She reached out and let him steady her as she wriggled out of the car that definitely could use another door. She lost her balance, but Hutch caught her, his free hand going around her waist and pulling her against him.
“You okay?” He was staring down at her.
She nodded.
“The whole building is Genedyne, right?” His voice went low and she heard a vehicle coming into the entrance circle in front of the building.
“Yes.” She wished she didn’t sound breathless.
“Okay. Can I kiss you?” Hutch asked. “There’s a big group getting out of a van right behind us, and I would like to start to cement our cover.”
He wanted to kiss her? No. He didn’t want to kiss her. He wanted to give credence to their cover because there were a bunch of her coworkers hopping out of that van, likely coming back from lunch. Was she doing this? If she didn’t, she’d have her dad sleeping on her couch instead of a hunky guy. Yes. She was doing this. She went up on her toes and gave those gorgeous lips of his a peck.
Behind her she could hear someone asking if that was LaVigne. They were definitely watching.
She dropped back and Hutch gave her an amused expression before his hands came up, cupping her face right below her jaw. “Yeah, that’s not how we’re saying good-bye.”
His head dipped down and his lips brushed against hers, gently at first, like a butterfly sweeping by as it flew. Then he kissed her again and she felt fire in her veins. He controlled the kiss, and all she had to do was follow his lead. Her hands went to his waist, feeling the lean muscles of his torso. The world seemed to drop away as he kissed her, and it was a shock to her system when she heard a whistle.
She stepped back and saw a group of the techs standing there watching her. She gave them her best stare. “Don’t you have something to do?”
There were a whole lot of yeses as they turned and started to walk in the door.
“LaVigne, I didn’t know you were seeing someone.”
She stopped because she knew that deep, whiskey voice.
Hutch was already in motion. He moved away from her, holding out a hand. “Hi. I’m Hutch. I’m Noelle’s boyfriend from back in Louisiana.”
He was doing a fairly good accent. It was subtle, like he’d spent a lot of time there but wasn’t completely a local.
Jessica Layne was standing next to her candy-apple-red Maserati dressed in her signature all-white power suit, her blonde hair cut in a chic bob. She looked Hutch up and down like he was a meal she was sizing up. She held out her manicured hand and shook Hutch’s a second too long for Noelle’s liking. “Jessica Layne. I’m Noelle’s boss.”
Hutch pulled back and had an arm around Noelle’s shoulder in a heartbeat. She could feel the slightest tremble in his hand, though his voice was completely steady, his expression pleasant. “Of course I recognize you, Ms. Layne. It’s an honor to meet such an iconic figure in our world today.”
He was nervous. She wasn’t sure how she knew that, but she did. She was so certain that she wound her arm around his waist not for cover, but to comfort him. “Sorry I’m late today. I’m afraid I brought back some souvenirs from home. Hutch and I were high school sweethearts. We reconnected a couple of months ago and he’s moving up here. With me. In my place.”
“Yes, I rather thought that was what you meant.” She’d caught sight of Kyle and MaeBe, whose eyes had gone wide. “Did you find this one there, too?”
MaeBe looked like she was staring at a rock star. “I’m from here. From Dallas. I’m such a huge fan.”
Jessica ignored her. “How about you, gorgeous? I know you don’t work for me. I would recognize you.”
Kyle looked like a deer caught in some bright headlights. “I’m Kyle. I’m his brother. I don’t have a job.”
“He’s staying with me until he finds something,” Noelle explained. “He recently got out of the military and didn’t want to work on an oil rig or haul tourists around to look for gators. That’s about all we have in our town.”
It wasn’t, but it was best to not have long explanations. This was absolutely the longest conversation she’d had with Jessica since she’d hired on. She was ready to head back to her lab.
“Well, you should see about applying here, Kyle.” Jessica’s expression softened. “There are lots of good jobs here.”
“Oh, I’m not good with science. I’ve got an interview at this restaurant that hires ex-military guys,” Kyle said quickly. He nodded MaeBe’s way. “My girlfriend set it up. She lives here. We met online.”
MaeBe hesitated as though she couldn’t quite believe she’d gotten pulled into this crap. Then she smiled and leaned against Kyle. “Yep. I’m glad to have him here so we can figure out if our relationship works.”