LEAH
I’ve never actually floated into a library before, but after the goodbye kiss Kai and I shared, I'm tingling from head to toe. Partly because he's wildly sexy and makes me smile as much as he makes my pulse race. Also, he didn't care if anyone was around. He’s happy for us to be seen together.
Once again he must have texted ahead, since a junior librarian comes running over the minute I set foot in the library, introduces herself as Frances, and takes care of my printing in a snap. She won't even let me pay, saying something about “the Wolfe family monthly bill”.
After she hands me the envelope filled with my prints – maps of the mountain, plus a few calendar organization pages – Frances smiles warmly. "I heard that you were having dinner with Kai last night. I have to say, you're one lucky girl."
I can’t stop myself from beaming. "Yeah. He's an interesting guy." I'm not sure what else to say. "And I think it's kind of cool that he and his brothers are starting a company together. Some tech security thing, I think."
Her eyes grow huge. "Oh, my goodness! You don't know about their company?”
"No. I was going to look it up?—"
She leans in and whispers, "Do that. Look up Wolfe Security. They aren't juststartingthe business. They’re quickly becoming the go-to tech security company."
"Oh. Okay, thanks."
I walk back to Jim's Pizza, and as soon as I'm safely around the corner and in the parking lot, I do a quick search on my phone.
Holy crap.
Can that client list be right? Those aremassivecorporations. My thumbs flip across the screen to see if it’s a publicly traded company, or if there are any other owners. No. Just the five brothers.
Kai must be ridiculously rich.
I've never cared much about money, as long as my basic needs are taken care of. And I love that Kai doesn't act wealthy. In fact, it makes me like him even more.
A text pops up on my screen.
Kai: I just checked, and there's enough room in the helicopter for both of us, as long as we only bring a small bag each. Wanna go to New York City for dinner? Full disclosure: there’ll be a boring two-hour tech talk first with a bunch of speakers.
The only thing that slows my response is my desperate need to pull in air. This can't be happening. But I told myself I was always going to travel as much as possible.
The thought of spending the night with Kai has my hands shaking as I respond.
Yes. Yes. Yes. Just tell me what to pack.
7
KAI
Aweek ago, I considered myself one of the luckiest men in the world: incredible job, incredible family, incredible home. But the past afternoon and evening have completely redefined the wordlucky.
Leah was a bit nervous during the helicopter ride, so she spent the entire flight practically in my lap, the two of us glued together as we admired the scenery below. I think she was impressed by the car and driver who picked us up to whisk us to the conference, and the assistants in the green room, eager to wait on us hand and foot.
The longest I went without touching her was the twenty-one minutes I was on stage, giving a talk about the future of online security, and our place in it.
Afterward, I did the obligatory event chitchat, but it was more fun because Leah's fingers were laced through mine. She even made several jokes that totally cracked up the stuffed shirts from the Marston Group and the uber-corporate techies from Silicon Valley.
Then we were whisked here, to an exclusive supper club – or, to be exact, through the club to a private room at the back. Therewas no menu: the chef simply came in and made whatever we asked.
Leah gives me a soft, gentle smile as I lean closer. "Hungry for anything else, gorgeous?"
"Please. I couldn't eat another bite." Then she laughs. "I still can't believe the chef didn't mind making us beefy mac and cheese."
I push away my own plate, which contains nothing but a few last drops of the delicious sauce. "The regular menu here is beyond fancy. I bet you made his night. How often does he get to cook something like that?”
I let my gaze fall to her neckline and then down to her lap before returning it to her eyes. "I can think of something else I'm starving for…"
