Shaw (Alpha Geek #6) - Milly Taiden Page 0,11

numbers and settled on a time and place.

Even two hours later, as Shaw was trying to type up code to strengthen the cybersecurity for Nick’s company, he couldn’t get Poppy out of his head. He had never been so affected by a woman before, and he was too keyed up to focus. It wasn’t like him to let a pretty set of his eyes, and a full set of perfect pink lips distract him.

He had a mission for fuck’s sake.

That didn’t include flirting with a gorgeous woman, even if she had agreed to go out with him. He had a company’s security to guarantee, a serum to find, and a nana to save.

Nowhere in that list did he have time for Poppy.

And yet…

He wouldn’t cancel. There was just something about her that had been calling to him, and there was no way he could ignore it. Even if it meant that he was going to need to kick his own ass into gear the next day to make up for lost time.

Shaw slapped his face gently and comically like he saw cartoons doing all of the time to clear his head. It helped refocus him. He set an alarm on his phone, giving him just enough time to log out of the company’s system and drive over to the coffee shop.

When the alarm blared later on, he nearly jumped out of his seat. Time had passed at warp speed, like it always did when he was working. That was why he needed an alarm in the first place.

It was only when he ran to the bathroom for a quick pee break before hitting the road that he regretted not giving himself more time. He wasn’t exactly date ready. His tee was all wrinkled from hours of coding, and there was no way he could have taken off his beanie. His curls were flattened in a bizarre way. He tucked the gray hat back onto his head. He looked every bit the hacker that he was. It wasn’t the best of looks, especially not when he was meeting with a woman who could have won every single beauty pageant she entered.

With a final tug on his shirt, he shrugged. Until he could take the serum and change into a shifter, there was no way that he could do anything about his appearance. For the present, it was as good as it was going to get.

The drive to the coffee shop felt like torture. Shaw couldn’t wait to see Poppy again and get to know her. He didn’t know anything about her, except that she was gorgeous. He was eager to learn everything there was to know about her. Getting to know someone new was always a bit daunting for Shaw. His years of being an outcast, who was also severely bullied, oftentimes left him feeling wary of people’s intentions toward him. But there was just this warmth, sitting in the pit of his stomach, that was telling him, over and over again, that he had nothing to fear from Poppy.

That was all confirmed when he set eyes on her again.

Shaw couldn’t quite believe it. He was on a coffee date with the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. When she entered the coffee shop, she scanned the space and spotted him. She gave him a small wave and a shy smile as she walked up to him.

“Sorry,” she said. “We had a bit of a hard time finding a parking spot.” Her eyes scanned the room. “The pizza place next door is hopping right now.”

“At least this place is nice and quiet.” He eyed Dakota, who waved him off. He was slightly confused by the agent’s presence, but only for a second.

He had met Poppy at a protection agency. It only made sense that she had a guard with her. He felt terrible for Poppy and wished she didn’t have to deal with whatever had caused her to seek out help from Nick’s company.

Poppy blushed when she noticed the exchange he had with Dakota. “She has to stay within eyesight of me. You know, because of the protection stuff.” Poppy tugged at the hem of her shirt uncomfortably.

Shaw wanted to make the negative thoughts leave her head. He wanted her to have a good time in hopes that he could see her again. How lame did that make him? He hadn’t even had a full first date with her, and already he was getting attached and hoping it would work