Page 10 of Skins Game

“You’rethe joke. There’s no way a new guy just happens to start on April Fool’s Day. Like, I’m going to waste my whole day showing you around but you’ll be dumb as asphalt or something, and everyone will laugh at me.”

“Oh!” He chuffed a laugh. Thank Jesus, he wasn’t found out. “It’s not an April Fool’s prank, just abysmal timing on my part. I am Kingston Moore, the new salesperson for your company that just got sold to a venture capital firm.”

Everything except that part about him being in sales was true.

For a venture capital guy, that was more truth than usual.

“Well, your timing sucks, and I’m sorry you got mixed up in this.” Nicole paused, sucking her lips inside her mouth and staring at the gray-flecked tile under his loafers and her hiking boots. “Are you sure this isn’t an April Fool’s joke?”

“It’s not,” he assured her.

“Because I’m an easy sucker for jokes. I believe everything and go on like it’s real, and then everybody laughs at me, and then I have to laugh, too. But I don’t like practical jokes. They’re mean.”

“Hey.” He ducked his head, trying to catch her eye. He didn’t want to invade her personal space because he didn’t need an HR incident on his first day of owning the company, but he stroked his fingers along the soft skin under her chin and tipped her chin up, raising her eyes to meet his.

Her eyes were dark, shining polished mahogany with a film of tears.

Oh-noflooded him. The urge to stop her crying, tofix,crested. “Don’t be upset. This isn’t a joke. I am who I say I am and will be working with Sidewinder Golf.” He didn’t want to lie to a woman on the verge of tears. “I’m not an April Fool’s joke. No one’s going to laugh at you for believing me.”

She blinked at him, surprise replacing turmoil.

“And if they do laugh,” his voice dropped into his chest, “you tell them to come talk tomeabout it.”

Her blinks increased, and her elbows tucked in by her body, protecting her ribs.

His fingers were still under her chin, near the smoothness of her throat, just where they’d be if he’d raised her face to kiss her.

Her full lips began to part in the middle.

Kingston dropped his hand and stepped back. “I apologize if I overstepped.”

She looked toward the floor, her head snapping to new positions like she was trying to accommodate a new thought. “I—no,it’s okay.”

“But I assure you, I’m not an April Fool’s Day joke. I’m exactly who I say I am.”

Mostly.

“Okay.” She was still flustered, and without looking at him, she began walking.

Kingston followed her hourglass form swaying in the sterile, white hallway toward the elevators.

He wasn’t altogether composed, so he hung back, checked himself, and then caught up to her. “Are you the head engineer?”

“Yes,”she hissed.

“Because I asked to see the head engineer, and I’ve been pawned off on techs so many times that I can’t keep count anymore.”

“I’mnotatech.”

“As we established.”

“Do you change jobs so often that you have a protocol?” she asked.

Oh, perceptive, this one.“Only when the company gets sold out from under me on my first day, and you’d be surprised how often that happens.”

“Betcha I wouldn’t,” she grumbled and thumb-pointed toward a door they passed. “Anyway, downstairs break room, administration and HR offices, and sales offices are on the other side of the building. We’ll come back that way after we tour upstairs.”

“And what’s upstairs?”