Page 52 of Dangerous Temptation
Talk about an understatement. This was techie heaven.
There were workbenches filled with wires, circuit boards and gauges. Tables held desktop computers, laptops, tablets, phones and power cords. Surge protectors and monitors were on shelves. MP3 players and televisions filled in the gaps.
‘I had a few things brought here in preparation for my arrival,’ he confessed.
‘A few things?’ She walked around eyeing the assortment. It was awe-inspiring, and it reminded her more clearly who he was. Not the criminal, but one of the world’s leading thinkers. She was in the home of a tech industry giant. By all rights, she shouldn’t even know him.
Much less be having sex with him.
He went directly to a workbench in front of yet another window that looked out on Wolfe Lake. He set her laptop down and turned to a metal rack filled with components and newer, fancier models.
He selected a razor-thin silver laptop. ‘Will this do?’
Who was she to argue with him? ‘Whatever you think is best.’
Her guilt over accepting a castoff from him was lessening. He had so much. She sat down on a stool and folded her hands in her lap. Once again, she was afraid to touch anything. ‘I thought your specialty was software.’
‘It is, but I dabble.’
He dabbled. Like he read advanced books on macroeconomics and trained like an Olympic athlete.
He held a tiny screwdriver over her laptop. ‘Is it going to bother you to watch me do this?’
Absolutely.
‘No,’ she said.
He lifted an eyebrow. ‘Liar.’
She lowered her gaze.
He’d just unscrewed the first screw when his phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and then back to her. ‘I need to take this.’
She looked around the room when he stepped away. It was organised and tidy, but not pristine like the rest of the house. This was a room that was used, not a showpiece. Everything looked to be top-of-the-line, but where there were communication tools and high-end electronics, there were also gadgets. And toys.
She’d wondered once if she’d ever see the true Wolfe. This might be as close as she’d get.
‘You’re sure? Nothing?’ he asked the caller. She sat a little straighter on the stool when he realised she was staring right at her. ‘All right, email me your findings.’
He hung up, and that cool grey gaze settled on her again. Elena tried not to fidget as he walked back over to her. He put down his tools and settled a protective hand over her laptop.
‘Why don’t I work on this later?’
‘Are you sure? It won’t hurt anything to wait?’
‘Only your nerves.’ He cupped her face and ran his thumb over her cheek. He stared at her for so long, it became uncomfortable.
‘What?’ she whispered.
He shook his head briefly. ‘You confuse me, too.’ Pushing away from the tall workbench, he caught her hand. ‘Let’s go see about that dinner.’
They rode the elevator back down to the main floor, but Elena wasn’t hungry. Worry had taken her appetite. The driver was just coming in the kitchen door when they got there. She blinked when she saw the square white boxes in his massive brown hands.
‘Grimaldi’s?’ She recognised the logo on sight, and her mouth began to water. She hadn’t eaten there in months. ‘From the city? Are you serious?’
Alex shrugged. ‘It sounded good. We might have to reheat it a bit. I hope that’s OK.’
She looked at him, dumbfounded. He must have been craving New York style pizza.
