The Hacker

by Leslie Georgeson

  But would he?

  I found Noah in the office area once again sitting behind the desk. His body tensed as I walked into the room, indicating he knew I was there. But he didn’t turn around and face me. He kept staring at the monitor, acting like I wasn’t there.

  I stepped up beside him and glanced at the monitor. It looked like a password box where you entered a password to unlock an encrypted document. Noah was staring at the box, while his right hand was scribbling on a notepad on the desktop. I glanced down at the notepad. It was full of numbers and letters and symbols and all sorts of notations. What was he doing?

  Then it hit me that he was trying to decrypt the file. He’d said he’d managed to decrypt that one that had listed my father as a member of Super Soldiers, LLC. I didn’t want to disturb him, so I didn’t speak, just waited, watching.

  Seconds passed. Minutes. I watched, fascinated, while he alternated between scribbling on the paper and typing on the keyboard. The paper filled up with his writings, and he tore it loose, immediately scribbling on the next page.

  He reached into his shirt pocket, plucking out a packet of breath mints. He tossed one in his mouth and stuffed the packet back in his pocket.

  That was why I’d come to associate the smell of mint with him. He apparently carried breath mints in his pocket, and always seemed to be sucking on one. For some reason, the idea of him sucking on a mint caused heat to curl in my lower abdomen.

  Several more minutes passed. I glanced at his face, noting the deep concentration on his brow. The second page quickly filled with his scribbles, and he typed again and again in the little box on the monitor, trying to decrypt the document.

  I wandered into the kitchen. A Keurig coffee maker sat on the countertop. Coffee sounded wonderful right now. I turned the machine on, then searched a few cupboards until I found the K-cups of different-flavored coffee. I made myself a cup of Coconut Mocha. What kind did Noah like? I decided to go with Nutty Caramel for him.

  I returned to the living room a few minutes later with the coffee. He turned toward me with a grateful smile, accepting the coffee that I handed him. “Thanks.”

  I nodded, glancing at the screen. “Did you crack that one?”

  He took a sip of coffee, then set the cup on the desktop. “Yeah. But it wasn’t anything about the shareholders, unfortunately. It’s a list of experimental drugs and the possible side effects if injected into patients.”

  I leaned over the desktop, setting my cup next to his, my shoulder brushing against his, as I glanced at the document. “Do you recognize any of the drugs? Did they inject any of them into you?”

  He cleared his throat and turned his head to meet my gaze. Our faces were mere inches apart. This close, I could easily make out the different shades of blue and green in his natural eye. Though the prosthetic eye was nearly identical in color, up close like this, I was able to see that its colors obviously didn’t change like the natural eye. Right now, Noah’s natural eye darkened slightly, the blue overtaking the green. It was subtle, almost non-existent. But I noticed it. It was fascinating. My heart skittered in awareness. My skin heated. Noah had striking eyes, and the subtle, barely perceptible shift in color was utterly captivating. I wanted to pretend I didn’t notice it, but I was female enough to admit I liked that I affected him. Did my own eyes flash with the same attraction? The same awareness? Could he tell how much he affected me?

  A sudden wariness entered his natural eye, and the color slowly returned to the normal green-blue hue. Aqua.

  He didn’t trust me. And though he had good reason not to trust me, his distrust still bothered me. I wanted him to trust him.

  How can he trust you when he knows you’re going to do a story on him? He’s not stupid.

  “Yeah,” he murmured, turning away and breaking the spell. “Most of them.”

  “Yet you survived,” I murmured.

  He reached for his coffee, took another sip. Then he leaned back in the chair and spun it to face me. “I did.”

  Our gazes locked. The air gradually shifted. Sexual tension flowed between us like lightning bolts. Zap. Zap.

  His gaze crawled down my body, slowly, deliberately, then came back to rest on mine. Then his eyes hardened. “You think you can seduce me to get information out of me. While I’m not opposed to getting my hands on you, I won’t be used by you or anyone else.”

  My breath caught. He thought I was trying to seduce him? Seriously? Where had he gotten that idea?

  While I’m not opposed to getting my hands on you…

  Longing stirred deep inside me. I wasn’t opposed to his hands on me, either. But that didn’t mean I would use him to get information. I did have morals, after all. I had never slept with a man I wasn’t attracted to. And never to get information.

  Damn Noah, I was more attracted to him than I’d ever been to any other man. Ever. And I hated that I was so attracted to him, that he affected me this way. He’d killed my father. That made him the enemy here. Not my friend. And certainly not my future lover.

  And yet, the idea of his big hands on me, anywhere, filled me with breathless anticipation.

  “You think I’m trying to seduce you? Wearing a teenager’s pajamas?”

  Color crept up his neck and into his face. He stared at me, unmoving. Unblinking. “That outfit might not be sexy, but you would be sexy wearing anything—or nothing at all. You want information,” he said softly. “Admit it.”

  “I do want information. I’m not denying it. But if you think I would sleep with you just to get that information, then you’re mistaken.” I lifted my chin. “If I ever…if we ever…” I trailed off, my own face heating.

  He cocked a brow, interest flaring in his natural eye. “If we ever…” he hedged.

  I cleared my throat, jerking my gaze away. “If we ever…you know…ahem, it will be because of mutual want.” I pulled my gaze back to his.

  Heat flashed in his natural eye, making my breath catch. “And do you want?” he asked, his voice turning husky. “Because God knows I do.”

  He did?

  Before I realized what he was doing, he’d grabbed my hand and yanked me toward him. I stumbled forward, caught off guard, crashing in between his spread legs. My hands flew out as I tried to steady myself, landing against his hard chest. His arms came around me, and he easily captured me, pulling me onto his lap. I didn’t fight him. Instead, I settled onto his thigh, my gaze landing on his. My heart went wild, thumping crazily in my chest. I should push him away, shove myself off his lap.

  But I didn’t. Sitting on his lap like this, touching, his big, hard body beneath mine, left me breathless. Achy. I didn’t want to go anywhere.

  “Something’s been bothering me, Shannon.” He reached for a strand of my hair and wrapped it around his index finger. “I’m a thinker. A strategist. I like to solve problems, you see. Fix things. Break codes. Decrypt hidden documents. Hack through firewalls.” He paused, his gaze boring into mine. “What I’m trying to say is, if I can’t figure something out, it drives me crazy. So I will hack at it until I manage to figure it out. It becomes like an obsession for me. And you, Shannon, are a perplexing problem right now, because I can’t figure you out, and it’s bugging the hell out of me.”

  I swallowed hard, unable to look away from the heat of his gaze. “Well, I can’t figure you out, either,” I shot back, trying to sound irritated, but instead it came out sounding breathless.

  He leaned forward, whispering in my ear, “Whenever I’m too close, your heart races and your skin heats and your breaths grow shallow. That tells me you are very aware of my proximity. Why is that, Shannon? Do I frighten you? Or it is possible that you’re attracted to me?”

  Was this the same man who’d acted like I didn’t even exist minutes ago? And how did he know how much he affected me?

  The animal DNA. He’d said it gave him heightened senses. Could he really hear my heartbeat? Right now, it was thundering out of control.

  Heat washed into
my face. Did I have any secrets from this man? Embarrassed, I tried to jerk away, but his arms tightened around me.

  “Not yet,” he whispered. “There’s something else that’s really, really bothering me, something I need an answer to.”

  I lifted my chin, doing my best to breathe. “What’s that?”

  He gently trailed a finger along my bottom lip, making me gasp in surprise. I stared into his eyes, unable to look away, as my heart hammered out of control. “This smart mouth of yours,” he said huskily, shaking his head. “How can I shut you up?”

  I jolted. What did he mean by that? My heart pounded harder, faster.

  Slowly, cautiously, he moved his hand around to the back of my neck, just a feather-like touch that sent tingles of awareness throughout my entire body. Gently, he urged my face closer to his. My first instinct was to resist, to pull back. He’d killed my father. But as I gazed into his eyes, at the heat swirling in his natural eye, an answering heat shot through me. Instead of resisting, I leaned into him, anticipation sweeping through me.

  “If I kiss you, will you moan in surrender?” he whispered. “Will you melt against me?”

  Longing coiled deep inside me. I stared breathlessly at his mouth, at those sexy lips that were now so close I could smell the mint in his breath.

  “Will you taste like heaven? Will it be as good as I’ve been imagining?” He brushed his lips over mine. An instant spark flowed through me, igniting a flame deep inside. The kiss was soft, fleeting, just the barest touch. When he drew back, I moaned in disappointment. Don’t stop.

  “Noah.” I leaned toward him, parting my lips in invitation. More.

  His gaze darkened. Then he kissed me again, this time more deeply, his tongue gently probing as I opened for him. Flames ignited between us, licking and spreading along my skin, spiraling deep in my core, and heating me clear to the depths of my soul. He tasted like mint and coffee and sexiness. My hands went to his shoulders, clutching the hard muscles beneath my fingers, hanging on for dear life while our mouths met again and again in eagerness, our tongues clashed, melded, swirled, as need washed over me. The heat intensified, burning hotly in my core. My breasts swelled, aching for his touch, my nipples hardening into taught little nubs of desire. Oh God, never had a kiss made me feel like this before. All breathless and needy and wanton and desperate for more.

  His arms tightened around me and he pulled me in, closer, closer, fully onto his lap, until my sensitive breasts were pressing against his chest and my pelvis was nearly flush with his. Oh God, was I straddling him? How had that happened?

  Still, he kept kissing me, his tongue delving in to tangle with mine, over and over, to explore, to taste, while his hands roamed down my back, then up, gently, almost hesitantly. It wasn’t enough. I needed more. More.

  It was the most incredible kiss I’d ever experienced. I never wanted it to end. I was totally lost in him and how sensuous his mouth was, how amazing of a kisser he was, how wet he made me, how he turned me into a hot mess of need.

  If I were honest with myself, I would admit that I’d wanted this from the moment he’d hacked into my phone and tried to warn me off. I’d been excited, fascinated, turned on, completely intrigued by his audacity. And his intelligence. His strength. His strong will. I was enraptured by him. All of him.

  No, I think I’d wanted him from the moment I’d first seen that wanted poster. Something about his face, his eyes, his persona had called out to me. And now I was getting a taste of this sexy, guarded man who had survived hell, and yet, was amazingly strong and gentle.

  Kissing Noah was far better than I ever could have imagined it would be. It was more than just a rush. It was pure, sweet heaven. Noah was so much more than I’d bargained for.

  His mouth left mine to trail soft kisses across my throat and up to my left ear. I shivered and squirmed, gasping softly, tilting my head back. Noah’s mouth was so incredible it shot little sparks of need throughout my entire body, zapping me with longing. I damn near had an orgasm right there on the spot.

  “You’re so responsive to my touch,” he murmured in wonder, kissing and gently nipping his way over to my other ear. “I never could have predicted that. Do you like this?”

  Yes, I wanted to shout. I like it. Please don’t stop.

  Instead, I just murmured incoherently and squirmed in his arms. All thought had escaped me, until all I could do was feel. Noah.

  He let out a soft chuckle. “Fuck, you’re hot. I can’t wait to get you naked. I’m dying to peel back the layers of Shannon, hack through those brick walls you’ve put up, and find the true woman hiding underneath.” He nuzzled behind my ear, making me gasp and squirm even more. “Who is the real Shannon, I wonder? What will I find when I get you naked and needy and vulnerable?”

  His words left me breathless. Achy. I could ask him the same thing. Who was the real Noah? Was he friend? Or foe?

  He killed your father, Shannon. He’s a murderer.

  No, he said it was self-defense.

  Sudden confusion washed over me. What if he was only playing me? What was going on here? How could he act like I didn’t exist one moment, then kiss me with such passion the next?

  Why had he spent a quarter of a million dollars to purchase me in an illegal flesh auction? It didn’t make sense. He had to want more than my silence.

  He’s seducing you now. Maybe this was why he bought you in the first place. So he could have sex with you. So he could turn you into his sex slave.

  No! If that was what he’d wanted, then he wouldn’t have dropped me off at my car that first night and driven away.

  Then what does he want?

  I shoved against his chest, humiliation sweeping through me. My God, this man made me weak. With one touch, I was lost. Why did he have so much power over me?

  This was wrong. So wrong.

  “Let me go,” I ordered, though my voice was shaky and weak. I didn’t even know him. He could be a criminal for all I knew. One thing I did know was that he was a killer. He’d shot my father in the head.

  He’s a killer, Shannon. Have you forgotten that? What’s wrong with you?

  He slowly leaned back in the chair, his eyes hooded as he watched me. I wish I could read the thoughts going through his mind. I had no idea what he was thinking in that moment. What he was feeling. Was he as confused, as overwhelmed, as aroused and embarrassed as I was? I had never been affected so powerfully by a man’s touch before. It was like magic. A spell. One touch. One kiss, and I turned into a pool of need. How could I be attracted to my father’s killer? What was wrong with me?

  Our gazes locked.

  He waited. I waited. No one spoke.

  “You killed my father.” My words were accusatory. “I can’t…I won’t…” I trailed off, heat flooding my cheeks. “I think it’s time I left here.” I pushed off his lap and stumbled to my feet, surprised by how shaky my legs were. Damn him.

  His expression didn’t change, but something flashed in his natural eye. “It’s dangerous out there, Shannon. I would advise you to rethink that decision.”

  “Well, I can’t stay here with you!” I shouted.

  He slowly unfolded his large body from the chair, rising to stand before me. He stared at me for a long moment. “I guess that answers my question.”

  I jerked my gaze back to his. “What question?”

  “Kissing you was better than I expected.” He paused, his gaze searing mine. “You’re like putty in my hands. So hot. What will it take to unravel you?”

  Heat bloomed in my face. I didn’t need a reminder of how pathetically weak I had been in his arms. If he touched me again, I might just melt.

  “Is that why you bought me?” I snapped out, trying to hide my embarrassment. “So you can turn me into your little sex puppet?”

  His expression hardened. “If you want to leave, I’ll take you home.” He turned abruptly and strode from the room.

  I stared after him, stunned, my heart racing. I didn’t really wa
nt to leave. Surprisingly, I felt safe with him. Deep down, I didn’t think he wished me any harm. He’d had plenty of opportunities to hurt me if he’d wanted to.

  But if I stayed, it would only be a matter of time before he had me weak and needy in his bed. While a big part of me didn’t oppose that, the other part of me cringed in horror. I might be chasing a story here, but I wasn’t about to use the attraction between us to get information from Noah. I wasn’t that kind of girl. If Noah and I ever became intimate, it would be because of genuine, mutual feelings. I wanted him to give me information freely. I didn’t want to have to use or deceive him. He already seemed to have trust issues, and if I used him, he would only end up hating me.

  You can’t leave, Shannon. You’ll never find out the whole truth if you go.

  I groaned. I might have to put my attraction to Noah aside long enough to follow this story. But how could I ignore this attraction when after only a few kisses from Noah, my entire body ached for more? I ached for more.

  I needed to weigh the pros and cons of leaving versus staying.

  So I could figure out what to do next.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Noah

  I could still taste her on my lips.

  Still feel her soft body beneath my hands.

  Fuck, I wanted her. I craved her. The moment my lips touched hers, I’d been lost, sucked under her spell. She was like that highly secure webpage that would take some time to hack through. That deeply encrypted document that would take hours upon hours to decrypt. Unraveling Shannon would take time, and effort, but holy hell, the chemistry between us was incredible. I wanted more touching. More kissing. Breaking through her walls, having her vulnerable and needy, having her beg for my touch was now my main goal. I needed to crack through her exterior, break down her defenses, and uncover the true woman underneath. She was dangerous, no doubt. Both to my wellbeing and to the safety of all the dregs. She could bring us all down with the information I’d shared with her. I could easily imagine her sensationalizing the story, elaborating what she’d read, and weaving a tale that would captivate readers…and law enforcement. I had no idea what Shannon might do with the information I’d shared with her, but one thing I knew for certain…