As he sipped a strawberry and kiwi smoothie, he couldn’t help but wonder why anyone employed here would mess it up by getting involved with a bunch of criminals. He knew the answer, of course. Money and greed were powerful catalysts for all kinds of bad behavior. He’d never get used to witnessing what people did for those two things. Sell out their own families. Trade their own children.

After another ten minutes of eating enough grapes and Brie to make up for the breakfast he’d skipped this morning, Daniel returned to his desk amid good-natured boos from many of his coworkers. It was all in good fun. Eventually, they would win some awesome prize that would make him envious.

He grabbed his coffee mug and made his way to the kitchen. Samiah was waiting for him at the coffee station, her arms crossed over her chest. She’d had meetings out of the office both yesterday and this morning. The outright euphoria rushing through his veins just at the sight of her after missing her for two days was his first clue that he was barreling headfirst into a crapload of trouble.

“I am so disappointed,” she said. Daniel’s head snapped back in surprise. “I totally misjudged you.”

His heart pounded erratically against his rib cage. Had he been made? He was almost afraid to ask, but he couldn’t just stand there like a tree stump.

“Uh…what did I do?”

“After the rough couple of weeks I’ve had, I just knew you would offer to switch places with me after you won that competition. Do you know how much I could have used that massage?”

Relief made his knees weak. He perched his backside on the counter, hoping the casual pose would mask the fact that he couldn’t stand without the extra support.

“I didn’t realize that was an option,” Daniel finally said after ensuring that his voice wouldn’t expose the last dregs of apprehension still creeping along his nerve endings.

Her lips twitched, and the pout she wore curved upward. “I’m just messing with you. Well, kinda. I really could have used that massage.”

“Sorry,” Daniel said. “It was a good one too.” He flexed his right hand. “Just what these digits needed after all that coding.”

He chuckled at her outraged gasp.

“You’re going to rub it in?” Samiah shook her head, her eyes wide with a mixture of astonishment and amusement. “And all this time I thought you were one of the nice ones.”

“I am a nice one.”

“Maybe.” Her reluctant smile was the sexiest thing he’d seen since the last time he saw her smile. A familiar heat flared to life again, warming the blood that pulsed through his veins. The intensity grew stronger with every minute he spent in her presence.