He could just admit that he hadn’t been thinking. That he knew it was inappropriate to ask her out, even to lunch. Except Trendsetters didn’t have any rules against coworkers getting together for lunch. They did it all the time.

That didn’t mean he could do it. He wasn’t a typical Trendsetters employee. And FinCEN sure as hell frowned upon agents becoming romantically involved with potential subjects while on an op.

But Samiah wasn’t a subject or a target, so did it even matter?

Of course it mattered! He could play around with semantics all he wanted to, but when it came right down to it, Lowell Dwyer would have his ass if he caught wind of any of this.

Decision made, Daniel continued to Samiah’s office, only to find it empty.

Well, hell, maybe he wouldn’t have to make up any excuses. Looks as if she’d come to her senses.

“I’ll be there in a minute.”

He turned at the sound of her voice. She waved to him from Aparna Bajwa’s desk, where the two were both pointing at something on a computer monitor. A second later, she left Aparna’s station and started for him, her smile gaining vibrancy as she approached.

God, but that smile was gorgeous.

“I was thinking—” she started.

“Samiah…I don’t—” he said at the same time.

They both stopped. Her forehead dipped into a slight V with her frown. “You don’t what?”

I don’t think we should have lunch. It was one simple sentence. Just say it.

“I don’t know if you like poke, but there’s a place that just opened around the corner that I thought we could go to.”

Dude, what the fuck? That was not what he was supposed to say.

She regarded him with a hint of uncertainty before her features relaxed into another of those breath-stealing smiles. How could he say no to that smile? He wanted to live in that smile.

“I’ve been eyeing that place,” she said. “Let me grab my purse.”

“You don’t need it. It’s my treat, remember?”

“Oh, I know it is,” she threw over her shoulder, her eyes twinkling with amusement. “But I can’t leave my access card.”

The delay gave him yet another opportunity. He could pretend he’d forgotten about a special project Morgan asked for help on. He could fake a stomachache. Anything.

But he didn’t say a damn word as he stood there waiting for her to lock up her computer and grab her purse from the desk drawer. As he held the door open for her and then followed her out of the office. As he waited for her as she stopped to speak to Jamie at the front desk. So many chances to back out, yet he didn’t. Couldn’t.