Page 59 of Carnal Risk

Garrett sat across the room, observing Selby as she pecked away on the laptop. Focused on her task, she hadn’t spoken in thirty minutes. He glanced down to his iPad and pretended not to notice how she’d gone silent, completely obsessed with her work. Selby Reynolds intrigued him more than any other woman he’d ever met. Although she seemed reluctant to admit her desire to explore her sexuality on new levels, her body came alive under his touch.

Making love to her in the barn had been an incredibly erotic experience and he had a hard time thinking of anything else. After testing her willingness to engage in anal play in the shower, he’d hoped she’d go further. While she’d been working earlier, Norm had picked up his order for him. As he’d suspected, she’d been responsive to the toy he’d selected, splintering apart under his touch. Even her awareness of Seth’s presence, the idea of being watched, had turned her on and he looked forward to exploring every aspect of Selby’s adventurous side. What he couldn’t have anticipated was her tears. Seeing her weep was like a blade to the gut. Like a switch, she’d gone from shivering in ecstasy to crying. He couldn’t deny the intensity of their encounter, yet he suspected she was keeping something from him.

It would have been perfect if he’d been able to tell her that he’d date her exclusively, that they’d have a future. But the words didn’t surface. He should have told her the truth. That he was scared to death. That she was a game changer, one that he was struggling to control. Lars had called him out on his feelings earlier and he’d been on target.

Garrett accomplished every goal he’d ever set. Financial targets had become an easy attainment. He’d become ridiculously wealthy, to the point where he gave away millions of dollars a year to charities. Extreme sports were the only things that remotely challenged him, but in the face of meeting Selby, it all paled in comparison. The only thing that would sate his craving was total possession of the woman who’d crawled into his heart.

“Garrett, we need to talk,” she said, interrupting his racing thoughts.

“What’s up?”

“So I ran the same exact tool on both computers.” Her eyes never left her screen as she spoke. “The reason I did that was because even though I’m not detecting anything unusual on Evan’s device, that doesn’t mean it’s not there. The important thing is that when I try to break into Emerson, I get pretty much nothing.”

“That’s good, right?” Garrett crossed to her and sat on the edge of his desk. She turned the screen so he could view it.

“Yeah. It’s good but you can see here,” she pointed to the glass, “I was able to tunnel just the slightest bit into Evan’s department. I’m not sure what that means but it’s not good.”

“I thought you just said you couldn’t get in.”

“I’m not in. And on your PC, I didn’t get anywhere at all. It looks a-okay. But here. This isn’t right.” She pulled her hair upward and twisted it into a bun. “I’m using basic hacker programs. But my guess is that if I work on this a little more, I could get in, as in all the way into his department’s data.”

“Go on.” What the hell did Evan do? He hated that even the smallest doubt had emerged. Still, he’d defend him until all the facts were unearthed.

“The question is, can I get files to download when I get there? If I can do that, you have a major problem. Basically I could just steal whatever’s in there.”

“Are you implying that Evan stole data?” The shock in Garrett’s voice registered at the same time he asked.

“Garrett.” She hesitated. “I think maybe you need to give me a little more time to see if I can even get in. Let me work on this. I’ll get something custom going to try to block the tunnel. If it works, then we can cross that bridge when we get to it.”

“Evan wouldn’t steal from me,” Garrett insisted, his voice stern.

“I didn’t know him…personally.”

“I did know him. He helped me build this company and I’m telling you there is no way. I don’t care if you can get in or not. He would have had a reason.”

“I’m not sure what you want me to say. I’m just doing what you asked me to do.” Selby rested her palms on each side of the laptop and stared at the screen. “Sometimes we don’t know people as well as we think. Sometimes people keep secrets. With no evidence, I can’t say what he did or what he didn’t do. All I know is that someone killed him. They could have killed me.” Selby sighed and locked her eyes on his. “Someone is looking for something. And it must be pretty damn important.”

“I agree, but there are lots of people out there who want to steal company secrets. Competitors.”

“Terrorists.”

“Sure. And that’s why Evan had us locked up tight. He isn’t the kind of person who would steal, let alone be a traitor. He wouldn’t do that.” Garrett shoved onto his feet. “You didn’t know him. Besides, he’s the victim here. I don’t know why you’d spend any time thinking he did something wrong.”

“I didn’t say he did.” Selby blew out a breath and focused back on the computer, typing. Her lips tensed, and her eyes flared with anger. “I’m just saying sometimes we don’t know people. Sometimes the people closest to you are your enemy.”

“Not Evan.” Garrett regarded Selby as she refused to make eye contact. It was the first time he’d seen her truly angry, and it didn’t surprise him that she was controlled even when she got mad.

“Whatever. This is going to take a few hours,” she noted.

“I’ll be back,” he told her, leaving his office.

He didn’t care what Selby thought. There was no way Evan would have stolen data. Thanks to the asshole who’d killed him, the real criminal, his friend would never get the chance to defend himself.

As Garrett came into the great room, he caught sight of Lars sitting on the sofa, staring at his cell phone. A tote bag with Selby’s belongings sat next to him.

“Did you have any problems getting in the condo?” he asked, falling back into an oversized chair. He crossed his feet on the ottoman.

“No. Dean was still there, though. I guess they closed up early last night and came back again. He said he hadn’t found any fingerprints. He let me take some clothes and shoes. I grabbed some jewelry that I found scattered on the floor. Selby doesn’t wear a lot of bling, but I figured that she wouldn’t appreciate people stepping all over it.” Lars held up a small plastic baggie filled with shiny items. “Drove her car back here, too. It’s out in the driveway.”