Page 27 of Hard Wired

The guy was bored, and it was no wonder. He was just passing the time with whoever happened to be near. And right now, that was her.

“I really don’t see why you care.”

“Because I like you, Sylvie.”

Her fingers stilled on the keyboard. “You didn’t like me that much the first time we met.”

Dominic grimaced. “I was interested in you, but I thought you didn’t like me. I acted like a jerk. I’m sorry. And I know you’re not here to entertain me. That was my lame attempt at humor about my current situation. I’m stuck in my house under a court order—for something I didn’t do, for what that’s worth—and it’s embarrassing.”

She shrugged, as if these admissions didn’t affect her. He’d been surprisingly honest. Unless that was just a new tactic of his. “I’ll consider forgiving you. So, what do you like about me?”

His grin slid back into place. “Your tattoos. Your obvious intelligence.” His voice had dropped lower, and his tone was intimate. “The skin at the back of your neck, the shape of your mouth when you’re annoyed… Should I keep going?”

Oh, boy. Her whole body was blushing and tingling. “That won’t be necessary.”

It annoyed her that he could coax such a strong reaction from her with just a few compliments. Okay, more than a few compliments. Being the focus of Dominic’s attention was a heady experience. He probably had no trouble talking women out of their clothes.

“You didn’t tell me how you ended up working for Bennett Security.”

“It’s just a job. I was looking for more responsibility, a challenge, so I applied.”

“You’re in charge there?”

“Of my department? Yep. Max is the only person I have to report to. But that also means I have a lot to do.”

Sylvie forced herself to ignore him while she set up her diagnostics to run on the laptop. And he just sat there watching her work, with that same smoldering intensity in his gaze. Like he would sit waiting for her all day if needed.

She wasn’t looking at him, yet every inch of her was aware of him. The way he crossed his legs. Tilted his head.

“What do you do when you’re not working?” he asked.

“Not working? Next time that happens, I guess I’ll let you know.”

“What about a boyfriend? Or a girlfriend?”

The man didn’t let up. But she no longer thought he was toying with her just to reject her again. He was putting in way too much effort.

“Nope.”

“Me, neither. If you’re not into me that way, it’s cool. I still want to know about you. I bet I’ll find even more to like.”

Her temperature rocketed up another few degrees. She pushed out a laugh. “You’ve been stuck inside for, how long is it? Like three months? You’d be interested in anything that breathes.”

“I told you about my fancy porn sites. Not like I’m desperate to get off.”

She nearly choked. If anyone was desperate to get off, it was her. But she did want to get him off. Oh, the things she wanted to do to Dominic Crane.

“That was supposed to be another joke,” he said. “But it’s true. I like you. I’m kind of hoping you might like me.”

Her fingertips brushed the keys, though she wasn’t even looking at the screen. “I might be starting to like you,” she murmured.

“Want to come over here? Bet I could really make you like me.” His tone made the come-on sound playful instead of predatory. He was almost bashful.

She laughed, not sounding half as nervous as she felt. “You’re forward. Does that typically work for you?”

“You said you’re busy. I’m trying to respect your schedule. I could spend all day dropping hints, like I have been, or I could just tell you I want you. Which I do.”

A tiny whimper snuck out of her throat. Her clit was so swollen that her every movement rubbed her jeans against it, jolting her with another surge of arousal.

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