“A favor from a friend.” He said it darkly and she swallowed. Special operators typically flew under the radar. Their real lives weren’t necessarily cloaked in secrecy, but the HOT guys didn’t exist in the real Army. If you wanted to find them, you had to know someone. And if he thought about it he’d know she could have only talked to a handful of people.
It had been sheer accident that she’d run across Matt Girard and Kevin MacDonald in the Pentagon one day a couple of months ago, but Matt had told her where Billy was living. He’d probably thought she might go see Billy, but she hadn’t been able to do it. She’d held onto the knowledge of where he was like an old blanket she couldn’t part with. She knew that all she had to do was find the courage to pick up the phone, or make a drive out to Maryland.
Of course she never had.
Billy scraped a hand through his dark hair and swore softly. “Never thought to see you again, Livvie. You made it pretty clear that was your wish.”
He was the only man in the world who could call her Livvie and get away with it. The sound stroked down her skin like a caress, made her remember things she’d rather not.
“That wasn’t my wish at all.”
She’d been scared. And maybe a bit stupid. Not that she was telling him that, but she’d thought it often enough over the past few months. She’d rashly given him an ultimatum and all he’d said was that they needed to talk when he returned from the mission he’d been going on. He hadn’t said he loved her and she knew he wouldn’t choose her over HOT.
She hadn’t said those words either, but she’d certainly felt them. She hadn’t wanted to be the first to open her heart, but in that moment when he’d looked at her coolly and told her they would talk, she’d known what was coming. And since she knew what it was like to doggedly hang on to a man who didn’t love you, she’d known what she had to do. She’d vowed long ago she would never beg a man for his heart.
Her flighty mother was still looking for love, still choosing the wrong man and hanging on tight until he dumped her and went for someone younger and prettier and less neurotic.
Olivia’s insides twisted tight. Yes, she’d walked out on him. But he hadn’t come looking for her either. He’d returned from his mission and she’d been gone. She’d taken the job with Titan and moved to DC. He’d never called her.
Billy’s dark eyes bored into her and she knew he wasn’t about to open up the Pandora’s box of emotion that lay between them ever again. So far as he was concerned, it was another mission; over and done and move on to the next one.
“You didn’t come here to discuss the past. What gives?”
Olivia gulped down the acid rising in her throat. It had seemed like a good idea to seek him out, but now she wasn’t so sure. What if he told her to get out once she spilled her story? “I need your help, Billy.”
His hot stare didn’t waver. “My help.”
She pulled the blanket tighter and swallowed. After she’d left the office, she’d been planning to go straight home and shut herself away for the night. Tomorrow, everything would make more sense. But as she’d pulled into the parking garage of her building, she’d felt the hair on the back of her neck start to crawl. It was probably nothing, but no way was she getting out of her car and walking over to the elevator knowing what she had in her purse.
“Someone sent me something and I’m not sure what to make of it.”
He didn’t say anything and she tumbled on nervously. “There were these files I shouldn’t have seen.”
Now his eyes gleamed with interest. If there was anything that lit Billy up like a Christmas tree, it was computers. And sex.
Jesus. Olivia closed her eyes and tried to shove away the image of a very naked and very hard Billy Blake hovering over her in that last thick moment before he plunged into her and rocked her world like no other man ever had before or since. Just last year, they’d been tangled together on the couch in front of the Christmas tree, nothing but the colored lights illuminating their skin as they made love. She hadn’t put up a tree this year because she hadn’t wanted to remember. Billy had the small tabletop tree from his aunt, she noticed, but it wasn’t plugged in.
Though it probably had everything to do with her arriving unannounced and nothing to do with painful memories.
“Go on,” he said.
“I work for Titan Technology now,” she said, spilling the details of her job over the past few months. “We’re about to get approval on a weapons guidance system for the Army.”
Billy nodded. “Mendez has mentioned Titan. It’s real revolutionary, what they’re doing. It’ll help a lot of our soldiers.”
Olivia was sweating now. She pushed the blanket away and sucked in a breath as tears pressed the backs of her eyes. Dammit, she wasn’t going to cry. She never cried. Not even when she’d told Billy to choose her or HOT and he’d chosen HOT. She’d watched him pack up his duffel, stared dry-eyed as he swung it over his shoulder and shot her a dark look.
“We’ll talk when I get back.”
But she’d known he’d made his choice. He’d walked out and she’d still not cried. She’d shook. She’d poured a shot of tequila. She’d watched a sappy movie on television and passed out after one too many shots. But she’d never cried.
“That’s the thing,” she said now, looking into the eyes of the only man she’d ever loved. “If what I saw is real, it won’t help anyone. It’s a lie, Billy. Nothing but a lie.”
His jaw tightened. “You better tell me everything.”
***
Since the minute he’d put her in the truck and brought her to his house, he’d been having a hell of a time concentrating on anything but the sight of her creamy skin. Her tights had been wet and ripped and she’d stripped them off in the bathroom before coming back out here in her skirt and turtleneck sweater. The sweater might cover her completely, but it was little better than the skirt because it emphasized the gorgeous curves of her full breasts.
Breasts he’d licked and sucked and touched many times in the six months they’d been together. His dick hardened as he remembered the way she’d writhed beneath him, her blonde hair spread over the pillow, her pink lips parting to gasp his name as he took her over the edge of pleasure and into something that had only existed between the two of them.
He’d fucked women before and since Olivia Reese, and none of them tangled him up inside the way she had. The way she still did. He was reeling as much from her presence as from the tale she told.
A tale that shocked and angered him the more she went on. She sat on his couch with her head bent and spun out a story that tightened his guts into knots. If Titan was falsifying their results in order to get a lucrative contract, then a lot of people could be hurt when the technology didn’t deliver as planned.
“Someone sent you a disc,” he stated, his voice as cool and emotionless as he could make it.
She looked up at him. “Yes. But I don’t know if it was an accident or not.”
“What did you do with it?”
“It’s in my purse.” She reached for the bag she’d set at her feet and dug out a CD-ROM.
Billy took it from her and grabbed one of his laptops from the desk. Then he inserted the disc and waited for it to open.
“Holy shit,” he breathed when the information spilled across the screen.
“It’s Alan Cooper’s notes,” she said. “He’s the head of development for Titan.”
Billy clicked another screen. “He has some screen shots here of test results. And then his notes that say the information was falsified.”
Billy shoved a hand through his hair. It was pretty damning stuff. But there was no hard evidence here, just an engineer’s notes. And without hard evidence, there was nothing to indicate this wasn’t simply one disgruntled employee’s attempt at giving the company a black eye.
“What are we going to do with it?” She sounded so hopeful, as if she trusted he had all the answers.
Billy sat back and blew out a
breath. “Livvie, this isn’t good enough.”
She blinked at him, her green eyes wide and wounded. Dammit, he wanted to haul her into his arms and comfort her. Not happening.
“But those are Alan’s notes. I don’t doubt it. He has a certain shorthand he uses in his phrasing, and that’s consistent.”
“Doesn’t matter. It’s circumstantial. The screen shots are all for the results they’ve presented to Congress.”
“So there’s nothing we can do.” There was an edge of anger to her voice.
“Not precisely. We need the real research, Liv.”
“Then we need Alan. He’d know where to find it.”
Billy turned back to the computer and clicked through a few more screens. At the end of the last screen was a typed note. Dig deeper. It’s all there.
He turned the computer and showed her the screen. She put a hand over her mouth. “My God. But why didn’t he just copy the real information and send it to someone who could do something? Why me?”
Billy started to reach for her hand, thought better of it. What kind of brush fire would he be igniting if he touched her again?
“I imagine he couldn’t get to the real information. Where is Alan Cooper right now, Liv?”
She blinked. “He went on vacation a couple of days ago. To St. Thomas.”
“St. Thomas.” Billy didn’t believe it for a minute. “Who told you that?”
She hesitated for a long moment. Her voice, when she spoke, was a whisper. “Tom Howard.” She bit her lip. “Oh God, Titan will be ruined if this goes public.”
“Yeah.”
“Do you think Tom…?”
Hell, he thought a lot of things. But nothing he was willing to speculate on just yet. Billy closed out the files and called up the Internet. He’d hacked into a lot of networks in his life. It was his specialty on the team. Well, one of his specialties. They were all multi-talented in HOT.
“You got a VPN?”
Her forehead scrunched up. “A what?”
“Can you log into your email remotely?” Most companies needed their employees to be able to log into email from other locations in order to get stuff done, so they used a Virtual Private Network to do it. It extended the company’s private network across the Internet using gateways and kept it secure. Mostly secure, he amended.
“Yes.”
He handed her the computer. “Here, try it.”
She reached for the keyboard and typed in a web address and a remote login. Then she looked up at him. “I’m into my email. There’s nothing unusual.”
“Let me see what I can do.”
She turned the computer back to him and he monkeyed around a bit with her account. He ran a few programs that allowed him access beyond her account, but there was nothing much to see. Titan Technology wasn’t stupid and they had their important stuff locked away on a secure LAN.
“We’ll need to go to your office and dig.”
She swallowed. “All right,” she said, getting to her feet with a resigned sigh.
He reached for her wrist, circling it with his fingers. He regretted it immediately. Her skin was hot and soft and his throat tightened. He let her go as if her touch stung.
“Not tonight. It’s snowing too badly and your car’s in a ditch. Not only that, but I need time to get credentials.”
“Credentials?”
He gave her half a grin to cover his discomfort. “I assume there’s security? A 24-hour guard and some sort of badging system?”
“Yes. During regular hours, we badge in and out. After hours, we have to sign the log as well.”
“I’ll need your badge to clone the RFID and to work up a passable duplicate with my information.”
“I don’t understand why.”
“I have to hack the system… and it can only be done from inside.”
She looked grim. “My badge is in the car. When I slid off the road, I left everything but my phone and purse. I keep the badge in the door pocket so I don’t accidentally forget it at home.”
He stood. “Give me your keys and I’ll go get it. Anything else you need while I’m out there?”
“Not unless you can find my shoes in the snow.”
“Maybe. Doubt it though.”
She folded her arms beneath her breasts. He tried damn hard to keep his eyes focused on her face rather than let them wander down over that tight sweater and every sweet curve she possessed.
She pushed past him and went to dig in the coat she’d set on a chair nearby. He couldn’t help but let his gaze slide down to the rounded form of her ass. The red skirt she wore was every bit as tight as the sweater, hugging her hips and ass before ending about two inches above her knee.
She turned, her pale blonde hair swinging into her face as she did so. She’d gotten it cut since the last time he’d seen her, but he found that he liked it on her. It just touched her shoulders, so pale and silky that he wanted to shove his fingers in it and tilt her head back for old times’ sake. And then he wanted to plunder her sweet soft mouth until she moaned and clutched his shoulders.
“Billy?”
He shook himself out of his reverie and stared at her hard. “Yeah?”
She came forward with the keys in her hand. “You seemed a million miles away there,” she said softly. “Is everything okay?”
Hell no, it wasn’t okay. Olivia Reese was standing in his living room, needing his help, and all he could think about was stripping her naked and losing himself in her body again. He didn’t have time for this.
“Yeah, fine.” He held his hand out so she could drop the keys inside without any finger brushing, but of course she set them in his hand gently, her fingers touching his palm and sending a lightning bolt of sensation sizzling through him.
He jerked his hand back and closed his fingers around the keys. “It’ll take me about fifteen minutes, maybe more depending on the road.”
“All right, but if you aren’t back in half an hour, I’m coming after you.”
His mouth twisted as he let his gaze slide to her feet. “Barefoot?”
“If I have to.”
He recognized the stubborn tilt of her chin. “I’ll be back. Don’t run away, Olivia.”
Her cheeks flooded with color and he knew he’d scored a direct hit. It didn’t make him feel any better though. “Billy, I…”
He backed away and reached for his coat. “Forget it, sugar. I shouldn’t have said that.” He shrugged into his jacket and went over to the door. “Make yourself comfortable while I’m gone. There’re some leftovers in the fridge, a few beers. Whatever you want, take it.”
She stood there staring at him with those wounded eyes and her arms folded tight. He felt like an asshole. “Thanks,” she said.
“You bet.” He opened the door and slipped out into the frosty night. The snow was still coming down, a bit harder now, and he stood on the porch and breathed in the cold air, willing it to cool his temper and his libido both.
Since that was damn near impossible, he went and got into the Tahoe. Then he took out his phone and made a call. “Hey, Big Mac,” he said when Kevin MacDonald answered. “Got a situation.”
CHAPTER THREE
Olivia stood in the middle of Billy’s living room with her arms still wrapped around her for a long minute after the door closed behind him. It was almost like déjà vu, watching him walk out the door. She shook her head and went into the kitchen to fix more coffee. Out of curiosity, she opened the fridge. Billy wasn’t the typical bachelor in that he actually had food and not just pizza boxes. Not only that, but she knew he could cook a decent meal.
Something he’d learned from his Aunt June. Olivia sighed and pushed her hair behind her ears. She wasn’t quite as cold as she’d been before, but she sure would love some pants—or at least another pair of tights—to keep her legs warm. And dammit, how was she going anywhere with no shoes? The pair she’d lost in the snow weren’t expensive, but they’d been broken in and comfortable.
; She knew that she couldn’t fit into anything of Billy’s. But she could wear his socks at least. She went down the hall, opening doors until she came to his bedroom. Even if it weren’t the only bedroom, she’d know it was his by the duffel lying on the foot of the bed. She stared at the familiar sight and felt a pinch of something deep inside. Typically, the appearance of the duffel indicated an impending operation.
She closed her eyes, remembering how it had felt for him to kiss her goodbye and then not see him for weeks at a time. They’d only been together six months, but that six months had been punctuated by a lot of absences. She was familiar with the signs of departure.
She went into the room and opened drawers until she found his socks. Then she grabbed a pair of the thick socks he wore under his combat boots and tugged them on. They went halfway up her calf, and while she might look silly wearing them, she felt warmer already.
By the time she’d fixed the coffee, Billy was back. Snow glistened on his dark hair and eyelashes and his cheeks were red with the cold. He glanced down at her feet but didn’t say a word. He tossed her badge on the coffee table—but no shoes—and took out his cell phone.
“Big Mac,” he said after a moment, and she knew he was talking to Kevin MacDonald. “I’ve got the badge. Standard RFID. … Yeah, shouldn’t be too difficult to clone.” He shoved a hand through his hair and stood quietly for a long moment. “Copy. See you in the morning, then.”
He tossed the phone down and blew out a breath and she could tell that brilliant mind of his was working overtime. Warmth surged through her. He had every reason to despise her, but he wouldn’t let that stand in the way of doing a job.
She curled her legs under her and sipped her coffee. “I really appreciate your help, Billy.”
He stood there, so tall and hard and masculine. A lean military machine just waiting for the go order. It made her shiver in a new way.
“And here I thought you hated what I did.”
Heat crept into her cheeks. She’d known, hadn’t she, that when she came to him, there were still things simmering between them?
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