Texas Lightning. Gerry Bartlett
onto the bed. He carried the empty basket into the kitchen and opened cabinets until he found dog food, then began clearing the shelves.
“Hold it.” Anna had lived with managing males all her life and had decided during the move to Texas that she’d never endure another one. “Your house? In what universe is that a good idea?”
“There’s no way anyone should connect you and me. Until today we’d never crossed paths. It’s the perfect solution.” King had cleared out the dog food cabinet, found YoYo’s leash, and clipped it to his collar. It hadn’t been difficult—the dog was following the man like he was covered in beef gravy.
“Would you put down that basket for a minute?” Anna stomped over to King, kicking a throw pillow out of her way. “Drop me off at a hotel. I can call Mr. Zenonsky and have the new computer delivered there. I have no intention of bunking at your place, King.”
“I can see you’re getting worked up about this. But listen, my house has space for you to work and is on Lake Travis with limited access. I can’t imagine you want to use public Wi-Fi like you’d find in a big hotel for the kind of sensitive information you deal with.”
“What do you know about the information I’m dealing with?” Anna tried to wrap her head around this. Yes, she’d need to retrieve pieces of her work from where they were stored in the cloud, so Wi-Fi was essential. But King shouldn’t know that. What she did for Zenon was so secret only her boss and very few other trusted high-level people had any idea what she was working on. Friend of Mr. Z or not, King was making this move too fast.
“Relax. Ron trusts me. He knows I’m not interested in his tech breakthrough but I do have the right to know, since I invested heavily in his company. I’m doing this for you. Look around. You really think I could leave you like this? And it’ll count as a favor to him. A personal favor. Z and I go way back. We keep score. He’ll owe me. I’ll have fun collecting on this.”
Anna bit her lip. When he put it like that… She knew men well after growing up with four older brothers. Payback was a big part of their games with their buddies. She almost believed him until King smiled and looked her over with the kind of slow assessment that made her tighten up in all the wrong places.
“Of course, maybe the whole idea of being alone with me in my house makes you uncomfortable, Anna. You afraid the big bad cowboy will try to jump your bones?”
“Afraid?” She got in his smirking, way-too-handsome face. As if she was so hard up she’d turn a terrifying situation into an opportunity to get laid. Oooh, but she wanted to slap him, stomp his boots, kick his shins, do something violent. She took a breath, and damn if he didn’t watch the rise and fall of that too-snug T-shirt while she inhaled something spicy, male, and way too interesting. That did it!
She crossed her arms over her chest and counted to five. Didn’t help. She went on to ten. Finally she saw the humor in his taunt and backed up. If he was trying to get her mind off the disaster that was her apartment, it had worked. He was either damned clever or an irredeemable horndog.
“I know I’m irresistible, cowboy, but you’ll just have to tie a knot in it.” She was rewarded when he laughed so hard he almost dropped that dog basket. Damn, why did he have to look so good, with his eyes twinkling and his white teeth flashing?
Anna pressed her hand over her heart. “You think that’s funny? I admit it. I came to Texas with all kinds of fantasies. If I’m afraid, it’s not of you. It’s of me, King.” She shoved aside that basket to slide one hand down his chest and the other up to where his hair curled over his ears. He could use a haircut.
“I’ve been so lonely since I moved here. And you came to my rescue. Big, bold Texan, complete with cowboy hat and boots. Why, all that was missing was you riding in on a white horse. Please tell me you have a big white horse somewhere.” She gave a gusty sigh and sagged against him, batting her eyelashes. Too bad she’d sweated off her mascara.
He just grinned. “Would a black one do?”
“In a pinch.” She walked her fingers up his shirtfront. “Honestly, cowboy, I’ve been fighting the urge to throw myself at you ever since I came out of that bathroom at the capitol building.” She pressed closer, her elbow hitting that basket of dog stuff. “Why, if we’re staying together at your place, I don’t know what might happen. You might have to beat me off with a stick.”
He dropped the basket to the floor, barely missing her dog, who scampered out of the way. “Beat you off? Sugar, that’ll never happen.” His arms went around her, pulling her so close not even YoYo could find space to wiggle in between them where their legs tangled. “You feel the urge to try the horizontal Texas Two-Step, say the word.”
“No?” She pushed him back. He was a handful, no denying that. And the chemistry was off the charts. “Let’s get out of here. If your place is the safest for me and my program, then that’s where I’ll go. Temporarily, anyway. And just to work.” Anna surveyed the mess around her, not sure where to start with her packing. She grabbed the framed picture of her family and laid it carefully in the dog basket.
“Why not leave everything else here?” He dropped a hand on her shoulder. “Your backpack is all you need and it’s in the truck. You know you don’t want to wear stuff those assholes have touched. You can order new clothes online and Ron will pick up the tab. I guarantee it.”
Anna nodded. “You’re right. I don’t want anything those assholes have touched. Let’s move.” She grabbed her gun, then headed back into the bedroom to get her extra ammo. She stuck them both into a tote her grandmother had decorated with needlepoint and given her as a going-to-Texas gift. A quick look around and she really couldn’t see anything else that she treasured. She’d left most of her personal things back in Boston in boxes in her parents’ basement. Her mom was convinced this move to Texas was a temporary aberration and had insisted she leave them there. God, her family would freak out when they heard about the break-in. She wasn’t sure she’d tell them about it. Not anytime soon, anyway.
“I’m ready.” Anna picked up YoYo, leash and all, then gestured toward the dog’s bed, a big fluffy pillow he loved. “Add that to the basket. I’ll get his favorite toy.” She found it under the dining room table, then headed for the door. King was right behind her.
Anna could almost feel his eyes on her butt. He was definitely a man who liked butts and breasts. Well, she had plenty of both. She ran down the stairs toward King’s truck and stood next to the passenger door, waiting for him to unlock it. She was glad she didn’t have to stay in a hotel alone. Whoever had come after her computer and the program she’d written might actually break her encryption. But they’d soon figure out it wasn’t going to be quite that easy to steal what had taken her years to create. Would they come back and try again? Want her the next time? The idea that she could be a target sent chills through her. Security wouldn’t be tight in a hotel and he was right about using their Wi-Fi. It could be easily hacked and she’d never use it to work remotely.
“I hope agreeing to go to your place isn’t a mistake. I do need to work. Mr. Z is really anxious for this program to be finished fast. He has a big investment in it.” She heard the locks click and opened the truck door, setting YoYo inside. A hand on her shoulder kept her from following right away.
“Anna, I’m a gentleman. I know you’ve had a bad scare, and my only intention is to set you up in a safe place. Like I said, as a favor to my friend Ron.” King turned her to face him. “I get that you were kidding with all that nonsense about jumping my bones. But, to be honest, I am attracted to you.” He smiled at her. “Taking advantage of your shot nerves right now wouldn’t be cool. I can be a good friend.” He ran a finger over her cheek. “Or an enthusiastic lover. Just let me know which you need.”
Anna decided that didn’t deserve an answer. She just turned and began the awkward climb into the truck. He seemed to know all the right things to say. That was the most disturbing thing about this man. Smooth, way too smooth. The tongue-tied geeks she was used to had been so much easier to manage. King was going to be impossible. Best to leave him in the