by Ravenna Tate
Julianne couldn’t have disobeyed that voice if she’d wanted to. She heard him squeeze what she assumed was shower gel out of bottle, and then a woodsy scent filled the air. Kane washed her entire body with his fingertips, paying attention to every square inch of skin. She moaned and writhed against his touch, marveling at how much self-control he had.
By the time he finished, she was ready to fall to her knees and beg him to fuck her. Instead, he turned her around and kissed her again. “Your turn, gorgeous.”
Julianne wasn’t sure she could stay standing right now, let alone wash him. A sensation of slipping down the drain with the water coursed through her. No one had ever done such an erotic thing with her. She took the shower gel bottle and poured some into her palms, and then asked him if he intended to turn toward the wall like she’d done.
“No. I want to watch your beautiful face.”
Oh my! “Kane, you make me feel like a goddess.”
He ran a hand through her wet hair. “You are. A copper-haired goddess. Your hair shines like the sun I remember from the surface, and your eyes remind me of the ocean in the Caribbean. Have you ever seen it?”
“No. I’ve only seen the Atlantic, and that was from Boston.”
“I was born in Augusta, Maine, so I know what you mean. Up there it looks cold and gray, but in the Caribbean the water is blue and lush.”
“It sounds beautiful.” She washed him as he’d done to her, but it was impossible to keep from teasing his dick and his balls when she got there. He was rock hard, and all she could think about was having him inside her again. She didn’t have the same willpower he did.
“That feels incredible,” he said, his voice hard as though he were barely hanging on.
“You feel incredible. I need you inside me again.”
“The water is getting cold. Let’s continue this somewhere else.” He kissed her like he might never do it again, and she wrapped her arms around him as tightly as possible. When he released her mouth, he turned off the water and led her out of the shower. Plucking a thick towel off a shelf, he dried her body, holding her gaze for most of it. Julianne was out of her mind with desire, but it was also fun to let him deny her this way.
“Your turn.” He handed her a dry towel, and she forced herself to move as slowly as he had, even though it was killing her. When she was done, he lifted her up again and sat her on top of the bathroom counter, then pulled a stool over. Grinning, he bent his head and grasped her hips, pulling her toward him until her pussy was in his face.
Julianne cried out loudly as he clamped down on her clit, sucking hard while he slid two fingers into her wetness. The orgasm that had been building during the sexiest shower she’d ever taken crashed over her, sending contractions out to her fingers and toes.
He didn’t stop there. Kane continued to tease her with his teeth, tongue, and fingers, until she pulled his hair and begged him to stop. “I can’t … no more … please…”
He lifted his head and grinned at her in a way that melted her heart. “You don’t like it?”
“Oh fuck! Of course I like it. I’m just—you’re not mortal.”
Kane licked her thighs. “Can I help it if you taste so damn good I can’t stop?”
Julianne giggled. “Let’s trade places.”
He shook his head. “Nope. Not today. I’m enjoying forcing you to give up control to me.”
Those words sent her arousal to crazy heights. “How can you hold off so long?”
“I’m magical.” He stood and pulled her to a sitting position, then held her for long moments while he stroked her back. When he released the embrace, he helped her off the counter, but then pushed the stool out of the way and turned her around to face the counter. “Bend over.”
“Ok, Kane … please…”
He licked her neck. “Please, what? What do you want, baby?”
“I want to give you a blowjob.”
“I don’t want a blowjob right now.” He bent her over, and she cried in surprise and lust. “I want to fuck you.”
Julianne gripped the edge of the counter as Kane slid his cock into her pussy from behind. He’d moved her hips far enough away from the edge so only her chest and arms rested on the counter. There wasn’t much leverage, but she imagined he wanted it that way. It was so damn raw and animalistic that another climax was on the way.
He slammed into her like a runaway train, and all she could do was moan continuously and hold on. When he finally came, it was rough and hard, but she loved every second of it. Her own orgasm was swift but powerful, and she shook her head as spots danced before her eyes. If she’d known five years ago that this was the essence of Kane, she’d never have left it at those incredibly hot forty-seven minutes in his office.
Kane withdrew, and she watched him wince as he did. His gaze met hers in the mirror. “Did I hurt you, baby?”
“No. Are you okay?”
“Yes. I am now.” He turned her around and pulled her close for a hot kiss. Where the hell did he get this kind of energy? “That was perfect.”
“All of this is perfect.”
“I agree.” He stroked her hair and back. “I wish you lived here with me.”
Slow down there, cowboy! “Maybe one day.”
He made a soft noise that was close to a groan, but not a sexy one. More like painful. “Is that a definite ‘no’ then?”
She pulled out of his embrace. “Kane, let’s get to know each other a bit first, okay?”
His grin sent jolts of electricity to her groin. This guy was going to wear her out. “I’d say we know each other pretty damn well by now.”
“Physically, yes, but sex is only the surface stuff.”
“We’ve done more than have sex. I took you to a hockey game.”
She laughed. “Which neither of us watched.”
“I watched the last ten minutes.”
“I didn’t.”
“Well, we made breakfast together.”
“You made breakfast. I merely ate it with you.”
“I showed you what I found on Isabelle.”
She shook her head, grinning. “You’re right. It’s official. We’re a couple now.”
He kissed her. “Okay. Then we’ll do couple things. What would you like to do together? A movie? Dinner? Walk along the fake beach?”
If she hadn’t known he was teasing her, and if she hadn’t been terribly flattered that he wanted her here with him all the time, his flippant comments might have made her angry. Julianne knew he wasn’t trying to be cruel or dismissive. He was too adorable with the way he took everything down to the most basic level. It made sense to him, so that was that. Then again, he was a financial genius. She imagined he was used to thinking in pragmatic terms.
“How about giving me a chance to return to my apartment and pick up a few things, and then I’ll stay here with you over the weekend and write the stories? Patti would love it if I showed up Monday morning with two for her to look over.”
The delighted look on his face tugged at her heart. “Really? You’ll stay here and work? All weekend?”
“Absolutely. It appears you don’t do much else but work, so I might as well keep you company.”
“I slept for a couple of hours early this morning.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“I do more than work, you know.” He kissed her again, longer this time. “I have sex. Lots and lots of sex.” He frowned slightly. “Or, at least I do now. I didn’t before you showed up in my office Monday.”
She laughed again and pulled him close. “I could get used to you, Kane Bannerman.”
“I hope you do.” His voice, so soft yet serious, sent shivers down her spine. What was she doing here, with him? Was this real, or would it fall apart once the truth about whatever the hell Isabelle had gotten herself mixed up in came out?
Even worse, once her stories were written, would that be the end of it? Was hot sex and one short-term common goal enough to hold a relationship toge
ther? Was that even what Kane wanted—a relationship—or was she merely the flavor of the month? Julianne had no clue what was going to happen, but she knew she had at least the rest of the weekend with this man, and she was determined to enjoy it.
Chapter Twelve
Julianne returned to her apartment and packed a bag with enough clothes and personal items to stay two weeks at Kane’s place if she chose to. She grabbed her tablet and back-up data discs, and then enjoyed the fake outdoors as she strolled leisurely back to Kane’s apartment. Before she’d left, he’d called his father, and then once he’d finished with the call, he had warned Julianne that the man would likely show up later that afternoon.
“Should I be worried?” She’d never met the man but knew him by reputation. Daniel Bannerman was a legend, but was also well known as a tyrant.
“No, but you might want to make yourself scarce while he’s here. He’s likely to ask you too many personal questions.”
Recalling that earlier conversation didn’t dampen her spirits as she made her way across town, bags slung over her right shoulder. She wasn’t afraid of people, and she’d done nothing to incur Daniel’s wrath. Well … except for that pesky article five years ago, but maybe he’d forgotten about it by now. His son had forgiven her, so that was all that mattered.
Kane had given her the building codes so she could let herself back in, and apparently he’d already informed the front desk staff about her, because they barely gave her a glance as she strolled past them. She used the elevator he told her to, punched in yet one more code, and then she was on her way to the top floor. She could get used to this.
Julianne helped Kane make them sandwiches for lunch, and then she took hers, plus a large glass of fresh lemonade, into a small but bright office he showed her. “I never use this. It’s here in case any of my friends visit and need a space to work.”
She glanced around, smiling. “I love it. It’s perfect.”
“Good. Then I’ll leave you to it. Text or email me if you need anything.”
She laughed. “You’re in the same apartment. I’ll come and find you.”
He gave her a sheepish grin. “Sorry. Force of habit.”
Julianne put her arms around Kane’s waist, wishing they both didn’t have so much work to do. Every inch of her body was still sore, but she didn’t care. She wanted him again. “Don’t apologize. That’s part of your charm.”
“Oh? Have I gone from being cute to charming now?”
“Definitely.”
Kane kissed her, but it was interrupted when his phone buzzed. Frowning, he took his arms from around her and glanced at the caller ID. “My father is downstairs already.”
“In that case, I’ll lock myself in here and wait for you to tell me it’s safe to come out again.”
He rolled his eyes. “You have no idea how close to the truth that likely is.” He gave her another quick kiss. “See you later, beautiful.”
****
Kane really wished he didn’t have to seek his father’s advice, but he knew it couldn’t be avoided. Not for something this important. He hadn’t expected him to insist on coming over today. Why couldn’t this wait until Monday, when Julianne wouldn’t be so close?
Daniel didn’t shake his son’s hand, but Kane wasn’t surprised by that. He rarely did. Kane frowned at his father’s appearance. “You look tired. Are you ill?”
“Physically, no.”
What the hell did that mean? During the ride up to his apartment, Kane avoided making eye contact with his father. He’d find out soon enough what had the man so pissed off. Once they were inside, he showed his father directly to his office, and asked if he needed anything to eat or drink.
“I’m here to find out what has you so bothered about this woman.”
“All right.” Kane had the websites ready, so he sat next to his father and laid everything out for him. “I don’t want to fire her yet. I think we should watch her for a while and see if she tips her hand, or leads us either to where Rob is hiding, or to other potential hackers.”
Daniel frowned. “Hiding? How can he be hiding if you know where he lives?”
“Hiding online. I can’t go busting into his house.”
“No, but you can call the DA in NorthCentral and present a case for prosecution.”
Kane shook his head. “We do that and we tip our hand. We’ll drive all of them even further underground.”
“Do any of you have help from a figure in authority yet?”
“Barclay has a friend in Homeland Cyber Security. They know what we’re trying to do, and they’re ready to help us. Since this crosses cities, it’s under their jurisdiction if any prosecution will take place.”
“If?”
“When.”
Daniel clicked around for a while, saying nothing. Finally he pinched the bridge of his nose. “All right. I agree with not firing her yet, but don’t wait too long. If she isn’t part of this, cut her loose. She violated company policy.”
“Thank you.”
“Now tell me how you discovered this about an administrative assistant.”
Fuck. Here it comes. “A reporter approached me about doing a story. Isabelle was her source.”
Daniel raised his brows. “A reported named her source?”
“I had to insist she do it in order to give her the story.”
“What kind of a story?”
“Two of them, actually. One on the curriculum at the university that teaches part of our systems model, and the other is on the funding for the new above ground shelters.”
Daniel narrowed his eyes and searched Kane’s face. Kane tried to remain calm, but inside he knew he was screwed. He should have fired Isabelle. Anything she might know wasn’t worth this shit. “Why would she need a source for such stories?”
“Isabelle does have that graduate degree in IT from NorthEast University.” It wasn’t a lie, but neither was it the entire truth of why she’d been Julianne’s source.
Daniel nodded. “Which brings us back to why you suspect her of being a plant.”
“Exactly.” Kane was about to breathe a sigh of relief, but then realized from the look on his father’s face, he wasn’t quite done yet.
“Which news site does this reporter work for?”
“UTU.”
“What’s the reporter’s name?”
“You don’t know her.” Yes, he did, but not as someone who worked for UTU.
Daniel made a sound of disgust and glared at his son. “You’ve never been able to look someone in the eyes and lie.”
As if that’s a skill I want. Kane said nothing. There was no point in speaking right now. He’d gotten away with omitting one part of the truth, but he hadn’t avoided the elephant in the room. He only hoped Julianne didn’t choose this particular moment to seek him out.
“You need to stop making a habit of this or you’ll ruin the company.”
Kane stopped himself from sighing. “Which habit is that?”
“Don’t play coy with me. You need to stop fucking women who use you for information.”
Low blow. “That isn’t what’s going on here.”
Daniel’s eyes gleamed with malice. “Really? Are you going to look me in the eyes and deny that the same reporter who nearly ruined you five years ago is the one who used this AA as a source?”
“Nope. Not going to lie about that. She’s one and the same.” How had his father known? Was he that transparent, or had it simply been a best guess? Then again, Agnes could have gone to him and told him that Julianne had shown up on Monday, or someone might have seen them at the arena last night.
“Now you’re just being a jackass.”
And you’re not? “She’s no longer with The Whole Truth.”
Daniel’s laugh was caustic. “Oh come on. UTU hired Julianne Wallis? I don’t believe it.”
Kane clicked until he’d brought up Patti’s contact information on the screen. “Call her editor. She’ll confirm it. She’ll also con
firm the two stories she’s given Julianne the green light on.”
“I don’t give a shit if Julianne Wallis is writing about the storm drains outside this building. Are you out of your damn mind?”
Kane clenched his fists, but kept his arms pinned to his sides. “Not yet.”
“Are you or are you not fucking her?”
“That is none of your damn business.”
“I’ll take that as a ‘yes’.” Daniel ran a hand over his face. “You may hold the controlling shares of this company, but you still have a Board to answer to.”
“I’m well aware of that, but I wasn’t aware that the Board had any right to tell me who I can or can’t make love to.”
“Don’t be flippant with me, Kane.”
Kane stood. “I’m not going to discuss Julianne with you. She’s not a threat to this company, but Isabelle potentially is. I’ll keep her on for now and watch her. If she doesn’t prove to be of any use to us in locating Rob Marin online, or in locating any additional hackers, I’ll fire her for violating company policy.”
Daniel didn’t move.
“Is there anything else we need to discuss, Father?”
Finally he stood. “Not today.” Kane watched him walk out of the office and toward the foyer. He turned before leaving the apartment. “Watch yourself with Julianne. If I hear one whisper that I don’t like, I’ll go straight to the Board.”
Kane resisted the urge to tell his father to go to hell. “And tell them what? That you don’t like my current girlfriend?”
Daniel left without another word.
Kane leaned against the wall, grateful once more than Julianne was safely tucked away in an office on the other side of the apartment, and would never have to know about this conversation.
He also knew that he’d never live down the mistake he’d made seventeen years ago. Never. His father looked on those forty-seven minutes with Julianne five years ago, and the resultant aftermath, as no different from what had happened with Ellen.
Kane didn’t agree, and he never would. The two weren’t connected, and Julianne wasn’t the same person she’d been then. He wasn’t the same person he’d been then, but his father would never see that.
