Draco

by Saskia Walker

  DRACO

  Coded For Love 2

  © Saskia Walker

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are solely the product of the author’s imagination and/or are used fictitiously, though reference may be made to actual historical events or existing locations. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  This book is contains sexually explicit scenes and graphic language which may be considered offensive by some readers.

  All rights reserved. This book is not transferable. It is for your own personal use. If it is sold, shared, or given away, it is an infringement of the copyright of this work.

  Cover design: Daqri Bernardo at Covers by Combs

  Cover copy:

  Lara Compton is in her first year of a business degree, but what she really wants to do is impress her dad and beat her older brothers into his favor. When she overhears her father talking about a mole within their finance company she decides to play detective. What better way to investigate than to secretly hire one of the hackers who broke into their computer systems the year before?

  Draco Vaughn spots the attractive woman stalking him and confronts her. She’s hot, she’s flirting, and he’s interested. However, Lara surprises Draco by offering him a job with a big financial company—and it’s only the same company who sent his stepbrother Sean to jail. Tempted by the prospect of getting inside to make the company owner suffer, he agrees to take on the job. What he didn’t account for was the unstoppable attraction between him and Lara, and the layers of subterfuge he finds in the corridors of power.

  Working closely, Lara and Draco’s undercover detective hunt runs in parallel with an intoxicating affair, a powerful relationship that won’t be denied—no matter what Draco discovers, and who it will hurt.

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  CHAPTER ONE

  Draco lingered at the diner longer than usual, because of her presence.

  People came and went but she stayed, so he stayed. Or maybe she stayed because he did. The thought amused him. Whichever it was, the curiosity appeared to be mutual.

  Shortly after he’d noticed her, he caught her taking surreptitious glances his way from beneath her eyelashes. When he caught her eye, she quickly shifted her attention back to her laptop and her face flushed. She didn’t want to get caught looking at him. Either she was shy, or it was important he didn’t notice her.

  What was she, an undercover cyber crime cop? It was a distinct possibility. This diner was where his stepbrother, Sean, had been hanging out when the cyber cops turned up and arrested him, over a year ago. In fact, if the cops had arrived a few minutes later, all three of them would have been there. Draco knew he shouldn’t come back here, but they’d had good times in this place before Sean’s arrest, and he missed those days. It was a familiar haunt and it kept drawing him back

  If she was a cop, was he under suspicion? It didn’t compute, because he hadn’t hacked for ages, not since Sean had been sent down. Rory and Draco had made a pact. No hacking any more.

  Miss Prim and Proper seemed a bit too young to be a plain clothes detective. She looked the part though, in black framed glasses and a tight business suit. All the suit did was show off her curvaceous figure. Draco guessed she was the same age as him, maybe even a bit younger, it was hard to tell with the heavy spectacles. If she was police, she wouldn’t find anything incriminating on him or his laptop. Since Sean had been sent down, Draco had stuck to the pact.

  Amused at the possibility she was going to try to arrest him, he anticipated her coming over, presenting a badge, asking him to accompany her for questioning. Could be interesting. Could be a chance to get her number.

  Then there was the other guy. A lanky, smartly dressed guy who sat in the booth directly behind her. Draco had the feeling they were together, even though they’d arrived separately. The guy, who was smartly dressed and older, looked out of place as well. He studied his laptop too, but every time the girl picked up her phone to send a text message he picked up his own. Coincidence, or comparing notes? It was the weirdest setup. Draco wanted to know why it was happening.

  Mostly he wanted to know the girl. There was something intriguing about her. Intense, that’s what she was. Edgy, like she had a wild side she was keeping in check. The idea of it made his interest levels soar.

  Who was she? Maybe his cyber crime cop guess was off. They definitely weren’t regulars. The pair of them looked particularly out of place. Sometimes people came in who had a meeting nearby but they made a quick escape after they checked the place out. The diner was pretty much a greasy spoon, not for the likes of her, that was for sure.

  She was attractive but was trying to play it down with her glossy blonde hair tied back sharply. The suit was all wrong for her. Too uptight. He figured it was either new, or she wore it to create an impression. Maybe both. When she’d first entered the diner, Draco caught a breath of her perfume as she passed by. She’d taken a booth away from his on the opposite side of the long narrow coffee bar and observed from behind her laptop.

  Just then he caught her having a look at him, and it went on for so long it made him twitch. The scrutiny of law enforcement? He ought to get out of there, but something about her made him stay, made him take that risk.

  He’d always been observant and he was blessed with a photographic memory, but since his step brother Sean went into prison over a foolish hacking challenge, it was like his senses had been heightened. He was always watching for something that they’d missed or should’ve been aware, a step that could’ve stopped Sean going down. That moment had changed their lives, otherwise the three of them would still be together taking on the world

  From what he could make out across the diner her eyes were dark, possibly a shade of brown. Draco detected no lipstick. Her mouth was beautiful, kissable.

  Imagining kissing those lips, he smiled her way.

  She blushed, her face coloring quickly, and looked away to fiddle with her bag. Either she was squirming in her seat because of his scrutiny, or she was about to leave. He couldn’t possibly let her leave without getting a closer look, and he didn’t want her to leave first.

  Pocketing his phone, he slid out of his booth

  Would she follow him, try to make an arrest?

  Only one way to find out.

  He did a circuit of the diner before he left, taking a good look at the lanky guy as he passed. He could cover the distance to the door in seconds. He’d be on the street and away down the back alleyways. They could still catch him, but he took the risk.

  The lanky guy pocketed his phone and looked in the other direction, clearly rattled. Draco figured Lanky wasn’t just overseeing the girl—which was one possibility—he was watching Draco as well. But she was in charge, she was at the front. Definitely something weird about it, and the quicker he figured them out the better.

  Slowing his paces, he came up behind her. She turned her laptop off and glanced over her shoulder as he came up behind her. Her eyes were definitely a darker shade of brown. Their gazes locked. Draco saw instantly how shocked she was at his approach.

  Finally sure, he smiled directly at her, letting her know he’d figured her out.

  Seconds later he was out the door.

  Breaking into a jog, he turned down a nearby alleyway, drew to a halt and put his back against the wall. The passageway was narrow and shadowy, a small gap between the buildings. Would she send Lanky out, or would she come herself? He didn’t have to wait long to find out.

  He heard the bell chime on the diner door.

  When she passed the end of the alleyway, Draco reached out and pulled her into the shadows with him.

  CHAPTER TWO

/>   Why did he have to be so godamn attractive?

  Lara gasped for breath, astonished to find herself in a gloomy alley pressed up against a brick wall by her target.

  When he left, she bolted after him, despite Harry’s warnings. She’d meant to call out after Hackerboy before he disappeared completely, catch up to him and proposition him for work. Somehow he’d got the better of her.

  Strong hands wrapped around her shoulders, pinning her in place.

  Enveloped in leather-clad masculinity, her heart raced. When she lifted her chin to meet his stare, her legs went weak under her.

  “What is it you’re looking for, little kitten?”

  “Kitten?” she retorted, annoyed.

  He grinned. It made him even more attractive, How was that even possible?

  “Lost little kitten has wandered into the dark alley where the tomcats prowl.” His voice was deep and gravely with a distinct accent.

  “I didn’t wander, you grabbed me.” Damn, this wasn’t going right. She was supposed to be in charge of this situation, casually approaching him with an enticing offer. The fact he wasn’t what she expected at all threw her.

  She’d envisaged some teenager clued to gameboy or keyboard wearing a non-descript hoodie. She hated that she even had the clichéd picture in her head though, because one thing she didn’t like was generalizations. It was a pet hate, and yet she couldn’t deny she’d had an image of a hacker in her head and this guy wasn’t it. He wore black jeans and a sexy black leather jacket—soft leather, strokeable. Beneath it was a pristine white T-shirt. His hair was neatly cut close to his head on the sides and thick, lush and longish on top, black as night—and also strokeable.

  When the diner owner pointed him out from behind the counter, she doubted it was him, but her cousin Harry—who’d insisted on accompanying her on this dubious mission—assured her this was the guy who went by the handle Welshdragon. Not a hoodie or Gameboy in sight. She was confronted with a sexy, sophisticated looking guy who clearly was aware she was looking at him. She steeled herself. It was so important she held her nerve and saw her plan through. Time was short and she didn’t have enough of it to source another target.

  “Lara, are you okay?” It was Harry and he was at the end of the alley, peering in.

  “Lara,” Hackerboy repeated. “I like it.” He stroked her cheek.

  She shivered under his touch, blinked. “I’m fine, Harry. Wait by the car.”

  She didn’t take her eyes off Hackerboy.

  He smiled.

  Harry still loomed. “You sure?”

  Hackerboy flashed him a warning glance. “You heard the lady, Harry.”

  Harry hesitated. “I’ll be just around the corner “

  Lara gave an exasperated sigh. Harry’s shadow moved away.

  “Alone at last,” Hackerboy whispered, in an intimate manner, studying her intently. “I would ask why you need a bodyguard, but if you do, he doesn’t look as if he’s up to the task.”

  Wow, he’d been studying them both in the diner. She knew he’d caught her looking, but he’d also cottoned onto the fact she was with Harry. Inside a few minutes he’d figured it all out. Almost. “He’s just concerned.”

  “Brother?”

  “No. Colleague.”

  Of course he was sharp, he had to be.

  Moving, he rested his hands on the wall either side of her head. It meant he’d caged her in. Her body responded acutely, revelling in his presence, revelling in the sheer masculinity surrounding her. She hadn’t accounted for this. Questioning her own lack of action, she stared him in the eye challengingly.

  With a soft laugh, he looked her up and down. “What are you, a cop?”

  Lara relaxed, immensely. It was such a game changer, she gave a soft laugh. “No. If I was, I wouldn’t have hesitated. I’d have a badge in your face and you’d be the one with your back to the wall.”

  He frowned. It made him look even more intense. “So why were you watching me?”

  That accent, he really was Welsh, just as suggested by his net handle. His deep, gruff voice insinuated itself inside her like an intimate song, seductively calling on hidden parts of her. Focus. More importantly, he thought she was police. That was really interesting. If she offered him money and protection of a sort, he should bite. “I want to offer you an opportunity.”

  She gave him her best wining smile.

  “Whatever it is, I want to say yes already.” He stroked his thumb along the underside of her jaw, setting her nerve endings alight.

  Her legs went wobbly, the brush of his fingertips on her skin taking the strength from them. His other hand moved closer to her side. He was almost touching her and it thrilled her.

  Get a grip, she told herself. “Back off buddy I can’t think straight.”

  All he did was grin. “You’re in my alleyway, I call terms in here.”

  His alleyway? She rolled her eyes at him.

  He shrugged, his green eyes locking with hers while he waited expectantly.

  Why did he have to be so sexy and full-on? Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself. “I wanted to ask, are you the hacker who goes by the name Welshdragon?” Her mouth went dry and her voice trembled as she said his cyber handle aloud.

  His expression turned serious. “Who wants to know? If you’re not police, then what?”

  She tossed back her hair, sure, now she’d started. “Consider me a client looking to employ you for a short contract.”

  He shook his head. “I don’t hack anymore, that’s over.”

  “It’s not hacking, as such.” She paused.

  She’d practiced this speech in her mind so many times but it kept slipping away. His fault. How could she think straight when he was so drop-dead sexy? Masculine. And close. Touchable.

  “‘As such.’ Right.” He looked disappointed, but still eyed her up and down as if trying to figure her out.

  “Not illegal, I mean.”

  He frowned. “How in the hell did you even find me?”

  “I bribed the guy behind the counter to point out anyone who used to hang out with Sean Rattigan here.”

  “How do you know about Sean?”

  “Promise me you won’t take off when I tell you?”

  “I can’t think of anything you might say that’ll make me take off, not while I can look at you, Kitten.”

  He really was flirting with her, blatantly. It felt good, but she steeled herself for a very different reaction. “You might take that back.”

  “Go on. Hit me with it.”

  “Eighteen months ago my father paid a cyber crime expert two hundred thousand pounds to find you and your buddies.”

  Frowning, he tensed. “Your father owns Compton Finance?”

  She nodded.

  He drew away and looked at her as if she were insane. He was bound to mistrust her. Her father’s company was the place he and his buddies had hacked into on several occasions eighteen months ago. The very same organization who’d put one of them behind bars.

  His expression showed his amazement. “You seriously think I’ll work for you?”

  “Why not? I’ll make it worth your while.”

  “Yeah, sure, a pretty honey trap and a straight-to-jail card. No way.” Inside a heartbeat he strode away.

  Cursing silently Lara gathered herself, hauling away from the wall. She couldn’t lose the opportunity, not now, not after investing so much effort in setting up this project. “Wait, please! Hear me out?”

  He paused, glanced back over his shoulder.

  The way he looked at her—she felt stripped bare in a glance. It was incredibly arousing.

  Brooding. Leather clad, unpredictable. Everything about him should have warned her off. Instead, it made her yearn to know more, to find out what it would be like to spend time with him, to get to know him.

  Praying she wouldn’t regret it, she stepped after him.

  CHAPTER THREE

  It was a navy blue BMW. Draco figured it was Lanky H
arry’s car.

  When she told Lanky to wait by the car Draco wondered if he was a chauffeur, but no. It was an expensive model, but several years old.

  When they emerged from the alleyway she pointed across the road at the vehicle, then told him to get in the back with her so they could talk.

  Lanky drove until he found somewhere to park, pulling in on the forecourt outside a mobile phone shop. Once the engine was off, he half turned in his seat to observe. Draco preferred it when they were alone. “So you’re saying you need a hacker?

  She pursed her lips, a habit that amused Draco because she seemed to do it when she was trying to work out what to say but it made her mouth look even more lush and kissable. “I need someone who can quickly understand house software and help me find a—shall we say—source of internal corruption.”

  Draco had to laugh. The irony of it was clear. Eighteen months before it was him and Sean and Rory who were causing the company grief by dabbling with their code on a night. Now someone else was at it and she’d come to him. “Someone inside your father’s company is screwing him over?”

  She pursed her lips. “In a way, yes. And I want to offer you the chance to help me find out who it is.”

  She really did have this all worked out.

  It made Draco wonder how long she’d been planning this thing and at what point she thought he was the ideal person to help her with the problem. “You keep saying you’re offering me a chance, like I’m supposed to be some grateful charity case. What you really mean is you need the help of someone who can act outside the law and is willing to do so if you throw him a bone.”

  Her eyebrows drew together, which made her look kind of cute.

  “Well, not exactly, I want you to work within strict parameters, under my guidance.”

  She was beautiful and he wanted her, but he didn’t want to hack, and he didn’t want to be her lapdog. “If I’m working under your ‘guidance’ why the fuck don’t you do it?”