White-Hot Hack (Kate and Ian #2)(15)

“Well, I’m the cockiest.”

Kate took a sip of her wine. “You are a special snowflake indeed. Is Charlie a”—she made air quotes—“special consultant like you?”

“No, he actually works for the FBI. Has a badge, wears a tie.” Ian shuddered as if he couldn’t fathom such a thing.

“You like Charlie,” Kate said.

“Sure. I like him as much as I like anyone who isn’t you.”

“How long have you known him?”

“I don’t know. Ten years? He’s been on every task force I’ve ever been a part of.”

“Ian, you have a friend.” It was clear the two men were competitive, but she’d sensed the genuine affection they felt for each other.

“You sound so surprised.”

She laid her hand on his arm. “You may not be aware of this, but you’re a bit of a loner.”

“No I’m not. I have lots of friends. I just don’t need to see them in person all the time. I talk to them online.”

“Why didn’t you tell Charlie we live here now?”

“I haven’t told anyone.”

“But he knows about me, right?”

“Everyone on the task force knows about you.”

Across the room, Charlie put his arm around the woman and said something in her ear that made her laugh.

“Has he ever been married?”

“His wife cheated on him with another agent, and he got divorced about three years ago and swore off relationships. Looks like he’s still in the ‘sowing his wild oats’ stage.”

“When you were at the bar, he was looking at me so intently, almost as if he thought he knew me.”

“Yes, I’ll be keeping an eye on you both,” Ian said.

“You have nothing to worry about. You have much better hair.”

“When we get home, I’ve got something to put in that smart mouth of yours.”

“You’re a brave man. This smart mouth has teeth.”

“You’d never use them. It might jeopardize your reputation as the reigning queen of blow—”

“There you are,” Susan said, cutting off Ian’s words as she and Phillip suddenly appeared next to them. “You look beautiful, Kate.”

“So do you.” The two women hugged, and then Ian kissed Susan on the cheek and shook Phillip’s hand.

“What a gorgeous dress,” Susan said.

“Thank you. Ian picked it out.” Kate had promised Ian she would start buying things for herself if there was ever something she wanted, but she’d admitted that she liked it when he shopped for her. Knowing he was looking at the clothes and imagining them on her body aroused her in a way she hadn’t expected. And telling him that had the same arousing effect on him, which meant she now had a closet full of new clothes. Some were casual, jeans and tops similar to what she normally wore on a day-to-day basis. Some were elegant and classic. A fitted black pencil skirt. A white silk blouse with french cuffs. He was partial to dresses, especially sundresses with a slightly bohemian flair. And all the while, the lingerie and pajamas kept coming.

The strapless black gown he’d bought for tonight had a tightly fitted bodice and a long, full skirt with layers of gauzy black tulle underneath. Her hair had been styled in an elegant updo that showcased the diamond choker Ian had placed around her neck when she was standing in front of the dresser mirror in their bedroom. “It’s absolutely beautiful. I’m afraid to ask if it’s costume or the real thing,” she’d said as she touched the triple row of delicate stones.

“Then you probably shouldn’t,” he’d murmured in her ear as he fastened the choker.

“You spoil me,” she said.

“In all fairness, I did say I was going to.”



At the end of the evening, while Kate and Ian waited for the valet to bring Ian’s Navigator around, they watched as Charlie—a few spots ahead of them in line—tucked the blonde into the passenger seat of a sleek black Mercedes.

“What is it?” Kate asked, noticing how intently Ian was watching them.

“I never knew what Charlie drove. Pretty nice car for a fed.”

She shivered in the late-October air, and Ian wrapped his arms around her from behind. He placed a lingering kiss on the side of her neck, and she let out an almost imperceptible moan because he turned her into a puddle of need whenever he kissed her there.

“I heard that, sweetness. I want to hear it over and over before we finally go to sleep.”

As he drove them home, all Kate could think about was how nice it had been to spend a rare evening out with her husband. There was no one she wanted to spend her time with more than Ian, but she wanted to go places with him. Restaurants and movies. Museums and wine tastings. She hoped that someday they could do those things without worrying he might bump into the wrong person.

In the meantime, she would be patient. “I had a really nice time tonight.”

He reached over the console and squeezed her thigh. “I’m happy to hear that, sweetness. I did too.”





CHAPTER EIGHT

Ian’s day hadn’t gotten off to a great start. He’d received an e-mail first thing that morning letting him know that a potential client—one he’d been sure would choose his company—had gone with another security firm, citing their need for a full range of social engineering services. He’d then spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon working on the pentesting he was doing for Phillip, and the number of vulnerabilities he’d found in the latest batch of government systems was not only unbelievably high, it was unchallenging for him as well. Nothing made him happier than having to work to penetrate a system, to find a way in no one else had thought of. Instead of feeling frustrated, the challenge energized him.