“Wise choice,” Miranda said coldly.
“Is Dover planning a lawsuit against us?” the manager asked.
“I’m not at liberty to say yet. We haven’t completed our investigation into this, so Dover hasn’t made any decisions one way or the other just yet.” A faint smile touched Miranda’s lips. “If you have nothing more to add, I think we can conclude our meeting.”
“Very well.” The manager frowned but got to his feet. “You can always reach us through our lawyer.”
“Oh, believe me, we will.” Miranda stood up and everybody followed her lead. Several minutes later Simon led his guests out, while Heather lingered in his living room. He found her sitting on one of the plush sofas, her long legs tucked underneath her.
Simon smiled at the sight of her looking so comfortable and at home in his apartment. This was what he wanted. For Heather to spend more time with him outside of Dover. That way they could take their time getting to know each other.
More than anything, he wanted to learn more about her. Find out everything he had missed in their years apart.
“I think the meeting went well,” she said. “I just can’t believe that the hacker might be someone important at Dover.”
He took a seat beside her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Right now, he didn’t want to focus on Dover. But if she was still trying to process what they had just learned, he’d be here for her. “That’s what the hacker told the electricians,” he pointed out. “For all we know, it could have been some low-level employee posing as an executive to have easier access to the building.”
Her mouth fell open. “I never thought of that. Crap! This means the hacker could be anyone who works at Dover.”
“It’s someone who knows how to break into a damn good security system,” he said. “Which narrows down the suspects. But not by much.”
“For all we know, it could be more than one person,” she said.
They had considered that before but had never homed in on what the implications of that meant. If they were dealing with more than one spy at Dover, then they were dealing with far more than a disgruntled employee. Multiple players meant a conspiracy. That unsettled him. Made him paranoid, which wasn’t something he was used to grappling with. “It’s hard to imagine Dover having so many disloyal employees.”
“Think about it,” she said. “First, your former assistant gave away Dover’s secrets. Then came the hacking. We’ve already established that it couldn’t have been a coincidence, so someone is probably orchestrating all this.”
“It’s an angle Dover’s lawyers are working on, but...” His eyes narrowed, and his entire body tensed.
Heather placed her hand on his thigh, her touch already calming the outrage that was boiling within him. “I know how hard it must be to imagine something like that.”
“Not one, but multiple Dover employees plotting to bring the company down.” He rubbed his temples, fighting the stress that the tension of the day had brought. “It really is hard to take it all in. Honestly, things were easier when I thought the electricians were the culprits, but it looks like they got duped into this scheme.”
“A lot of people got duped,” she said gently.
His gaze met hers, and when her eyes softened remorse slammed through him. He had been duped. Duped into believing the worst about her.
Reaching for the hand on his thigh, he squeezed it gently. “I got duped. I’m sorry, Heather.”
“You don’t have to keep apologizing,” she said. “Everything is forgiven now.”
Having her forgiveness was so much more than he deserved. He brought her hand to his lips and gently kissed it.
“Oh, Simon.” Her voice was breathless, but she held his gaze as he released her hand. “Do you want me to stay?”
He leaned forward and pressed his mouth against hers. Her soft lips parted slightly, and she sighed against his kiss. When he pulled back, he answered her question with one of his own. “What do you think?”
“Touch me,” she breathed. Her hand found his again and she pulled it up under the hem of her shirt, the skin beneath soft to the touch. Simon let his hand caress her smooth stomach and her breath hitched audibly as he dragged his palm upward.