Her Spy to Hold (Spy Games Book 2) (10 page)

“Any chance it might be related to the pop-ups you were getting at work?”

“There’s a very good chance. There’s an equal possibility that it’s something different entirely.”

She really hoped it was different, and this was a random hack, not something targeted specifically at her. She’d begun to believe Kale was right—that she was overreacting to those pop-ups she’d received and that someone at work had been playing a mean prank on her.

More importantly, that was what she wanted to believe.

He’d gone tense, the same way he had at the beach earlier. “Can you find out where it came from?”

“Yes, but it might take some time.”

“So much for the movie. I guess we’re working tonight after all.”

He ran the tip of one finger down the back of her neck, sending shivers the length of her spine and shattering her concentration. Maybe he wasn’t as focused on business as she’d assumed. She couldn’t figure him out—which, she freely admitted, was a big part of the attraction. But he was an additional stress in her life that she didn’t need.

For a few days or weeks, though… That would be an adventure. The shiver turned into a dull, aching throb. Because no. He wouldn’t be here forever.

A few minutes later, immersed in her task, she forgot all about him. When she finally resurfaced, the light above the table was on and a cold piece of pizza sat on a plate at her elbow. She had a vague recollection of a delivery.

Kale was leaning against the kitchen island, all long legs and broad shoulders. She had no idea how long he’d been standing there, watching her. The man had patience. He’d also showered. His thick blond hair was loose and still damp. He wore a clean white T-shirt, a bit too tight across the chest, and a pair of black board shorts that showed off long, muscled legs covered in a light dusting of gold. It had to be wrong for him to be this beautiful and intelligent, too. If he had any real flaws, she’d yet to discover them.

“So what did you learn?”

She blinked a few times, rubbing her eyes. “I tracked the intrusion as far as the Russian Business Network.”

The RBN was an Internet service provider with links to the Russian Mafia and organized crime. The online businesses operating through it came from all over the world. Most were anonymous, identifiable only by nicknames. CSIS would know of it.

The intrusion on her laptop might be nothing more than an annoyance. Or, it could be very bad news.

“That’s as far as I’m going,” she added. “There’s simply no way of telling where anything leads beyond that. I do know it won’t be anywhere good. Whoever did this was professional.”

“The RBN. Holy shit.” His blue eyes, fixed on her face, grew speculative. “You can’t go any farther? Or you won’t?”

She was tired, she was worried, and she was testy. He’d objected to her speaking with a man on a public beach, but this was OK?

“I am not hacking into the RBN. There’s nothing I keep on my laptop that’s worth it. If you want to try, feel free to pass on the information to your tech guys at CSIS. That’s what they get paid for.”

Her outburst hung in the air between them, its vehemence surprising them both.

His gaze softened to one of sympathy. “Eat your pizza. I need to think about this for a bit.”

And she didn’t want to think about it any longer. Her head ached. Her back was stiff too. She rolled her neck, trying to loosen the muscles. She’d disappointed him, but hacking into the RBN would be stupid, especially for someone in her line of work. While CSIS involvement might protect her security clearances, she had no desire to draw even more online attention to herself. The possibility of the botnet intrusion being connected to the pop-ups she’d received was also unsettling. Those had been personalized and she couldn’t figure out why. What would anyone hope to gain?

“Here.” Kale crossed the kitchen. Seconds later his hands were on her shoulders, his thumbs pressing into the trapezius muscles and gently massaging the kinks into puddles of goo. “Let me know if I’m being too rough.”

How did he manage to make that sound both considerate and dirty at the same time?

She caught the inside of her cheek with her teeth, her irritation and fears melting away with the heat of his touch, only to be replaced by a very different type of concern. She did her best to ignore it.

“I did find out what website the botnet came from,” she offered. “I was looking up international trade restrictions on nuclear exports and one of the links I clicked on must have been infected. You might want to pass that on too.”

“We need to talk about broadening your intellectual horizons beyond work,” Kale replied. “You seem to be stuck in a rut.”

He was so right about that. She considered all the reasons sleeping with him would be a bad idea. Then she thought about all the times she’d passed up on adventure because she was too busy with her education or work. The latter list was depressingly long. What were the odds of another man like this one—exciting, intelligent, and so very gorgeous—touching her life, even briefly?

Her heart, already pounding with nervous anticipation, picked up its pace. She angled her head so that she was looking at him upside down.

“Guess what else I found online?”

* * *

“I can’t believe you found a zombie musical,” Kale said.

She made a face at the flickering screen. “I can’t believe it’s this bad.”

“Really? ‘Zombie musical’ screamed high art to you?”

It was well past midnight. They’d finished the last of the pizza while they watched the movie. Kale slouched on the sofa beside her, his bare feet propped on her coffee table, hands linked behind his head, almost six and a half feet of testosterone-infused god. His eyes were on her now, not the television, his gaze sliding over her skin in a manner that made her burn in response. Ignoring him was impossible.

That was the only touching he’d done in two hours however. Even though she’d given him the remote, which sat on the cushion between them, he hadn’t so much as tried to hold her hand. Her hormones were going haywire from frustration. She’d either been too subtle or he wasn’t that into her.

“Want to talk about it?” he asked.

She pretended to misunderstand, which really, wasn’t that difficult. He’d been thoughtful all evening. He could be staring at her for any number of reasons. She had no idea what was going on between them right now. “The plot is nonexistent and the actors don’t appear invested. I doubt if it’ll launch any careers or win major awards.”

“I mean about this.” He picked up the remote with his finger and thumb, waggling it in front of her face. “Sorry, but you don’t get to hand off responsibility. I’m not into conquests.”

She wasn’t used to being one. Or making them either. “But you do like the thrill of the hunt.”

“In my line of work I kind of have to enjoy it,” he agreed. His slow grin had her heart pounding at her ribs. “But when it comes to women, I’m more of a catch-and-release kind of guy.”

She gave up trying to play a game she had no hope of winning. “I never know what you’re talking about,” she confessed. “I wish you’d be more direct.”

“Direct, huh?” He studied her for a long moment that quickly became uncomfortable. “Why is it so hard for you to believe I find you beautiful? And that I want to take you to bed?”

The compliment, combined with the heat in his eyes, curled through her. “I have no idea how you find me. We’ve only known each other a few days.”

She didn’t know the real him either. He pretended to be so good natured and easygoing. Today she’d seen evidence to the contrary. And she couldn’t quite come to terms with how he made her feel. The thought of his hands on her skin stole her breath.

“You’ve never met a man you’ve been instantly attracted to?” he asked.

“Of course I have.” The proof was sitting beside her.

He flicked off the television and leaned forward to toss the remote on the coffee table. The room plunged into semi-darkness, illuminated only by the single streetlight situated a few yards down the road from the foot of the driveway. The curtains at the floor-to-ceiling windows were drawn back. He slid his arm along the back of the sofa. She’d showered before the movie started, leaving her hair free to dry. His fingers tangled in it at the nape of her neck, tugging through the snarl of loose, slightly damp curls.

“I think we’re both clear on what I’m interested in,” he said. “My concern is that neither of us knows what you really want, although whatever it is, I’m pretty sure it’s nothing short-term.”

Short-term was exactly what she wanted from him. The thought of anything else was too ridiculous. And overwhelming. “You think you know me that well after a few phony kisses and a day at the beach?”

“I’m saying you’d never go through with it. You’re too…”

His voice trailed off as if he’d thought better of whatever he’d intended to say. His expression, however, made his point loud and clear.

“Boring?” she suggested.

“I thought we’d cleared up that misconception last night. Boring is the last thing I find you. You aren’t, however, the kind of girl a guy picks up in a bar for one night.”

She crinkled her nose. “I’m judging you right now.”

He laughed. “Let me rephrase that. You’re more the kind of girl a guy takes home to his mother. I haven’t introduced mine to anyone since Sarah Keddy in fifth grade.”

Which brought them right back to boring. “Still judging you. For what it’s worth, I’m more interested in competing with the kind of woman you’d pick up in a bar than a fifth grader.” She drew air into her lungs and went for brave. She swung her leg over his and straddled his hips, resting her palms on his chest. She leaned in close, her lips suspended above his. “I am
very
interested in that one night you speak of. Strictly for research purposes, of course. To see how you’d perform against a baseline.”

She read the astonishment in his eyes. Then, the spark of pure lust.

One broad palm cupped the arch of her bottom. Heat scorched through the thin cotton-latex blend of her yoga pants. “I confess I’m a little turned on by the dirty research talk.”

“Maybe a discussion on safe sex should come first. I’m clean and I’m on the pill.” She blurted it all out on a single breath, the words tripping over each other.

“Same here, Dr. Babe. Except for the pill part. I’m waiting for you science types to perfect one for men. When you do I’ll be all over it. Until then I can probably scrounge up a condom or two if you don’t trust me.”

“I trust you.” She wouldn’t be sitting on his lap if she didn’t. The last reservations inside her broke free. “I’m still not sure I like being called Dr. Babe though.”

“How about if I say it like this?” His fingers eased under the hem of her tank top, caressing the bare flesh of her stomach as they worked their way beneath her bra. She caught her breath, the erotic sensation of his fingertips stroking the sensitive skin beneath the curve of her breast shooting fire to the insides of her thighs. “You are so freaking
hot
, Dr. Babe. I can’t wait to be inside you.” The evidence of that declaration was apparent, his erection hard and enormous beneath her. His eyes narrowed to cat-like slits in the darkness, predatory, intent, and a total turn on. “Tell me what you’d like me to do to you to get me there.”

Talk during foreplay wasn’t something she’d ever been good at. Tonight was about seizing opportunities, however, so she was willing to give it a good try, even though her cheeks blazed at the mere thought of it. She caught the lobe of his ear in her teeth and gave it a light nip, then whispered, “I want you to touch me. Lower.”

The pad of his thumb swiped across the tip of her nipple. Flames licked at her core. “You can do better than that. Be more specific. Talk dirty to me, babe. Since you’re conducting scientific research, if it makes you more comfortable you can even use the right terminology.”

Under normal circumstances she would have died of embarrassment right about now. The few men she’d been with had been more focused on the summation than the preamble. This, however, was Kale. Embarrassment didn’t appear to be part of his vocabulary. Not to mention she was already damp from wanting him inside her, and the fastest way to get him there was to cooperate. She didn’t intend to be too fast about it however. Proper research took time and the right preparation.

She made a move to roll off his lap. “We should close the curtains.”

He held her in place with one hand on her knee. “Learn to relax, Irina. Let go of those inhibitions. It’s dark in here and your house is well off the road. No one can see us.”

“Someone took photos of me,” she reminded him. “That’s why you’re here.”

“I’ve taken a walk around your house for three nights in a row now and seen no signs of anyone,” he assured her. His thumb stroked the inside of her thigh in a silent challenge. “Where’s your sense of adventure? But if it makes you feel better…”

The idea of some low-risk exhibitionism was oddly exciting, and definitely outside her comfort zone. She settled back on his thighs. If she planned to do this she’d have to trust him. If they were setting inhibitions free though, then he could go first.

“Take off your clothes,” she commanded, to see if he would.

“So that’s how it’s going to be.” Without hesitation, he shrugged out of his T-shirt and tossed it onto the floor. “I say we take turns undressing, but fair warning. There’s going to be talking and touching involved. And it’ll be dirty.”