“All right, Hutch,” she replied evenly. “Let’s not mince words. You don’t want to do this job, it’s fine. Kyle mentioned someone else.”
“Kyle doesn’t assign agents.” Though apparently he liked to fuck them over.
“I don’t want to cause trouble.” She leaned a bit on the cane. “I’m fairly certain we’re going to find out that this wasn’t worth all the time and effort. If you’ve got a junior team member I can work with, I’ll be happy to make the switch. I was told you’re the top computer guy.”
It was sometimes hard to believe but he’d been heading the cybersecurity unit for years now. “I’m good at what I do. I can figure out if you have a problem. So your dad did Big Tag a favor once?”
“The ties are more complex than that.” She looked him up and down. “My Aunt Lisa said you were cute. She didn’t mention how highly you thought of yourself.”
He knew that name well. The Daley family had close connections to MT. “Lisa Daley?”
Noelle nodded. “She goes by Guidry now. She’s my stepmom’s sister, but I call her aunt anyway.”
Kyle seemed to have gotten through, and he hurried over. “Yeah, it’s weird, right? Like I don’t have any blood relation to Big Tag or Charlotte, but they consider me family because Sean’s my stepdad. It can be hard to figure out what to call those relationships when you’re an adult. As a kid you call everyone aunt and uncle.”
He kind of wished Kyle had stayed on the other side because at least then he could pretend Noelle had one of those faces that always looked a little frowny. Nope. She smiled Kyle’s way and pretty much lit up the room.
“That’s a lot of knives,” she said. “I’m sure my dad would approve.”
Kyle knelt down and shoved one into his boot. “It’s only three. And I’m carrying extra guns because I borrowed a couple to try out at the shooting range. I’m trying to find a good semi. Come on and I’ll get you upstairs. I’m afraid we’re late.”
Hutch didn’t like the “we” part. He moved to the other side of Noelle. “Tag will understand. He has to know what the situation is downstairs. I’d like to talk to you a bit before we go into the meeting. I’ve read through the files but sometimes talking it through can give me a better perspective.”
“I thought it was all the overblown rantings of small-town hicks who think the big city is scary,” she replied as they made it to the elevator.
“I might have been overstating that case,” he admitted. “I’m really sorry you heard that.”
“I’m really sorry you said it,” she shot back.
So she wasn’t the woman who would let a guy get away with shit. It did something for him. He hated it when a woman felt like she had to smile and forgive simply because the man who’d hurt her apologized.
He’d dug a deep hole with this woman, and it sucked because he was a nice guy. He was the guy who made sure everyone got home and who sat with his friends when they weren’t feeling well. He was the caretaker of the group. He was the guy ladies slept with because he was safe and would be nice.
Naturally the one woman to spark his interest he’d been a jerk to.
Not that he was…
Screw that. He was interested, and there was no way Charlotte had set her up with Kyle. No way. That bit of sunshine had been meant for him. Had he been his normal, flirty, nice-guy self she might be eating out of his hand by now. And he would have her muffins halfway down his throat. Yep. It did not escape him that he wanted to taste all her sweetness.
The elevator doors came open and Kyle gallantly held it for Noelle.
He should have done that. Hutch sighed and got on the elevator. “I’m sorry I said it, too, since I know what it’s like to be stereotyped. It was a dumb thing to say and I apologize. I hope I can make you feel comfortable working with me.”
“Or you can talk to Charlotte and get another agent on the case. Hutch is not the only tech guy we have,” Kyle said helpfully. “There’s even a lady tech, if you would feel more comfortable with a woman.”
“Yes, she’s on my team.” It was time to take control. Kyle seemed more than willing to throw him under the bus. “I’m in charge of assignments when it comes to my team. Ian asked me to take this case because I’m the best.”
“I thought his wife asked you because she wants to marry you off,” Noelle quipped.
“Or it could be me,” Kyle offered. “He said he wasn’t sure. I am single, too.”
Kyle was married to his weapons. Hutch shook his head. “It’s me, and I still think Charlotte had a hand in this, but I was given the case and I’m keeping it. I’m also the senior agent. I’m in charge.”
“I’m the client,” Noelle began and then frowned. “Who isn’t actually paying anything, so I’ll take what I can get. You should know, Mr…Hutch, that I am not interested in being set up. I won’t be throwing myself at you or expecting anything beyond your help in one specific situation. You’re perfectly safe. Also, I think you’ll find your part of the job is pretty simple. I brought my laptop with me. We might be able to figure it all out this morning and go our separate ways. I do think my dad’s being paranoid. He also warned me you’re a horndog and I should stay away from you.”
“I’m a what?” He’d never heard the expression.
Kyle snorted. “From some of the stories I’ve heard, it’s a pretty accurate description.” The doors opened and there was the entrance to McKay-Taggart. “Come with me, Noelle. I’m more than happy to show you around while Hutch sets up our briefing. And those muffins smell delicious. Would you like some coffee?”
“I would love some. Thank you.” Noelle completely ignored him as she walked off with Kyle. “It’s a lovely office.”
She had a lovely backside. And muffins. And she smelled like vanilla.
That was a good thing to remember. It hadn’t worked with a vanilla woman. He could have tons of vanilla sex, but it didn’t fill his soul the way it should. He needed more control than most women were interested in handing over.
He took a deep breath and followed. Sometimes mistakes were made for reasons. He had to hope that was the case here.
And he had to figure out what a horndog was. He sighed and moved toward the office. His day was already going bad.
* * * *
Did he have to be so cute? Noelle sat across from the man her father had warned her about and wished he wasn’t pretty much her exact type. If she was going to build a guy she found attractive, Hutch checked off all her superficial needs. He was gorgeous, had that strong jawline that made her heart go all girly. From the look of his forearms, he spent a lot of time in the gym. And he had beautiful eyes. He wasn’t so big that he overwhelmed her, but he also looked solid. His emotions seemed to play across his face. In the short time since she’d met him, she’d seen what he looked like when he was frustrated, embarrassed, and angry. She’d caught sight of him grinning with some of his coworkers, and that smile of his lit up the room.
Why couldn’t she like the Kyle Hawthorne, superhot and broody type? Any one of her friends would have taken one look at him and been a puddle at his feet, but she’d merely felt an artistic appreciation for the man’s perfection.