Page 6 of Hard Asset

“What?” Raine stammered, shocked at the change of subject.

“The entire time you’ve belonged. I’ve never once seen you with anyone. Not even once.”

Raine froze as he moved to tilt his head toward hers, his eyes on hers.

“Why is that?”

“I…I… It’s just I’ve never wanted to…”

“I’ve seen the heat in your eyes. You want to, all right,” he pressed.

“Why are you asking about this? I need to make a phone call and then get back to the party,” she insisted, attempting to deny her body’s response to him.

“Because, I know what you want, Raine,” he said, his voice low. “I’ve always known.”

“Please let me go. Dom wants the info I have. I need the names. I have to do something right now. Don’t you understand how close I am to getting those names?” Anger flared in her eyes, yet as he inched closer, arousal flooded her body. “Evan…”

“The club. Not everyone plays openly. But you? Never. Not once.”

“I don’t want to talk about this.” She pushed on his chest but he didn’t budge.

“I do. Why? I want the truth.”

“Why don’t you ever choose me?” she countered, surprised at her response. As the words left her lips, she was helpless to stop them. “So many late nights. We’ve been working together forever. You never ask me… Not once did you… I just thought that maybe…”

“Maybe what?”

“That you…me…” She couldn’t bring herself to articulate her fantasies.

“Say it, sweetheart. That what?” He gave a devious smile.

“Please,” she sighed, closing her eyes. Raine’s body prickled in awareness as he brought his lips to her ear once again.

“I’ve wanted you,” he whispered. “So many nights.”

“No,” she responded, shock in her voice. “You never…”

“Because we work together. But at the club, you never play.”

“Maybe that’s because the one person I want to play with…I can’t…” she breathed.

“Tell me what you want. Tell me, the truth.”

Raine shuddered as his lips brushed her neck, and she found herself unable to keep her thoughts at bay. “I’ve always wanted…you…but you never…”

“I don’t mess with people who report to me. But don’t ever think I didn’t want you,” he told her.

“But…you…” Gooseflesh broke over her skin as he peppered kisses along her neck.

“You’re fired.” As Evan’s lips crushed onto hers, Raine melted into his arms. His tongue swept into her mouth and she kissed him back with an urgent fervor. She shivered as his palms glided over her shoulders, trailing over her sensitive neck, sending tendrils of desire through her body. With a deliberate sensual control, his palms cupped her cheeks, deepening their kiss, his lips making love to hers.

Evan tore his lips from Raine’s, his forehead pressed to hers. “I don’t get involved with people who work for me.”

“I…I can’t promise when this is over I’ll still be here.” As her senses returned, logic warred with her arousal. After tonight, it’d be unlikely she’d still be in San Diego, let alone working for Emerson Industries.

“One night, Raine. Right now, I’m going with my gut here, trusting that you wouldn’t steal. Whatever the hell you’ve got yourself into, I can’t even think of letting you back in the doors of Emerson. Not until I know everything. Not until someone in the CIA, FBI, or NSA comes to me. Hell, after what just went down back there—”

“I’ve already got what I need,” she confessed. The agency had given her dummy files to pawn off to Marretta in exchange for names. They were a mishmash of scrubbed data, with tidbits of fake information she’d created.