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19
Ada
“Good morning.”
When we get to the plant, a man by the name of Paul Woodbridge introduces himself to me and my team. There are six of us, typical for a site visit. Not so typical was the nerve-wracking four-hour drive up here. At least I was alone. Although I could have carpooled with the others, I’m still planning on taking my one night in the Skaneateles. God knows I’ll need some rest and relaxation after spending so much time with Hayden.
I spent the whole ride thinking about seeing him again, but lo and behold, we got here before him. To be fair, we’re early. But it doesn’t help soothe my nerves. Nor does the fact that I have a solid team with me. It would have been great to have Karlene along for the ride, but at least Qasim is here representing the chemistry division.
“Good morning.” I step forward. “Sorry we’re early, Mr. Woodbridge. It can be hard to judge the traffic coming out of the city.”
“No problem, we’re just about ready for you. And please, call me Paul.”
I shake Paul’s hand. “Ada Flemming. And this is Qasim”—I use first names to break the ice a bit—“from CBM.” Catching myself, I rephrase. “Chemistry, Biology, and Microbiology.”
I turn to gesture to the others.
“Carolina from Biopharmaceutics, Randy from Stats, Jayel is our Chief Medical Officer and Francine is our PTS . . .”
“The Pharmacology and Toxicology Specialist.”
Awareness floods my entire body at the sound of his voice. Heat flushes to my cheeks as I turn, doing my best to play it cool.
“Very good, Mr. Tanner. And good morning.”
“Hayden,” he corrects me, daring me to say no now that I’ve used first names for everyone else. I didn’t even hear him walk up.
He’s dressed to the nines. The look reminds me of the first time we met—rolled-up shirtsleeves that only draw more attention to his perfect arms, a smart, sexy vest, and a confidence that radiates from him. Standing tall, shoulders back, he seems even bigger now than he did the other day in his apartment. I can’t help but remember the shock of his lips on mine. The way the first touch of his tongue immediately buckled my knees.
“Hayden,” I repeat.
“Good morning, Doctor Flemming.”
There’s a definite sparkle in his eye. Is he thinking of that first meeting too? Or something else? The kiss?
Oh God, this is going to be a long day.
“Ada,” I insist, trying to ignore the absolute firecracker tension between us.
I reach out a hand, and he grasps it, hard. And yep, that’s his thumb rubbing into my palm. And then he pulls away just as quickly as he reached for me.
“How was your drive?” he asks the group.
Qasim answers, knowing full well there’s something between Hayden and me. He doesn’t know the extent of it, but he knows enough. “Quicker than we expected. You?”
Hayden’s smile is so charming that no one, including Qasim, is immune. “Same here. I was surprised to make such good time.”
He and Qasim seem to have a moment. It’s like Hayden, despite the fact that I’ve never mentioned Qasim to him, somehow knows he’s in on the secret.
And the bastards both seem to be reveling in my discomfort.
“So should we get started?” I ask, anxious to get this over with.
“Sure,” Hayden says, “we’ll follow your lead.”
It’s obvious he’s not just talking about the tour. Now I know I’m not imagining things. I can tell by the look on his face he’s almost enjoying this.
“Let’s start out with a tour of the facility,” I say. “This afternoon we’ll share some of the checklists that will drive tomorrow’s more detailed inspection.”
