Perfect Pairing by Rachel Spangler Page B

problem.”
    â€œYeah yeah.” She rolled her eyes. “Sex. That’s what it always comes down to, right?”
    â€œYou got a problem with sex?”
    â€œNo,” Hal said, then thought some more. Maybe she did. She hadn’t had any in a while, so that could be a problem. A bigger one might be the way every conversation about Quinn led back there, and so quickly. Was she really that hard up, or was Sully driving that part of her brain? Actually, Quinn didn’t do anything to break up those associations either. She stood way too close, and what was with all the arm touching? She found an excuse to do that almost every time they were together. Was it a move that came naturally to her? Was it meant to be soothing? Or was it part of her practiced persona, a well-rehearsed gesture to make her seem sincere and interested? “That’s the thing with her, though, you know?”
    â€œNo. I have no idea,” Sully said.
    Had she said that last part out loud? “Nothing.”
    â€œI call bullshit.” Sully calling bullshit was like a ten-year-old boy calling shotgun. There was procedure to it that only they could understand, but that didn’t stop them from expecting it to be honored.
    â€œIt’s just that I never know what’s real with her and what’s some ploy to get under my skin.”
    â€œWho cares if it gets her under your sheets?”
    Hal sat up. “Thanks for all your help.”
    â€œNo, wait,” Sully said, her tone growing serious. “I just meant that she’s going after what she wants in this relationship or whatever it is. She’s never lied or led you on. Why can’t you do the same?”
    â€œThe same what?”
    â€œGo after what you want. Use each other for mutual benefit.”
    â€œWhat do I get out of the trade-off?”
    â€œWhatever you want. You want business? Do business. You want sexy? Do sexy. She’s got money, she’s got connections, she’s got a good business mind and a sharp tongue. Then on the other side she’s got a rockin’ body, a fiery temper that you know is going to set off fireworks in bed, legs that go on forever, and, well, a sharp tongue. Put the tongue thing in both columns.”
    Hal chose to ignore the last part and focus on the bigger picture. Quinn did have a lot more to offer than sixteen dollars an hour. She was smart on multiple levels, she was fun to spar with, and there was no use trying to deny she tripped a lot of physical triggers, too, but what was she supposed to make with all of those building blocks?
    â€œI don’t know what I want from her.”
    Sully raised her eyebrows.
    â€œI know you have a hard time believing this, but I really haven’t spent the last few weeks entertaining sexual fantasies about her. I think I’ve been so busy trying not to get burned, I never really thought of anything other than how she could hurt me.”
    â€œMaybe it’s time to relax a little bit and let yourself consider some new options.”
    Hal didn’t respond. She didn’t want to give Sully any false hope, or dirty joke fodder, but as she returned to staring at a hairline crack in the high ceiling, she had to admit, if only to herself, she did like the idea of having options.

Chapter Six
    â€œAre you going over to Hal’s?” Ian asked from his spot on the couch. He had to sit in the corner farthest from the coffee table so he had room to extend his long legs. He could stay there for hours, his laptop resting on his thighs like a security blanket. The couch cushions had become a lopsided reminder of his imprint even when he got up for something, which had happened more often lately. He’d worked with Sully and Hal four times since Tuesday, sometimes at lunch and sometimes into the night, but Quinn had fought off the silly urge to tag along. She had made some slight inroads with Hal last Friday, and she wanted to give them both space