Rich (Benson Security 5)

“Great. You need to know that she was very specific about keeping the attack quiet right now. She’s waiting to see what information Elle manages to get from the photos.”

“Aye, that sounds like Rachel. She’s all about controlling everything around her.”

There was no arguing with that. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Contact Elle if you have any questions about the server setup at TayFor or what she’s doing with the photos.”

“Will do. And good luck explaining this call to Rachel.”

“Thanks.” Harvard hung up. He needed all the luck he could get.

As he sneaked back into bed beside a gently snoring Rachel, he decided the conversation could keep until the morning. Lying on his back, he pulled Rachel closer until she was almost on top of him. With her arm around his waist and her leg over his thigh, he held her tightly.

“This is snuggle position number two,” he whispered. “Sleep well, Rachel. I’ll watch over you.”

And then he stared up at the bottom of the pool while planning exactly what he’d do to the men who’d attacked her once he found them. And he would find them. If it was the last thing he did.

Thankfully, Harvard had the good sense to get out of bed before Rachel woke up. She wasn’t sure what she’d have done if she’d woken to find them all over each other. This way, she could pretend the previous night had never happened. Which might make it easier to convince herself that she didn’t want a repeat of it.

She ran her hand over his side of the bed and found it was cold. Obviously, he’d been gone a while. A glance at the clock told her it wasn’t yet seven a.m., which was her usual time to get out of bed. Crazy man was probably off running laps of the park or working out in the building’s gym.

Her imagination provided her with an image of Harvard, muscles flexing and a light sheen of sweat on his skin as he worked on his fitness. Her cheeks heated with the memory of his body wrapped around her the night before. And then the heat deepened as she remembered his strong hands holding her as they’d kissed. He’d tasted of hot, sensual temptation. A taste she could easily become addicted to.

But the kiss had come before everything had gone to hell. And Rachel couldn’t help but wonder if he’d treat her differently now that he knew her history. Part of her thought it would be for the best if he withdrew. Another, worryingly larger part, knew she’d think less of him if he did.

The bottom line was, she was becoming far too familiar with Harvard’s touch.

Covering her face with her hands, she groaned. “What are you doing, Rachel?” she admonished aloud.

Playing with fire. That’s what she was doing. And it had to stop. She liked her life the way it was, liked the distance between herself and everyone else. When people got too close, it made her feel exposed.

And yet…Harvard had a way of shielding her from that exposure without making her feel like he was smothering her…

“No!” she snapped at herself. “Stop being so weak. You can resist.”

As her arms dropped to her sides on the bed, she opened her eyes and looked straight at the bottom of the pool. She should have kept them closed. Because the man who drove her crazy was right above her, cutting through the water with the grace and ease of a dolphin. But Rachel wasn’t fooled. Harvard was no friendly sea creature; he was as much of a predator as she was. He just hid it better.

All thoughts of getting out of bed fled now that she had Harvard to watch. No sane woman on the planet would give up the opportunity to ogle that. And if that made her a pervert, she didn’t care. It wasn’t like she could help it. He was only fourteen feet above her, with just the glass between them.

Fourteen feet. About four meters.

A surge of adrenaline shot through her, propelling her from the bed. She rushed to the bathroom to use the facilities and quickly brushed her teeth and hair—because even in a hurry, there were still standards one must adhere to. She didn’t bother getting dressed though; Harvard had already seen her nightwear. Instead, she raced up the stairs and slammed through the door to the pool room.

Rachel picked up a float she used when she worked out in the pool and lobbed it at his head. Of course, she missed and hit that ugly gnome instead. Her aim seriously sucked. But it was enough of a disturbance to get his attention. He came up out of the water like Neptune, muscles flexing as the droplets ran down his skin. For the love of all things haute couture, it was distracting.

“Hey, gorgeous, you’re awake.” His smile was wide and intimate and had her second-guessing her decision to talk to him before getting dressed for the day. “You coming in?” As he dragged his hands through the water, her eyes followed the movement. It was mesmerizing.

She shook her head. “No. Something’s just occurred to me. We need to check the cameras outside West Building.” The block that housed her mother’s lab. “Elle said there was a script running on the computer that enabled an automatic download to the Wi-Fi card reader periodically. Her theory was that the only time someone handled the reader was when they swapped out a full memory card for a fresh one.” She took a deep breath.

“Go on,” Harvard said, moving closer.

“What if the files stolen during the time we set the trap weren’t taken on schedule? What if someone was outside the building, using their phone to tell the card reader to copy files? To take advantage of the security issue. The reader has a range of twenty meters. It’s possible someone could have been close enough to the building to communicate with it.”

He nodded slowly. “And phones aren’t banned from the grounds, just the buildings.”

“Exactly.” She smiled at him. “We need to look at the security footage. Should I call Ryan and tell him to pull it?”

Harvard angled his head and smacked his ear, as though clearing water out of the opposite one. “Say that again,” he said. “I’m a bit clogged.”

“I said”—she leaned closer—“should I call Ryan or wait until we get to the office to talk to him?”