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“And yet … here I am.”
“Yes.” He also pushed aside his plate. “I want you to do me a favor.”
“Anything.” That was how persuasive my attraction was—it could easily be leveraged against me. Somehow, walking away was actually not an option.
“Let Amano stay close whenever I’m not around. Not that I think you’re in any sort of physical danger,” he quick
ly added. “Just so that I can concentrate on what I need to do without worrying about you every second of the day. Not that I won’t, but—”
“Yes,” I said. “If that’s what you want. If it’ll make you feel better. Yes.”
He nodded, looking greatly relieved. “Thank you.”
I pushed back my chair again and stood, facing the windows. It was a blue-black night, with gray around the fringes as a light fog ribboned through the dense forest. The creek water ran steadily over the jutting rocks, creating whitecaps on the rapids. The shrouded moon dispersed silver hues through the clouds. It hadn’t rained in days, and I figured the monsoon season had finally abated. Though a sultry climate remained.
Dane crossed the room to stand behind me.
“I didn’t scare you, did I?” he murmured against my temple as his arms slid around my waist.
“No. It just seems that these complications are merely warnings. If these guys are so powerful, wouldn’t they—”
“I’m not sure what they plan to do. That’s why I want you to let Amano do his job. And once we have all of the security up and running, I’ll figure out what’s really going on and that’ll be the end of it.”
He sounded so certain that I couldn’t lob any sort of challenging thought his way. I honestly didn’t think that, now that he’d pinpointed the issues and possible culprits, he’d allow anything else to go wrong at 10,000 Lux. He was powerful, too. Anything standing in his way was but a roadblock to bulldoze through. I had complete confidence in him.
His lips brushed over the column of my neck and then he placed kisses along my shoulder. I watched him as my gaze lingered on the glass pane before me, the reflection of us a sensual one. He practically engulfed me with his large, muscular body, his strong arms encircling me.
Maybe there were menacing things happening. I knew to tread lightly. I knew to follow Dane’s instructions. Yet I couldn’t imagine any sort of personal threat. No one knew about my involvement with him. Hell, I wasn’t fully sure of my involvement with him. There was still so much to learn about the man. I didn’t even know when Dane’s parents had died or from what cause. And I was so new to the Lux that I didn’t know much about it and couldn’t be used for confidential information.
I’d definitely be the last person on anyone’s radar at this point. If they got personal. So far, Dane was right. The program at the Lux was being jacked in ways that didn’t prove bodily detrimental to Dane or anyone else. I had a very strong suspicion that was because whoever was responsible—one or all five members of the investment group he’d cut out—didn’t want major setbacks because they still wanted a piece of the pie.
If the Lux failed, they wouldn’t gain anything. If, however, they could convince Dane to call a truce and let them back in … They wouldn’t want to have wreaked too much havoc that would prove counterproductive to them in the long run was my best guess.
I latched on to this reasoning, mostly because it seemed the incidents were just nuisances. Again, costly for Dane and troublesome for his launch. But certainly possible to overcome. If someone was really out for bitter revenge, they’d mess things up significantly. Wouldn’t they?
“I know you’re not going to give up on fixing things at the hotel,” I said.
His warm breath teased my skin as he said in a low voice, “I’m not giving up on this, either.”
chapter 14
Exhilaration shimmied through me. “Thank you for confiding in me. I needed to hear more about you.”
His mouth swept up to my earlobe. Just below it, he nipped softly. “I need you.”
Those rock-hard arms tightened. I felt his erection and it completely undid me.
“Dane,” I whispered in the quiet room. My heavy eyelids dipped. “Whatever you want.”
It was all I could think to say. I needed him just as much. Craved him in the most overwhelming way.
He kissed my neck as his arms unlocked and his hands swept upward, palming my breasts. His touch wasn’t gentle. It was insistent. Greedy.
A sharp moan fell from my lips.
“I told you I’ve been patient,” he said. “As much as I could be when it comes to you.”
“And now?”
