Carinian's Seeker Read Online Free Page B

oblivious of her lack of interest and as long as she smiled and remained cordial he seemed to believe he had a chance with her. Did he? Hell no. But his unspoken hope kept her in a position to get what she needed—access to the most sophisticated materials and equipment for her projects. In spite of the fact he was a total pervert who only wanted a piece of her ass, Carin almost felt guilty for using the bastard.
    “Good morning, Charles.” Her voice was pleasant as she plastered a patient expression on her face and smiled into his black beady little eyes. Funny, they didn’t quite fit into his pasty face. While his eyes were too small, his skull seemed too large for the rest of his body. The combination of picking up his lecherous emotions and looking at him came close to causing her physical pain. Charles might be a certifiable genius, but Carin didn’t think she’d ever seen a more ugly man. It took all her willpower not to scrunch up her face on a wince.
    “Thanks for holding the elevator, Dr. Derrickson. By the way, what are you doing here? I thought you were going on vacation right after your training. You’re not scheduled to return until next week. In fact, didn’t your flight from Colorado land just an hour and a half ago? I know you’re eager to catch up on things but…”
    Lord, the man sure could talk. She should be used to his chatter by now but it still irritated her like a bad rash. God, he makes my butt itch .
    Just before they glazed over, her eyes lost focus on Charles and riveted on the tall man entering the elevator behind him. Her mouth fell open and her wits flew right out of her head. Bix? And damn, was he wickedly handsome, the epitome of masculinity with silky dark hair and lightly tanned skin. Her dark eyes met his honey laden silver-streaked ones, and her heart slammed up into her throat. She couldn’t help but stare as she took in the cut of his black tailored suit set off by a cream silk band collared shirt. A tailored trench fell from his neck to well past his calves. The man was impossibly wide across the shoulders. The clean lines of the leather coat accentuated his powerful build, even if he was probably the only person in all of San Diego walking around in a real winter coat. Expertly cut, it made her think of the cool garb worn in the movie, The Matrix . On his feet were polished black…Doc Martin boots? Now that was an eyebrow lifter.
    Curiosity finally overrode the initial shock of coming face-to-face with the tallest, most impressive man she’d ever had the pleasure of spending time with. What the hell was he doing here? Still standing behind a blithering Charles, he winked at her.
    “Hi, Carin. How are you?”
    Oooooh, this was bad. The smooth tenor of his voice brought visions of him kissing her senseless in a hotel hallway into her suddenly empty head. She looked down at the floor, examining her shoes as she tried to get her thoughts together. Deep breath in. Now let it out slowly. Okay, back to the original question—what was he doing here?
    “I’m fine, Bix. Thanks for asking. And what brings you here?”
    “You two have met already?” Charles asked, his whiny voice laced with something akin to suspicion.
    “Yes, we met in Colorado while I was at Aegis for software training.” The elevator doors closed and Charles stood next to her while Bix moved to an unobtrusive spot behind her. The confined areas had never bothered her before, but Bix’s presence filled the small box speeding her upstairs to her labs. He even seemed to take up all the air, let alone the space.
    Carin discreetly breathed a sigh of relief when Charles pushed the button for the tenth floor. At least he wouldn’t be getting off on her floor. She stiffened as a purely sensual feeling slid over her skin. Instinctively, she knew it was Bix’s gaze burning through the back of her suddenly too-tight royal blue silk blouse. Her breasts began to swell and the nipples pebbled against the sheer lace of