the hurt and pain life wanted to inflict. Tess had admired it from the first moment she’d met him although it had made him a very difficult mark.
It also made him intriguing, mesmerizing, completely intoxicating. Adam Redhawk was a constant temptation to her. He made her want things, made her want him. In her bed, inside her body but also in her life. He was sexy, whip-smart, strong and honorable. He was the kind of man every woman hoped they would find but he was also the one that none of them could capture.
Adam never had a lack of women in his bed. Not that he bragged about it; she’d had to do her own digging on that point. And by all accounts from those who knew, his still waters ran deep and dirty in the bedroom. A staple on the “top ten sexiest bachelors” lists, Mr. Redhawk was a definite catch, but he refused to take the bait. Nobody stayed over. Nobody lingered in his life for long.
He was a challenge and Tess thrived on a challenge. She knew how to use her looks, her body and sexuality to get what she wanted. But she’d not pursued him, not taken that tack in her plan to get closer to him. He wanted her; she knew it. She wanted him; they both knew it. But she liked him and that feeling would not help her do what she needed to do. Those feelings would only lead to complications that she didn’t want or need.
So, the fantasy of Adam taking her, rough and tumble on his immaculate desk, had never become a reality.
A regret that had kept her up more than one night.
Adam continued his pitch, oblivious to where her mind had wandered. “You can find people. You blew apart the maze of bureaucratic bullshit and found my sister and brother so I think you can find out who is trying to ruin this company.”
Tess nodded toward the long leather sofa in his office. “This feels like a long story. Mind if I sit?”
“Of course.”
Tess took a seat, watching Adam prowl the perimeter of his office, pacing back and forth in front of the window as if he was imprisoned here in his high-end Silicon Valley prison. Maybe he was. Adam Redhawk had grown up with high expectations imposed on him and now he’d shouldered ones of his own making. When he spoke, it was controlled and even but she could hear the undercurrent of fury.
“In eight weeks we are launching an app that will revolutionize the world.” Adam glanced at her, his eyebrows raised in question. “All of this is confidential in accordance with your previously signed agreement. You understand?”
“Of course. You can count on my discretion,” she answered, not taking any offense at his question. Redhawk/Ling was a company that made dreams an actual reality and it was only natural that they would protect them like children.
“This app will make it possible for any device to communicate and work together with any other device. You can interchange apps, programs, music, documents...the operating system will no longer matter.”
Tess sat up a little straighter, her brain trying to wrap around this information. “This is going to make you rich.” She shook her head, laughing at the stupidity of her statement. “It is going to make you richer. Ridiculously rich.”
“Justin says that that there is ‘fuck you money’ and that this will be ‘I can pay someone to fuck you money.’”
“Justin would say that.” Tess chuckled, her mind turning the situation over in her mind. “So, someone is trying to steal information about the app?”
Adam nodded, coming over to sit next to her on the couch. He had his sleeves rolled up and when he leaned on his knees, his forearms flexed in that sexy way that got her attention every time. He was in great shape. His muscles shifting underneath his impeccably tailored suits made her mind wander to speculation about what he looked like under all that fabric.
Not that she had to leave it all up to her imagination. He’d been photographed when he’d raced in a triathlon last year. Miles and miles of taut, bronzed skin over muscles formed through years of running and hiking and competition. Her heart rate sped up and her palms itched to reach out and touch him again like she had just a few moments ago. That had been unexpected since she made it a point to avoid physical contact with Adam. But he’d