“One more thing . . .”
“Now what?” he grumbled.
“I don’t want Will to know I had anything to do with this.”
“Yeah, okay.”
She was so pleased she kissed him on the cheek. Then she quickly lowered her head and whispered, “I probably shouldn’t have done that. It’s inappropriate.”
The woman was a temptress, and it took all the self-control Liam could muster not to touch her. An internal argument ensued. One kiss wouldn’t matter. Yes, it would. And yet if he kissed her, his curiosity would be appeased, and he could move on to more important things. But that would be wrong.
“I don’t mess around with assets,” he said as he slowly closed the gap between them, his mouth just inches from hers. She was looking deeply into his eyes and he could feel his willpower slipping away. One quick kiss. What was the harm?
It wasn’t until that very moment that Allison realized he wanted her. She was stunned. Pleased, too, because she’d wanted to kiss him since she met him.
“I understand,” she whispered, pressing her body against his. “Rules are rules. So I certainly shouldn’t do this.” She put her arms around his neck.
“No, you shouldn’t,” he protested, yet didn’t move.
“Or this,” she said, softly brushing her lips over his.
“No . . .” He tried to deepen the kiss, but she pulled back.
This was all new to Allison. She wasn’t a flirt, by any means, and she rarely messed around, but she liked teasing Liam. He brought out a side of her she usually kept hidden, and she didn’t exactly know why. There was just something about him.
“And it would be against the rules for an asset to do this, don’t you suppose?” She leaned up, and her mouth settled on his then in a kiss that was anything but casual or quick. As soon as she opened her mouth for him, he took over. His tongue swept inside to rub against hers, sending shivers down her spine. When he wrapped his strong arms around her, she tightened her hold, her fingers sliding up into his hair as his mouth devoured hers. Passion burned between them, and Allison’s last coherent thought was that she never wanted it to stop.
Liam nearly lost all control, the taste of her was so addictive. He felt her tremble and abruptly ended the kiss, then made the mistake of looking at her sexy mouth. He wanted her in his bed. He was burning with his need, but he forced himself to come to his senses and gently pulled her arms from his neck. When he was finally able to let go of her, he had to take several deep breaths to regain control. “Yes, it’s against my rules,” he said, clearing his throat so he could get the words out.
It took a couple of seconds for her to understand. “Okay,” she said softly, frowning.
He could tell the kiss had rattled her. Desire lingered in her eyes, and damn, he wanted to kiss her again. Instead, he took her key and reached around to open the door. Then he gently nudged her inside and slowly closed the door behind her.
ELEVEN
Promptly at eight o’clock Monday morning, Liam was at Allison’s door. He looked gorgeous—and all business—in his suit and tie. She had made up her mind not to mention the kiss. She was going to act like an adult, not a silly girl in the throes of her first crush.
To appear professional, she had looked beyond her typical casual school attire and had chosen a simple periwinkle blue dress. After changing her shoes several times, she finally opted for her nude heels. She figured the extra height would give her an air of authority. No heels could make her taller than Liam, though.
He waited at the door while she gathered her phone, her identification, and a twenty-dollar bill and put them in a small shoulder bag. When she picked up the black leather case holding her laptop, he stopped her.
“Leave your laptop here,” he said.
She shook her head. “I don’t like to leave it at home if I can help it. If the house is empty, someone could come in and tamper with it or steal it. My old housemate, Brett, already tried. Whenever it’s possible, I carry it with me. The guard can lock it up with my bag.”
He didn’t argue, and once they were on their way, he said, “Tell me about this Brett.”
“He lived with us for a while. He was asked to leave after Mark, one of my other housemates, caught him with my laptop. God knows what he was doing with it. They couldn’t tell if he was trying to steal it or just trying to open it. I used it when I was helping him with some of his classes, and I don’t know how much he saw. I have some very important work on it, so I’m trying to be very careful.”
Recalling a conversation they’d had at the restaurant, he asked, “Did you get your paper finished?”
“You remembered I had a paper to write for my class?”
“Of course.”
“Yes, I did finish it despite my lack of sleep. I called Charlotte and she kept me up most of the night. When I told her about my argument with our aunt and uncle, she was upset.” Upset didn’t quite cover her sister’s reaction. Irate was a much better description. Once Allison revealed what was in the envelope Will had handed her, her sister went into a rage. “She wants to confront them,” she told him.
He glanced over at her. “What would that accomplish?”
She shrugged. “It won’t change anything. I tried to talk her out of it, and she promised to think about it. She’s not a violent person, but I worry she’ll punch one of them if she ever sees them again.”
Smiling, he said, “I like your sister.”
“Why? Because she wants to punch Aunt Jane and Uncle Russell?”
“No, because she protected you when you were young.”
It was such a sweet thing to say about Charlotte. Allison felt as though she had just been given a compliment, which didn’t make any sense. Charlotte was the hero, not her.
“This new FBI building—,” she began.
“It’s also the new satellite of the CSA.”
“And Phillips is in charge?”
“Yes.”
Allison tried not to stare at Liam, but it was nearly impossible. He had such a handsome profile, and every time she looked at him, she thought about his lips on hers. She knew she was being foolish, and she wished she could be more sophisticated about it all. It being sex, she admitted. She was such a klutz when it came to physical relationships. Maybe she should have read a couple of books on the subject instead of writing code night and day. Why couldn’t she stop thinking about it? Had he thought about the kiss? Probably not, she decided. Men didn’t ponder such things, did they? She would ask Dan. He’d be honest with her.
Pull it together, she told herself. Now isn’t the time to fantasize about what it would be like to be with Liam. Why think about what would never happen?
“Phillips wants to know if I can break into the government system, right?” she asked.
“Right.”
“And he’s okay with me searching for the leak?”
“Yes.”
“I have a feeling he wants me to fail so he can say, ‘I told you so.’”
“I think you might be right,” he said with a grin.
“He’s in for a disappointment,” she said. “I am going to get in, and if the leak is coming from inside, I will find it.”
“I like your confidence.”
“Thank you,” she replied. “Phillips is so sure he’s hack-proof.”
“And you’re sure you won’t be detected.”
“Of course. Otherwise, what’s the point?”
They reached the gate, which opened for them without any notification.
“They’ve been waiting for you,” she said.
Her hands were gripped tightly in her lap, and Liam could see how nervous she was. “They’re waiting for you, too,” he said.
“Are you going to drop me off?”
Once again the parking lot was deserted. Liam parked close to the door where the guard waited for them. “No, Allison. I’m not leaving you. I’ll make sure you get settled in.”
“Have you thought more about Will?” she asked as they made their way to the entrance.
“I’ve talked to a couple of people,” he answered.