Over the next several weeks, after work, I hang out with Connor at Kid Power. I actually get to know some of the girls that they are helping. They fall all over him when he walks into a room. I know how they feel. I’m pretty doe-eyed myself when it comes to him. I’m barely at my apartment anymore because I spend all my free time curled up in his arms.

His security business is so successful, it’s growing by leaps and bounds. Tonight is just another night spent working late to set up new firewalls. The office is empty – everyone else has gone home. As I’m inputting codes, I come across the file code that Connor was so adamant about me forgetting. For the first time since I’ve studied it, I realize the code is written backward – edajsevivrus – Survives Jade – Jade Survives. It does have something to do with Kid Power. I know I can break the code now, but do I want to? My finger lingers over the keys. I know whatever it is, it can’t be good. And now that I’ve found it and reformatted it, someone else might be able to also. I rummage through my desk drawer to find a jump drive. My cell phone rings, startling me.

Connor’s face lights up my screen. “Hey,” I answer and continue with what I was doing.

“Your bad-ass boss man making you work late again?”

“Yeah, something like that.” I lean back in my chair.

“I have a surprise for you.”

I hear the elevator door open. “You’re bringing me dinner?”

“No, but you will like it. When are you coming home?”

“Wait, you’re not here at the office?” Suddenly I’m scared.

“No.”

“Someone just came up in the elevators.” I whisper.

“Do you have your gun?”

“No. I left it at the apartment.”

“Get out of there, Reese.”

I get up and turn off the lights in my office. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”

“Jade said there was a man in a hoodie lurking around Kid Power. She called the police, but they couldn’t find him. Go to my office and hide. I’m on my way.”

“Don’t hang up,” I beg quietly.

“I won’t, but get to my office and hide.”

I slip off my shoes and tiptoe down the hall, accidentally triggering the floor security lights to come on. I hear a noise behind me and I move faster to his office, easing the door shut behind me. I hide in the closet in the back of the pitch-dark room.

“I’m in your office,” I whisper into the phone.

“Good girl.”

The door opens and I can see light through the slats in the door. I watch as footsteps change the angle of the lights as he steps into the room. He walks over to the desk and I can hear his fingers flying over the keyboard. He must not have found what he wanted because I hear him ripping open drawers. I back into the corner of the closet as I see motion coming my way.

The door flies open and I brace myself to fight, but suddenly the man tumbles to the floor with Connor on top of him, pinning him down.

The guy is trying to fight him, but Connor overpowers him. “Get the hell off me!” he screams.

“Reese, call the police.”

“If she calls the police, I’ll tell them what you’ve done. You’ll be behind bars with me!” the man yells.

I’m stunned by his words.

“Then you better start talking right now,” Connor says.

“You get out of my life and leave me alone.”

Connor gets off him and stands. “You attack a young girl and get away with it and now you want to be left alone,” he laughs.

“You planted evidence and I can prove it.” the man spits out, getting off the floor.

I’m suddenly very aware of what’s in that file.

“I don’t give a shit what they do to me as long as your sorry ass is in jail.” Connor has his finger in his face. “Go call the police, Reese” he states again.

I run to my office and pick up the phone, dialing 9-1-1. I slip the jump drive out of my computer and stuff it in my bra. The operator answers and I tell them we need help, giving them our address.

An hour later, I watch as the police cuff both of them. The man kept spewing that Connor was a criminal and the police had no choice but to take them both in custody. I followed them to the jail, but they wouldn’t let me see him and no bail would be set until tomorrow.

Back at the office, I dig through phone numbers until I find Jade’s. She insists on meeting me at Kid Power as soon as I tell her what happened.

I give her thirty minutes and I head over. She is just unlocking the front door as I get there. We don’t speak until we are in the upstairs office with all the security monitors.

“Tell me what Connor has been doing,” I demand.

“Have a seat.” She sits down on the couch. When these girls come to us, they are terrified. Some of their offenders are still out there.” She stops for a minute and looks down at her hands.

“Did they ever catch the guy that hurt you?”

“No. Connor tried, but too many years had passed.”

“So, he was hacking their computers and finding ways to plant evidence against these men?”

“Yes. Everything he’s done here, he’s done for me.”

“This guy must have had enough knowledge to figure out who hacked him.”

“I’m proud of Connor and I will stand behind him one hundred percent.”

“I understand why he did it, but he could go to jail.” I stand and start pacing. “You know they will have the FBI all over tearing his office apart tomorrow.”

“Yes.”

“They will link him to this place. Is there anything in your computers here that they can find to prove the accusations?”

“No. Connor has been very careful not to link the companies. He doesn’t do any work on the computers, only the security system.”

“Good, then we have nothing to worry about.”

“What do you mean?”

“I found the code he was using to hack these men. I wiped it clean.”

“How did you know?”

I figured it out right before all this went down. He used your name encrypted into the file. ‘Jade survives’. You’re right, he did do all this for you.”

“Thank you for protecting him.”

“I will, but I don’t know if I can be part of this anymore.”

“He loves you, you know?” She stands.

A tear slides down my cheek. “I know, and I love him. But once their experts get their hands on my computer, they will know there was a file that I erased. My career will be over.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Play innocent and bat my eyes,” I laugh. “Then get out of Boston.”

I can’t sleep at all thinking about Connor sitting in jail. As soon as Jewels is up, I tell her what happened. Her response is just as dramatic as I expected – she’s ready to pack our bags and head off to a deserted island somewhere and live under fake names.

I get dressed and head to the office. Jade said she would go to jail to bail out Connor. Just as I thought, the computers are being confiscated and every one of us was questioned. They did ask me about the file, but I told them I thought it was a threat to our company, so I deleted it.

Once they are finally done with me, I call Connor’s phone, but it goes directly to voicemail. Next I try Jade, with more success. She confirms that he was released several hours ago, but does not know where he is at now. I head straight to his apartment, but he’s not there and neither is his car.

I’ve checked my messages every five minutes, but there is nothing. I’m exhausted by the time I get home and can’t think straight anymore. Jewels bombards me with questions, which I more or less ignore. All I want to know is where Connor is. I collapse in bed, but sleep still evades me. At four in the morning, it dawns on me where I might find him. I wait until daylight to call a cab. It will be an expensive ride, but I’m banking on him being there.

The cab driver pulls up to the little blue house sitting on the hillside overlooking the water. I give him my credit card to pay for the ride. Connor’s car is parked off to the side.

The steps creak as I walk onto the porch. Connor is watching me through the screen door, opening it as I come close. He smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. I walk past him into the smell of coffee spreading through the house.

“Why haven’t you answered your phone?” I ask, turning toward him.

He shuts the door and walks over to the round kitchen table, sliding out a chair to sit in.

“I didn’t figure you wanted to be with a criminal, especially one that’s not sorry for what he did.” He pushes the chair out beside him with his foot.

“I met with Jade last night. She told me what you did.”

He hangs his head.

“More importantly, she told me why you did it.”

His eyes lift to mine.

“I don’t blame you one bit and neither can the police or FBI if they don’t have proof.” I sit.

“Their experts will find it.”

I reach out and take his hand. “Not if there is nothing to find.”

“You erased it?”

I nod.

“Are you fucking crazy? That puts you at risk too! I told you to stay out of it, that it was none of your goddamn business.” He stands.

“I answered their questions. We are free and clear.”

“I would rather be found guilty than those men on that file get away with what they have done. Now I’m back to square one.”

I drop my bag off my shoulder and reach inside, pulling out the jump drive and stuffing it in his hand. “No you’re not. You just have to find a safer place to download it.”

Realization lights up his face. He scoops me into his arms and swings me around in circles, planting kisses all over my face.

“God, I love you Reese Beckham!” He stops turning me in circles and puts my feet back on the ground, but keeps a firm grip around my hips.

I take both my hands and place them on either side of his face. “I love you, too, Connor Blaze.” His concern over these bad men receiving justice and his selflessness towards his own situation makes me fall more in love with him than I already am.

“Thank you for not listening to me.” He kisses my nose.

“You’re more than welcome, mister control freak. I can think of several delicious ways you can thank me.”

He bends at the knees and throws me over his shoulder. I squeal in laughter. He marches up the wooden staircase and kicks open a door, then sets me on my feet and starts undressing. “This was my childhood room and as a teenage boy, I always wanted to get lucky in here.”

“I’m sure there were many girls in magazines that you got lucky to,” I say, joining him in undressing.

“I bet my stash is still under my mattress,” he says as he yanks off the last of his clothes.

“Do you want me to check? Maybe you would like to get off to one of them,” I tease him and he yanks me flush to his hard body.

“You are the only woman that I need or want.” He kisses me passionately and my heart melts, along with other parts of me. He lays me on the bed and kisses every single inch of me, leaving none of me untouched. I’m a wet mess needing relief. He positions me on my stomach and lies over me. His hands are under me, firmly gripping my tits.

“I love you, Reese.” He bites my shoulder blade.

I tilt my head to the side and look over my shoulder. “I love you, too.”

He sits on his knees and pulls my hips toward him, so that I’m on my elbows and knees. His hand grazes my ass, spreading wetness around. “I want to claim you here,” he nudges a finger inside me and I gasp. “Do you trust me?”

“Yes.”

He spreads my legs a little wider and then slowly inserts the tip of his cock inside me. It burns at first and then the pain transforms into a pleasure like I’ve never felt. He twitches almost immediately.

“It is so tight like this. If you move one muscle, you are going to unman me.” He’s already fighting for control.

I stay stock still because I want him to take what he wants from me. His hand smacks against my ass, and my head goes flying up as he pushes himself deeper. Waves of pleasure start their descent over my body. He pushes my cheeks together as he starts to pull out, making the pressure build even more. He slams into me and I fall into an oblivion that can only be described as pure satisfaction. One orgasm rolls into the next as he continues thrusting deep inside me. My mind can’t comprehend so much bliss, but my body is a slave to it. I’m panting and screaming his name at the same time until he lets go inside me. I fall limp onto the bed with him covering me. He whispers something in my ear, but my mind is closed off, not hearing his words. I feel every part of him inside of me and outside of me. I know without a doubt that this – him claiming me as his own - is something I want forever with this man.

Our hearts finally settle down from the tantrum in our chests and we fall asleep wrapped in each other’s arms.