was anything to go by.
“Were you expecting someone else?” She arched a delicate
brow.
“No.” Clearing his throat, he opened his mouth to explain.
He had already decided to tell her the truth but now that the time was here, a
lump formed in his throat. His chest ached. He couldn’t speak.
“You didn’t answer my question. What are you doing?” She
edged along the table, keeping a chair between them as she pulled up his last
transaction. The transaction he hadn’t had time to delete.
“Who are you—really?” she asked, her troubled gaze cautious.
“First Commander Maverick Spencer of the Federation Earth
Council.”
“What are you doing…posing as…posing as my sexbot?”
Taking a deep breath, Mav began his explanation. “Orbmed is
under investigation. A drug invented by you and manufactured by Orbmed has been
altered.” His eyes intent, he studied her and gauged her reaction.
Her gaze never wavered. She pursed her lips and narrowed her
eyes but they held no surprise.
His heart stopped and then thundered. He couldn’t believe
she was responsible. There had to be a reason. Maybe she had been
forced—blackmailed, even.
Kari sighed. “I know. I discovered the inconsistency
myself.” She walked toward a cabinet. Placing her hand on the scanlock, she
eased the drawer open.
Mav tensed as she reached inside. A sigh of relief passed
his lips as she pulled out a heavy file. “Here are my findings. I’m not sure
who’s responsible, so I’ve told no one.”
She slapped the file down on the table. The sound echoed in
the small room. “I’ll help you find the culprit because I don’t want to be
associated with the manufacturing and distribution of illegal drugs. But after
this is over…” she sniffled, raised her chin as her eyes flashed defiance, “I
never want to see you again.”
“Kari, don’t,” he said, frustrated that he had allowed
himself to be backed into a corner.
“No!” She held up her hand. “Don’t you dare try to justify
your actions. You show up here under false pretenses and seduce me. All along,
you were only after information. You’ve hacked into my system and you expect me
not to be upset?”
“It’s not like that. I had to come. It’s a matter of life or
death. I didn’t want to hurt you. I was going to tell you the truth. I didn’t…
I didn’t take you because…” His voice trailed off.
Kari chuckled. “I guess you want a medal for that. You’ll
have to do better than that if you want a medal from me so…fuck off.” She spun
on her heel.
He grabbed her arm. “I didn’t stop because I don’t want you.
Just the opposite. I do want you.” He moved closer and whispered in her
ear. “ I want you to make love to me . Not Mav II, the droid. I
want you to give yourself completely to me, knowing who and what I am.”
“Jesper’s Galaxy’s three suns will freeze first.” She yanked
free of his grasp. Flipping a dark look over her shoulder, she slammed the door
behind her.
Mav scratched his head. “Well. That could have gone better.”
Chapter Two
The first thing Mav noticed about Kari as he stepped into
the kitchen was her clothes. A non-descript black pantsuit with a blouse
buttoned up to her neck. An ensemble designed to turn him off. It didn’t work.
He knew the feel, taste and scent of every inch of her skin. Seeing her covered
from head to toe only made him more determined to peel those clothes from her
enticing body.
“An interesting read.” He flopped the file down on the table
between them. He had spent the last two hours in her office analyzing all the
data. After digi-scanning the file to Rebecca, they agreed there were two main
suspects. Harmon Core, the founder of Orbmed and Justina Blake, a relatively
new hire in the labs. It had to be one or the other. It was possible that they
were both involved.
Kari had yet to look at him. Shuffling bowls and utensils,
she attempted to appear busy arranging food on a tray. She glanced