CHAPTER FIVE
“Come on,” she whispered, once the outside door clicked shut behind them. Thrilled to bits, she congratulated herself. He was quickly learning she wasn’t kiddo any more. The hallway light flickered on. They had ninety seconds to get up the stairs to her door before it went off again. “My place is up one flight.”
Rory stopped where he was and shook his head. “I’ll escort you to the door, you give me my kit, end of.”
She rounded her eyes. “Wait, what? You’re setting out rules for how this will proceed?”
His eyes glittered in the faint hallway light. “Yes, because you want me.”
Instantly annoyed by his self confidence, she faked a laugh. “And you look horny as hell, what’s your problem?”
He locked one hand around her wrist, and stared down into her eyes. His hand was strong and he held her wrist tightly. It felt good, it felt right. She wanted more.
She used the opportunity to snatch her keys back off him, and toyed with them in her free hand, rattling them under his chin while giving him a come-on look. “Let’s get cozy.”
His eyes narrowed. “I’m not going to fuck you, Sky.”
Shocked by his blatant words, she stared at him.
“You know why I came here,” he stated. “Now give me my kit.”
“You say you’re not going to fuck me, but you’re clearly thinking about sex.”
“No, you are.” His eyes blazed at her.
His knowing look annoyed her immensely and she reacted—pushing him with the flat of her hands. It was an instinctive action, but the way he flashed his eyes at her made her realize what she’d done. Her hands were on his chest and she was up against him, while he had his back against the wall, starting at her accusingly.
She tried to drag her hands from the sleek tautness of his chest muscles under the tight T-shirt he wore. She itched to pull up the T-shirt and stroke his hard body. An ache in the pit of her belly was demanding attention. Pressing closer, she felt his hard thigh against her hip. She rested her free hand on his belt buckle.
Groaning, he shook his head. “Don’t start something you can’t finish.”
“What makes you think I can’t... finish it?” Rolling her hips against him, she hoped it sounded like she was in control of herself. She meant it to.
There was a determined set to his mouth, like he was fighting some inner battle. “You’re being a prick tease, lay off.”
Withdrawing her hand, she cursed under her breath, annoyed. He was saying no, and the heat of her desire threatened to make her beg. She couldn’t let him know he affected her that way, not if he was going to get her all hot and bothered then bail out. She began to turn away from him, moving toward the stairs.
He reached out and grabbed her wrist, holding her. “Sky.” His tone was commanding. “I didn’t mean it as an insult. I know it probably sounded that way.”
“Whatever.” She tried to tug her hand from his grasp, but he held tight.
His sharp masculine scent was already chasing itself inside her body, seducing her even more. She gave a dismissive laugh. “You obviously don’t realize I’m a fully grown woman now, one who can decide to invite a guy in... if she wants to”
She liked the way he tethered her to him by the wrist.
His eyes were shining, his expression intense. Anticipation raced in her veins. Her pulse ticked faster. The way he looked at her totally thrilled her.
The light went clicked off on its timer and they were plunged into gloom. “Oh bloody hell! Don’t worry I can find my way in the dark.”
He didn’t reply. Instead he moved closer still, traced his free hand up the line of her arm, and wrapped his fingers around the back of her neck.
Her head fell back, her pulse raced. When he stroked her underneath her hair, heat blossomed on her skin beneath his fingertips. The powerful tug between them magnified in the gloom.
“You used to drive me up the wall,” he whispered, against her ear, his voice husky. “You didn’t realize you were playing with fire.”
“What makes you think I’m playing now?” She could feel her nipples tightening, tugging on the tight fabric of her dress.
Rory groaned and backed her up against the opposite wall. Their bodies ricocheted together. Before she knew what was happening, his mouth covered hers.
Shock hit her, like a jolt of electricity, powering her for action.
She matched up to him, inviting him in for more. His hands were on her hips, hers were against his chest, the keys still clutched there between them. She pressed full against him—desperate to feel his every ounce of being against hers. She stroked her free hand over his chest and abdomen, where the muscle was strong and defined. The musky scent of his cologne and his skin took hold of her, like another hook on her desire, reeling her in.
He rolled his hips against her, as if wanting her to know he was primed. Her fingers dug into his waistband, tugging at his hard denim-clad hips. Vibrant, barely contained lust shot between them, the heat of her body soaring as they embraced.
“Calm the fuck down,” he ordered when they pulled apart. His voice was gruff and urgent with need as he looked down the hallway.
She blinked, her eyes growing accustomed to the gloom. His harsh words left her boneless, adrift and wobbly. It was too much. “Oh fuck you Rory, you’re just trying to embarrass me.”
He rolled his eyes. “No! Really, no… Sky, I’m sorry I meant me too. I need to calm down.”
Astonished, she clutched her keys so hard they hurt her palm. Unable to muster a verbal response she nodded.
“Listen to me,” he continued, “this isn’t the time. I need to take the kit and get rid of it. I spent the night in a police cell because of its existence and I don’t want you to be put in danger because you helped me out yesterday.”
Gathering her senses, she realized that if she didn’t get a grip, he’d take his stuff and leave, and she might never see him again. “You don’t think we can act like two old pals catching up on each other?” Taking a deep breath, she tossed her hair back then gestured to the staircase. “I can if you can.”
“Sure.” He drew back, but the frown on his forehead didn’t disappear. He looked vaguely at the staircase. “Right, okay, let’s see this apartment of yours.”
She liked the fact he was trying to talk himself down. She trotted off quickly. Once she got him inside she’d remind him what he’d just done to her. That kiss was the hottest thing ever. On the stairs, his presence close behind her made her dizzy. By the time they reached the next floor and her doorway, she could scarcely keep her breathing level. Her emotions swung wildly and she was torn between the desperate need to grab at him, and the need to be sensible enough to keep him there a while.
She shoved her key in the lock, glancing at him from under her lashes as she did so
He shook his head, then nodded at the door. “You ought to get yourself a better lock.” He leaned up against the doorframe with one shoulder. His pose was nonchalant, sand he was acting chilled, but the glint in his eye as he assessed her showed he was on the simmer as much as she was.
Nervous butterflies gathered in her stomach. It wasn’t just that he was attractive and powerful looking. He was in control. It made her self-aware. He’d always had that affect on her, and now they were alone, away from home and family, in London and no one was telling them to keep their hands off each other.
“Why, what’s wrong with the lock?” Light headed, Sky turned the key.
“It’s not safe enough.”
“The landlord said he’s the only other person with a key.”
He gestured at the door. “It’s an old model, anyone with half a clue could have it open inside twenty seconds.”
“I thought you were a mechanic, not a locksmith… oh right, I get it, you know all about breaking locks as well as computer stuff. You bad, bad boy. How very intriguing.”
His eyebrows scrunched. “Just offering a friendly bit of advice.”
He scrubbed at the collar on his jacket at the back of his neck.
Sky threw her keys onto the dresser and looked back at him.
He stood in the doorway, one shoulder up against the frame, staring at her. A hunk of male testosterone, a sexy temptation she was about to be alone with in her bedroom. His eyes were dark and his gorgeous mouth was tight as if he was thinking what might happen if he stepped in and closed the door behind them.
Her pulse raced. “You reckon you could break in?”
One corner of his mouth lifted. He nodded. “I know I can.”
“Well, I suppose if you can break in, you get to steal something.”
“I’d rather you gave me a reward.” He stared at her pointedly.
Sky swayed on her feet. So much for playing cautiously. Lifting her chin, she faced up to him. “Pals, catching up on one another,” she teased. “We agreed. And I don’t believe you’re just thinking about locks here, Rory.”
She thought he’d never answer. He stared across at her, and the slow scrutiny in his eyes made her entire skin tingle.
He gave a wry smile. “And neither are you.” He tutted. “Must try harder, huh?”
It made her laugh. They used to say it to each other back at home in Cadogan because it was always on her report card from school.
Closing the door behind them, Rory looked round the room, then stared at the sofa. “Where do you sleep?”
“It folds out,” she responded, wondering if he was genuinely curious or if he was still thinking about sex. She was. “It’s a futon.”
He stared at the futon for a moment, then stepped over to where she had her sketches and art equipment piled up on the dresser. The atmosphere was awkward, and laden with tension.
“What’s your plan with the art, to become a freelance artist?”
“Not necessarily, I don’t think I’m good enough.”
“Don’t say that, you’re more than good enough.”
She smiled but ignored his compliment. “I’d like to work in graphic design. The sketching…well, I find it helps me think clearly, more calmly, I guess.”
“You certainly seem to be much more…in control of yourself.” His mouth lifted at one corner as he spoke.
Sky resisted the urge to smart mouth him. He’d been reckoning with self control back there in the hallway every bit as much as she had been.
He leafed through loose sketches, scenes from around the city, so she commented on that instead. “There’s a need to express things I see that strike me as important, I guess.”
He nodded, then looked her over with a blatant stare. “Could I guess what you think is important, without looking?”
The way he looked was so blatantly sexy. The tension between them was building again. She gave a soft laugh. “You know me well enough. I’m sure you could.”
He stared at her silently for the longest moment, then scanned the surroundings. “Where’s my USB?”
Sky took a deep breath. “Sit down, I’ll get it.”
She pointed at the futon.
He ignored her.
She hated that he’d flipped over to the computer stuff again. She wanted him to sidle over to the sofa and drop down on to it, make himself at home. But he was more interested in scanning the joint looking for his precious USB stick.
With a loud sigh, she opened her earring box, reached inside and lifted out the USB stick with the red dot. She dangled by its lanyard holding it close to her chest. “Here it is.”
He strode closer, grabbed it in his fist, snatching it off her and brushing her breast as he did so.
Her breasts tingled. Her body wanted more contact.
Once he had the damn thing in his hand, he gestured at her with it. “You should never have kept it. I’m upset you did that.”
“You’re telling me off, now?” Sky laughed, she couldn’t help it. “Get you, playing the big brother now you’ve got your precious cargo back.”
“Yes, I’m telling you off now. I couldn’t risk it before because you’d have gone off the rails and put yourself in even more danger.” He gestured at her with the USB stick. “This…this is dangerous. It’s bad news, Sky. It’s my responsibility because I wrote the code and I have to destroy it.” With a heavy frown, he pulled out a pen knife and began to pry the USB stick open. “Where’s your toilet?”
She nodded at the bathroom door. “You’re going to flush it?”
“Yes, and then that’s the end of it.” He turned away.
He was deadly serious, and it was heavy shit, whatever it was. Her mind whirred over. She darted after him. “Wait.”
Rory paused.
“Um. Shouldn’t you destroy whatever it is in front of whoever it is that wants it, otherwise how will they know you don’t have it anymore?”
He stared at her silently a moment then gave a slow smile. “Good point. You’re not just a pretty face any more”
Sky savored that, turning away so he couldn’t see her smile. She went to the window sill, where she had a couple of bottles of beer.
Glancing into the bathroom, Rory gave a dry laugh. “You really couldn’t swing a cat in this place.”
“Just as well I don’t have a cat then.” She flipped the caps off with a bottle opener and gestured at the futon. “Sorry, no fridge, but they get pretty cold sitting there on the window ledge.”
He took the bottle she offered and she sat down next to him.
Setting her bottle down on the floor she turned sideways so she could observe. He drew her attention in every way, from his hand nursing the bottle, to the strong outline of his thighs through his jeans. Desire thrummed in her groin, her mouth eager for another of his kisses
“It’s not very warm in here. How do manage?” He leaned down and lifted her beer bottle, nudging it back into her hand.
“Be careful, you’re beginning to sound all big brother again and I’d hate that.”
His gaze lingered on her. “We’re both still wearing our coats. I can’t help noticing the temperature.”
“I’ll feed the meter later.” She sipped the beer. “Right now I want you to tell me about the computer stuff.”
Rory reached in his pocket and threw a few coins on the sofa between them “Feed the meter.”
“It’s not that kind of meter. It’s a card you have to feed.”
“Do you need cash for that?
Annoyance hit her hard and fast. “I can take of myself. I vowed I would when I came to London, made a serious promise to my Nan. If I run short I take an extra shift at the Coffee Hut.”
He frowned. “I don’t like to think of you being cold.”
The tension between them rocketed. She shot him a look.
“Jesus, Sky, there’s no need to look at me as if I’ve just threatened your favorite puppy. I want to make sure you’re okay. Is that so wrong?”
“I’m fine, don’t fuss.”
He wasn’t going to let it go though. “This place,” he gestured around the room, “how much rent are they charging you for this rabbit hutch? How many shifts do you have to do to pay for it? I can’t help worrying about you I’m your stepbrother; I’m supposed to care about your well being.”
Stepbrother. She drew away, folded her arms on her knees and turned away. “Don’t say that, I don’t think of you that way.”
Silence. After a moment, she glanced back at him. He stared at her, his eyes shining, but he gave no clue what he was thinking. At least he didn’t argue. Ignoring the money he’d offered, she stood up and went to the meter cupboard, and shoved in the card she had stashed there. Crossing to the electric heater, she flicked it on.
She wasn’t going to look desperate or be more obvious than she already had. Not for any man, no matter how sexy. She wanted him, hell yes, but she didn’t really believe in relationship stuff. Her real dad had left them when she was a toddler. Her older sister was pregnant before her seventeenth birthday and now split with her partner and bringing up a child alone. All of it forced Sky to be realistic. Men took what they wanted and walked. As far as she was concerned a woman had to be the same way or suffer.
“So tell me about the software. Why is it bad news, why did it get you in trouble with the police?” She took off her coat and threw herself back down on the futon beside him.
He side-eyed the slinky black mini dress she wore under the coat. “The less you know the better.”
“Hey, I helped you out when you were in trouble and I’ve been holding the goods for you. I deserve an explanation.”
“No. You don’t.”
Was that it? He didn’t want her to know about his stuff now he’d got it back?
“At least tell me why you call it a kit.”
He rolled his eyes. “The software, it’s like tools to unlock code, therefore tool kit.”
“You took your laptop when you left home.”
“Yeah, that and my bike, that’s all I had.” He took a swig of his beer.
“I looked for it when you’d gone. All I found was some abandoned T-shirts.” She wore them in bed, but she wasn’t going to tell him that.
He stared at her for the longest moment. “You’re dangerous when your curiosity is up.”
Laughing softly, it pleased her he thought of her as dangerous.
“When I first came to London I hooked up with some people I knew online. The only way to make money quickly was doing computer stuff. I got some work restoring data on crashed hard drives. That only lasted a while, then I got mixed up in some stuff I regret, big time.” He took a deep slug of his beer. “Now I’ve had the chance to go straight, to work with bikes in a decent mechanics workshop with a good reputation, and I want to put an end to the dodgy software scams.”
“Was it about money?”
“No. It was a game, for all three of us, seeing how far we could get. There’s a challenge getting in somewhere you aren’t supposed to be.”
Sky smiled. In that sense they were very similar. “Tell me more.”
He considered her for a long moment as if trying to make up his mind whether to confide or not. “It’s these complex security systems. Some guy’s been paid hundreds of thousands to make sure no-one can hack it, and if you can do it… its too tempting to try, you know. If you can, you’re giving them the finger, showing them they’re not everything they think they are.”
“Yeah, that would be tempting.”
“It was a buzz. But the people we met...some of them want to do it for different reasons, they want to make money, harvesting email addresses for scams, that kind of thing. Once we knew what was going on we wanted out of, but it’s difficult to extract yourself.And when someone offers you cash and you haven’t got money for food or a place to live…” He ruffled his hand through his hair. “We never should have done it. Bad decision.”
“You mentioned police.”
“Yeah, they tracked us down. Cyber crime division. They hauled me in. Luckily I didn’t have my kit on me. Sadly Sean did. Staring at four walls in a cell for a night woke me up. I already had the job with George. I was done with hacking.”
“Is George your boss?”
“Yes, he owns the place where I work.”
Sky nodded. She was glad he’d confided in her. Her curiosity hadn’t been such a bad thing after all.
“Trouble is,” he continued, “the people I used to hang out with think they still need me.”
“So you’re trying to shake them off?”
“It’s not easy, but until I do, I’m not out of the woods.”
“You don’t want to just give them the kit and have done with it?”
“No. It’d never end if I chose that option. Besides, it’s not really going straight is it, leaving the software out there?”
Curious, Sky looked at the USB sitting there, so innocuously, on the end of her futon. She felt oddly attached to it. Perhaps because it had brought him back here to her. Taking a big risk, she leaned closer and put her hand inside his leather jacket, resting it on his chest, warm and hard and defined under his T-shirt. “Stay.”
He covered her hand with his, and for a moment she thought he was going to agree. “I need to go, Sky. If I stay any longer I’ll undress you, because I want you.”
He reached over and stroked her neck, and then kissed it, his breath warm against her skin. “I always wanted you. You do realize that?”
She swallowed. Knowing it for sure rocked her world. Something had switched up. His directness was edged with tender honesty this time. It made her chest feel tight. She was floating, but she wanted it, every crazy, spellbound moment unfolding around her. “I was never sure.”
“Be sure.” His lips closed tighter together, his eyes flashing a warning at her. “But we’re trouble for each other, always were, and right now I can’t afford that.”
He rose to his feet, breaking the moment apart.
Sky stared after him, adrift on her emotions, confused by the disparity in what he’d said and the fact he was leaving. She jolted into action, followed him.
He turned and pulled a card out of his pocket. Handing it to her, he nodded at it. “My work number and address. I’ve written my mobile number on the reverse. If you need anything, call me. Promise?”
She took the card. “I promise.”
With that he was gone, the door clicking firmly shut behind him.
It hit her like a slap in the face. She’d been so ready, and he’d been so full on.
It was a cold reminder he’d come here for his USB, and no matter how strong the pull between them, he’d just told her how much he’d always wanted her, and left.
She stared at the shut door, dizzy with emotion, wired, on the verge of tears, and aroused beyond anything she’d ever experienced before.
And it was going to take more than a quick shower to shake it off.