He knew better than to engage. His normal modus operandi was to come into a job, lie low, complete his assignment, and get out. Landing on anyone’s radar wasn’t just foolish; it was potentially hazardous to his career. People talked. If he stood out at any particular company, word could spread and he wouldn’t be able to operate as he had for the past year.

But as he searched for a reason to tear his gaze away from the magnificent dark brown eyes staring back at him, Daniel couldn’t seem to come up with one. As long as he didn’t get distracted from the real reason he’d come to work for Trendsetters IT Solutions, what harm was there in being friendly to one of his fellow coworkers? And just because she wasn’t on the list of people he’d been tasked with keeping an eye on, did that mean he should ignore her?

Hell, he couldn’t ignore her if he tried. He was aware of her every breath whenever he was near her.

He’d spent the past couple of days pretending that he just so happened to want coffee whenever she did, but Daniel had no doubt that by this morning she’d caught on. He was a good actor—he had to be in his line of work—but he wasn’t that good.

The fact that she hadn’t called him on it gave him way more to think about than was healthy. Had she written it off as mere coincidence? He couldn’t buy that. She seemed too smart not to have noticed what was blatantly in front of her. The other possibility—the thought that she might enjoy their “chance” encounters—accelerated his heart rate.

The meeting ended and everyone started to file out of the room. Daniel lingered. What point was there in pretending that he wasn’t waiting for her?

“I’ll bet you’re happy this meeting’s over,” she started. “This must have been torture for you.”

He cocked his head to the side. “Why would you say that?”

“I know your type. Programmers want to program. Having to sit through meetings like this one is like being forced to listen to fingers down a chalkboard on repeat.”

He dramatically shivered. “Too graphic.”

Her smile brightened and the meager resolve he’d built up to keep his distance from her all but dissipated.

“It wasn’t all bad,” Daniel answered. “There were a few bright spots to being here.”

The crests of her deep brown cheeks darkened as she blushed.

That was it. Game over. As far as his power to resist was concerned, he would just stop trying. Figuring out how to best navigate this attraction would be a far more effective use of his mental energy when it came to Samiah Brooks.