Page 60 of Protecting the Nerd

Fuck.

“Coulson said they’re monitoring the situation closely, and they may decide to relocate you. But they still want to try and catch them, of course.”

“I understand.”

“What information would she have had access to?” Quillon asked.

That was a good question. She couldn’t have gotten her hands on anything crucial, could she? I’d trusted her, but I wasn’t stupid enough to leave anything top secret lying around in my apartment. “I don’t know. My laptop has the best security possible, and I never leave it unlocked. I don’t use paper other than for calculations, but those mean little without the context.”

“And you never discuss the project when she’s in your apartment?”

“I never work from home.” Then it hit me. Oh fuck. “A few months ago, I contracted salmonella. Maybe you read in the newspaper about the infected prepackaged bags of lettuce and spinach? Well, I ate the spinach and got so, so sick. I worked from home for two weeks. That’s the only time I’ve worked from home, and she came around more than usual because I was sick. And I had to take some calls. We’d just had the big breakthrough, so things were moving fast. Never thought anything of it, but I’d been discussing the project, so yeah, she may have picked up some tidbits then.”

“I’ll let Coulson know.”

“She could’ve taken pictures of my screen or my notes. I had to use the bathroom a lot, and I didn’t always log out before I made a mad dash…” I hung my head. How stupid had I been, compromising not only my safety but the security of our military like that? “I never thought about it until now.”

Quillon put a warm hand on my shoulder. “It’s understandable, nerdy. No one is upset with you. But Coulson needs to know what kind of information she has.”

“Yeah, of course.”

All this time, I’d thought it had been someone from within EDS. That was bad enough, but it wouldn’t have been my fault. But this? This was, and I felt awful. “I’m gonna…” I waved vaguely and made a beeline for my bedroom, where I kicked off my shoes and crawled under the covers.

Ania. I had never considered her. It was hard to be angry with her, though, especially if she’d done it to protect her grandkids. No, my anger was aimed at myself. How had I been so careless? It had never occurred to me I couldn’t talk in front of her, that I shouldn’t trust her. She’d been cleaning and doing errands for me for almost ten years. I’d attended her daughter’s wedding, for fuck’s sake.

The bedroom door opened, and Quillon came in. To my surprise, he took off his shoes and slipped into my bed. Without thinking about it, I turned to him, and when he offered his shoulder, I snuggled close. Funny how that contact already eased some of my tension.

“I feel so stupid,” I whispered.

“Don’t be too hard on yourself. You trusted her, and you had no reason not to.”

“Easier said than done.”

“I know, nerdy. You’re always hard on yourself.”

Was I? He was right. I always held myself to a high standard, an impossible one, maybe. After all, if I were perfect, then maybe… I didn’t want to finish that sentence. Not anymore.

“I also have good news,” Quillon said softly.

“Yes, please. I’d like some good news.”

“I told my boss and Coulson about us.”

My heart skipped a beat as I turned sideways to face him. “There’s an us? I thought you said?—”

“I did, but Auden showed me I was wrong. Nothing is more important than choosing love…and I’m in love with you, nerdy. Head over heels.”

Something unfolded inside me, like a flower opening to the sun. “You are? For real?”

“For real. And I know I jumped the gun on that one, talking to my boss and Coulson before asking you, but?—”

“Yes.” I propped myself on one elbow so I could see his face in the dim light of my bedroom. “If it involves you and me together, the answer is yes.”

His smile could’ve powered an entire city. “Yeah?”

“A thousand times, yes.”

“You keep surprising me, you know that? You don’t need time to get used to the idea? An adjustment period?”

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