Tempted & Taken (Men of Haven #4)(69)

He smiled huge, palmed the back of her head and pressed a triumphant kiss to her lips. “Then I guess I’d better get my butt in gear and get you a bath, because we’ve got a deal.”





Chapter Twenty-Six

Knox scrolled through what felt like an endless list of log entries, the black text against his dimmed white background not even penetrating his otherwise occupied thoughts. The clock in the upper right-hand of his screen showed 3:23 p.m. A whopping five minutes later than the last time he’d checked the time and going nowhere fast. Kind of the same feeling as when he couldn’t sleep and the night went on forever. Except instead of staring at the ceiling and thinking about everything from app ideas to possible data vulnerabilities, this time all he could think about was the answer Darya had promised him by the end of the day. Two more hours—three at most—before she’d let him know if she’d dump her skip tracing gigs and join his crew full time.

Shoving his mouse out of the way, he pushed back from his desk and stared out the thick tinted windows with a straight-line view of the busy street out front. Over two months, she’d poured herself into the training and opportunities he’d given her and made more ground in that short time than even the most gifted coders he’d worked with. To say that watching her devour information was a turn-on was the grossest of understatements. More like serving up napalm to a guy determined to dance in a bonfire. Add to that how things had gone between them on a personal level in the last month, and he was more determined than ever to tie her to him any and every way possible. Now he got why Jace had taken the tack he had with Vivienne. Hell, if he’d known then what he knew today, he’d have just packed her shit and moved her in with him on day one.

He sighed and dropped his head back on the top of his desk chair. She still hadn’t shared about her past, though. She’d come close a few times, the far-off look on her face and the way she’d chewed her lower lip before she’d abruptly steered them into lighter territory the stuff of secrets dancing on the tip of her tongue. At least he assumed the past was what was on her mind. It damned well better not be their future.

A soft knock sounded on his door.

Knox jerked his head up, gaze shooting straight to the camera feed with a straight-on shot of his office door.

Well, speak of one very gorgeous devil.

He spun in his chair. “Yeah.”

The knob turned slow and silent, like a burglar was on the other side of the door instead of the woman he was half out of his mind for. She poked her head through the opening. “Knox?”

“Sweetheart, you know you don’t have to knock.”

“But your door was closed. I thought maybe you were in the middle of something and didn’t want to be interrupted.”

He motioned to the door with a lift of his chin. “You shut and lock that door then we’ll both be in the middle of something I don’t want interrupted.”

Her coy smile matched the pretty flush that swept across her cheeks, but her hips swayed with natural sensuality as she drifted closer. “I thought we had a no-hands policy at work.”

The second she was within grabbing distance, he snapped forward, grabbed her around the waist and tugged her into his lap. “Oh, we’ve got a no-hands policy all right. You promise no-hands on any man but me and I promise no-hands on any woman but you. Between the two of us, it’s a free-for-all.”

Her husky laughter was the stuff of wet dreams, a sensual rasp against his ears that fired all kinds of dirty thoughts. She cocked her head to one side and peeked playfully up at him through her soft lashes. “You sure you don’t want to talk business?”

Instant. Focus.

“Are we talking something you’re trying to work out code-wise, or long-term career plans?”

Her gaze slid to his chest where her fingers were pressed above his heart. “Long-term.”

Thank Jesus. He probably could have made it to the end of the day, but if she was willing to bring things to a head early he might actually be able to get some much needed oxygen to his brain. “Well, then that depends. If you’re going to give me the answer I want, then we can talk. If you’re not, then we’ll take a sidebar so I can spend extra time extolling the virtues of being my employee.”

Her mouth quirked in an adorable smile. “Perhaps you should tell me about those virtues regardless.”

“Sweetheart, I won’t be telling you anything. I’ll be showing you. Likely with your ass perched on the edge of my desk and your thighs around my hips.”

One second. One infinitesimal second and her eyes grew weighted. Her lips parted just a fraction, a welcome invitation he was halfway tempted to take regardless of how serious the root of their conversation was—or where he wanted it to lead. He palmed her hip and cradled her closer instead. “Say yes. The skip jobs don’t pay you anywhere near what I can, let alone what you’re worth. And you said from the get-go you didn’t like the work.”

She pressed her hand more firmly to his chest, as though seeking something to steady her.

He tightened his arms and lowered his voice. “Take the jump. Let me catch you.”

“I already jumped,” she whispered. “Months ago.”

Pure pleasure fired through his veins, a high-octane rush that even some of his more dangerous exploits couldn’t rival. “Is that a yes?”