by Susan Stoker, Cristin Harber, Cora Seton, Lynn Raye Harris, Kaylea Cross, Katie Reus, Tessa Layne
On a scale from one to smokin’, Lexi was nuclear. With wide eyes, she tilted her head to look up at him. There was little room between them, and if he could erase the inches without looking like some overeager fuck, he would.
“Parker, hi.” She bit her lip, looking as if she’d been caught red-handed. Her cheeks pinked, and her eyes danced, wary, searching around him.
For what, he didn’t know and didn’t care.
“Nice to see you.” She turned and shut her computer.
“Can I join you?” he asked.
“I can’t.”
“You can’t, what?” He wouldn’t take no for an answer, completely mesmerized and almost forgetting his confusion about the Silver coffee questions.
Again, her pupils danced. “I’m working.”
“Same.” He pulled out the chair at her table then sat down.
“That seat’s for my co-worker. He’ll be here any time now. You should really go.” Lexi twisted her coffee cup.
The scrawl of the name on the cup caught his eye and disappeared each time she moved it. But it read Silver. He hadn’t heard wrong, hadn’t lost his damn mind. Anxiety prickled down his spine as all the pieces lined up. The collision of his two worlds was explosive. Was he wrong? No, there were too many coincidences that he should’ve picked up on already. His hand clapped on top of hers.
Slowly, she pulled in a quiet breath and tried to tug her hand back, but he clasped it and didn’t let go. “Parker, you have to go.”
Shoving emotion aside, he ran through the facts. She’d gone back to a dangerous, abusive relationship for a computer? The unexplained jammer that he couldn’t figure out how to blame on Matt? Shadow calling with a security concern about Monarch, and Lexi sitting here with that coffee cup? All the dots lined up. “No way…”
Her forehead pinched. “What?”
“You’re Silver.”
Color drained out of her face as her smile went flat and paranoia exploded in her icy blue eyes. She dropped her gaze to the scrawl on the coffee cup. “I don’t know what you mean. It’s just a nickname for a coffee shop.”
He leaned forward to study her lying eyes. “Damn, Lex.”
“No,” she whispered, shaking her head in the most unconvincing manner. “I’m not.”
Despite the leather and eyeliner, she looked as delicate as she had in his sweats with towel-dried hair. Parker’s heart pounded as the magnitude of their extensive relationship formed, all the things Parker had assumed simply by never asking. What he’d known was Silver was a code-breaking dude. A trusted, competitive contemporary who Parker could find in the middle of cyberspace, run a hack with, try to one-up, and say see ya until later. That was Silver. The winter princess scowling at him? Not Silver. But yet it all made sense. “You’re…”
“Busy,” she mumbled, refusing eye contact.
Parker rubbed his temples. How could he know a guy for a decade plus, when the guy wasn’t even a guy? “You can’t be…” You can’t be him.
“No idea what you’re talking about.” She stood, shoved the laptop into a messenger bag, and tossed the full coffee cup with Silver scrawled across the side.
“Wait. Don’t leave.”
“I have to work.” Then she ducked under the table and retrieved a motorcycle helmet. “Nice seeing you. Thanks for everything before.”
With a toss of the bag over her shoulder, she tugged her thick ponytail from under the strap of the bag. Damn, it was the kind of hair that a man could wrap a fist around.
What he knew and what he saw didn’t mesh. Lexi was a wisp with icy blue eyes who had thankfully left her shit fiancé, and Parker had a major hard-on for her. What Lexi did not look like was an elite hacker who had bantered back and forth to him in code for a third of his life.
He remained frozen to the table, remembering the weekend that Matt had met her. Bachelor party for one of their boys. Parker had been able to write off almost the whole thing on his taxes because there was a technology conference at the same hotel, including a hacker competition. Holy shit.
Lexi Dare was, without a doubt, SilverChaos.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Parker abandoned his coffee and jogged until he came up beside her sweet body speeding through Union Station’s wide corridor. “Give me a second.”
“Nope. Bad idea.”
A wave of men’s glances followed her. Not a single man could walk by without staring, and she didn’t seem to notice. She hit the escalators, and Parker stayed with her as a new rush of people departing from a train swallowed them with briefcases and rolling suitcases. Lexi quickly moved to another platform then slid behind a black gate, ignoring a large red-and-white “Closed to Public” sign. Parker stayed on her six as people bustled around.
“Lexi, come on.”
“Leave me alone.”
But he didn’t. Wouldn’t. Suddenly they were alone in a maintenance hallway. She pushed through another door covered in dust and cobwebs that creaked when it opened into a service alley. It was dark, dank, and dirty. They were somewhere between the rails and a garage. Exhaust and the smell of metal hung in the air. Lexi never slowed, an old pro in the back tunnels of Union Station. That didn’t thrill him.
Enough. He reached for the sharp angle of her shoulder. “Where are you going—”
The little blonde spun on him, helmet in hand as a weapon, and smashed it toward his face.
“Seriously?” Parker ducked, grabbed her arm, and spun her around so that the sinful round of her backside was pressed against his thighs. “Don’t be like that.”
Sweet citrus drifted into his nose when she reached back and ran her hand into his hair. She didn’t pull, but she didn’t let go either. “I need you to go away.”
Parker belted his arm across her chest while he kept her helmet-wielding arm down. His lips brushed her ear, and at that moment, the citrus struck him. “You don’t need to take a swing at me.”
“You follow me into a back alley?” she whispered. “I can hit you if I want.”
He chuckled into her hair. “I’m not Matt, and you are Silver.”
“God.” She twisted in his hold, her lips coming within inches of his. “Leave it be.”
“Why would I want to do that?”
The brim of his ball cap pressed against the side of her head, sheltering him, giving him a moment to savor her. She smelled like lemons. Sweet and tart, which was exactly what she was like. Why he noticed and why he cared jumbled together. Truth was, knowing Silver, the way the hacker could work a job, how intelligent Silver was, how much of a challenge… it all shifted what had already been extraordinarily hot and full of potential to something with years’ worth of gravity and depth.
Their tension multiplied the sexual charge that had been there in spades. Whatever he’d ignored after he’d driven away that night weeks ago was nothing compared to the lightning pulsing between them. She felt it too—he knew that without a doubt.
“You were here to work,” he whispered. “I was too.”
“Good for you, Parker.”
And that was his in. “Try BlackDawn.”
Her head whipped up, her glare disbelieving. “Excuse me?”
He smiled as he watched her process his screen name. “Now we seem to be on equal footing. Everything I didn’t get before makes sense.”
She rolled her tongue over her bottom lip before catching it between her teeth. She didn’t steal away, didn’t look away. Just blinked and tried again. “You’re still holding me.”
“I know.” He squeezed her tighter because God, did he know he was holding her. It’d been over two weeks since he’d had her in his arms, and with her smelling all woman and dressed like sex in leather, there was no chance in the world Parker would release her. “If you didn’t know, it’s one of my favorite things to do.”
Her pink glossed lips parted, but nothing came out.
“I like the new look. Old look. Whatever.”
She blinked darkly shaded eyes. “You re
member?”
“Something like this? Shit, sweetheart, etched into my memory.”
Slowly her body softened. “Shadow hired you?”
He nodded.
“You’re BlackDawn?” She sounded breathy and gave another slow blink.
Yeah, a little breathy and a lot bothered. Maybe angry and confused. Who knew what else? Mostly she sounded like he felt. Totally mind-fucked and turned on.
Trains clanged in the background. Horns blared from distant streets.
“Yeah.” A lump formed in his throat as he released her, dropping his arms and letting her step back.
“I can’t process any of this.”
“What’s there to process?” But even he knew that was a lie. All of this was confusing. How he felt, how she looked, what they thought about the tension they couldn’t ignore, and the work they’d done together for so long without knowing. Silver was anonymous, and his work at Titan was classified. None of this should converge.
He grabbed her hips, and she slammed her open palms against his chest.
“Why are you angry, Lex?”
“I just am.” Her fingers splayed then clutched his shirt.
He jerked her close, and her mouth went wide. The passion in her icy blue gaze rocketed through him. He shook his head. “No reason for that.”
“Go away. I need to think. I thought I had my head right, but now—God!”
His eyes dropped to her hands fisting his shirt. “You’re holding on to me, sweetheart.”
But instead of pushing him away, her fingers bit tighter into his chest. He spun them around so her back was against the wall, his chest pressing against hers with her clenched hands sandwiched between them. Her breaths came quicker. Her tongue darted out and licked her lip, and he groaned, flexing his hips into her.
“You still haven’t let go,” he breathed against her lips.
“I don’t want to.”
His mouth collided with hers, his tongue plunging into her mouth as she gasped and moaned. Her hands tightened, trying to pull him closer though it was impossible. Whatever had happened in Parker’s kitchen was sweet, and even in his Ranger Rover’s backseat, he’d been careful with her. This wasn’t like that. It was harsh and rough and hungry.
Lexi’s legs crawled up his thighs, and he pressed against her, giving her his weight, making sure she knew that all the blood in his body had rushed to his cock. He moved to the slope of her neck, kissing and scraping her soft skin with his teeth. His tongue licked, and as he savored her skin, her hips started a sinful rhythm.
“Wait.” Harshly, Lexi released her grip on him. “Parker, God. Wait… work. I have—” She gasped when he ran his lips to the spot behind her ear. “Work.”
Who cared? He needed her alone. Not in an alley but a bed, where he’d strip the leather off her legs and kiss his way higher until he could delve into that pussy and make her come. But damn the look in her eyes. The second he let go, she would run. He didn’t know why and couldn’t push her to stay.
“Parker, please.”
He had to release her, though not without a warning. “This isn’t over, Lex.”
As he set her down, her eyes squeezed shut, and her erratic breathing might as well have been a stroke to his swollen shaft. He didn’t want to stop, and with her panting like that, those kiss-swollen, pink lips of hers teasing him… he shook his head. He was lust drunk and nowhere near ready to think about the Monarch job.
“I have to go,” she whispered, retrieving her dropped helmet.
“We’ll talk about this later.”
She bit her bottom lip then spun away. Parker let her go, watching as a tightness hit his chest. His arms were empty, and for the first time, his life felt empty too, devoid of a partnership they didn’t even have. Yet. He wanted her friendship, wanted her in his bed. He already enjoyed working with Silver. What a wild combination, maybe making him acknowledge for the first time how much he wanted something substantial outside of Titan.
She hopped over a low cement retaining wall, then she was gone. He was alone in the middle of a maintenance alley. Trains clanged and echoed around him. The exhaust replaced the lemon scent that had made his mouth water. Even as she disappeared from sight, his boots wanted to chase her down. Seconds later, the growl of a motorcycle roared to life then faded away.
Time was drawing near. Monarch would go to auction soon. So even if Lexi ran, Parker knew Silver well enough that there was no doubt she’d be back inside for the auction.
Silver was Lexi was… his. That put a smile on his face.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Lexi couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching her. Parker? Phiber? Matt? She needed to get back inside the station. The auction would start on time whether she was next to Shadow or not, but did she really want him to give her hell for showing up late? Nope. Not at all. But then she’d see Parker, and she felt like a damn fool. Running away from him? What was this, sixth grade? But she was overrun with emotions, and instead of crying or screaming, she ran.
Parker and BlackDawn were one and the same. So she’d trusted both without question.
She revved the engine then rode around another traffic-filled corner until she hit the next red light. The unsteadiness in her stomach churned. Looking for whatever made her feel hunted, Lexi checked her mirrors and saw nothing.
There was less than an hour until go time. Less than sixty tiny minutes to replay everything that had just happened with Parker. She let his name roll in her mind. When his brooding eyes had landed on her in the coffee shop, she’d wanted to run. To him. From him.
She shook her head and rested her boots on the asphalt, waiting to move through the gridlocked light. “Come on.”
The light turned red again, and no one had moved. She dropped her head then gave up waiting, forging a path down the street. Cars honked. Taxi drivers edged closer. She didn’t care and couldn’t stay put.
One turn, then a shortcut through an alley, and the arm of the Union Station parking garage gate lifted after she grabbed her ticket. She parked her bike as a text message buzzed her phone. She didn’t look at it, knowing it had to be Shadow and wishing it was Parker. She headed through the cold garage, jogging down the escalators then skipping past the regular entrances to a back door.
She opened the door labeled “Authorized Entry Only” then walked down a poorly lit corridor, where she read the text.
Shadow: Where are you? Thought you were here early. I want you to meet BlackDawn.
That made her snort-laugh. Today was going to be absurd or epic. Her money was on a little bit of both.
* * *
Parker settled in diagonally from Shadow after discreetly nodding hello. Shadow had a good instinct, but what he didn’t know, or hadn’t shared with Parker, was that there’d already been a piss-poor attempt to steal the hardware—at his house. He wanted to shake his head and growl at the guy who should have read him in on all the concerns.
Jared had barely signed off on the job. Shadow was a good point of contact, though right about now, he was on Parker’s shit list. He shifted in his seat, resisting the urge to text Lexi, and instead he tapped his fingers, unsure of how much leeway to give Shadow for not sharing all pertinent intel.
A race of excitement slid down his back as he heard the click of her heeled boots. His muscles bunched, and his hands clenched. Staying seated was a task when all he wanted to do was drag her to him. Her ass swayed as she walked to Shadow. There was a gentleness in her voice as she said hello and gave him a half-hug, making Parker jealous of the old bastard who had her attention.
Shit. He needed to focus. On something beside her voice, her walk, the memory of her taste and how she smelled. Parker groaned.
Shadow nodded as if he were signaling to Parker who the woman was. He could read her expression somewhat. Nervous curiosity. Apprehensive excitement. Lexi shifted in her chair, casting her eyes across the crowd. She was looking for him. God, he liked being the person she wanted he
r gaze on.
Shadow motioned discreetly, and Lexi pivoted, landing a sexy glare on Parker. The heat in her eyes reached his groin. Even his heartbeat picked up the pace. But he kept all that to himself as he casually acknowledged her with a small chin lift.
As if she’d been caught, she dropped her head and fidgeted. Her fingers knotted then retied. Was she still mad? Why was she nervous? Because of him or the auction? Their security threat? His nightmare was her in danger, but the threat would soon be over. After all the Monarch file transfers were complete, it’d be magic. Threat averted. Poof, danger gone. Someone else would be in possession of Monarch, and their worries about stolen technology, or worst case, a kidnapping where she’d be forced to reveal the coding behind the exploit, would be over.
Assuming he knew everything he needed.
Which he didn’t. If he knew everything he needed to know, Parker could’ve put together a statistical likelihood of almost any situation happening. But nope, not with the limited intel shared. He bunched his fists. Everything about this job had changed now that Silver was Lexi.
Parker picked up his phone and sent her a text.
Parker: I didn’t say before, Monarch’s incredible. Proud of you.
Her fidgeting hands picked up the phone, then her head shot toward him. He wanted to laugh. No one had apparently told her the intricacies of not drawing attention to the undercover guy. But then a smile she tried to hide rolled onto her lips, and her fingers worked the phone.
Lexi: No one has told me they are proud over anything I’ve done. Ever. Except maybe Shadow but he doesn’t count. ;)
His heart seized, then his phone showed another message from her.
Lexi: So thx. That means a lot.
He kept his eyes up but responded.
Parker: Second time it’s come…
Lexi: 2nd time what?
Parker: That I learn you haven’t been told what you should.
