Tempted & Taken (Men of Haven #4)(10)
The door kachunked behind her.
Darya turned, the pleasant smile she’d intended for Katy evaporating along with all the air in her chest. Instead of Katy strolling through the large door, Knox ambled her direction, a smile in place potent enough to disarm the most jaded woman and a bottle of water loosely gripped in one hand.
And he was gorgeous. So much more than what the pictures she’d scrounged up promised. More intensity. More charisma. More everything. Like in all the photos she’d seen, he wore faded Levis and military-style black boots. His T-shirt was a deep gray that accentuated his lean, but muscled torso, and tattoos peeked out from each sleeve.
It wasn’t until he moved within reaching distance and held out the water he’d brought her that the white graphic on the T-shirt registered—a classic Impala and the phrase, Get in, loser. We’re going hunting.
“You like Supernatural?” she blurted.
His smile deepened and he wiggled the bottle still in his outstretched hand. “Not even officially introduced yet and you’re already scoring points for good taste.” A rugged leather watch with a thick camel-colored band covered his wrist, while a darker brown cuff and two smaller bracelets made of turquoise and red shells circled the other. Total rock star.
She took the water, wishing she could press the ice-cold plastic against her flaming cheeks, but juggled it with her briefcase instead and offered her hand for a formal introduction. “Sorry. I’m JJ.”
His grip engulfed hers, the warmth of the contact and the way he leisurely perused her from head to toe scattering her barely resuscitated thoughts. “Not a thing to apologize for from where I’m standing.” His gaze settled on hers, the impact of it stoking grossly inappropriate thoughts. Vivid, carnal and deliciously wicked thoughts. His voice lowered and rasped with pure sexual promise. “I’m Knox.”
Oh, yes. Definitely dangerous territory. Absolutely the worst trespass her mind could make with plans to pitch her future so close. She forced herself to relinquish his hand. “I’m very pleased to meet you.”
His beautiful gray eyes sparked with mischief and he grinned in a way that said he hadn’t missed the huskiness in her response. He sidestepped and swept his hand toward the door, but rather than use the movement to add more distance, he splayed his hand at the small of her back. “How about we get out of the lobby and give you a chance to get your bearings before we talk shop?”
Walking was good. Distance would be even better. Although, for the first time since she’d started wearing heels, she wasn’t sure if she could put one foot in front of the other without looking like a newborn deer.
Behind the industrial steel door, the air was even colder, the steady draft tunneling between the glass walls on either side of her gently lifting the hair off the back of her neck. “You must really hate July in Texas.”
“My servers hate July in Texas. I learned to tolerate it like every other native before I left the cradle.”
Behind the glass, server racks stretched tall and wide in precise rows. Her heels clicked against the industrial tile, mingling with the steady hum from the machines. “This is all for your security company?”
“Some of them. The rest support the traffic from my apps.”
Well, that was silly of her. The very reason she was here and she’d not been smart enough to realize he’d need a sizable infrastructure to support the business he’d built. She slowed her steps, appreciating how the wires ran in neat rows up the back of each stack then disappeared into the iron racks above. Combined with the soft blue light emanating from the ceiling can lights she felt a bit like she’d entered a sci-fi flick. “It’s quite overwhelming.”
He chuckled and placed his hand on yet another bio scanner beside a black wood door. “Overwhelming is when a server goes down and pissed off customers start calling in.” The lock released and he opened the door for her. “There’ve been a few drills I’d liken to an electronic version of a needle in a haystack, but hey. Nothin’ like a challenge to keep a man sharp.”
For some reason, the image of Knox knee-deep in a challenging situation sent a charge through her strong enough to power half the machines they’d left behind. True, he was handsome, but nothing captivated her more than a man’s intelligence. Considering Knox had both in spades, it was a wonder she’d been able to string more than three words together, let alone remember her name.
She trailed behind him into his office. It had the same contemporary feel as the lobby, only less intimidating in its colors. A soft gray chenille sofa and two club chairs covered in a matching patterned fabric were arranged near a window on the far side of the room. In the center was what she assumed was Knox’s desk, though it was far more unconventional than the standard arrangement. Where most people chose to arrange their furnishings with their back to the wall and a bird’s-eye view on the entrance, Knox’s wide steel desk faced an astounding number of monitors mounted on the far wall, each of them streaming what she assumed was live footage from a number of businesses. Even more impressive were the four oversize computer monitors arranged in a semi-circle in the center of his desk.
In the monitors hanging on the wall, people went about their daily activities, innocently working, drinking and eating without so much as a clue they were being watched.
The muted tap of fingers on keys sounded and the screens went dark.