White-Hot Hack (Kate and Ian #2)(86)
Kate spread a blanket out on the sand and Ian popped the cork on the bottle of champagne he’d brought to surprise her.
“There are no strawberries,” he said as he filled their glasses.
“You’re slipping, Bradshaw.”
“I brought birthday cake instead.” He unwrapped it and fed Kate a bite from his fingers.
“Who needs strawberries?” she said as she licked the frosting from his thumb. “Cake is so much better.”
They shared the cake, stopping occasionally to take a drink of champagne and exchange sugary kisses. “I’m as sticky as Spyder,” Ian said when they were done.
“Then it’s straight into the ocean with you.”
“Only if you join me.”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” She took his empty champagne glass and laid it on the blanket next to hers. “Take off all your clothes.”
He shook his head slowly, as if he couldn’t believe her request. “It’s always the same with you, Katie. ‘Take off your clothes, Ian. Turn around in a circle, Ian.’ I’m starting to feel objectified.”
She grinned. “I’m waiting.”
He stood and stripped off his shirt. Unbuttoned his shorts and let them fall.
“Keep going.”
He put his fingers in the waistband of his boxer briefs and they landed on the sand. He gave her a lengthy, three-hundred-and-sixty-degree view of his body. “Stunning, isn’t it?”
“Humble as ever.”
“Come here.”
She went to him and he stripped her of her clothes. Her skin glowed in the moonlight, and he knew it would feel every bit as soft as it looked. With his finger, he traced a path that started just below her ear and ended at the curve of her hip. He took her by the hand and led her into the water.
“Are you happy?” he asked as they floated on their backs in the warm water, their fingers interlocked. He didn’t mean only at that moment.
She squeezed his hand. “It’s everything I’d ever hoped for.”
Nothing was more important than what they’d built together. It hadn’t been without its ups and downs, but he felt certain Kate would agree that the love they shared and the life they’d created had been their biggest adventure of all.
THE END
AUTHOR’S NOTE
The amount of research required to write a book with a story line about hacking often felt daunting during the eighteen months it took me to write Heart-Shaped Hack and White-Hot Hack. By the time I was done, I’d read fourteen books on the subject and filled two binders with information I found online. Not all of this information made it into the book, but it was instrumental in helping me determine how much the reader would need to know.
I was thrilled to discover last summer via an article in Wired magazine that hackers had successfully taken over the controls of a Jeep Cherokee while it was being driven. I had already planned for the hacking of Kate’s Spyder to play a big part in the book, but it was wonderful to have a resource for exactly how it could be done.
Though I tried to educate myself as well as I could on how various hacks and social engineering assignments could be carried out, I have taken liberties in the name of creative license and/or clarity.
All mistakes are my own.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I am deeply grateful for the contributions, assistance, and support of the following individuals: My husband, David, because his encouragement means more to me than he’ll ever know.
My children, Matthew and Lauren. Thank you for being patient—again!—while Mom spent all that time with her laptop. I love you both.
Elisa Abner-Taschwer, Stacy Elliott Alvarez, Hillary Faber, Peggy Hildebrandt, Erika Stone Gebhardt, and Tammara Webber. Thank you for every bit of your beta feedback, for your encouragement, and for helping me to see what I could not. Special thanks to Dr. Trish Kallemeier and flight paramedic Rick Kallemeier for their medical expertise regarding broken bones and surgical procedures during pregnancy.
Sarah Hansen at Okay Creations. Your talent is immeasurable. The covers for this series are truly my favorites, and I’ve spent a ridiculous amount of time just staring at them.
Anne Victory of Victory Editing. Thank you for your eagle eye and your words of encouragement. You helped me in more ways than one.
Jane Dystel, Miriam Goderich, and Lauren Abramo. You are truly the trifecta of literary-agent awesomeness.
Special thanks to the book bloggers who have been so instrumental in my ability to reach readers. You work tirelessly every day to spread the word about books, and the writing community is a better place because of you.
I want to express my sincere appreciation to the booksellers who hand-sell my books and the librarians who put them on their shelves.
My heartfelt gratitude goes out to all of you for helping to make White-Hot Hack the book I hoped it would be. Words cannot express how truly blessed I am to have such wonderful and enthusiastic people in my life.
And last, but certainly not least, my readers. Without you, none of this would be possible.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tracey Garvis Graves is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal best-selling author. She lives in a suburb of Des Moines, Iowa, with her husband and two children.
She can be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/tgarvisgraves and Twitter at https://twitter.com/tgarvisgraves, or you can sign up for her newsletter at http://traceygarvisgraves.com to receive her latest updates.