Page 60 of The Hacker
“As long as I stay away from you and the gym, you’ll be safe,” he said, trying to convince himself as much as her. He hated that he had brought danger back into her life, but even more, he hated feeling helpless to protect her.
He wanted to wrap her in his arms and shield her from the criminals with his own body. Or at least to whisk her away to his Manhattan townhouse with its sophisticated alarm system and full-time security guard. But they’d all learned a lesson about supposedly unbreachable security from Alice and Derek’s run-in with another cybercriminal. Being in Leland’s home might put Dawn in the crosshairs instead of safeguarding her.
Tully was undoubtedly correct in his assertion that keeping them separate was the best possible defense. And Leland would make sure that his partner sent undercover bodyguards to shadow Dawn, just in case.
He keyed in the unlock code and pressed the button to summon the elevator. He had no intention of letting her get in the town car without checking to make sure it was the one he had ordered. But he’d learned that arguing with Dawn wasn’t always the best way to get things done. So he stood beside her as they waited.
He was surprised by her silence but not by the tension that showed in the clench of her jaw. She usually covered up her anxiety with smart remarks. This time it must have closed up her throat in the way letting her go tightened his. He started to slip an arm around her shoulders but then considered that his uninvited touch might trigger her. So he shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans.
“I won’t let anyone hurt you,” he said as the doors opened. He flattened his palm against the doorjamb to hold it so she could enter first. Then he followed.
“I told you not to come down with me.” There was an edge to her voice that bothered him.
“You’re not getting in any car until I know it’s safe.”
As the elevator descended, she looked at him, her eyes bleak in a way that made his heart twist. “Safety is an illusion.”
He wanted to punch the wall. “There will be a bodyguard with you at all times, I promise.”
She shook her head. “If the gym suddenly has a bunch of new members who have that intimidating look in their eyes like Tully, that will just make it worse.”
“Tully’s people are better than that. Someone will be there, but you’ll never see them.”
The elevator glided to a stop. As soon as the doors opened the smallest crack, Dawn slid through them and headed across the lobby.
“Dawn!” He lengthened his stride to catch up with her before she reached the front exit. He stepped between her and the doors, trying to read her face. But it was set in a blank mask. “I want to kiss you.”
Some unreadable emotion flashed through her eyes and was gone. “A goodbye kiss. Sure. Why not?” She tilted her chin up, closed her eyes, and stood like a statue, a carved goddess with golden skin and dark, satin hair.
“Don’t worry, darlin’.” He ran his hands up and down her arms as though to warm her. “We’ll keep you safe.”
“Just kiss me,” she said, her eyes still shuttered. “We need to go our separate ways.”
He didn’t know what else to do, so he stepped forward to bring their bodies together in the lightest of contacts. Bending, he brushed her lips with his. A shudder ran through her, and then her arms were around his neck and she was pressed against him the way he wanted. Her mouth was hot and inviting as she opened to him. A tiny whimper broke from her throat as their tongues met, the sound sending a jolt of desire into his belly.
As he skimmed his hands around to pull her harder against him, his phone chimed with a message. She threaded her fingers into his hair while she devoured his mouth for a brief moment. Then she twisted out of his embrace in one swift movement. He wanted to hurl his state-of-the-art phone on the floor and grind it into the marble.
“That must mean the car is here,” she said, but she stood looking at him as though she’d never seen him before. He could almost feel her gaze traveling over his body, burning wherever it touched.
Her hair was rumpled from where he’d plunged his hands into it, her lips were wet and red from their kiss, and her eyes were huge and lit with the same arousal he felt.
“The hell with the car,” he said, reaching for her.
She took a step back and shook her head. “A goodbye kiss. That was it.”
She pivoted and yanked open the door. He grabbed the heavy steel frame to hold it for her and followed her onto the city sidewalk. A black sedan waited by the curb.
“Don’t get in until I check the plates,” he said, walking to the front of the car and comparing the license number to the confirmation on his phone. It matched. “Wait,” he said as Dawn reached for the car door. He came back to tap on the front passenger window to indicate the driver should roll it down. “What’s your full name?” he asked the young man behind the wheel.
“Tigran Ohanian, sir. I’m here for KRG Consulting.”
“You need to forget that last part,” Leland said. “No one but me and your boss needs to know that.”
“Yes, sir.”
Leland nodded and held open the sedan’s back door while Dawn slipped onto the leather seat.
“Thanks.” She looked down to fiddle with the seat belt.
