Hard As Ice (Fortis Series 1) by Raven Scott

Mr. DaCosta yesterday.”
    “And?” Nia questioned, not bothering to deny it. With the speed that news traveled in the office, even the temporary warehouse staff were probably already talking about it.
    “Uhmm, nothing.” There was a pause. “It’s just that it’s so unusual for you to accept a date with a client, that’s all. From anyone, actually. I don’t think you’ve ever even mentioned a boyfriend.”
    Nia let Adam ramble. He was only asking what others would, though probably not to her directly. That would defeat the purpose of juicy gossip.
    “Anyway, according to Emma, he’s pretty good-looking. Evan DaCosta, I mean. In which case, good for you!”
    Her patient silence and blank facial expression finally got through to him. Adam let out a deep sigh of frustration and turned back to his computer.
    “What does your schedule look like for the next few weeks?” she continued, as though the topic of her dating life had never been introduced.
    They spent the next thirty minutes looking at their current client commitments in order to determine when the team could complete the cataloging and appraisals for Evan. It was pretty clear that the only viable window for her to travel to Virginia would be in the next two weeks. Otherwise, it would have to wait until later in the summer. Or someone else on the team would need to manage it.
    Nia went back to her office knowing that she would have to call Evan today and discuss the options. After last night, it felt strange for their first conversation to be business-related. It was even more awkward that she had to be the one to call. Would it look like she was chasing him, eager for a repeat performance, using work as an excuse?
    This was why she never dated anyone related to work. Too many added complications.
    By late afternoon, she couldn’t procrastinate any longer. Nia picked up her desk phone and started dialing, but paused as her cell phone also rang. Hoping it was Evan, she quickly answered. Instead, it was her best friend, Lianne Bloom.
    “Are we still on for tonight?” Lianne asked after a quick hello.
    Nia bit the inside of her cheek, trying to think of a good excuse. Lianne’s fiancé, Eddie, had his brother in town for a couple of weeks. Lianne had made plans for Nia to join them for a night out. It wasn’t a double date or anything since Eddie’s brother, Kevin, had a girlfriend back in Seattle. But Nia still hesitated. She wasn’t really in the mood to hang out as part of a group.
    “Please don’t cancel, Nia. I found this place downtown that has a live band playing tonight. You can’t leave me with the boys by myself!” pleaded Lianne. “If you’re not there, they’ll just insist on going to a bar and I’ll be stuck watching baseball all night or something.”
    That did sound like hell, so Nia caved.
    “Okay, okay, I’ll go,” she conceded.
    “Yes! I’m thinking seven o’clock for dinner?” suggested Lianne.
    “Sure. I’m going to go home and change, but that should be fine.”
    “Do you want us to pick you up?”
    “No, that’s okay,” Nia replied. “I’ll just grab a cab.”
    “Okay, I’ll send you a text with the address. See you later!”
    Nia barely had time to say good-bye before her phone was beeping with another call.
    “Hello?” she quickly answered.
    “Hi, Nia, it’s Evan.”
    She sat back in her chair, trying to regain her composure.
    “Hi, Evan,” she managed to reply smoothly. “How are you?”
    Geez, that sounded so formal. She could almost see his teasing grin, mocking her.
    “I’m fine. How are you?”
    It was her turn to grin.
    “I’m good, thank you,” she returned.
    “Did you sleep well?” His tone lowered a bit, making his words sound more suggestive than they should have. Heat warmed her cheeks.
    “I did, actually.”
    “Good,” he stated. “I didn’t sleep at all, in case you’re wondering.”
    Nia smiled harder, enjoying his flirting more than she should.
    “Really? That’s