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But they had happened. And for a reason.
The minute his hand came near her chest, the cautionary reminder of her tattoo sent a spike of panic through her. He couldn’t see and didn’t know he was inches from completing their tattoo, but she knew. And it was far too close for comfort. All she could do was turn and run. Like that night, she couldn’t change what she’d just done, but she could put a stop to it and make sure it didn’t happen again. He could be a part of her life as the father of her child, but nothing more. And not yet.
This was all her girlfriends’ faults. They’d sown the seeds of doubt and discontent in her mind when they came over for dinner. Emma lay awake for hours thinking about the night she’d spent with Jonah and the lonely, miserable ones that had followed since.
She’d convinced herself that a man like Jonah would never be satisfied with a woman like her. The woman who fell into his arms that night didn’t really exist. Keeping their romance anonymous was what kept it special, what made it into the fantasy she couldn’t forget. It could never be ruined by the reality of who they really were, come daylight. And yet, the child they’d created that night would make destroying that fantasy a necessity.
After the last few days working with Jonah, she was beginning to wonder if ruining the fantasy would matter to him. Inexplicably, there was a draw between them that had nothing to do with masks and secrets. He had no idea who she really was and yet Jonah Flynn seemed genuinely interested in her. He was going out of his way to get her attention and she couldn’t understand why. He couldn’t possibly want her as she was. She seemed to do nothing but irritate him, based on the crease that was constantly present between his eyebrows.
Was he simply trying to woo his way into a favorable audit finding? It wouldn’t be the first time someone had tried to bribe or coerce an auditor. It had never happened to Emma before, so maybe she was being naive about his attentions. Perhaps a man like Jonah preferred the more pleasurable option of seducing them over laying out cash. The spark between them might simply make his job easier.
Of course, if he was going to that much trouble, it meant he had something to hide...
A deep feeling of unease pooled in Emma’s stomach. This was a huge and very important contract for FlynnSoft. If he was afraid she might uncover something that could risk it, she had no doubt he’d go out of his way to distract her. He didn’t necessarily have to think she was smart or pretty to pull it off. How could he, when he was used to dating fashion models and pop stars? Emma was just the rich daughter of someone far more important than she was. If all he really cared about was nailing the deal with Game Town, he would be willing to do it by any means necessary. Suspecting his motives would make it easier to ignore his advances, right?
At least for now. He’d certainly wanted her back in February when there were no audits, no accounts and no contracts. But then she wasn’t herself that night.
Emma tried to push that thought aside and focus on the numbers the rest of the afternoon. While her work might seem boring to some, what she’d said to Jonah about math was true. It never lied. It was a constant, and she found working with numbers to be soothing. She could lose herself for hours in the books, and today was no different. When she looked up, it was after six. Jonah had thankfully kept his promise to stay away for the rest of the day and she’d managed to get a lot done.
She considered packing up and going home, but restlessness still plagued her. She decided she’d been sitting for too long and headed straight down to the FlynnSoft gym. She’d packed a bag of workout clothes and brought them in after the guilty tiramisu consumption.
Tonight wasn’t about calories, though. She needed an outlet for the frustration and nervous energy threatening to bubble out of her, and some pounding on the elliptical machine was just the thing since pounding Jonah was not an option. She honestly wasn’t sure how much of this she could take. He was relentless, absolutely aggravating and refusing to take no for an answer. Her afternoon of peace would be the exception, not the rule, she was certain. Especially now that he knew he could wear her down after a while and get his way.
It made her wonder if he knew who she really was. Maybe it wasn’t about the audit at all. She hadn’t found a single questionable thing in the books to warrant a distraction. And yet, it would be impossible for Jonah to recognize her from that night. Not
a bit of her tattoo had seen the light of day. Their conversations offered no clues to her identity or their past. And yet he was constantly in pursuit of her.
Before she headed down to the gym, she stopped at the desk of Jonah’s assistant, Pam. “Is Mr. Flynn gone for the day?” she asked.
“Yes, he had a five-thirty dinner engagement.”
Perfect. “Thank you.”
Emma made her way down the hall, thankful that she would be able to work out in peace. In the locker room, Emma changed quickly into her standard gym clothes, which consisted of a tank top over a sports bra and a pair of jogging shorts. The top left the tattoo partially exposed and clung to the barely rounding belly of her pregnancy, making her frown in the mirror. She hadn’t thought about that when she packed her bag, but the time of baggy clothes and maternity outfits was right around the corner.
She considered changing back into her regular clothes and just heading home for the night, but she was actually looking forward to the workout. Emma glanced into the still-empty workout room and decided it was safe enough since Jonah wouldn’t be around to see it. No one else would understand the significance of either the tattoo or the belly.
The coast was clear. Harper was right. Apparently, software programmers were more likely to make use of the coffee bar and pinball machine than the exercise facilities. She jumped onto the closest elliptical machine, putting her water bottle into the cup holder and plugging her earbuds into her phone to listen to her favorite workout music.
Emma selected an upbeat seventies playlist and started moving to the disco beat that thrummed through her body. She closed her eyes and gave in to it. The sweat running down her spine and the ache of her muscles were welcome distractions from the confusion and arousal that had been her constant companions the last few days. She hoped that if she worked out long enough, her attraction to Jonah would seep out her pores and she would be better prepared to deal with him.
At least that was the idea.
Emma had always been a fan of exercise. You wouldn’t think it to look at her, but she recognized it as an outlet for her body’s impulses. The all-girls private school she attended for high school had encouraged them to be as active as possible. The nuns insisted that sweat was purifying and there was no desire that couldn’t be suppressed with a good workout.
She had reason to be a believer in its powers and fell back on it instead of eating when stress took over her life. She lost ten pounds after her breakup with David in February. Between him leaving and the fallout of her twenty-four-hour rebellion, she’d clocked in serious overtime at the gym. She’d finally regained those ten pounds due to her blossoming pregnancy, but she continued to work out, nonetheless. She didn’t want to get too large and spend valuable time postpartum worrying about extra pounds instead of enjoying precious moments with her newborn.
When her body was about to give out from the strain, Emma slowed her pace to cool down and opened her eyes. She smiled, pleased with her workout stats on the console. She may well have earned herself a treat after dinner. Maybe some nice dark chocolate would provide a pseudosexual chemical release to back her down from the edge.
Emma silenced her music and stepped onto the padded floor with gelatinous kneecaps. Her plan had worked. She was exhausted, sticky and thirsty. Sex with Jonah was the last thing she wanted at the moment. She reached for her water, taking a healthy swig, then began wiping her face with her towel.
The sound of a man’s laughter startled her. She yanked the towel from her face, pulled out her earbuds and looked around the gym, but found it to be just as empty as it had been before. Her only guess was that it must’ve been someone in the hallway walking past the gym. Or maybe her imagination was getting the best of her.
With another quick glance around, she gathered up her things and headed to the locker room just to be safe. Originally, she’d planned to shower and change here, but the unknown man’s laughter left her unnerved. What if Jonah had seen her? She had taken a huge risk tonight and she couldn’t repeat it. She needed to bring some gym clothes to work that wouldn’t leave her so exposed next time. Jonah might be out tonight, but that wouldn’t be the case every time she came down here.
Instead, she grabbed her tote bag, slipped a hoodie over her clothes just in case and headed to the exit.
She could bathe in private at home where she didn’t have to worry about who might be watching.
