White-Hot Hack (Kate and Ian #2)(52)

He blinked because he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. “You’re… not mad.”

Kate looked at him with love and adoration. “I’m not mad.” She lowered his zipper and tugged on his boxer briefs, freeing his rapidly growing erection. “Do you know how awesome it was watching you jump in to support me like that?”

“I know how awesome this is going to be.”

“I hate to rush you because you deserve nothing less than my best to thank you for what you did out there, but would it be possible for you to kind of hurry?”

“I can do that, and news flash: every time you put your mouth on me, it feels incredible.” Maybe he should have been concerned with the fact that Kate’s entire family was waiting for them in the dining room, but it was hard of think of anything other than his wife’s hot mouth and what she was doing with it. He brushed her hair out of the way so he could get a better view. “That feels so good.”

He no longer cared that everyone might be wondering what he and Kate were doing, and he was reasonably certain no one could hear the sounds he’d started to make. She needn’t have worried about him being able to hurry because her obvious enthusiasm, which she conveyed to him via eye contact and murmured declarations of how much she loved doing that, got him close to the finish in no time.

He put his hands on her head as his orgasm began to build. “Sweetness, you’ve got about five seconds before I come.”

She didn’t stop, and she made sure cleanup was a breeze too.

“Okay,” Kate said, smiling as she zipped him up. “I’ll be out in a minute. Make something up.”



“Where is everyone?” Kate asked when she walked back into the dining room. Her dad was sitting at the table by himself.

“Ian took dessert down to the basement. Your mom and Susan are helping him serve.”

Kate spied an untouched pumpkin pie on the sideboard along with a bowl of whipped cream.

“They left that behind for us so we could continue our tradition,” her dad said.

“I’m glad they did.” Kate dished up the pie and took a seat across from him.

“Are you sure you’re feeling well enough to eat that?”

“What do you mean?” Kate asked. She forked in a big mouthful and groaned. She’d made the pie herself, and it pleased her to discover it tasted as good as it looked.

“Ian said you were having some stomach trouble.”

“What?” Kate said around a mouthful of pie and whipped cream as suddenly the realization of the excuse Ian had given for their absence dawned on her. I am going to kill him. She swallowed. “I’m fine. Totally fine. Just a passing… I’m fine.”

They both got very interested in their pie and the awkward silence seemed to go on forever.

“So, Phillip told us all about this thing you’re doing for Ian’s company.”

“Did he tell you the part where Ian totally shot me down when I asked if I could do it?”

“Yes.”

“And how I had to convince him to give me a chance?”

“He said that Ian eventually changed his mind.”

“We compromised,” Kate said. “Both of us just want the other to be happy.” Ian could tell her dad about his return to the task force if he wanted to. Kate wasn’t going to touch that topic with a ten-foot pole.

She walked her dad through each of her completed assignments, explaining how they’d worked and what she’d accomplished with each one. She watched his expression change from mild interest to admiration when he learned how well she’d planned and executed the hacks.

“People hear the word hacker, and they immediately associate it with bad things. But white hat firms are all about protecting people. Ian spent ten years building his first company, and it was hard on him when he threw it away. I love that his new company is something I can be a part of. I know I’m not using my law degree, and I’m no longer running the food pantry either. But I’m using my brain and I like the work.”

They finished their pie and carried their plates into the kitchen. “Are you happy?” Steve asked. “With everything?”

Kate thought what he really meant was Are you happy with this life you’ve chosen? Was he worth it?

“I’m very happy. With Ian, our lives together. Everything.”

He smiled. “Okay. That’s all any parent wants for their child, Katydid.”



Kate and Steve joined the others downstairs. Her mother and Susan were clearing plates and refilling coffee while Ian talked to Chad and Kristin.

“Ian? Can I talk to you for a second?”

He grinned and followed her into the hallway. “Kate, what’s gotten into you?” He lowered his voice. “I don’t know if I can go again so soon.” He chuckled like he couldn’t believe what he’d just said. “Wait a minute. Of course I can. I totally can.”

“Did you tell everyone I was suffering from some kind of”—she made air quotes—“gastrointestinal distress?”

His eyes narrowed and he looked at her worriedly. “Maybe?”

“Ian!”

“I’m sorry. They were all staring at me when I walked back into the dining room. I think we were gone longer than we thought.”