Page 21 of Seductive Architect
“Always.” And yet, not one of them had to do with the list of questions next to his photo on my wall. “It’s a bad habit.”
He shook his head. “Not bad. It’s who you are.”
Hudson leaned over the desk while I sat in silent shock. I’m sure once he heard about my theories, he’d change his tune. Outside the office, everybody played nice until they decided to put me in the crazy category. I had grown used to it.
“You’re doing it again.” He inched forward, almost lying on my desk now. A man bent over in my office. I shifted from the tightness in my pants. I prayed Janet didn’t barge in. “Come with me.”
“What?”
He shot upright, holding out a hand. “It’s an adventure.”
Or this was when he got me alone, out of view of security cameras?—
Stepping around the desk, he took my hand, pulling me to my feet. It wasn’t like when Wyatt lugged me around the office, but he had strength. I bounced against his chest, almost certainly jabbing him with my erection.
“I want to show you something.”
It should have set off red flags. He remained a person of interest. He hadn’t let go of my hand, and the strength in those fingers kept my brain cloudy. I didn’t so much as answer as give a slight nod. I might die tonight, but at least it’d be with a charming man… orbya charming man, I’d have to wait and see.
I let him pull me through the office. When we reached the elevator, he had an almost giddy expression. I wanted to be suspect, but he swung our arms back and forth as we waited. When it opened, he jumped —literallyhopped— inside the elevator. I shook my head, giving in to his antics.
He pressed a button for the sub-basement. When it asked for security clearance, he pressed his hand to the panel and let the laser read his eye. We installed the measures to prevent espionage. Competitors wouldn’t infiltrate as scientists. If a company wanted full access, they only needed somebody in the mailroom or one of the janitors.
The doors closed.
“You have access to the entire building?”
“Oh, yeah. Can you imagine those scientists picking up their own deliveries? They get annoyed when I don’t drop it at their door.”
“Sounds about right.”
“It’s not like I’m going to steal secret formulas.”
“That’s what a thief would say.”
“I should say Iamgoing to steal stuff?”
“Also, what a thief would say.”
When the doors opened, I could hear the rush of technology. Determined to mimic superpowers, Synergy had expanded its cybernetics division. The technology in my suit had beenliberatedand improved after borrowing it from their labs. I guess I shouldn’t throw stones when I walked a fine line between friendly acquisition and theft.
We walked down a sterile hallway with white walls. I had never been to this part of Ricardo’s operation. I had read the files and reports they produced. I imagined it to be robots with flamethrowers and people having limbs replaced with metal. It served as a reminder that not all of my research could be done remotely. That’s how I found myself with this rule breaker.
“Do you come down here often?”
He slowed his pace, putting thought into his answer. “Not as often as I like. I don’t like coming here when everybody is at work. People kind of ruin it.”
“I can empathize with that.” Both of us had a loner attitude, but I suspected it was for different reasons. “I’m not much of a people person.”
“I hadn’t noticed.”
For a second, I thought he might be taking a jab. Nothing on his face suggested anything but straightforward honesty. He stopped walking, his hand tightening mine. I glanced down as he moved from average human strengthinto the super territory. Just when I thought he might give himself away, he eased up. If I didn’t know better, I’d say he intentionally teased my curiosity.
We stood without speaking until it became uncomfortable. He chewed his lip, as if he wanted to say something, but hadn’t quite found the words. Is this where it happened? He took a step closer, almost forcing my back to the wall. Would this be where he whipped out a knife, and we’d wrestle to the?—
He leaned forward, and I jerked back. He froze, lips puckered.
It took a second for my brain to transition from death to… whateverthiswas. Just like before, I misread the situation, and Hudson considered this a romantic interlude. My inability to read people had turned what should have been a sweet gesture into something weird.
