Blown Away by Stephanie Julian Page A

it.
    She smiled and turned to check the back view. Pretty damn good, if she did say so herself.
    You know, maybe she would need a dress tonight.
    * * * * *
    Jimmy finally managed to get back to work, but he knew himself well enough to realize he shouldn’t work on anything too important.
    His brain wasn’t in the right gear. So he finished paperwork he needed to transfer the compound to the Army lab.
    He’d just emailed the encrypted file to the DOD, making plans for the compound to be picked up tomorrow, and was trying to figure out what to do next when his phone pinged.
    They’re back.
    Nic’s text made his stomach do a weird little flip, which he attributed to not eating lunch. He hadn’t been hungry earlier, but a minute ago he’d been thinking about getting a burger.
    All thought of food fled and he made his way upstairs. He didn’t actually run but he did take the stairs two at a time.
    The sounds of feminine laughter drifted down the hall from the reception area.
    By the time he reached the party, the laughter had died down to conversation between the girls. Which died when he showed up.
    “Hey. You guys have any …fun?”
    Merri had been standing by Annie’s desk with her back to him, but she turned at the sound of his voice. And Jimmy nearly swallowed his tongue.
    She’d left in jeans. He knew that not because he’d really cared what she was wearing but because he remembered she’d been worried about her clothes not being appropriate for the office.
    Now she wore black pants that made her ass look amazing and a tight green top with short sleeves and a v-neck that showed off a hell of a lot more cleavage than she’d been showing when she left.
    “Of course we did.” Janey lounged on the couch along the wall, where clients very rarely waited long for a meeting. “Something wrong, Jim? You look a little…wiped.”
    Tearing his gaze away from Merri, and those lips that were curved in a smile, he narrowed his eyes at Janey’s way-too-innocent look. “I didn’t get a chance to eat.”
    “You mean you forgot to eat.”
    How the hell did she manage to sound so much like their mother? “I was gonna go out and grab something now. Looks like you had a good time.”
    “We did.” Merri sounded almost surprised, which made him look back at her. “I don’t really like to shop, but Janey and Annie are professionals.”
    “That’s because they have so much practice.”
    “Hey,” Janey shrugged, “if you’re going to be good at something, I say you do it right or you go home.”
    “Uh, Jimmy?” Annie glanced up at him, shaking her head. “Why is the DOD sending me alien communications?”
    “Oh shit. Forgot to tell you I made arrangements for the compound to be taken for testing. That’s probably my confirmation.”
    “I am so glad you’re finally getting rid of that stuff,” Janey said. “No more trips to the emergency room. Although with you, who knows what you’re working on next?”
    “What are you working on?”
    Merri’s quiet question sounded genuinely intrigued. He couldn’t remember the last time anyone had asked him that question without a sigh of exasperation.
    “Would you like to see?”
    Her eyes lit up. “I’d love to.”
    Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Janey and Annie exchange a look but dismissed it as the “Jimmy and his crazy stuff” look.
    “I’ve been working on this compound for a couple of years and I finally got it right. It’s a—”
    “Jimmy. Food,” Janey called as he led Merri to the lab door.
    “Don’t worry,” Annie responded before he could get a word out. “I’ll have something sent over from the deli.”
    He acknowledged Annie’s plan with a wave, not really caring.
    “It’s a liquid that makes a perfect seal over skin so medics can dress wounds faster and better.”
    Hurrying down the stairs, he was halfway to his table before he realized Merri had stopped at the bottom of the stairs and was looking around.
    “Wow, Jimmy.”
    He