Rules of Attraction Read Online Free Page B

own sweatshirt off,wishing he’d known he would be running. Jeans chafed. Good thing he’d worn sneakers. Most of the time he wore boots. He would’ve looked like he was chasing her. Some Good Samaritan might’ve decked him.
    She jogged in place at a traffic signal at the bottom of a hill. He stayed twenty feet behind her. The light turned green and she took off with only a glance over her shoulder. Damn. He hadn’t felt this good in months, ever since he’d left his one-man operation to come aboard with ARC. The transition had been challenging, reporting to and working with other people.
    Today he was glad for the job, glad for this particular assignment. The bleached blonde with the long legs and the canine companion sent his mood soaring.
    Suddenly she turned around and ran toward him, the dog nipping at her heels. Was she going home already? Should he step aside and let her pass or—
    â€œYou might as well run with us,” she said, stopping in front of him but still jogging.
    The dog danced around, barking.
    â€œStop it, Rase.”
    â€œYou call that a command?”
    She pursed her lips. The dog never stopped moving.
    â€œAnd I see how well it works,” he added. “Sit,” he said authoritatively.
    The dog put his rear on the sidewalk instantly and grinned, his tongue hanging out, his tail dusting the ground.
    Claire stopped jogging. “How did you— Traitor,” she said to the dog. “You little traitor. He has never done that for me.”
    â€œThat’s because you say ‘Stop it.’” He tried to match the pitch of her voice. “Good boy,” he said to the dog, patting his head. “Rase?” he queried, looking at Claire.
    â€œShort for Eraser. Because his coat is the color of the old blackboard erasers.” She rubbed his ears. “He probably had another name, but I got him from the pound. He was already a couple of years old.” She put her shoulders back. “Let’s go.”
    They jogged up a hill, not a particularly steep one by San Francisco standards, but enough that they couldn’t talk much.
    â€œYou saved his life,” Quinn said to her, not surprised that she’d rescued the dog from death row.
    â€œHe kind of saved mine, too.” She kept her eyes focused ahead. “We needed each other.”
    Because of her parents or her sister? he wondered. He tried not to feel sorry for her. People often couldn’t see the truth about family. He’d been in that position himself, not once but twice. Claire was apparently as untainted as he had been once, enough so that she volunteered at a blood bank in gratitude for a little extra time with her dying mother…and chose to teach first-graders, innocence personified…and rescued pound dogs…and had blind faith in her unworthy sister.
    But it was also hard to imagine Jennifer talking Claire into something she didn’t want to do. Claire only seemed mild mannered. She’d displayed a firm strength of character last night. So, why change from brunette to blonde? Why the shift to leather skirt and snug blouse? The change was drastic.
    Had Jennifer convinced her to transform herself? Quinn found it hard to believe it had been Claire’s idea. Jennifer needed to escape surveillance, and she’d used her sister to do it.
    He gave up asking himself questions he couldn’t answer and focused on the run, which felt good. He hadn’t taken enough time for himself lately. Lately? Healmost laughed at the understatement. He got a work-out in because he had a gym at home, but free time was a rarity, which was why on the rare occasions he dated, they were busy women who weren’t demanding of his time, because they understood working long hours. So he chose professional women, mostly. Except lawyers, who asked too many questions.
    And most women ended the relationship quickly, saying he was too serious. Hell, life was serious.
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