It felt like I’d been punched in the gut as I was hit with a tsunami of hurt and anger.

Dane Blackthorn.

Yet before I could scream, knowing damn well that he shouldn’t be here, he grabbed me, covering my mouth with his hand, and yanked me into the nearest room after a quick glance inside to make sure no one was around. He pinned me to the wall with his muscular body, his strong hand still covering my mouth as I tried to curse him, though struggling to get free was futile. But when I did...I was going to murder him.

“Do not scream, Avery. Am I making myself clear?” His words were spoken through clenched teeth, his entire body tense—because he knew he’d been caught. I didn’t know why the hell Dane was here, but one thing was certain...he was one of the best hackers I’d ever known, and if he was here, then it meant he was up to no good.

I nodded, desperate to get away from him. I needed to put some distance between us, because he may have betrayed me and broken my heart, but it didn’t stop my body from reacting to his muscular form as he pinned me in place. The effect he had on me was impossible to ignore, and though I’d like to blame it on the jolt of adrenaline coursing through my body, I knew it’d be nothing but a lie.

Not that I should be surprised, despite the years that had passed. I may hate him for cheating on me, all in an attempt to push me away, but there was never any way either of us could deny the immediate attraction that existed between us.

He slowly removed his hand, as if testing to see if I’d scream, and then finally relaxed a little bit more when I remained silent. Not that he moved away, his gaze slipping over my face and lingering on my lips before sliding back up to lock on my eyes. “Avery...what the hell are you doing here?”

I scoffed, shaking my head in disbelief. “Me? I work here, Scorch. What I want to know is why the hell you’re here? Because I can guarantee you have no right to be here and you’re up to nothing but trouble.”

Even though I knew he’d tried to hide his reaction, I saw him flinch when I used his hacker name. Because that was exactly what he was doing here. He was going to try to hack into GTC’s systems.

“I know what it looks like, but it’s a hell of a lot more complicated than you think, and I don’t want to lie to you. But this job...it’s because someone’s life is on the line.” He finally stepped away from me, and though I didn’t trust him not to lie to me, I knew him well enough to know that he was telling me the truth. “I swear, Avery. I wouldn’t be here otherwise.”

“That’s all well and good, but it doesn’t change a single thing. You can’t be here—and I sure as hell can’t let you finish what you’ve got planned.” It wasn’t even about my job at GTC if I got caught helping Dane in any way. There was a hell of a lot more at stake, especially since I wasn’t working at GTC under normal circumstances.

Not that I could tell Dane any of that.

“Meet me after work. Let me take you out to dinner and I’ll explain everything to you then. Just please, don’t fucking blow my cover. I know I’m asking a lot of you, but this involves my whole family. I’m begging you, Avery.” He cupped my cheek in his hand, brushing his thumb over my lips, as the air hung between us heavy with tension and anticipation. Despite everything he’d put me through, despite the fact that I hated him, I still stood there, my chest tight with the hope that he’d kiss me.

And that was a huge problem.

I shrugged off his touch, needing to stay in control. And though I knew I should turn him in, I actually believed him about his family being in danger. But there was more... I couldn’t risk anyone looking too closely at why I was really at GTC. And my connection to Scorch would raise more than a few eyebrows and would invite far more scrutiny than was wise.

I glared at him, standing tall, needing him to know that I was the one in control here. “Fine. I’ll meet you at five when I get out. But you’re to leave the building immediately, or I’ll have your ass thrown in jail. Am I making myself clear?”

“Fair enough.”

I spent the rest of the day unable to focus on any of my work, while silently cursing myself for ever giving Dane Blackthorn my heart. I still couldn’t believe I had run into him like that, simply wandering the halls as if he belonged here.

He had some balls, I’d give him that. Though why I was surprised was beyond me. I knew Dane well enough to know that I shouldn’t put anything past him. He was hands down the smartest man I’d ever met, and I knew enough of his family background to know that trouble followed him around like a bad penny.

Since there was little chance of me actually getting any work done, I decided instead to look into what Dane had been up to these last few years. It didn’t matter that he’d been the only man I’d ever loved. After the way things ended, I’d done my best to keep him out of my life.

There wasn’t necessarily a whole lot out there, since I was sure he eliminated any information that could be harmful to him and his family. But there was one thing that I’d found in the police reports, and it had my heart breaking for him. His father had been involved in a hit-and-run, and though he hadn’t died from his injuries, he’d been murdered soon after that, while still in the hospital.

But there was more...it would seem that he and his brothers had had their fair share of troubles, from a house fire to assaults and kidnappings.

Maybe he wasn’t lying to me after all. Not that it meant I could trust him. I’d learned that lesson the hard way. He’d made promises he didn’t keep, and had blatantly betrayed me to sabotage our relationship, leaving me with a broken heart and a jaded view of love.

I couldn’t be that stupid again—no matter what his effect on me.

At the end of the day, I steeled myself to deal with Dane. I just had to keep him at arm’s length, since I knew that I was far too susceptible to his charms. And who wouldn’t be? Tall, muscular, gorgeous hazel eyes, thick brown hair and scruff, countless tats, and there was something about him that was both sweet and charming, while harboring an edge of danger. But best of all—he was brilliant. Everything that would have my defenses weakening the moment he tossed me one of those charming smiles that lit up his intelligent eyes.

Once I’d logged out for the night, I walked into the brisk evening air, and sure enough, Dane was standing there waiting for me, leaning up against his car. I was half tempted to pretend I didn’t see him and just keep on walking, but he smiled when he spotted me and immediately headed in my direction, leaving me to curse my racing heart.

“I’m glad you decided to come.” His mere smile was enough to send my pulse skittering. There was just something about him that was so different than all the other guys out there. But that was why it had hurt so much more when he betrayed me with his lies.

“You should be glad I haven’t called the cops.” I glared at him, doing my damnedest to hold onto my anger.

“I know. And I appreciate it, Avery... I really do. I know you’re taking a risk by not turning me in.” Putting a gentle hand on the small of my back, he walked us to his car and opened the passenger side door for me, before hopping into the driver’s seat and pulling out of the parking lot into traffic.

I couldn’t quite believe I was sitting there with Dane at my side once more—like I hadn’t spent the last four years of my life trying to get over him. I must be insane to think that this wouldn’t somehow all go drastically wrong. “Where are we going?”

Taking his eyes off the road for just a second, he tossed me an easy smile that had my body going warm and tingly in all the right places—places a man hadn’t touched since...well, since Dane. “You know where I’m taking you, baby.”

Yeah...I did. It was where we always seemed to end up when we got hungry after a late night of hacking and mischief. I let out a sigh, beating my feelings into submission. “Joe’s Buzz. But if you think I’m going to get all sentimental and agree to whatever you want just because we ate a few stacks of pancakes there, you can guess again.”

“It was more than a few—and no, that wasn’t my plan. I’ve just missed going to Joe’s. After we split up...I didn’t go back. Didn’t feel right without you there.” He let out a ragged breath, reaching over and giving my hand a squeeze. “I’m sorry, Avery. I never meant for things to go down the way they did.”

His words tore open my wounded heart and set alight an anger I’d barely managed to tamp down. “Don’t you dare start down that road, Dane. I’m not here to rehash how you fucking betrayed me and broke my heart.”

“I know that I fucked up, love. I’ve wished a million times over that things had gone down differently. But I can’t change the past, no matter how much I’d like to.”

“No. You can’t. So please, stop fucking talking about it.”