Alyssa Thompson’s stomach tightened in on itself as soon as her alarm went off Monday morning. Work days always gave her a little excitement, but these days they made her nervous, too. She was thrilled to be working in synthetic biology. It was the kind of field that had only been a distant dream a few decades ago, the kind of stuff that was in movies and books. She was making it a reality every day, and she was one of the top researchers in her field.

The thing was, nobody could know about it. While she saw her classmates at Carnegie Mellon constantly receiving recognition for their achievements, Alyssa had little to brag about at reunions. Doing top secret work for the government was like that, and she had to remind herself on a daily basis that she was building up to something so profound and momentous that her years of staying out of the spotlight would pay off someday.

But for now, there was no choice but to get up and go to work. Alyssa yanked on a pair of jeans and a fitted t-shirt with a quirky science joke only geeks would get. She pulled her long blonde hair back into a loose braid, slicked on a thin coating of tinted moisturizer and mascara, and put her glasses on. Heading to the kitchen, she made a quick breakfast of avocado toast and an orange before throwing her lab coat on and making her way to the edge of town.

The Bios Labs building was an unassuming concrete cube with just enough glass windows to keep it from looking like a jail. It was only three stories high, a rather short stature compared to some of the science and research buildings downtown. There weren’t any pretty shade trees out front, and the sun beat down on the cracked and faded asphalt of the parking lot. Nobody had even bothered to put the name of the company on the outside of the structure, with only the street numbers hanging loosely near the front door. Only the fact that every entryway had a high-tech electronic lock system was an indication of what might be inside. It was the sort of place that nobody would go unless they knew exactly what was there, and that was precisely the point.

Alyssa stepped up to the retinal scanner and removed her glasses. A quiet beep sounded, indicating that the door was unlocked. She yanked the handle on the heavy door and stepped into the lobby. Here, there was still little proof that anything exciting was going on at Bios Labs. Alyssa crossed the yellowed linoleum, passing the shabby desk that served as the receptionist’s area. She skipped past the elevator, having gotten stuck in it one too many times, and made her way up three flights of stairs to her office.

“Alyssa!”

She sighed when she heard Krista call her name before she’d even made it to her desk. It was just too early. Alyssa dropped her bag on her desk with a thump. “Yes?”

“I’m having a problem with the computer.” Krista jogged up to Alyssa’s desk and pushed back the too-long sleeves of her lab coat. With her thick eyebrows and blunt cut hair, she had an almost boyish air about her.

Alyssa closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Already? How long have you been here?”

Krista’s dark eyes were bright with enthusiasm. “Since seven. I went ahead and made some coffee, nice and strong like you like it. I almost came in yesterday, actually, because I couldn’t stop thinking about all the work I have ahead of me today. Dr. Brinkmann has really been piling it on lately. Oh, not that I’m complaining or anything. I took this job with the expectation of working hard, and that’s what I’m here to do. But my friend wanted me to go to the card shop with him to play Magic the Gathering, and it’s a good thing since the computer is giving me such fits. I would have come in yesterday for nothing, and I really wanted to—”

“Krista!” Alyssa slapped her hand on the edge of her desk. This was entirely too much first thing in the morning. “Please, just get to the point.”

“Oh, okay. Sorry. I was trying to organize all the files in the computer for the Talos Project, but it keeps telling me I don’t have the clearance to do it.” Krista twisted her hands nervously in front of her, waiting for Alyssa to swoop in and save her before Brinkmann put her ass in the wringer.

Alyssa pushed gently past her to the breakroom in search of the coffee the other employee had promised. Her stomach puckered again at the mention of the Talos Project; it was exactly the reason she was so nervous about her work these days. Bios Labs had been lucky enough to secure a long-term government contract, but developing super soldiers was a huge deal. Alyssa had realized what a tough secret it was to keep the previous week when a reporter had managed to get a hold of her direct extension and attempted to question her thoroughly. Of course, Alyssa had no comment and pretended not to understand why anybody would even want to call her lab, but the incident had reminded her just what a delicate business she was in.

She grabbed an oversized mug from the cabinet in the kitchenette and filled it with the strong brew, which she instantly clouded with a slug of creamer from the fridge. Skipping the sugar dish, she stirred her drink and took a long draught before turning around to face the expectant Krista. “Why didn’t you bring the problem to Jeff?”

The girl sighed. “I tried, but he said he was too busy with some firewall or something to mess with me. He said the soonest he could get around to me was tomorrow, but Dr. Brinkmann wants this done ASAP.”

“Of course, he does.” Dr. Brinkmann, as the head of Bios Labs, always wanted everything done faster than was humanly possible. “Maybe he should be working on a bionic receptionist instead of super soldiers.”

Krista’s eyes widened at the slanderous remark, but she giggled appreciatively.

“Come on. I’ll take a look at it.” Alyssa followed Krista to her desk, which was really just a shaky table in a makeshift cubicle. The lower level employees were treated as such, and it was only by climbing through the ranks that they earned a nice corner office like Alyssa had. She remembered clearly, though, what it had been like to have a rickety workspace and an ancient laptop and be expected to keep up. “Show me what you’re doing.”

Clicking through the procedure, Krista’s shoulders slumped when she was once again met with a large popup on her screen, announcing that her clearance wasn’t high enough to mess with the files. “See? It hates me.”

“No, you just aren’t used to the system yet.” Alyssa leaned over and put her hand on the mouse. “You just have to make sure you don’t skip this screen, where you have to type in your security code. It’s supposed to go in this field right here.”

“Oh. I didn’t even see that.”

Alyssa smiled. She had snapped at Krista and felt bad for it now. It was just so early in the day. “Trust me, I only know this from experience.”

“Thanks. I owe you one.”

“Fine by me. I’ll remember that when I’m on night shift.” Alyssa headed back to her desk to start her work for the day. She had jotted several notes to herself over the weekend, not wanting to lose any ideas as they came to her. She used to be just like Krista, wanting to come in at all hours to keep from getting behind or missing out on anything exciting, but she had learned that it was worth it to take a little downtime. She adjusted her glasses and began tapping away on her computer, running calculations, setting up simulations, and pulling up previous research and experiments. Her work down in the lab would come later.

She was only vaguely aware of a stir that started behind her on the other end of the third floor. Alyssa was so engrossed in her work that it was only when a knock came on her door that she finally looked up from her computer. “Dr. Brinkmann?”

A tall slim man in a lab coat stood in her doorway, a small smile on his thin lips. He gestured ostentatiously behind him, ushering in another man. “Good morning, Alyssa. I’d like you to meet Dirk Bennett. He’s contacted me with an interest in our lab and the work we do here, and he’s getting the full tour this morning.”

Alyssa slowly stood from her desk chair, realizing her left leg had fallen asleep. She’d been sitting still for too long. “The…full tour?”

Dr. Brinkmann’s dark eyes sparkled. “Of course. Mr. Bennett, meet Alyssa Thompson. She’s the top scientist at our firm, second only to myself. She’s a brilliant mind and is responsible for many of the advances Bios has made.”

The man who had stepped into her office was the definition of tall, dark, and handsome. His deep chestnut hair was long on the top, swooping to the side over his forehead fashionably. With his designer suit, he was the picture of a powerful businessman. He didn’t bother hiding his smile as he walked up to Alyssa’s desk and held out his hand. His silvery eyes darted down her body and back to her face. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Shaking his hand perfunctorily, Alyssa felt her stomach knot so tightly, she thought it might stick to her spine. This guy was hot; there was no doubt about it. He had a way of looking at her that made her feel like she was a beauty queen, but she had a deep-seated suspicion that he made every woman feel that way. Even so, it made a ripple of electricity shiver down her body and land right between her legs. She plastered a smile on her face and turned to her boss. “Dr. Brinkmann, I didn’t expect to see you so early today.”

The doctor lifted his shoulders slightly and held out his hands modestly. “I do what I have to for the company, and our good friend here was eager to see our facilities.”

“Well, since you’re here, could I talk to you for just a second?”

Dr. Brinkmann gestured to his guest. “I don’t want to be rude to Mr. Bennett.”

“It’ll take just a moment, I promise.” She managed to shoo the newcomer back out of her office and called out to a nearby cubicle. “Krista, could you get Mr. Bennett a cup of coffee and keep him entertained for just a moment?”

The young girl came trotting around the corner, and her angular jaw nearly dropped to the floor. “Oh, um, hi. Yeah, uh, come right this way.” From the flush in her cheeks and the excitement in her eyes, Alyssa knew Krista understood right away just who was standing in front of her. The girl gamboled off toward the breakroom like an excited puppy. Mr. Bennett followed, a bemused expression on his striking face.

Alyssa yanked her office door shut. “What the hell are you doing? Do you know who that is?” She had heard plenty of stories about Dirk Bennett. There was no way of knowing just how much of what was printed in the tabloids was true, but she had an idea that a decent amount of it was. He was young and rich, and he had the attitude and lifestyle to go with it. There was no reason for a man like him to be in their facility, wealthy or not.

“Of course, I know who he is,” Dr. Brinkmann replied calmly. His voice was quiet and crisp. “He’s from one of the richest families in the country, and he’s interested in us.”

“I don’t give two shits who he is,” she replied tersely. “You can’t just let people parade through here. Do I have to remind you of the stipulations the President put on us when he sanctioned the Talos Project? Or of the reporter who somehow got wind that we were doing experiments that ride the line of ethics like a champion surfer?” She felt her anger boiling up inside her as she spoke, realizing just how irritated she was about constantly being pushed toward the edge of her comfort zone. The work had started out innocently enough, but every day she found herself questioning what she was doing.

“I’m well aware of what we have here, Alyssa. But that’s precisely the issue. We’re completely restricted by our work with the government. You know just as well as I do that our achievements would be lauded in every scientific journal on the planet if only people were allowed to know about them. The government dangles money in our faces but requires us to be silent. Mr. Bennett’s money would allow our work to come out into the spotlight.” He gave her another small smile, one that said he knew he was right.

Alyssa glanced through the glass door of her office. She could just see the rich man’s back in the doorway of the breakroom. He was gesturing mildly with one hand, no doubt complimenting Krista on her coffee making skills and charming the pants right off her. She narrowed her eyes. “What does he want in return?”

Another half-shrug from Dr. Brinkmann. “We haven’t gotten to that yet. I’m sure whatever it is, it’ll be reasonable. At the very least, it’ll be something we can handle.”

But Alyssa still wasn’t convinced. “I don’t know. I don’t trust people like him. How much money did he say he would give us?” She could just imagine the lab under private patronage. It could be a dream come true, but it could just as easily be a nightmare.

“He hasn’t said, exactly. He just casually mentioned that he’s interested in doing some investing. But he was the one who called and asked for a tour. I imagine he’s not doing that just for fun.”

“How much did you tell him?” Alyssa demanded. She whirled back around to look at Dr. Brinkmann, glaring, but she quickly looked away again. His inky black eyes were so dark that there was little distinction between his iris and his pupil, and it made him difficult to look at.

“Calm down, Alyssa. That’s your one downfall. You get too excitable about things.”

“Please at least tell me you haven’t taken him to the basement.”

“Not yet,” Brinkmann replied, the corners of his mouth turning up ever so slightly. “I probably won’t, but that will depend on how things go. Let’s just say he’ll have to pay his way in if he wants to know about the Talos Project.”

Alyssa huffed at her boss. He was a brilliant man, enough so that he could be dangerous, but she was important enough to the company that she knew she could speak her mind without fear of getting fired. More than once, she had considered leaving. There were plenty of other labs she could go work for, and with her medical and biology background, they would scoop her up in an instant. But none of them paid the way Bios did, and none of them were doing anything quite as exciting. Even if Bennett became their new backer, it wouldn’t really change things. “I just hope you know what you’re doing. You should have at least told me he was coming today. I could have prepared myself. We need to have some sort of cover story in place so he doesn’t know what we’re really doing around here.”

Brinkmann shook his head, looking down his slim nose at her. “I doubt he would understand any of it. Besides, I wouldn’t have wanted to disturb your weekend.”

It was a dig at her lack of a social life and she knew it, but it wasn’t worth pursuing. “Just keep your eye on him, and don’t give us away. The last thing I need is to have the FBI raid this place and claim the government knows nothing.” She turned back to her desk, hearing the door shut behind her as Brinkmann left.

But the doctor and the unwelcome guest were back at the end of the day. “Alyssa, Dirk and I are heading to dinner. I’d like you to come with us.”

A chill of repulsion crawled up Alyssa’s neck and down again. This couldn’t be good. If Bennett was already wanting to wine and dine the lead scientists at Bios, then he was planning on sticking his nose and his money where it didn’t belong. For the briefest moment, Alyssa allowed a flashing fantasy of what work would be like with private funding. They could have so much freedom! But there was no guarantee of any of that, and some rich playboy like Dirk couldn’t give a crap about the lab unless it lined his own pocket. “I have a lot of work to do, actually.”

“Nothing that can’t wait until tomorrow,” Brinkmann said patiently. “Come on, now. I managed to get us a reservation at The Bistro.”

Flipping her braid over her shoulder with irritation, Alyssa signed off her computer and stood up. She bit her tongue against asking why a dinner with Mr. Moneybags was so damn important. “Alright. I don’t think I’m really dressed for going out, though.”

“It’ll be fine,” Dirk said. He managed to keep his eyes on her face this time.

Dr. Brinkmann hadn’t just gotten them a reservation at The Bistro, but at a private table in the back of the restaurant. It was separated from the rest of the dining room by a partial wall that kept the diners hidden while they ate, and there was even a private entrance so they wouldn’t have to parade past the other patrons. “The maître d’ is my nephew,” he explained quietly. “I try not to take advantage, but sometimes it’s nice to pull a few strings.”

“I completely understand.” Dirk skimmed the menu. “Is there anything you recommend?”

“I’ve never had anything bad.”

“I’ll go with something simple. The croque madame, please.”

Surprised that he hadn’t gone with something at least a little fancier, Alyssa skipped past the more expensive part of the menu and ordered the French onion soup. Dr. Brinkmann followed suit with a bowl of cassoulet.

As soon as the waitress left—after she had cast several flirtatious glances toward Dirk—he put his elbows on the table and leaned forward so that the light over the table cast sharp shadows over his face. “Alright. I think it’s time I come clean and tell the two of you why I’m so interested in your company.”

Alyssa felt a prickle of cold sweat across her skin. This was it. He was going to offer them money in exchange for secrets. They couldn’t do it without violating their contracts. Any chance of getting private funding from Bennett would go riding swiftly down the drain, and the whole charade would be over. It was what she wanted, but why did it make her so nervous?

“And all this time I thought you were just interested in my charming personality,” Dr. Brinkmann joked drily.

Dirk smiled, but he was ready to talk. “My company has quite a bit of money to invest, and I’d like to find the perfect company to back. I don’t want to just buy up a smaller oil company or invest in gas stations. I want to do something that will not only diversify our investment portfolio but also expand the reach of Bennett Energy.”

Brinkmann pursed his lips and glanced at Alyssa as if to say he told her so. “I must admit, I was a little surprised to hear from you. I didn’t think a company like yours would be interested in a company like ours.”

Bennett sat back a little. “I know, it seems strange. But think about it. Bios Labs specializes in synthetic biology. That means the two of you and your team could do an awful lot to advance the future of fuel.”

“Forgive me for saying so, but we aren’t working on alternative fuels right now.” Another wave of panic hit her as thoughts of the Talos Project came creeping through her mind. “Why wouldn’t you pick a lab that’s already doing that sort of work?” Brinkmann would probably have something to say about this later. She could almost sense her boss’ feathers ruffling.

Dirk laid his hand flat on the table. “That’s a reasonable question. I admit that I looked at a few other labs, but I didn’t like them as much. They’re already too big, too self-important. Besides they didn’t have the kinds of scientists I was looking for. The two of you are brilliant, and I think you’re the ones for the job.”

“What if we don’t want the job?” The tension in their little corner of the restaurant built up until Alyssa thought she would suffocate.

Brinkmann cleared his throat. “Perhaps our position on the job is something the two of us should discuss in private.”

“Perhaps you should,” Dirk agreed, “but the thing is, I’m not offering the job just yet. I may be rich, but I’m not stupid. I know that Bios is working on government contracts and that they’re highly classified. That right there was enough to let me know you were good, but I need to know all of it. I need to know exactly what you’ve been doing.”

“I’m sure you must understand, Mr. Bennett,” Brinkmann said with a smile, “that we aren’t at liberty to discuss such things.”

“Oh, I know.” Dirk picked up the remaining piece of his croissant and mopped up the remains of the egg yolk on his plate. “I get it. But Bios or whatever other lab I decide to back has to be absolutely perfect. I know I work for a big corporation and that you just see me as a suit with a checkbook, but the truth is that I’m absolutely fascinated by science. I have my Master’s from Harvard, and I didn’t pursue that just so I could have a fancy piece of paper hanging on my wall. If I invest in Bios Labs, I want to have a hand in the research that happens there.”

Alyssa stared at him, seeing him in a different light suddenly and not just because he had leaned back into the shadows of the booth. He had seemed so cocky and arrogant back at the lab, just the way she would have thought a man like him would be. But he was interested in something more than just getting a return on his money. Still, a degree didn’t necessarily mean he knew his stuff. “That could be a little difficult. I mean, we don’t normally just bring random people in from the outside.”

“I’ve never been known for doing things the normal way,” Dirk said with a small shrug. “If you think I’m a nut, or if you want me to just shut up and take my money elsewhere, that’s fine. But I really do love science, and if I’m going to follow my dreams, I’d like to do it with a team of brilliant scientists around me.”

Brinkmann laughed again. “That all sounds wonderful, but how do I know you didn’t just buy your degree?”

“Trust me. I didn’t.” There was a serious note to his voice that made Alyssa raise an eyebrow.

As they finished their meals, the three of them chatted about numerous scientific fields, from the latest advances in space, to the research behind immunizations, to nanotechnology that could be used in the medical field. Alyssa was shocked to hear that Dirk actually knew what he was talking about. And it wasn’t just that he had read the headlines, but that he understood what was going on in the world and knew the basic principles behind it.

The dinner plates had been cleared away, the waitress had brought them each a generous helping of tiramisu at Dirk’s insistence, and Alyssa was reeling from the good food—and surprisingly good company. For a moment, she had stopped worrying about when her work would be discovered and what the consequences of that would be. She smiled across the table at Dirk as he brought up a recently discovered bacteria on human skin with potential anti-cancer properties. “I’m sorry if I seem so surprised. I know you said you enjoyed science, but I never would have thought someone like you…I mean someone in your position…I don’t know. I’m not doing a very good job here.” She felt her face flush. There was just such a good rapport between them, and she hadn’t expected it.

Dirk smiled at her, a dashing grin that made her catch her breath. “It’s okay. I get it. I wonder about it myself sometimes. For the last few years, I let myself forget what I was really interested in and what I wanted to do with my life. I’ve had some changes, and I didn’t appreciate it very much at first, but I’m starting to realize that it’s time I got back into it. That’s the whole reason Bios Labs intrigued me so much. I think synthetic biology is what’s going to bring us into the next great stage of humanity.” His gray eyes were alight as he thought about the future.

Alyssa tipped her head to the side as she looked at him. “I have to say I agree, but of course I would.”

“Alright.” Dr. Brinkmann slapped his hand on the tabletop, and Alyssa realized he’d hardly said a word for the last twenty minutes. His dark eyes looked tired, and he stood up from the table as though he had suddenly remembered he had an urgent appointment. “I’m going home and going to bed. I have only a few hours to sleep before I go in for the night shift. The two of you can keep talking about gene editing and cell therapy for as long as you want, but this old man is tired.”

Alyssa stood to let him out of the booth and was surprised when he grabbed her arm and leaned in close. “Don’t let him charm you too much, dear. He’s too good to be true. He’ll give us money, but then he’ll have his fingers in everything we do. It’s a bad deal.” He marched briskly away from the table.

“Well,” she said, turning back to Dirk and trying to smile. Brinkmann’s words had reminded her of the real purpose behind this dinner, a purpose that was no longer valid now that Brinkmann had shut down the idea of funding from Bennett. “I guess that means I need to be heading home myself. I’ve got a long day at the office tomorrow.”

Dirk slowly stood and slipped his sport coat back on. “He doesn’t like me very much, does he?”

“I don’t know about that,” she hedged, not really sure at all what the doctor’s problem was. Brinkmann had been very interested in what Bennett could do for them just a few hours ago, but now he wanted nothing to do with it. “I think it just caught him off-guard. Or maybe he really is tired. He’ll be at the lab all night.”

Tipping his head back and looking down at her, Dirk asked, “Why is there a night shift at a lab?”

Both she and the doctor had made a critical mistake, and she knew now that Bennett wasn’t just a stupid rich guy. But she couldn’t tell him about the work they were doing or that their test subjects who lived at the lab had to be monitored around the clock. “We find that we get more work done that way. You just never know what time of day genius might strike.”

He didn’t look like he believed her, but he escorted her out of the restaurant without arguing. It had started to rain, the water flooding down on the city and filling the gutters. Steam rose from the sidewalks, and passersby trotted down the sidewalk under umbrellas. “I don’t know about you, but I’m not quite ready to turn in yet. There’s a little bar just around the corner. Want to have a drink with me?”

“Um, sure. It’s kind of nasty out, though.” She blinked against the rain, not wanting to get it on her glasses.

Dirk shrugged. “A little water won’t hurt us.” He touched her elbow and took off down the sidewalk, his long legs quickly gaining ground.

Alyssa laughed as she ran after him. When was the last time she ran like that, and in the rain? She felt a bolt of joy surge through her as Dirk looked over his shoulder to make sure she was following. He looked so happy and free, an expression that reflected the way she felt.

He ushered her down a set of concrete stairs and through a battered door into a dark place lit almost solely by neon signs. They found a small table in the corner where Dirk wiped the water from his face with the back of his hand and grinned at her. “Not so bad, huh?”

Checking the time on her phone, Alyssa told herself she would have just one beer and then she would head home. But they were having such an interesting conversation about the importance of stem cell research that she automatically let him order another round. The rest of the bar seemed to have disappeared around them, leaving only Dirk and their mutual passion for life sciences.

The more they talked, the more she found herself studying his face. When she had seen pictures of Dirk in the tabloids, she hadn’t really understood what women saw in him. His jaw was too square, his eyes too small, and his hair too trendy. But as the night went on, she was beginning to see that his jaw was a strong one, one that indicated just how stubborn and determined he could be when he got onto a subject he truly cared about. He didn’t mind having a friendly debate with her when it came to the latest theories about life on other planets. And those eyes were sharp and watchful, constantly on the lookout for something new and exciting. His hair was long in front, but the way it fell over his forehead flattered the rest of his face and she wondered what it would feel like to reach out and run her fingers through it.

Two beers later, Alyssa found herself feeling far too good for it being so late. “I’m sorry. I really do need to get going.” It was going to be hell to get up in the morning, and Dr. Brinkmann would no doubt have a list of questions for her. She used an app on her phone to summon a cab. She still had to get back to her car and then home again, and if she didn’t do something to make herself leave, she probably never would. Dirk was so much fun, and not in the way she would have thought when she first met him.

“Alright.” Dirk paid the tab and guided her outside. “I have to thank you for such a nice night. I go out plenty, but everyone just wants to talk about what my father is doing with oil and which society party is coming up next. It’s nice to just be normal for a little while and talk about the things I truly care about.” They huddled under the small awning near the stairs that led to the bar, waiting for her cab to arrive.

Alyssa tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and looked down. “It’s not really normal for me. I don’t get out a whole lot, but I guess that probably doesn’t surprise you, considering what I do for a living.”

“Well, you haven’t exactly told me what you do for a living. I know you’re a scientist, and I know where you work. I even know that you have quite a bit of medical school under your belt, lacking only a few small formalities before you can be officially called a doctor.” He was close now, so close that she could feel the heat radiating from his skin.

“You’ve been checking up on me,” she said with a smile. Maybe it was the alcohol, or maybe it was the fact that she had someone she could actually talk to about science and biology, but she didn’t really mind. Let him Google her all he wanted to; Alyssa knew there wasn’t much out there.

“You can’t really blame me for using my connections, can you? I wanted to be prepared before I came to tour the facility. Of course, there’s nothing anywhere out there that says what you’re really doing.” Dirk towered over her, his square jaw tipped down toward her face.

He looked like he was going to kiss her, and for a moment, Alyssa let herself wonder if this was all a charade to unlock her company’s secrets. But if Dirk Bennett wanted secrets, he was the type of man who could pay someone else to get them. No, she had to believe that he was genuinely curious about his potential investment. That wasn’t enough to get her to talk, though. “What I’m really doing is working hard. There’s not much else I can tell you.” The cab pulled up to the curb, its tires sloshing on the wet road. “Looks like it’s time for me to go. Thank you again for a nice evening.”

As she turned away, Dirk took her hand and pulled her back under the awning. “Please don’t.”

“What?”

He turned up the collar of his coat and trotted out into the rain, bending forward to talk to the cab driver. After a moment, the yellow car pulled away and zoomed off into the night without a passenger.

“What are you doing? That’s my ride home.” Alyssa watched the taxi’s taillights blend in with the rest of traffic and felt a bubble of nerves and excitement float up into her chest, uncertain of what to expect in that moment. She had always carried a sense of certainty about her, making logical decisions and following through with them. Dirk sent her off-kilter in a way she didn’t know how to deal with. The only other times she had stayed up late on a work night were when she was still at the office, and she definitely hadn’t been drinking.

“No. It’s late, and I can be more of a gentleman than to just put you in a cab. I’ll be your ride, and you can decide if you want me to drop you off at your apartment, or if you want to come back to my place for one last drink.” He kept a hold of her hand as he led her down the sidewalk and around the corner to the lot where he had left his car when they had come to dinner. The rain had slowed a little, and they skirted around a large puddle that had accumulated near a clogged storm drain.

“That depends. Can we talk about the anti-aging studies they’ve been doing on mice using epigenetic markers?”

“Anything you want,” he promised as he held open the door.

She paused before she got into the sleek car. “Do I have to take my shoes off or anything?” She’d never ridden in anything that expensive before, and she wasn’t sure she was comfortable with it. Maybe it would have been easier to take that cab.

He laughed. “Of course not!”

Minutes later, Dirk opened the door to his apartment, flicked on the lights, and headed for the kitchen. “Make yourself comfortable. What would you like?”

She shrugged, suddenly feeling a little uncertain. It was a nice place, but a little intimidating. When was the last time a man had taken her home? She had been involved in her work for far too long. “I don’t know. What do you have?”

“A little bit of everything, but I’m a big fan of White Russians.”

“Then I’ll try one of those.” She sat down tentatively on a leather couch and looked around, noting that his bookshelves not only had real books, but that most of them were about science.

He reappeared a moment later with a rocks glass in each hand. “I have my own recipe for these. It’s a little heavier on the Kahlua than you usually get in a restaurant.”

She studied the heavy brown liquid on the bottom of the glass with a thick layer of white cream on top. “I don’t think I’ve ever had one before.”

“There’s always room for experimenting a little, isn’t there?” He sat next to her, their knees almost touching, and he used the short stick in his glass to stir the drink. “Let me know what you think.”

She copied him, watching as the two layers slowly converged to a pale coffee color, and took a sip. “It tastes like…melted ice cream or something. But a grown-up version.” She wondered if she sounded as silly as she felt, sitting in the apartment of a near-stranger and trying a drink for the first time.

“Good. Then there’s one other experiment I’d like to try.” Dirk set his glass down on the coffee table and waited until Alyssa did the same. He leaned in close, boldly putting his hand on her waist and drawing her forward until their lips were nearly touching. “Newton’s third law states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. I wonder, if one scientist were to kiss another, what kind of reaction would that arouse in the second scientist?”

Her breath was shallow in her lungs, and Dirk was the only thing holding her up. Her pulse throbbed in the back of her tongue, and every nerve in her body was awake and waiting. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew she shouldn’t let him play his games with her. He was a rich playboy, known for getting any woman he went after. But if he treated them this way, she could certainly understand why. And he was going to take science and turn it into dirty talk. Damn it, there was no way to resist that. “Well, I’m no physicist. But I know that a simulation is often the best way to prove a hypothesis.”

He pressed his lips to hers, and she felt herself melt into his arms. He was gentle with her, exploring first her lower lip and then her upper. His skin was soft against hers, only the stubble from his upper lip grinding delicately against hers as he performed his experiment. Dirk slowly parted his lips to make hers do the same, gently probing with his tongue until it met hers. Alyssa felt her entire body react, demanding more. She brought her hands up to touch the back of his neck and felt the softness of his short hair. Dirk’s arm was around her waist, and he pressed her close to his body.

There were no thoughts about work or financing anymore, and Alyssa was glad to follow along with anything Dirk wanted. He was tall and handsome, his arms muscular and strong as they held her tight. She could feel his rippling abs against hers, the hardness in his pants, the need he had for her that matched her own. In that moment, she would do anything that he asked of her. When he picked her up and carried her to the bedroom, she made no move to resist.

As he set her gently on the edge of the mattress, Alyssa reached for the buttons on her shirt. She was desperate to be next to him, her skin against his. They didn’t break their kiss as they undressed, their need so urgent that nothing else mattered. The rain pounded on the windowsill in earnest now, adding atmosphere and accentuating the undercurrent of what they both felt.

She took in a sharp breath when he stood naked before her. His handsome face and smoky gray eyes had only been the tip of the iceberg. The cords in his neck ran down to a powerful chest over those firm abs she had felt through his shirt before. Dirk’s fine clothes had disguised the bulge of his biceps and the black dragon tattoo on his forearm. It was a sharp contrast to his smooth skin, but she would have to ask him about it later when her voice worked again, because at the moment she could say nothing. She was too busy studying the sculptured structure of his legs. A fine dusting of dark hair trailed down his stomach to his package, which was hard and ready for her.

Dirk gently pushed her backwards onto the mattress, his body over hers. “Tell me you’re certain.” He kissed her again, deeply and thoroughly, before he paused and looked into her eyes. “Tell me you want this.”

If she hadn’t been turned on before, she was glowing now. “Yes. God, yes, Dirk.”

He entered her, slowly and smoothly. Dirk was gentle and demanding at the same time, a marvelous combination that she hadn’t experienced before. He sank himself completely into her, but was careful not to hurt her. His arms shook gently as he held himself over her body.

“Are you alright?” she asked.

Dirk smiled and bent his head to kiss her neck. “I’m just excited.”

She thrilled at the words. To think that someone like Dirk Bennett, someone who could have any woman in the city he wanted, was actually excited to be with her. She had dedicated her life so thoroughly to Bios that she’d almost forgotten she was an actual person, with actual desires. She moved her hips against his, adjusting her legs to let him sink even deeper inside her. “You feel so good,” she whispered. She hadn’t realized just how much she had needed this, and she could feel her body coming to life.

He thrust a little harder at that, clearly turned on. His breath came faster. “Not as good as you do.”

A shimmering of energy pulsed through her body, contracting and releasing every muscle until her core was rippling around him, pulling him deeper, demanding that he give her everything he had. She cried out, unable to help herself. It was so fast and so strong, and there was nothing she could do about it. As the waves of ecstasy surged and swelled inside her body, she didn’t know if she wanted to laugh or cry, or maybe both. Her nails sunk into his back as she came, needing to keep him close.

His girth expanded and he pounded into her faster, coming with a roar that rivaled the rain outside. He collapsed on top of her, just barely keeping his full weight from crushing her. His lips traced her neck once more. “That was one hell of an experiment.”

“Agreed. I don’t think any of the science journals will care about our results, though.”

Alyssa blinked, trying to bring herself back to reality. She had just slept with the richest bachelor in New York City, and she doubted he was much of a snuggler. Now was the time when he made some sort of excuse about having to get up early in the morning so he could get her out of his apartment and have his bed back to himself. It would be a long ride home in the rain, but she still had to think of it as being worth it. She wouldn’t be forgetting this night anytime soon.

To her surprise, Dirk settled down on the bed next to her and pulled her close to him, spooning his body around hers. His arm draped over her ribcage and down across her waistline protectively. His other arm scooped under the pillow she was laying on, and even his leg twined around hers. He had her completely, and there was no talk of anyone leaving or what work they had to do in the morning. Content to let things be what they were, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes.