Yes, that’s exactly what I want to know,” Halstead murmured, his head dipping closer as his fingers brushed a rogue strand of hair off my forehead. “I will do anything to keep those who are important to me safe, no matter what needs to be done to make it happen. It would be in your best interest to keep that in mind because it’s the only warning you’re going to get.”

“Noted,” I said, my voice breathy as need grew like a hot coal in the pit of my stomach.

My nose brushed alongside his, and I almost let out a needy whine at the contact, which would have betrayed me as an Omega instantly. Where Alphas purr to soothe and reassure their Omegas, we could demand attention with a single sound. Such is the dynamic of our world thriving on the codependency of designations. Yet I couldn’t deny how incredible it felt to touch him. This was one of the dangers of a scent match. It slowly consumed an Omega until they were all we wanted in life, unable to be without them and taking away our independence like every other drug in existence.

“Why?” Halstead asked as he tugged at my bun, pulling the hair tie free so my hair tumbled around my shoulders. “Why do I need to taste you so desperately? It’s all I can fucking think about.”

“No one’s stopping you,” I goaded. “Taste me.”

His hand slid into my hair and fisted it at the base of my skull, pulling so my head tipped back before he slammed his lips to mine. There was no stopping the moan that erupted from me as his tongue brushed against my lower lip, asking me to open for him, which I did instantly. He tasted just like he smelled—that rich whiskey taste with an edge of smokiness and the tang of bergamot. I tried to keep myself restrained, but he had other thoughts as he released my hair only to grab my hips. Kicking the stool out of the way, he set me on the counter, wedging his muscular body between my legs as he deepened the kiss.

It had been ages since I’d experienced something as mind-blowing as this kiss. My brain seemed to be short-circuiting as I fisted his shirt in my hand, wrapping my legs around his waist, trying to keep him close. Then as quickly as it started, he was ripping himself away from me, backing up until he bumped into the couch. His blue eyes were wild, but it wasn’t with the same emotion I felt if the look of horror on his face was an indicator.

“I’m sorry,” he said, his chest heaving. “That… that never should have happened. Forgive me, Ms. Collins… that was unacceptable for many reasons.”

Confused, I slid off the counter and approached him, but his hand shot out.

“No,” he barked, and I flinched.

All Alphas could create a certain edge to their words that Betas and Omegas submitted to. It was much harsher to an Omega, almost like a slap to the face and was only ever used when truly needed. Thankfully, his internal battle kept him from noticing my response as he charged to the door.

“Halstead, wait,” I called, not wanting to risk him leaving so upset and telling me not to show up to work tomorrow.

Spinning on his heel, the gentle man I’d just been talking to was gone, and the dominant Alpha was in its place. “Don’t. This was a mistake, a truly horrible mistake I never should have let happen. Things between you and me will be the picture of professionalism while you still have a job at Enigma. You will refer to me as Mr. Norlund or sir, and I will only ever call you Ms. Collins. Are we understood?”

“Yes, sir,” I answered. It was the only thing I could say at this point.

“You will not speak of this ever,” Halstead demanded. “I am not unattached as many would believe. For their protection, we keep things private, and now I’ll need to discuss this with them. The last thing I need is rumors flying around the office until I’ve addressed matters.”

My hands covered my mouth as I backed away from him. One thing that was off-limits for me was fooling around with men who had any type of significant other. The only time that changed was when it happened as part of a job that was business and not personal. However, Lainey Caddel would never be the other woman to someone. I deserved so much better than that.

“Get out,” I rasped, turning my back on him, trying to keep my anger in check.