Hardwired For Ecstasy Read online

  Still, if she finally decided to take him up on one of his offers, she didn’t want to be gossiped about, or one of dozens of women he was shuffling. Just because she didn’t read it in the tabloids didn’t mean it wasn’t happening.

  On Friday of her second week at work, she decided to so some fishing. It was killing her working side-by-side with him almost every day. Her hormones were out of control, and the long, searching looks he gave her unnerved her.

  He’d given her a few suggestions on her project the day before, and she had finished showing him the modifications she’d made that morning. She took a deep breath.

  “Do you have plans this weekend? As for me, I’ve decided it’s time to see this city. I’m going to take long walks tomorrow and Sunday, and see if I can’t find something interesting.”

  His face brightened. “I have no plans at all. Want me to show you around?”

  “No plans? You’re kidding. I thought the three of you Weathermen who weren’t engaged or married were still out there, partying every night and dating as many women as you could.”

  He narrowed his eyes slightly, and heat rose to her face. She glanced back toward her computer screen, mentally kicking herself in the ass. Could she have been any more obvious? For someone who had spent seven years tracking down criminals, her skills at staying inconspicuous were sorely lacking.

  “I’m a bit gun shy myself these days.”

  “What do you mean by that?” Emma clicked around unnecessarily so she could pretend to have something to pay attention to on the monitor.

  “I mean I can only assume you are, after your experience with Leland. I was letting you know I am, too.”

  She snapped her gaze to his face, remembering what he’d said that first day about having trust destroyed.

  “When people we believe care about us lie, it destroys our trust in everyone.”

  “Want to talk about it?” she asked.

  A slow, sexy grin spread over his face, and she had to bite back a moan. This had been the most challenging two weeks of her life. She’d had erotic dreams about this man every night, and each time she sat this close to him, she found her gaze drifting toward those full lips. She wanted to kiss them, and then rub her nipples across his five o’clock shadow in the worst way.

  “I will, but only if you have dinner with me.”

  “Ah, good to know you’re not opposed to blackmail.”

  He laughed, and the sound sent shivers down her spine. “It’s not blackmail. You can refuse, again, and nothing will happen to you.”

  “But you won’t stop pursuing me, will you?” Her heart raced. It was the boldest thing she’d ever asked anyone, but it had simply slipped out before she’d had time to think about it.

  He pushed a lock of hair off her face, and his touch was like a tiny jolt of electricity, coursing through her body. Her pussy was soaked in seconds. “No, I won’t.” That voice, soft but determined, had her swallowing hard against a sudden lump in her throat.

  Would it hurt to have dinner with him? No. In fact, it would be heavenly. Of that she had no doubt. She couldn’t keep this up any longer. She wasn’t strong enough. Fuck it. She wanted this man. She wanted him badly.

  “All right.”

  He looked surprised. “Excuse me?”

  She laughed softly. “I said all right. I’ll have dinner with you.”

  ****

  Atticus was more nervous about this date than any he’d had since high school. He’d never had to pursue a woman as much as he’d done with Emma, and that was part of the reason why. What if she wasn’t interested in seeing him, even after this evening?

  The simple truth was that he’d never expected her to go out with him in the first place. Forcing out the story of her and Leland’s relationship hadn’t been fun for either of them, and he wasn’t entirely sure she’d forgiven him for being such an ass. Until she’d agreed to have dinner with him.

  He texted his cook with a list of items to find for that evening, then left the office early after making sure Emma didn’t want him to walk over and escort her to his apartment.

  “Don’t be silly,” she’d said. “I know the way there, remember?”

  He didn’t tell her how that night still stood out in his consciousness as the night he’d been so tempted to seduce her that he hadn’t slept at all after she left. Maybe he’d tell her later? Maybe not. He’d have to see how the evening went first.

  Atticus also loved how she’d tried to find out if he was dating anyone right now. He wasn’t, and he’d need to tell her that for certain, because he didn’t believe Emma was the kind of woman who could deal with being a casual fling. Not after what she’d gone through with Leland.

  And he wanted no part of that any longer, either. Not after what he’d gone through recently. He’d tell her about that, too. Why not, after all? She’d bared her soul to him already. It was the least he could do in return.

  Emma was the kind of woman Atticus had always dreamed of finding. She wasn’t focused on or overly impressed with his wealth, she had brains, and she preferred working hard to leaving the office early to get her nails and hair done. Not that she needed to get either done. She was so damn pretty and sexy, but he also knew she didn’t realize that. He wanted to make her realize it. He wanted her to understand how perfect she was in his eyes.

  But he needed to take things slowly. She’d been burned in a bad way. From what she’d told him about her dating life before Leland, it had been non-existent and there had certainly been no sex. He’d never gone out with anyone who had such a sheltered past. He’d need to keep that in mind tonight, and allow her to set the pace.

  It wouldn’t be easy, because every second these past two weeks he’d spent with her at work had left him horny and ready to pour ice down his damn pants. But she was worth it. The way she talked about her design was as arousing for him as looking into her dark eyes, or watching her luscious ass move under her jeans when she walked. No matter what happened or not between them personally, he’d hired the right person to design this gadget and corresponding app.

  He surveyed the table in the rooftop space one more time. Jonas had done a wonderful job, as usual. The silverware gleamed in the candlelight. The wine was ready, and the fake park already smelled heavenly as the scents of lobster and steak wafted up from the kitchen below. He’d promised her a perfect steak in the park, and she would have one. And then, if he was very lucky, he’d have her for dessert.

  Chapter Eight

  Emma couldn’t help but be impressed with how much fuss Atticus had obviously made for this dinner. He did indeed have a room on the roof of the building that had been made up to look like a park. It even had the sound of birds chirping and squirrels chattering piped in, along with soft jazz.

  An actual picnic table sat in the center of the room, set with china and silverware, which should have looked out of place but somehow it didn’t. He’d lit candles everywhere, and the smell of the food made her mouth water.

  She gazed out the windows that lined all four walls. “There’s quite a view of the city from up here.”

  “The best part is that no one can see inside.”

  She turned to face him. “Why not?”

  “It’s a special kind of glass. Even with the lights on in here, no one can see inside the room. We have total privacy.”

  She returned his smile as images of them naked and sweaty in this very room filled her head. Would that happen? Was she ready for a sexual relationship again? And with her boss, yet? Or would that only lead to all kinds of complications at work she wasn’t prepared to handle?

  He poured them each a glass of wine, and she tasted it. “This is delicious.”

  “I hope you like the food as well.”

  “Did you make it yourself?”

  He chuckled. “Tease all you want but I actually can cook. I did grill the steaks. The rest of this meal was made by my housekeeper, who doubles as my cook.”

  “You have a household staff?�
��

  “Only two people. They’re married and were with me before we moved underground.”

  Leland had mentioned having a staff at his house, but she didn’t see the point in telling Atticus that. She was, however, now more than a bit curious how Leland could have afforded such luxuries. Odd how that had never bothered her before.

  They ate their salads, and she told him it was delicious. Then she asked when he’d started his company.

  “I was still in grad school. It began as a project I worked on, designing a better phone. Or, what I thought would be a better phone. The idea never took off because there were too many flaws in it, but from there I realized that was what I wanted to do. Design hardware, gadgets, and the apps that go into them.”

  “Where did you get the capital? And if that’s too personal a question, feel free to tell me to mind my own business.”

  He smiled. “It’s not too personal at all. My family is very wealthy. You know who Kane Bannerman is, right?”

  She nodded.

  “His company is over one hundred years old, and at one time, my grandfather was in business with his. Our fathers weren’t in business together, but neither were they rivals. In fact, my father credits his father with teaching him everything he knows about running a business.”

  “Did your father do what you do? Design hardware and such?”

  “No, he worked in finance first, like Kane’s family, and then moved into designing communications systems such as towers and routers. Do you remember I mentioned finding people who can help us figure out whether or not it’s possible to reverse the earth’s magnetic fields?”

  “Yes.”

  “One of the men who worked with my father when he moved into the communications systems field has a son who went into the same business for a while. His name is Corbin Bertrand, and he and I met as undergrads. Corbin now is CEO of California Systems. They keep the hothouses going so we all have food. Obviously there’s no need for cell towers underground, so Corbin took his knowledge of physics and applied it to something useful underground.”

  “So he’s your physics expert, then?”

  “Yes. We also have an engineer with expertise in both electrical and magnetic fields.”

  “How is that going, by the way? I mean the work on reversing the fields.”

  “We have a long way to go before coming up with any sort of test. We might not even be able to test it first. That’s what we have Corbin and Harold Gregory working on. Harold is the electrical and magnetic engineer. Currently, he’s VP of research at Air Dynamics. They built and maintain the air locks, and he’s a friend of Viggo’s.”

  She couldn’t help but smile. “Is there anyone in any field that at least one of you doesn’t know?”

  His grin sent wetness to her pussy again, and Emma squirmed in her seat. “We do have a lot of connections.”

  His talk about family money and one hundred year old companies convinced her more than ever that something wasn’t right about the amount of wealth Leland had, but she didn’t want to spoil the evening by mentioning it to Atticus. Maybe another time. Then again, why give a shit at all? Leland was out of her life forever, and she wanted to keep it that way.

  Their talk had turned back to the individual businesses of the Weathermen when their entrees were served. Emma tasted her steak, and made noises that she realized too late were more closely associated with being in the throes of an orgasm than with tasting fabulous food. She laughed to cover up her embarrassment. “Sorry, but this is seriously incredible.”

  “Thank you.” He bowed his head slightly. “I’m pleased you approve of my grilling skills.”

  “It’s perfect.” She tasted the lobster next and closed her eyes. “And this … I haven’t had lobster in years.”

  “When all this is over and we’re back on the surface, I’ll take you to Maine and we’ll go out on a boat and catch our own.”

  She looked into his eyes. “You believe that, don’t you? That we will be able to return to the surface and rebuild everything.”

  “I have to believe it, Emma. Otherwise, what’s the point of all this? We might as well go up there now and put ourselves at the mercy of the storms. Do you know I was reading one of the blogs the Storm Troopers keep just this morning, and it seems the blizzards and ice storms have taken over now. It used to be the tornadoes and floods they had to fear, but now they’re all battling ways to keep warm.”

  “Don’t we have enough data? Can’t they come back underground?”

  “Are you kidding? These men and women live for this. There’s a lot of lightning now, too. More than there used to be. Corbin and Harold are very excited about that because they say it proves the magnetic fields are working like they should.”

  “Does that mean they really believe they can be reversed?”

  “I think they believe it in theory, yes, because it has happened in nature. No one has tried to do it manually, and all at once, however.”

  “I hope it works, because I want to go to Maine now and catch lobsters with you.”

  He raised his glass, giving her one of those intense looks again that sent her heart fluttering. “So do I.” He clinked his glass against hers, and she realized that in the three years she had dated Leland, not once had he talked about their future, or speculated what they might do together if they could return to the surface one day.

  All the red flags had been there, but she hadn’t seen any of them. Or, perhaps she had, but she’d purposefully ignored them? It was easy to look back now and say should have, could have, would have. But at the time, she hadn’t consciously been aware of any more than an occasional misgiving. Those, she’d easily brushed aside each time.

  “Where did you go just now?”

  “What?”

  “You look far away.”

  “I’m sorry. Dreaming of what might be one day.” A tiny lie like that wouldn’t hurt anything. She certainly didn’t want to discuss Leland tonight, and she wished she’d stop thinking about her time with him.

  He gave her a sideways glance. “There’s something I wanted to explain to you.”

  “Okay.”

  “You were so open with me about your relationship with Leland, that I wanted to explain a comment I made to you.”

  “Was it the one about trust being destroyed?”

  There was that sheepish grin again. If he didn’t stop doing that, they wouldn’t make it to the end of dinner before she grew bold and horny enough to kiss him.

  “Oh, you caught that?”

  “Yes.”

  He leaned back and put his hands on the bench. “Her name was Alicia Mansfield, and you might hear her name at work because up until a couple of years ago, she worked in the administrative assistant pool.”

  Emma put down her fork to give Atticus her full attention.

  “We dated for over six months, and although I always use condoms on general principle, there was one time we didn’t. No special reason why. It simply happened. She was on the pill so we both laughed it off, but a couple of weeks after that day, she told me she was pregnant.”

  He had a child?

  “Unfortunately, I then found out she’d lied to me. She was never pregnant.”

  “How did you find out she lied?”

  He glanced away for a second, and she suddenly realized she hadn’t needed to ask. She knew exactly what he’d done.

  “You hacked into her medical records, didn’t you?”

  “Only because I suspected she had lied.”

  “Atticus, that doesn’t make it right.” Anymore than it had been right for him to go looking through confidential HR files at the Central Police Headquarters in Central.

  “I know. I’m sorry I did that. But that’s why I’m telling you this now. I’m ashamed of what I did.”

  “Are you also ashamed of snooping in my HR files, and in the HR files of my former coworkers?”

  “Yes and no. I did that because of reasons we’ve already discussed. I looked at Alici
a’s medical records because of things she said to others, that were then passed along to me, that made me believe she was trying to trick me into getting married.”

  “Wouldn’t the truth have come out eventually?”

  “We had stopped using condoms once I thought she was pregnant, and later she admitted she had stopped taking the pill. She was waiting to get pregnant for real.”

  “Um, does she think you can’t count? The timeline would have been off.”

  The corners of his mouth turned up slightly. “Yeah, I know. Her plan wasn’t very well thought out.”

  “Is that why you fired her?”

  “I didn’t fire her. She quit.”

  “You must have cared for her or you wouldn’t have made that comment about trust being destroyed.”

  “I did care for her. I hadn’t thought about marrying her, but once I thought she was carrying my child, I was ready to commit to her long-term for the sake of the child. What she did hurt me a great deal, and I never want to be lied to like that again.”

  “I can understand why something like that would make you wary of trusting anyone.”

  “It’s not only that. It made me think a great deal about marriage and children in general. I’m not getting any younger. I want to get married one day and have children before it’s too late to do either.”

  “Did you consider getting back together with Alicia?”

  “No. I knew I’d never trust her after that. I meant what I said about trust being destroyed in everyone. In fact, you’re the first woman I’ve trusted this much since she and I broke up.”

  She hadn’t expected that. “I’m flattered, Atticus. Thank you. Why do you trust me so much?”

  He leaned forward and reached across the table to take her hands. His skin was so warm, and his touch sent tiny shivers up and down her spine. “Because of what you went through. You gave your complete trust, not to mention your virginity, to a horrible man. What he did to you was the lowest of lows. And from what you said about your dating life before that, you were humiliated for years. No one I’ve ever known came out of experiences like that with the kind of drive and determination you’ve shown.”