Page 23 of Secret Revenge

They couldn’t possibly have figured anything out, I told myself.At worst they’re suspicious of me. There is nothing linking me to Michael’s attempted hack, or anything else.

My mind raced while I walked behind the guard, telling myself that was all true.

He led me towards a deserted parking lot and pointed between a row of cars.

This was very strange. It wasn’t a place you would take someone if you didn’t want them to be able to run. But it wasn’t exactly a place for an up-and-up interview either.

As I walked down the row of cars alone, glancing anxiously back over my shoulder, someone grabbed my arm. I yelped in surprise and stopped about an inch short of punching Travis Ross in the face.

“Looks like you couldn’t wait to see me again,” Travis said, a hint of amusement in his voice as he releases my arm and stepped back. His smile was playful yet cautious.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I shot back.

“Oh yeah? Well, yours was the last face I expected to see today.” He leaned on his shiny, black SUV, his eyes dancing as he asked me a thousand silent questions. He tapped his feet incessantly. “I remember you telling me you were uninterested in this project. Why did you change your mind?”

I shrugged and smiled coyly. I had no intention of showing him how much I’d been thinking about him, so I remained silent.

“You have got nothing to say?” he asked with feigned disappointment. “Looks to me like I was able to change your mind about coming here, after all.”

“Seems to me like you’re being entirely too cocky for your own good.” I crossed my arms across my chest like a barrier between us.

“I bet you didn’t think I was too cocky when we were together,” Travis teased in a low voice.

I prayed he couldn’t see me blush in the dim light of the parking lot. “Okay, timeout,” I said. “Whatever happened to the man who once told me to be professional? Because this doesn’t sound too professional.”

Travis looked around the car pack suspiciously, then turned to me. “Would you like to see how unprofessional I can be?”

And just like that, the images I had been keeping at bay all day were back. Travis’s hands on me, ripping my clothes off?—

Then Travis’s hands reallywereon me, moving me to press my back against his car. When I didn’t try to punch him again, he opened the car door and playfully shoved me into the backseat.

No no no!I thought. But it was myself I was yelling at. Because I definitely wasn’t going to walk away from this.

Travis crawled into the back seat after me, then shut the door behind him.

“This isn’t safe,” I hissed. “Anyone could walk by!”

“That’s part of the fun, isn’t it?” Travis asked with that wicked grin I’d been fantasizing about. And started unbuttoning his shirt.

Shit.

Well, at least this assignment was going to be interesting.

11

TRAVIS

Ihadn’t planned to get wild with Emily when I set out to find her. Me shoving her into the car had surprised me almost as much as it had surprised her. I had expected her to protest more when I touched her. Her willingness disarmed me completely. It seemed that if she was concerned about professionalism, her attraction for me overrode that. I felt a faint swell of pride.

I looked around the parking lot, then entered the car after Emily, shutting the door. There was more than enough space in the backseat of the Lincoln SUV for Emily and I. It wasn’t a king-sized bed, but it would do.

Emily scooted upwards on the seat, making room for me. Her expression showed surprise at her own actions, but also hunger for me boiling out from inside her.

When I saw her earlier, I forgot to keep a blank look on my face. There were a series of problems we could both get involved in if word got out about us, especially now that she was working for me… “independently.” How could anyone expect her to be independent when she was sleeping with me in the backseat of my car?

So much for independent journalism.

The risk was a small price to pay for this feeling.