Heart-Shaped Hack(14)

“One of the conditions of this date was that you would no longer be accessing my computer. Have you kept your word?” Kate had googled whether she’d be able to detect the presence of a backdoor, but she’d learned it would require more technical knowledge than she currently possessed. And if the hacker who’d put it there was halfway competent, it would be nearly impossible.

“Katie,” he said, looking offended. “Of course I have.”

“I hope so, because my next browsing session is going to be epic.”

His eyes grew big and he leaned forward. “Tell me.”

“No.”

“It’s going to be something dirty, isn’t it?”

She gave him her best sultry look. “Boy, is it ever.” Kate was actually planning on watching hair tutorials on YouTube, but she couldn’t resist the opportunity to tease him a little.

“You can’t just dangle things like that in front of me. I’m not that strong.”

“You’ll have to be. That was our agreement.”

“Okay. But you didn’t say anything about staying out of your dating account, so I might have made a few enhancements to your profile picture.”

“Yes, I saw that and updated my bio accordingly.”

The waitress set down their beers, and after Kate took a drink, she said, “How did you remain so calm when I was going one hundred and ten miles an hour?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. You seemed to know what you were doing. Why, would you not be as calm in the passenger seat if I was driving that fast?”

“No. Not even close.”

“Don’t you trust me?”

Kate shook her head. “Not yet.” Strangely, despite the things Ian had done to her that he shouldn’t have, she did trust him a little. He’d made sure that Kate’s date with Kent didn’t happen, thus moving her permanently out of harm’s way. For that she was grateful.

“Someday you’ll sit beside me and know you can trust me no matter how fast we’re going. I mean that,” he said, and Kate thought it wasn’t only his driving he was referring to.



After they’d stuffed themselves full of prosciutto, duck and chicken liver paté, serrano ham, and spicy chorizo, Ian paid the bill and led Kate to the parking lot where he tucked her into the passenger seat of his car. It was late afternoon by then, and the November sky had started to darken. Kate was conscious of Ian’s movements, especially when he shifted gears. The interior of the car was small, and she couldn’t stop thinking about how near his hand was to her thigh when he was holding the gearshift. She momentarily forgot she was supposed to be keeping him at arm’s length because all she wanted right then was for him to come a little closer.

He won’t even tell you his last name, she reminded herself.

When he pulled up in front of her building, he turned off the car, walked around to Kate’s side, and opened her door. “Just so you know, I’m not willing to sit outside this time.”

“I’m not either. It’s too cold.”

When they reached Kate’s door, she noticed the Victoria’s Secret package lying on the floor in front of it.

“Sweaters!”

“And other things,” Ian reminded her.

“I’m scared of what I might find.”

“You shouldn’t be. I have impeccable taste.”

She turned toward Ian and smiled. “Thank you. This has been a really great first date.”

“Hasn’t it? We’ve gotten to know each other a little better. I let you drive the hell out of my car. I have not tried to talk you into a threesome, nor have I offered you any cocaine. Honestly, I’ve been a perfect gentleman. Admit it. You like me. You might not trust me yet, but you’re drawn to me like a moth to a flame. It’s my mind that turns you on.”

What he said was true. Ian was an enigma, a puzzle with a thousand pieces. She’d never met a man who fascinated her the way he did, not that she was ready to let him know it.

“I like really simple men,” she said. “In fact, the simpler they are, the more I like them. They’re very malleable.”

“Malleable.”

“Easily influenced. It means I can bend them to my will.”

“I know what the word means even when I’m not wearing my smart glasses. But there’s no way you could ever convince me you like simple men. I think Stuart was simple, and that’s why you’re not with him anymore.” He moved closer until Kate’s back was pressed up against her door. “Would you like to know what turns me on?”

“No.” God, yes.

“Sure you would. I can see the wheels turning in that pretty little head of yours. You’re a risk taker, and nothing revs my engine like a smart, beautiful, fearless woman. Any woman who is fearless behind the wheel is going to be open to all kinds of experiences. You left Stuart and you quit your safe job because it wasn’t enough for you. You’ve only scratched the surface of what your life will become. It’s the possibilities in your future that excite you.”

It was unsettling to realize how quickly he’d figured her out. How could he have known that every word of that was true? She looked into his green eyes and said, “Maybe you’re right.”

Ian took off his glasses and slid them into the pocket of his jacket.