pushed up from the chair and took a step, the crack of her hand across his cheek vibrating between them.
He drew in a force of sound, his features taut … unyielding.
She swallowed, and licked her lips.
He flicked a glance from her mouth to the gaping neckline of her robe, outlining the swell of her breasts. A chuckle skidded from his throat, frosting her skin and shooting shards of ice into her spine. She clutched the lapels of her robe tight and dismissed the hardening of her nipples as mere reaction to the cold, and not his expression.
“Still denying?”
“No, I mean … it’s not that simple.”
“Well, sweetheart, nothing ever is.” He stroked his knuckles across his cheek still stinging from her slap.
“I-I’m sorry—”
“Save it,” he muttered, turning away. “I’m going to take a cold shower and by the time I’m done, be packed.”
“Cade … ”
He paused in stride, but didn’t look her way. “Yeah?”
“It’s not him,” she murmured, her voice barely audible, shaky. “It’s not my father who’s—”
He nodded and yanked the door to the en-suite open.
“You know?” she asked, astounded. “Then why … who?”
“When we get to New York, the ‘who’ will surface,” he hurled over his shoulder.
“But I don’t want to go with you.”
He spun around. “If you don’t want your father named an accomplice
in a global wide electronic scam, you’d better be ready to board Century One at twelve hundred hours.”
“B-b-ut you said you knew it wasn’t him.”
“No, you said it,” he clipped out.
“I-I don’t understand.”
Cade twisted his mouth in wry cynicism. “As you said, it’s not that simple.” His gut signaled her father wasn’t as innocent as she seemed to think, but he couldn’t explain now. But he bet his uncle held the deck, her father cut the cards and one other dealt the hand, working the ETF system. That’s whom he had to nab to staunch the financial bleeding of Century Corporation.
He sized her up and down, and his body throbbed…for her. Ruthlessly, he resisted the sexual pull to gather her up in his arms, but her forlorn look penetrated his blockade, stabbing his heart.
Yeah, he’d get the hacker, but would it cost him Nina?
CHAPTER TEN
Cade stood with his hands behind his back, the brooding look in his eyes reflected in the wide expanse of window of his New York headquarters on Madison Avenue. The memory of their sexual tryst last night in his penthouse had him hardening up…but something else prodded his heart. Elusive. He couldn’t identify it. And it was stoking his frustration. A swear word blasted from his mouth and tainted the air.
“Having a bad day already, dear? Nina waltzed into his office, and stood her ground several feet from him, his surprise at her appearance evident from his face. She glanced over her shoulder at her old office…a bittersweet memory taunted, and her back went rigid. “Your receptionist must’ve gone on a loo break, so I showed myself in.”
He nodded, taciturn.
“My debt’s paid in full.” She tossed the penthouse keys on his desk,
taking in every flicker of his face; the flare of his nose, the shuttering of his eyes, the set of his mouth. Her pulse skittered and her palms went damp. Images replayed in her mind…him holding her, touching, tasting…heaven. Emotion rose inside her, and she clutched her handbag, willing herself to breathe normally.
“How do you figure that?”
“The deal was for one night…” She couldn’t get the word ‘sex’ out. It sounded so cold, mechanical, impersonal; and there had been nothing cold or clinical about their lovemaking. It had been a volcanic eruption of the senses and the heart…at least for her.
“With me.”
She nodded, wanting more…of him. But she couldn’t, not without his love. It would crush her. Be strong, be smart, she told herself. A wisp of a smile. Smarter.
“Yes.” It had been a memorable night of passion with him.
He drew in a force of sound, his features taut … unyielding.
She swallowed, and licked her lips.
He flicked a glance from her mouth to the gaping neckline of her robe, outlining the swell of her breasts. A chuckle skidded from his throat, frosting her skin and shooting shards of ice into her spine. She clutched the lapels of her robe tight and dismissed the hardening of her nipples as mere reaction to the cold, and not his expression.
“Still denying?”
“No, I mean … it’s not that simple.”
“Well, sweetheart, nothing ever is.” He stroked his knuckles across his cheek still stinging from her slap.
“I-I’m sorry—”
“Save it,” he muttered, turning away. “I’m going to take a cold shower and by the time I’m done, be packed.”
“Cade … ”
He paused in stride, but didn’t look her way. “Yeah?”
“It’s not him,” she murmured, her voice barely audible, shaky. “It’s not my father who’s—”
He nodded and yanked the door to the en-suite open.
“You know?” she asked, astounded. “Then why … who?”
“When we get to New York, the ‘who’ will surface,” he hurled over his shoulder.
“But I don’t want to go with you.”
He spun around. “If you don’t want your father named an accomplice
in a global wide electronic scam, you’d better be ready to board Century One at twelve hundred hours.”
“B-b-ut you said you knew it wasn’t him.”
“No, you said it,” he clipped out.
“I-I don’t understand.”
Cade twisted his mouth in wry cynicism. “As you said, it’s not that simple.” His gut signaled her father wasn’t as innocent as she seemed to think, but he couldn’t explain now. But he bet his uncle held the deck, her father cut the cards and one other dealt the hand, working the ETF system. That’s whom he had to nab to staunch the financial bleeding of Century Corporation.
He sized her up and down, and his body throbbed…for her. Ruthlessly, he resisted the sexual pull to gather her up in his arms, but her forlorn look penetrated his blockade, stabbing his heart.
Yeah, he’d get the hacker, but would it cost him Nina?
CHAPTER TEN
Cade stood with his hands behind his back, the brooding look in his eyes reflected in the wide expanse of window of his New York headquarters on Madison Avenue. The memory of their sexual tryst last night in his penthouse had him hardening up…but something else prodded his heart. Elusive. He couldn’t identify it. And it was stoking his frustration. A swear word blasted from his mouth and tainted the air.
“Having a bad day already, dear? Nina waltzed into his office, and stood her ground several feet from him, his surprise at her appearance evident from his face. She glanced over her shoulder at her old office…a bittersweet memory taunted, and her back went rigid. “Your receptionist must’ve gone on a loo break, so I showed myself in.”
He nodded, taciturn.
“My debt’s paid in full.” She tossed the penthouse keys on his desk,
taking in every flicker of his face; the flare of his nose, the shuttering of his eyes, the set of his mouth. Her pulse skittered and her palms went damp. Images replayed in her mind…him holding her, touching, tasting…heaven. Emotion rose inside her, and she clutched her handbag, willing herself to breathe normally.
“How do you figure that?”
“The deal was for one night…” She couldn’t get the word ‘sex’ out. It sounded so cold, mechanical, impersonal; and there had been nothing cold or clinical about their lovemaking. It had been a volcanic eruption of the senses and the heart…at least for her.
“With me.”
She nodded, wanting more…of him. But she couldn’t, not without his love. It would crush her. Be strong, be smart, she told herself. A wisp of a smile. Smarter.
“Yes.” It had been a memorable night of passion with him.
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