Lip Lock

by Susanna Carr

  Now it seemed like it only bought her trouble. Embarrassment.

  She felt someone standing up in front of her. Warning prickled along her skin. She glanced up and her heart tumbled.

  Kyle Ashton.

  Looking right at her. Past the smooth professionalism she projected. Past the expensive clothes and makeup. He saw her for what she truly was. It made her feel naked.

  Molly immediately conjured up the image of Kyle in shower. She remembered with startling clarity how he looked naked. Smooth skin, sculpted muscle. Hard—

  Yeah, probably not a good time to remember him in all his glory.

  Molly cleared her throat. “Good morning, Kyle.”

  “Morning, Molly. How are you?”

  Was this a test? Did he want her to tell him the truth? That she was tired and hungry? That she should have gone to the Laundromat this weekend and the clothes she was wearing passed the sniff test, or that she couldn’t sleep in that horrible truck one more night?

  “I’m fine,” she said with her smile firmly in place. “And you?”

  “I’m out of towels in my bathroom.”

  She felt her skin heat as her pulse quickened. His voice was low, husky, and seductive. He might as well have said “I want to have sex with you in my bathroom.”

  Molly nervously swiped her tongue along her lip. “You must have taken a lot of showers since I saw you last.”

  Kyle caught her gaze with his own and held it. “Lots of cold showers.”

  The heat crawled up her neck. She couldn’t maintain eye contact and focused directly between his dark, straight eyebrows. But that wasn’t helping because even his eyebrows looked sexy. Since when did eyebrows become sexy? She must be really losing it.

  “You want me to…” Molly’s voice trailed off and she tried again. “You want me to check the water heater while I’m chasing after the towels?”

  “Towels?” Sara appeared at the desk, causing Molly to jump. “What’s this about towels?”

  Panic hit Molly in the gut. She flashed a look at Kyle. He raised one of the sexy eyebrows right back at her.

  What did that mean? Why was she panicking? She had to take control.

  “Kyle is out of towels in his bathroom,” Molly said in a rush. “And I’m going to follow up on that.”

  Molly gave him a look. See? No lying there. Kyle didn’t deny it. He didn’t say anything. Why? That wasn’t like him.

  “That’s housekeeping,” Sara said as she placed a folder in Molly’s inbox. “The same department that takes care of the meals and cleaning on the executive floor. Why are you doing it?”

  Kyle turned and looked at her, waiting. He was toying with her. Waiting for her to get tangled in her own words.

  Molly’s heart pounded in her ears. She opened her mouth and the first thought that popped in her mind came spilling out. “I’m not one to say it’s not my department. If someone tells me they need more towels, I go find more towels.”

  Great. Now I sound like a liar and a brown-noser. I have no dignity at all.

  “See, Kyle,” Sara said with pride. She placed her hand on Molly’s tense shoulder. “This is why I hired her.”

  “Mm-hmm.” Kyle gave her a look. Molly couldn’t tell if it was a “good save” or an “I’ll catch you one of these days” look.

  “And what are you doing here,” Sara asked him. “You’re late for your meeting with Timothy.”

  “I am? Where is it?”

  “Conference Room One.”

  Kyle nodded, turned, and walked away. “And when I get back,” he called out without looking back, “there’d better be towels in my bathroom and nothing else.”

  Sara and Molly watched him saunter off. “What’s with him?” Sara asked.

  “I was going to ask you,” Molly replied. “You’ve worked here longer.”

  “And Kyle is still unpredictable,” her boss said with a sigh.

  Terrific. Something to look forward to.

  Sara turned and hesitated. She tilted her head as she studied Molly. Her forehead furrowed as she frowned.

  Oh, what? What? Molly tensed up. She could have sworn she hadn’t lied to the woman in the past five minutes. Okay, maybe she withheld information, but did Sara really need to know that Kyle caught her hiding in his bathroom?

  “Your outfit,” Sara finally said.

  Molly quickly looked at her pink sweater and black wool pants. The ensemble looked fine. Professional. Not to mention the pants and sweater didn’t require ironing. Which would require electricity!

  But what was wrong with it? A stain? A rip? A big bright sign that screamed, I’ve been balled up in the corner of a DIY moving truck for the past week?

  “What about it?” Molly slowly asked, not sure if she wanted to know the answer.

  “I’ve seen you wear it before. That’s so not you.”

  Molly opened and closed her mouth, at a loss. “It’s my favorite.”

  “Oh.” Sara turned and walked away. “Looks nice.”

  “Thank you,” she answered weakly. Great. Tomorrow she had better come up with something new. Why did maintaining the trust fund baby image have to be so difficult?

  Conference Room One was quiet. Tense. Kyle waited impatiently as Brian Velazquez guzzled down the soda before setting down the can with a bang.

  “Curtis Puckett,” Brian announced.

  Kyle and Timothy glanced at each other before they returned their attention back to Brian.

  “Curtis?” Kyle asked. “From your department?”

  “Yep, that’s the one.” Brian wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

  Huh. Brian coughed up the name without any runaround. No hesitation. Nothing. Something wasn’t right. It was too easy. Or he was too paranoid.

  Or both.

  “What about Curtis?” Timothy prodded.

  “He’s the guy you’re looking for,” Brian explained. “He’s been wanting to know what I’m working on.”

  “And you told him?” Timothy asked, horrified.

  Brian shrugged. “We’re the same clearance level, and everyone is curious what the other one is doing. We’re always talking to each other about our projects.”

  Kyle stayed perfectly still as he struggled to remain calm. He looked across the table at Timothy, who had turned pale. Kyle knew what the head of security was thinking. All those procedures and measures ignored. All the money spent to protect their secrets wasted because the programmers blabbed to the guy in the next cubicle.

  “What made you realize something was going on?” Kyle asked quietly as the anger rushed through him.

  “He knew about my latest spec before I did.”

  Kyle tensed. “Which one?”

  “The online image search application.”

  “We’re doing that?” Timothy gave Kyle a quick look for confirmation.

  “I know!” Brian slapped his hand on the conference table. “That’s what I said. I haven’t seen it yet.”

  “And that’s the only evidence you have suggesting Curtis is the culprit?” Kyle asked.

  “Yeah.” Brian looked at them. “Isn’t that enough?”

  “It does make him suspicious,” Kyle conceded. “The spec had been added to the blueprint this weekend, and only the program managers know about it.”

  “But it’s more than that,” Brian said, and took another gulp of his soda. “Curtis is acting weird, man. Like at the pizza party. He was all in your face, Kyle. Aggressive.”

  “I assumed that was his normal behavior.” Programmers weren’t known for their social graces. Him included.

  “No. I mean, he can be really annoying, but this was different. And the way he was all over Molly? What’s up with that?”

  “Molly?” Timothy asked, looking at Kyle. “The receptionist on the executive floor?”

  “Isn’t she dating Curtis?”

  “No way.” Brian snorted at the idea. “Molly is not rich enough or powerful enough for Curtis.”

  So she wasn’
t telling the truth. He was right about that. Dark satisfaction seeped into his chest. But why did she lie?

  Kyle rose from his seat. “That’s not enough evidence against Curtis.”

  “What?” Brian said in a squawk. “You don’t believe me?”

  Kyle stopped at the door. “We have nothing.”

  “I still get my immunity, right?” Brian looked panicked. “You’re not going to sue me for talking about the specs with Curtis?”

  “Yeah, a deal is a deal,” Kyle said as he walked out of the conference room. “But from now on, keep quiet about your work. Consider yourself warned.”

  As Kyle returned to the executive suite, he made the automatic, instinctive look at the reception desk. Molly wasn’t there. He truly hated the mixed feelings of relief and disappointment. He wanted to feel indifferent about Molly’s absence.

  Storming into his office, Kyle went straight to his desk, sat down, and stared out the window at the Cascade mountain range.

  “So…” Timothy said as he sat down on one of the guest chairs next to his desk. “What now?”

  “I don’t know.” And he hated that feeling. It was foreign and weakening.

  “Curtis sounds like our man.”

  “Sounds like it.” And he was ready to go in for the kill. It didn’t matter if the guy had been heralded as one of the most innovative computer programmers. Kyle didn’t trust him and wanted him out.

  “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

  Kyle reluctantly turned around.

  Timothy looked him straight in the eye. “Molly Connors’s name keeps popping up.”

  The muscle in Kyle’s jaw twitched. “She’s a receptionist.” Who keeps showing up where she’s not supposed to be.

  “Yeah,” the head of security said with a nod. “And that might be the problem. She’s in a prime position in the office. She’s the gatekeeper who is in contact with a lot of people and has access to a lot of information.”

  “True.”

  Timothy leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers as he considered the problem. “What do we know about her?”

  “Not much.” Other than she lies. A lot. She also drove him wild, made him want things he shouldn’t want. Distracted him. Turned his world inside out.

  “She could be working for our competition,” his friend suggested. “Or a free agent.”

  Kyle stood up abruptly. He didn’t want to hear this. But he couldn’t ignore the possibility. “We’ll keep an eye on her. I’ll tell Sara to keep highly sensitive documents from Molly,” Kyle decided.

  “That’s it?”

  Even to his ears the plan sounded more like keeping her away from temptation. Protecting her more than him. “We’ll go from there. See if she starts hunting for it.”

  “And Curtis?”

  “Track him.” Kyle strolled past his bathroom door and paused. There was a curious white glow under the bathroom door. He reached for the handle and turned, but the door didn’t budge. Kyle pushed harder.

  “What are you doing?” Timothy was right next to him.

  “Hold on.” He rested his shoulder against the door and pushed. Something soft flopped against his face. He looked up as a waterfall of folded towels cascaded on top of him.

  “What the—”

  Folded white towels crammed every inch of the bathroom as far as he could tell. It was like a linen closet out of control. “Molly.” He felt the corners of his mouth twitching.

  Timothy stepped over the pile and peered inside the bathroom. “Are you sure?”

  “I asked for towels.” And anything else…

  “Next time ask for a bodacious blonde.”

  Chapter 6

  Kyle wasn’t going to say a word to Molly about the towels. He knew Molly expected it, and decided to do the opposite. He wanted to see her squirm. Watch her wait, anticipate his next move. Anticipate him.

  He strolled by her desk later in the day and noticed how she watched his every move. “It’s five o’clock, Molly.”

  “Yes, it is,” she replied with a cheerful smile.

  “Isn’t that quitting time for you?”

  Her smile stiffened. “Is it quitting time for you?”

  “Didn’t Sara tell you the work hours? She should have. I better talk to her.” He moved for the glass door.

  “Five o’clock is quitting time,” she answered dutifully. “Thank you so much for reminding me.”

  She made no move to leave. “I think you’re working too much overtime,” Kyle said.

  “No, I’m not,” Molly quickly denied. “And since when is that problem for a boss?”

  “Since I don’t want my employees to burn out.” Or wander around where they aren’t supposed to be.

  “That won’t happen.”

  “I’d rather not risk it. Come on, Molly.” He walked around to her side of the desk. “Time for you to go.”

  “But, but—” She gestured at the work on her desk.

  He reached for the chair. Kyle noticed how she straightened her spine as his hand landed on the backrest. “Is there anything urgent?”

  Her jaw slid to the side. “No.”

  “Then it will be there tomorrow. You know what they say. All work and no play.”

  “Shouldn’t you take your own advice?” she muttered as she scooped up the papers and put them in a file.

  He leaned down until his mouth was level with her ear. “Ah, but that’s different.”

  “Because you’re the boss?”

  Kyle saw the shiver she tried to suppress. “Because the one I want to play with refuses.”

  Molly pressed her lips together and steadfastly ignored him. She shut down her computer with brisk moves. Kyle realized how unusual the sight was. The woman never shut down early.

  Come to think of it, the woman never shut down. Why was that?

  She made a quick call to inform Sara she was leaving for the day. “Well, I’m done here,” Molly said as she hung up the phone. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Kyle.”

  Kyle pushed the call button for the elevator. “Where’s your coat?”

  “I didn’t bring one,” she said with a slow and leisurely blink.

  She lied. About wearing a coat? What was up with that? Why would she lie about something unimportant?

  The elevator doors opened and Kyle glanced inside. He saw that most of the people leaving were administrative employees. Kyle nodded his acknowledgement and held the door open. “ ’Bye, Molly.”

  She flashed a polite smile, but he could have sworn her eyes said, “Whatever.”

  He waited until the door was closed and ran to the stairwell. He was curious to see if Molly left the building. If she headed for another department.

  If she followed orders.

  He knew he had other things to do. Pressing matters. High priority situations. But from the moment Timothy questioned Molly’s action, it had bugged Kyle. He needed to know.

  He arrived on the main floor well before the elevator doors opened. He hung back as everyone got off, not wanting Molly to see him. He saw that she was chatting with someone he vaguely recognized.

  Molly was always talking with someone, now that he thought about it. It was a good trait for a receptionist.

  And a corporate spy.

  He shook the thought away and tried to place where he knew the woman she was talking to. Human resources, if he wasn’t mistaken. Nothing potentially dangerous about that.

  Molly stepped out of the building and satisfaction filled him. He wouldn’t have to worry about her sneaking around today. Kyle was on the verge of returning to his office when he noticed something was off.

  Everyone turned right and headed for the bus stop or car park. Molly turned left, which led to absolutely nothing. And she was being weird about it.

  His instincts went on high alert. Maybe he did need to worry. Kyle decided to follow.

  By the time he followed through a maze of parking lots and small office campuses, Kyle came to a few conclusions
. First, Molly was going to a great extent to hide something. Second, she should be wearing a coat. They both should, he decided as he hunched his shoulders against the cold wind.

  Third, she had no self-preservation, walking around in the dark. Not that there was a lot of crime on this side of the Puget Sound, but that didn’t mean it was nonexistent. Molly should know better.

  And his final conclusion was that he had crossed the level from following to stalking. He hoped no one ever found about it. It would be hard to live down.

  Molly turned the corner of a nondescript office building and approached a parked DIY moving truck. She stopped and looked around. Kyle ducked behind the corner. When he peeked around, he saw Molly squatting at one of the wheels.

  It looked like she was erasing a yellow-orange mark from the tire with her fingers. She then opened the back of the truck and climbed up. Rolling through the opening, she disappeared and the door rolled down.

  What the hell?

  He looked around, but it was quiet and peaceful in the parking lot. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Other than his suspicious receptionist entering a parked DIY.

  He waited, wondering if someone was going to join her. If she was going to leave. And what was in the truck?

  But nothing happened.

  Kyle approached the truck. He placed his hand on the hood and found it cold. Walking around the side, he didn’t hear anything going on inside the vehicle.

  Okay, this was getting really weird.

  He looked at the back door and noticed she’d left it open an inch. Kyle peeked underneath but didn’t see anything. Not even a movement.

  Okay, enough was enough. Kyle banged on the door. “Hello?”

  No answer.

  He knocked harder. “Hello?” He waited and heard some scurrying. Kyle grabbed the handle and tossed the door open.

  And saw Molly clutching a sweatshirt against her naked body.

  “Kyle?” She stared at him as he hoisted himself into her truck. “Get the heck out!”

  “What are you doing here?” His eyes wandered down her body, missing nothing.

  “Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” She frantically searched for a place to dive and hide. The truck was filled with stuff, but there was no place to squeeze in and disappear.