by Alexia Adams
“Unlike your parents?”
His laugh was short and bitter. “My parents once forgot to pick me up for Easter break. I spent it with the caretaker and his wife as the school was closed for maintenance.”
She put her hand on his on the table, rubbing her thumb across his knuckles. “I’m sorry.” Something they shared. The pain of parental rejection.
“You know what that’s like, don’t you?” He flipped his hand over and gripped hers before she could pull it away. The gesture of camaraderie set off a flutter in her belly and tightened her throat.
She had to take a large swig of her drink before she could answer. “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”
“Or leaves you scarred for life.”
“I’m not a victim, and neither are you. Besides, we were talking about Harry.”
“Are you interested in him?”
“Not in the slightest.”
He raised her hand and left a lingering kiss on the back. Damn, ears and hands, by the end of dinner this man would have her a quivering mess.
“Good,” he said, but didn’t elaborate. He released her hand and drained his drink. “By the time I set up Wolfe PLC and started hawking my jewelry, Harry had completed his degree in business, and I needed someone who could handle the administrative side of things while I designed and sourced gem suppliers. Things have been working well until about a year ago. Then he started making some questionable decisions, and I’ve had to take back the reins on a few projects.”
“Did something happen to him?”
“Not sure. He hasn’t said anything. He’s not serious with anyone as far as I know, and we’ve never been super chummy, so I don’t ask about his family often. I went on a date with his sister once, but it was such a disaster…” Wolfe visibly shuddered. “Harry hasn’t taken a sick day or had any mysterious appointments that I know about, so I doubt he’s ill.”
“Want me to investigate him?” They both knew what she meant.
“Maybe. Let’s wait to see what else you uncover while you’re playing with my equipment.”
The repressed laughter in his eyes had her finishing her drink before replying. “I don’t play.”
“We’ll see.”
What the hell did he mean by that?
…
Wolfe leaned back in his chair as the waiter removed his empty plate. When was the last time he’d enjoyed himself this much? For once he hadn’t had to pretend interest in a woman or her pets. Kat was entertaining, reciting stories of former clients, always anonymous, and the things she’d found in their systems. Although, any attempt to talk about her past or her personal life was quickly shut down. She was well-traveled, well-read, and had a brilliant sense of humor. But somehow he got the feeling that it was all an act.
Who was the real Kat Smith? Although he was uneasy with the subterfuge of having her investigated, he needed answers to know if he could fully trust her. With the royal commission on the line, he couldn’t afford any unknowns. The prince was ultraconservative about who he worked with. Any association with the wrong people could destroy Wolfe’s chance of getting the job. No woman, no matter how interesting, was going to get in the way of his career.
“I should probably get back to work,” Kat said, placing her napkin on the table.
He glanced at his watch. “It’s ten thirty. And you have bags under your eyes. You can take a night off.”
“Excuse me, aren’t you the guy who flew me out here on a private jet because you needed this job done urgently?”
He put a hand on hers where it rested on the table. “Not at the expense of your health. You’ve fixed the issue with the invoices, and I’ve got manual systems in place to double-check everything. I’m not going to upload any crucial designs until you tell me that’s safe as well. For the moment, we’re in a holding pattern, so there’s no need to rush.”
Her eyes searched his face. “That seems to go against your mandate. I was told ‘get this sorted, pronto.’”
“Yes, but now I believe this will be more of a long-term project. Your mentioning my designs being accessed has me worried. I not only want to fix the problem, but catch the bastard who’s doing this to my company. That’s going to take a couple of weeks.” He paused, remembering Simon’s words about going from a one-week affair to marriage. Kat, though, didn’t come across as looking for a commitment. And no way was Wolfe ever getting sucked into that hellhole.
She hesitated so long he thought maybe she would refuse. “All right. I was going to take a holiday next week, but I guess I can stay here and help you.”
“Maybe you can do both. I have a business trip to make a week from Monday. Perhaps you could come with me.” What the hell? He’d just invited her to Russia? He’d known the woman for twenty-four hours, eighteen of those he’d spent in a near-constant state of arousal, and he was inviting her to the most important business meeting of his life? Abort! Abort!
“We’ll see,” she replied. “I may have to take a quick trip then as well.” The distant look was back in her eyes, the one she’d had when she first arrived at the restaurant. Something was troubling her. Before he could ask, she shook it off and said, “Shall we strategize a plan of attack?”
“Yes, but not here. Let’s go up to my place where we can talk in private.”
She raised one eyebrow, questioning his motives. “Really? Your place? Is this where the entertainment part of the evening begins?”
He laughed and stood. “You’ll just have to wait to find out.”
“Patience is not one of my virtues.”
“Then we can explore your vices.”
It took only minutes to get to his flat, one of the benefits of living in the tallest building in the UK—everything was handy in once place. He left the lights low so she could enjoy the view. But instead of moving over to the floor-to-ceiling windows or commenting on the decor, she pulled a device out of her handbag and began scanning the room.
“Um…what are you doing?”
She put her finger to her lips. “Getting comfortable, babe.” The sexy tone of her voice was at odds with her actions. After a sweep of the living room, she put the device back in her bag.
“You’re clear of listening devices, at least in here. If we keep the lights low, we probably don’t need to worry about cameras, unless they’re infrared, and even then, they’ll only know we’re here together.”
Who was this woman? “Is this standard operating procedure for you, to sweep a place for bugs?”
“Pretty much. You’re being targeted. I’m surprised you haven’t done this before.”
He hadn’t quite descended to that level of paranoia.
She sank onto his sofa. “So, how do you plan to catch your saboteur?”
He poured them both a whiskey and handed her a glass. “To be honest, I have no idea. I doubt they’ll mess with the accounting system again. There’s a huge competition in ten days where an Arab royal family will choose a jeweler to set their fortune in loose gems. Six designers, including myself, have been invited to submit a set of designs and prototype jewelry. Perhaps if I upload some dummy designs, I’ll be able to see if any of them appear in my competitor’s pieces and we can work backward from there.”
“Sounds like a plan. I can put a tracker on the file so we’ll know when it’s accessed, and maybe a few discreet cameras around your offices so we can see if anyone is viewing the images through terminals they shouldn’t.”
“Brilliant.”
She took a sip of her whiskey. “What about the real designs?”
He searched her face. “I decided today I’m going with all new designs, and I’ll make the pieces myself to minimize those who see them in advance.”
“Which means you’ll be very busy. I should go.” She stood to leave, and his chest tightened. Before he could ask her to stay, her phone rang. Pulling it from her handbag, she glanced at the screen then turned to him. “I need to take this call. Okay?”
“Sure
. Do you want privacy?”
“No, it’s Liam Manning. I sent him the code I pulled from your accounting program to see if he recognized the source.” She answered the call and put the phone to her ear, wandering over to the window as she did so.
As she spoke with the other cyber security guru, Wolfe admired her profile. He grabbed his sketchpad and soon was lost in a world of shading and feathering. When something blocked his light, he looked up.
“You’re having me investigated?” The question was asked casually, but her knuckles were white where she gripped her phone.
He tossed the sketchpad onto the coffee table and stood, but Kat didn’t move. “Knowledge is power. I don’t like being kept in the dark.”
She picked up his controller and flicked off all the lights then put it back on the table. Her phone joined it on top of his sketchbook.
“How about now?”
With only ambient light from outside, the room was cloaked in darkness. She stood not a foot from him and he could barely see her outline. Yet he sensed her presence, smelled her delicate fragrance, and the hint of whiskey as she exhaled. Heard the rustle of fabric as she planted her feet farther apart as though preparing for a fight.
“Kat—”
“This is me, Wolfe. I am the dark. I work at night. I spend as much of my time in the darknet, as above. There is no light in me. My mother wanted me to be something I couldn’t, and when she realized that, she left with my sister who could be the star she needed. My father chose a bottle over me, so I survived by becoming invisible. I put that life behind me five years ago and haven’t looked back. That should be enough for you. If you can’t accept that, then fine. I can recommend three others who will be equally competent at cleaning your systems and finding the saboteur.”
“I deal in precious gems. I run a background check on everyone in my company.” It was the truth, but the information he’d wanted on Kat was more personal, less potential felon.
“If you wanted a criminal record report, you could have asked Liam Manning. He has an up-to-date one he sends to prospective clients. Call off your investigator, Wolfe. If he digs too deep into the darkness, I’ll be sucked back in. I can’t let that happen.”
“Are you in danger?” He reached a hand out and connected with her bare shoulder, her skin cool to his touch, as though she really was out in the cold night air.
She hesitated, and he was torn between pulling her into his arms and taking a step back. The moon moved out from behind a cloud and a shaft of light illuminated them. For a split second, he saw a hint of vulnerability in her eyes before it was gone behind her shield of self-sufficiency.
“No.”
He was tempted to turn the lights back on so he could see her clearly but was afraid of what his own face would reveal. He’d never felt such an attraction to a woman before. More than physical, it was almost magnetic. She pulled him to her.
“I want you.” His voice was just above a whisper, whether due to the darkness or the emotion she was drawing from him, he didn’t care to analyze.
If he hadn’t been touching her, he never would have known she hauled in a deep breath before replying, “To keep working for you?”
“Yes. And in my bed.”
She lifted his hand from her shoulder and, after a brief hesitation, released it.
“I need to be able to walk away from you at the end of next week without looking back. I’m not sure I’ll be able to do that if we become lovers.”
Bloody hell.
Chapter Four
Kat opened one bleary eye and repressed the urge to punch the bedside clock. It had to be messing with her—it couldn’t be ten thirty already. She’d overslept because she’d left her phone with its alarm at Wolfe’s last night when she’d fled his apartment before she could give in to her own desire to jump his bones. First order of the day was going to be an emergency visit to the makeup counter at Selfridges. Because after another restless night, she was pretty sure the bags under her eyes would now be considered cargo.
It wasn’t the time difference from San Francisco; she’d never had trouble adjusting to those before. And she’d never been a deep sleeper anyway. She’d survived on power naps and three hours of shut-eye for weeks on end at certain times in her life. But last night all she’d been able to hear was the passion in Wolfe’s voice when he’d said he wanted her.
At least she’d managed to check two more of his computer software systems for malicious code without finding anything. Usually her work soothed her, but she’d tossed and turned after crawling between the sheets, until eventually, she’d propped two large pillows behind her back and pretended Wolfe was there with her.
The whole thing was ridiculous. She’d slept alone since her mother took her sister away. So why did her bed seem so empty now? Damn the man. The quicker she got his systems sorted, the better for her equilibrium. She’d been quite content till she’d met him. There were just some things in life she was destined never to have. Independence was her greatest strength.
It was almost one thirty by the time she strolled into Wolfe’s offices, trusting that the hour she’d spent doing her hair and makeup successfully hid the ravages of the night. She hadn’t really planned on seeing him today, but she’d left her phone in his apartment last night and needed to retrieve it. Liam hadn’t recognized the code and was going to further analyze it to see if he could work out where it had originated.
The receptionist remembered her from yesterday and buzzed through to Margaret-Mary that she’d arrived before Kat had even approached the desk.
“There you are, love,” Margaret-Mary said as she came through the door. “He’s been foaming at the mouth all morning waiting for you to collect your mobile phone.”
“I thought he might be in a bad mood, so I brought you this.” Kat handed a paper bag to the secretary as they made their way through the plethora of security doors.
Margaret-Mary peeked inside. “Thanks, but it will save my liver and my sanity if you just strip him naked, throw him on his back, and ride him like a bucking bronco. I’ll guard his office door if you want to make sure you’re not interrupted.”
Kat nearly tripped. “Great advice, but I haven’t had lunch yet,” she replied, trying to hold back her laughter. Riding Wolfe like a bronco would definitely be a game changer. And if she thought of it only as a stress reliever, maybe she still would be able to walk away at the end of their time together.
They rounded the final corner to where Wolfe’s office was located. A young woman sat on one of the chairs across from Margaret-Mary’s desk, cuddling a tiny baby. Kat’s heart began to pound, and her palms tingled.
“Kat, this is Rebecca from our purchasing department. She’s popped in today to show us her beautiful baby boy. Rebecca, this is Wolfe’s girlfriend, Kat.”
“Pleased to meet you,” both Kat and Rebecca said at once.
Kat moved toward the new mom as though drawn by a gravitational force. Babies were her Achilles heel. She couldn’t resist them, even screaming ones. And it wasn’t as if she’d ever imagined having a child of her own. Maybe it was their innocence, the potential they had to do anything, be anything, unshaped by the events that had forced her down a dark path.
The baby smiled up at his mother, a rapturous look of love on his face. “He’s beautiful,” Kat whispered.
“He just nursed so he’s milk-drunk. Typical male, he loves the boob.”
“Don’t they all,” Margaret-Mary said with a deep laugh.
“Would you like to hold him?” Rebecca asked. Then she glanced at Kat’s black Donna Karan dress. “Oh, maybe you’d better not, he may spit up, and I’d hate to ruin your outfit.”
“It’ll clean. I’d love to have a cuddle.” Kat stripped off her gloves and dropped them with her handbag on the empty chair next to the new mom. Kat had spent so many years careful not to leave her fingerprints anywhere that she felt naked without her gloves.
Rebecca carefully handed the child to Kat who snu
ggled him under her chin so she could smell his hair and just breathe in the whole babyness of him. “What’s his name?”
“William.”
The phone rang, and Margaret-Mary went to answer it.
“If you’re okay for a sec, do you mind if I run to the loo?” Rebecca asked.
“No problem.” As the mother hurried away, Kat cuddled the baby close. “Well, William. You certainly are gorgeous.” She shifted him so she could stare into his face, his bright blue eyes scanned her features as well. “You are so precious. Your parents are very lucky.”
She raised her eyes to find Wolfe staring at her from the doorway to his office. His gray eyes were fixated on her holding the baby. Was he confused at the appearance of an infant in his office or that she would be holding one?
Before she could ask, Rebecca returned and took William from Kat’s arms. “I’d better be going. I promised the girls in purchasing that I’d bring him back for one last cuddle before I leave.”
“Congratulations, Rebecca. It’s nice to see you again,” Wolfe said as the new mother gathered her diaper bag and sling.
“Thank you, Mr. Wolfe.” Rebecca smiled at Kat before turning back to her boss. “And thank you for the generous donation to his education fund. My husband and I were blown away.”
“You’re welcome. I look forward to having you back at work when you’re ready, but enjoy the time with your new son. As my girlfriend said, he’s gorgeous.”
Was the way he said “girlfriend” some kind of reminder that his women would rather have their shoe collections stolen than be caught holding a baby? Well, she’d already told him she wouldn’t be stereotyped. To prove her point, she placed an extra kiss on William’s head. Rebecca’s gaze bounced between the two fake lovers, Margaret-Mary looked amused, and Wolfe looked like he was about to devour Kat for lunch.
“Have you eaten, darling?” he asked, still standing in the doorway to his office.