Tiger in Her Bed Revised Kindle(5)

Crap. “Are you going to fire me if I refuse?”

He shrugged. “It’s very tempting. I do have the power, after all.”

“You’re not being fair.”

“I did ask you to take responsibility for this.”

Vanessa threw him a dirty look. “Do I have a choice?”

“Then it’s settled. I’ll pick you up Saturday morning. Six o’clock at your home. I have reserved two tickets to Denver.”

Argh. This wasn’t happening. “You didn’t even ask if I have a boyfriend befo—”

“You don’t have one.”

“How do you know?”

“I’m your boss, aren’t I? Naturally, I know a lot of things about my employees.”

Vanessa was defeated. She couldn’t find a way out of this situation. Lord Demon had her exactly where he wanted. “Fine. But as soon as the weekend get-together is over, you have to tell your mom we’re breaking up.”

In response, Quinn only offered a smile. Whoa. He smiled. Hell was freezing over.

A predatory, triumphant smile.





Chapter Two




She insisted he pick her up at the end of the block for some unfathomable reason, and Quinn agreed to do so. He turned the car engine on the moment he spotted her walking to the bend of the sidewalk. Vanessa looked haphazard, like always: windblown hair, fresh face, rosy cheeks, and the fashion sense of a thirteen-year-old boy. All those attributes should put off a sensible man like him. But no. He was wildly attracted to her.

Correction: the moment he laid eyes on her, he was crazy for her. And what amazed him was, after all this time, she was completely oblivious to the signals he’d sent. Vanessa Lyle might be a genius at work, but in real life social interactions, she was absolutely dense. She lived in her own world, but at times, she’d amazed him with her sincerity.

She intrigued him. She was a puzzle he wanted to solve.

Quinn had never met anyone like her.

And he wanted her… badly.

He powered down the window to let her know he was here. She grinned and padded to his car. For the three-day weekend he had planned, she only carried a backpack. Ever so practical. Typical of her. He’d known some women who would’ve brought three suitcases, not to mention a purse, makeup trunk, and all the rest.

“Did you wait long?” she asked.

“About ten minutes.”

“Are you sure you want to do this? I mean, my gorgeous roommate would love to take my place and she’s free this weekend. Unlike me, she’s good at lying. I haven’t told her, but I’m sure she won’t—”

“Get in!” His voice was harsher than he intended. He didn’t care. He was tired of chasing her with subtle signs. She wouldn’t recognize seduction if it hit her straight in the face. This time, he would stake his claim in a way she’d never misunderstand.

Vanessa looked deflated. “All right, all right. Geez.” She motioned to him to open the trunk.

She put her backpack in, then climbed into the passenger seat. “Nice ride.” She took off her parka and put on the seatbelt. Quinn read the slogan on her t-shirt and swallowed his grin.

It said: Dear Karma, I have a list of people you missed.

Her sense of humor never failed to amuse him. Vanessa never cared about her appearance. While the girls at the office were always dolled up, she was the only one who dressed in what she found most comfortable. Shirts with sarcastic remarks. Baggy cargo pants. And she seemed to be the only female immune to his charms.

Quinn knew he was pleasant-looking and many women fawned over him. Vanessa seemed to be the only one who was not interested in him. Yet, somehow, it wounded his pride a bit. He got used to the attention lavished on him by the opposite sex. He wished Vanessa would look at him in a different way. Her aloofness made him want her even more.

Also, the tiger inside him became excited when she was within his reach. Quinn had a hard time controlling the urge to shift. His cock stirred in his pants when he caught a whiff of her scent. She had just taken a shower. Her hair was slightly damp. The aroma of strawberry and citrus from the shampoo wafted his direction. Vanessa never wore perfume. She rarely put on lipstick. Even then, she was beautiful. Quinn never liked women who painted their faces excessively. The natural beauty of a woman should never be concealed under layers of thick makeup.

“You changed shampoo?” he asked.

Her eyes widened. “How did you know?”

“I’ve got a good sense of smell.”

“Wow. I ran out mine so I stole my roommate’s. Why? Does it smell weird?”

“No. I like it. You ready?”

“I guess.”

He glanced at her before he slowly drove the car onto the street.