He sat up and gave her a hard look. “Assuming it’s still there, we’d need to get into Aggressor to retrieve it.”
“Piece of cake.” She laughed without humor thinking of the daunting task of breaking into her old building, especially since they were both known there. Not to mention the company was likely even more on alert than usual.
“You still have any friends there you can trust?”
She shook her head. “If I did I would have taken care of things weeks ago.” After all, she’d thought she could trust Jay, and look how that had turned out.
Scott stared over her head for several minutes, clearly deep in thought, before speaking. “Normally, I’d say we go in at the peak busy time when there’s more confusion and distraction, but this is different. More eyes means more chance of being recognized.”
“Right. And what better day than today? No one will be working on Thanksgiving except the guards and computer operators. And maybe Vishnu in accounting. He doesn’t have any family here, and he likes getting the holiday pay.”
Nodding, Scott asked, “Where’d you hide the drive?”
“I taped it inside one of the metal tubes that makes up the cubicle partitions.”
He smiled and tapped her forehead gently. “Clever girl.”
“I can’t hear that line without thinking ofJurassic Park.”
“You’re much prettier than the velociraptors.”
She loved that he knew the reference. “Gee, thanks.”
He flopped onto his side, propping his head with one hand so his other hand was free to trace her collarbone. “What do you think about asking Tara for help?”
“On a holiday?” As petty as it was, Valerie was still feeling fragile about her relationship with Scott, and she knew she couldn’t hold a candle to Tara in a side-by-side comparison. God, she hated that she was so insecure. If she wanted any chance of success with Scott, she needed to trust what they had, trust him.
If he were interested in Tara—and the woman reciprocated—wouldn’t they already be together?
“Honestly, I think she would appreciate the distraction,” Scott said. “She doesn’t have any family in NOVA and the guy she was dating a few months ago is in jail awaiting trial.”
Valerie blinked, already regretting her animus toward the woman who’d helped them so much already. “For what?” she asked, mentally adjusting her first impression of Tara.
“Weapons trafficking, accessory to murder, and kidnapping. For kidnapping her. You might have read about it in the papers a few months ago.”
“Jesus.” Valerie sat up, enjoying that his gaze locked onto her breasts when the covers slipped from her torso. “That was her?” When she’d read the article, Valerie had wondered how a woman could get so easily sucked in by a man she’d only known for a few days. Now she understood. And she remembered some of the details of Tara’s escape. “She’s kind of a badass, isn’t she?”
He laughed. “She’s definitely more than meets the eye.” He toyed with the satin edge of the blanket where it skimmed Valerie’s stomach, sending shivers through her. “I recognize the loneliness in her. And I think she’d like to help. She’s been asking Kurt to let her get more involved in ops, to take advantage of her non-threatening appearance, but so far he’s refused.”
“And you think she can help somehow. Create a diversion or engineer her way inside, maybe?”
“Exactly. Who can resist a beautiful woman?”
Valerie nodded and forced a smile. Maybe he pined after a woman he couldn’t have. A woman who wasn’t scarred. Or wanted for espionage. Was Valerie his consolation prize for the one he really desired?
“Hey,” Scott said. “What’s wrong?”
She shook her head. “Nothing.” What guy wanted a needy, clingy, jealous lover? None.
“When I said that, I was thinking of the time you talked your way past the guard at Janus.” He cupped her breast and skimmed his thumb across her nipple, setting off tiny sparks of delight that shot straight to her core. “You’re the only one I want, V.” How did he read her so well?
She sighed with pleasure and lay back—all thoughts of scars and other women long gone—arching up as his mouth replaced his hand and he sucked. A moan came from deep in her throat, wanton and desperate.
“Do you believe me?” he asked, trailing his hand into the curls between her legs.
“Yes,” she said on a gasp.
He stroked her sensitive flesh, bringing her nearly to climax before he stopped and whispered into her ear, “You sure?”
