Stealing His Heart(32)

Her heart slammed into her throat. “I can’t wait.”

He nipped her shoulder. She shivered and bit back a moan, but he abruptly released her as if he didn’t feel the slightest desire for her. Go figure. She’d never understand how he could just turn it off like a light switch. Reaching out, he peeled the stick figure family off figure by figure. Next went the Giants sticker. “You’re lucky that this wasn’t the Yankees. I would’ve had to spank you in public.”

Unexpectedly, she wished she’d gotten the Yankees one. In the car, he said, “Have you thought more on what you did to get past my code? Or should I take you right to the jail myself?”

Did he ever stop thinking about work?

“I can’t think of a single thing that will help you,” she said, averting her gaze.

The lie was beginning to not come so easily. Maybe she should… No. She couldn’t go against her principles. Not even for him. She’d just have to go to jail. Pointedly, she ignored the panic rising in her chest. How much time would she have to serve? She had no clue, but she was beginning to think she might be finding out soon.

“Is Soltese going to be there?” she managed to ask.

“No, he’s on vacation. We’ll be alone.”

Jake turned out of his driveway, and shortly thereafter merged onto the highway. Tara tapped her fingers on the armrest. “What are we going to be doing?”

“First, we’ll go to my office. You’re going to study the code on my laptop. Then, we’ll go to the location and try to crack it.” He tightened his grip on the wheel. “If we’re lucky, this whole mess will be over by five.”

Was he so eager to get rid of her, then? Obviously. And it hurt. She hadn’t expected him to want to marry her or anything, but still.

She remained silent, not trusting herself to speak right now.

“Tell me the truth.” His thumb drummed on the wheel. “Are you holding back on me?”

She forced a smile. “I assure you I’m not so desperate for your company that I’d play dumb to stick around.”

There. Take that, Jake.

He snorted, not looking the slightest bit upset. “I wasn’t implying you were. Last night was a distraction that really shouldn’t happen again. The important thing between us is our work.”

Of course. A distraction. That’s all. She’d do well to remember that from now on. He might have blown her figurative socks off several times in a row, but it had only been a release of sorts. “Obviously.”

Without another word, she stared out the window.

How long could she pretend not to remember the code? How long could she get away with playing dumb before she got found out? Not long, she’d bet. Jake was no fool. He’d be onto her soon…if he wasn’t already.

After a few minutes of tense silence between them, he turned into a parking lot. An office building with big windows sat at the end, and he parked directly in front of it. Shutting off the engine, he turned to her. “I’m not kidding around, Tara. You better not be playing me. This is my career we’re talking about—and your freedom.”

She shook her head and did her best to keep her facial muscles relaxed, but her heart sped up. And the guilt…it choked her. She wanted to help him. She really did. But helping him came at a cost, and she wasn’t sure she could pay it. “I don’t remember.”

She followed him inside. They rode the elevator up to the third floor, and after a few awkward introductions, she was seated behind his desk. His office had a wooden door and two windows. One overlooked the outside world, and the other showed the interior of the office building, and had those vertical blinds that could be closed if you wanted privacy. A bunch of men hustled about, but there were no signs of any women.

She’d spent a few minutes checking out his space, taking in all the details, but her examination hadn’t lasted long. While spacious, the room was barer in terms of personal effects than his house was. As he leaned over and opened the correct file, their arms brushed, and his chest pressed against her back.

The spicy scent of his familiar cologne teased her senses, and she inhaled deeply. Her stomach clenched tight, half from desire and half from fear. Shit was getting real—and she needed to make a choice.

Help Jake…or go to jail.

“Okay. Here it is. Study it, and see if something comes to you. Maybe we’ll luck out after all, and avoid a trip to the site,” he said.

She nodded and grabbed the mouse. She had to at least seem like she was trying, but she didn’t have to do it with him staring at her. He’d see through her act.

“Can you go get us some coffee?” she asked, grimacing and pressing two fingers to her temple. “I can’t work with this headache.”