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Chapter
Thirteen

Julianne
had both stories finished by the time Kane poked his head in the door and asked
if she was hungry. She glanced up, frowning, then cut her gaze back to her
laptop. “I’ve been in here five hours?”

“
Yes. I didn’t want to disturb you.”

“
I’m starving.” She laughed. “I get like this. I just
type and don’t move.”

“
I totally understand. Would you like to go out to eat?
I don’t do that very often because it’s expensive, and the food is usually not
worth the over-inflated price, but I’ll take you out if you want to go.”

Julianne
shook her head. “Spoken like a true financial genius. I’d rather cook something
here.” She stretched. “Afterwards, I’m sure we’ll think of
something
to do.”

He
grinned. “Did you know there’s a rooftop pool?”

“
You’re kidding. And here I thought I’d seen the entire
apartment.”

“
You did, but the pool was being cleaned so I didn’t
take you up there. It’s enclosed, heated and completely private. We can see out
the windows but no one can see inside.”

She
rose and stretched again. “Pity I didn’t bring a swimsuit with me.”

He
chuckled. “You won’t need one. Shall we get started on making dinner?”

“
Let me email these stories to Patti and then I’ll join
you in the kitchen.”

“
You’ve finished both?”

“
Yes. Once she looks them over and suggests changes,
I’ll let you see them.”

“
I’d appreciate that. Thank you.”

“
Did you speak with your father?”

The
light left his eyes. “Yes. We’re keeping Isabelle on for now to watch her.”

He
said nothing else, and the silence was suddenly awkward. “I’ll meet you in the
kitchen then as soon as I finish the email.”

Kane
nodded once then left the room. Julianne watched the space where he’d been
standing for a few seconds, wondering what else he and his father had talked
about. The air in the room was suddenly chilly. Perhaps it was better she
didn’t know what had happened between them? Obviously they didn’t have a good
relationship.

Dinner
consisted of baked chicken and veggies, and it was delicious. Julianne asked
him why he didn’t have a housekeeper to help with such a large apartment.

“
I do, but she only comes in once or twice a week. I
prefer to do the cooking myself, but she buys groceries and other items I
need.”

“
I have a tough time imagining you scrubbing toilets or
buying eggs and milk.”

He
smiled. “I could if I had to, you know.”

“
That’s good to know. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“
I really did want to take you out, Julianne.”

“
I know you did, and thank you for that. I’m happy just
to be here with you right now.”

After
dinner, they took bottles of water and a pitcher of margaritas plus glasses to
the top floor. Julianne whistled as Kane flipped on the lights in the room.
They had been designed to look like
Tiki
torches, and
they filled the space with a soft, flickering glow that she could almost
pretend was real. The palm trees were real, as were the flowering bushes. “Who
takes care of the exotic plants?”

“
My housekeeper.”

“
Do you also have a pool boy?”

He
laughed. “No, but I do have maintenance performed on it every quarter.”

The
pool was a decent size and was marked off at depths from three feet to six
feet. The water looked inviting, and there were even cushions to float on. She
gazed out the windows at the fake setting sun and skyline of the city stretched
out below. “How is it no one can see inside here even with the lights on?”

“
Magic.”

“
Try again.”

“
It’s called privacy glass. My friends introduced me to
it before any of us moved underground. When the cities were constructed, most
of the higher end apartment complexes and office buildings had it installed.”

“
It’s ingenious.” She walked around the perimeter of
the rounded pool. “We could swim buck naked and fuck like bunnies but no one
would see us.”

“
That’s the idea, Julianne.”

She
shivered. “I see. Do you bring all your girlfriends up here?”

Kane
placed the drinks on a table and moved toward her. He cupped her face, his
expression serious. “The only woman in my life is you.”

“
You’ve known me less than a week.”

“
I’ve known you for five years.”

“
Kane—”

“
Julianne, I’m not a player.” His words cut her off.
“You’d be shocked how little I date anymore. Women don’t see me for who I am
inside. They see my money and my company, and they can’t get past it.”

“
I’m not after either your money or your company.”

The
tender look in his eyes surprised her. “I know that, and I know that’s not what
you want now.”

“
It’s not.”

“
What
do
you
want, Julianne?”

She
swallowed hard.
Good question.
The
truth was that she had no clue, but she did know one simple truth. “You. I want
you, Kane. Not the billionaire who owns Bannerman Investments, but the man
standing before me right now. The one who has a wicked sense of humor, and
enjoys kinky sex, and kisses like nothing I’ve ever experienced. The man who
makes me laugh, and keeps me on my toes, and who won’t let me get away with any
shit.”

“
I’ve wanted you for five years now.”

Her
breath caught in her throat. Why hadn’t she known that before now? “You have
me. All of me.”

Kane
kissed her, softly and tenderly, but the effect was the same as his rough and
tumble kisses. Julianne wrapped her arms around him and pushed closer, rubbing
her body against his erection. When he released her mouth, he trailed a line of
liquid fire over her collarbones and down one arm.

He
removed her top and bra in one fluid motion, and then he took off his shirt and
jeans while she watched. When he was down to his birthday suit, she slid off
her shorts and panties. “I’ve never gone skinny dipping.”

He
grinned, taking her hand. “Now’s your big chance.”

The
water was warm, and she sighed as they stepped in. Julianne swam out to the
deep end, wishing they were on the surface years ago, in the ocean he loved,
where there had once been white sand and blue skies. Would they ever see that
again?

Kane
swam next to her for a few laps, and then Julianne pulled one of the cushions
into the pool and climbed onto it. She lay on her back, hands behind her head,
staring up at the fake night sky painted on the ceiling. “This is wonderful.
Who designed it?”

He
climbed onto a cushion next to her. “Damien Rivera, the same man whose designs
you wrote about.”

“
So, he doesn’t only design shelters?”

Kane
chuckled. “No, he doesn’t. When this building went up, it had a pool up here,
but it was open. I wanted it enclosed and private.”

“
So you could float naked on cushions?”

He
gave her a molten look of lust. “That, and other things.”

She
closed her eyes and absorbed the soft sound of lapping water below them, the
scent of Kane’s shampoo, and the aura of being this close to him, naked. No
matter what happened Monday morning when they both returned to work, she’d have
this weekend. No one could take that from her.

Julianne
heard Kane roll off the cushion into the water, and then he was there, standing
in chest-high water next to her. She opened her eyes and smiled as he grasped
her breasts in strong hands. “I will never tire of touching your body.”

“
I’m glad, because I like it when you touch my body.”

He
bent his head and licked her nipples. How she could still be this horny after
all the sex they’d had during the past twenty-four hours amazed her. He truly
must be as magical as he kept teasing her about. Or maybe it was simply that
she’d had too many dry spells, and was now making up for lost time? She’d
fantasized about this man for five years, but this wasn’t a dream. He was real.
He was here.

Julianne
rolled off the cushion and wrapped her arms around Kane. He kissed her, and
this time it wasn’t tender or gentle, but she loved it. When he released her
mouth, he picked her up and carried her to the deck. “Wait here a second.”

“
Like I’d go anywhere.”

Kane
retrieved the cushion she’d been floating on and flopped it onto the pool deck
next to her. “Much more comfortable than the tiles.”

“
Wetter, too.”

“
The dry ones are too far away.” He crawled onto the
cushion and took her hand, pulling her down with him. “Besides, I like things
wet.”

“
I’ve noticed that.”

“
Get on your hands and knees.”

How
could she fail to obey that sexy, dominant voice? She did as he asked, and then
he brushed his hands over her body, eliciting loud moans from her as arousal
built once more. “You’re so fucking sexy.”

“
So are you.”

“
Thank you.” Kane slid his dick into her pussy from
behind, and Julianne cried out loudly. He slipped a hand underneath to tease
her clit, and that was all it took. The climax was insane.
How does he do that so damn easily?
She rode the waves, not minding
that the cushion was really difficult to balance on, especially because it was
so water-logged. It made things more interesting.

He
thrust in and out with more strength and stamina than she could comprehend.
When a second orgasm began to build, she closed her eyes and let it happen.

“
Oh, Julianne, I will never stop wanting you.
Never
.”

I hope not.
When she came a second time, he
did, too, and then they both collapsed onto the cushion. Julianne didn’t want
to leave, but Kane crawled off her and turned her over. He took her hand and
pulled her to her feet. “Let’s swim some more.”

“
Are you human?”

“
Why do you keep asking me that?”

“
Because I’ve never met anyone who had so much energy.”

He
pulled her close and stroked her damp hair. “It’s a holdover from my childhood.
We weren’t allowed to relax, or play games, or do anything that wasn’t directed
toward a goal. I’ve been learning the family business since was I was twelve.
This is all I’ve ever known. So now, when I have the chance to let loose and do
something fun, you know, like swim naked with a beautiful woman, or make love
as many times as possible in one weekend, I do it.”

Despite
the words, there was something sad and poignant in the tone of his voice, and
deep in those gorgeous hazel eyes, that made her heart flutter. She’d never
imagined that Kane Bannerman lived anything except a charmed life. She saw him
as a carefree person who did what he wanted, when he wanted to do it.

Julianne
realized she’d not only oversimplified his life, but she’d also assumed a great
deal that simply wasn’t true. He worked very hard, no doubt about that, but
when it came time to play, he put as much passion and energy into that as he
did his work. He wanted to share that passion and fun with her. It was too much
to take in right now. Her head swam with everything that had happened since
she’d walked into his office again on Monday.

She
smiled at him, and then she waded into the pool with him behind her. It was
time to let go a bit as well, and enjoy this enigmatic, sexy man. The fact that
she might not be walking straight by Monday was incidental. Walking was
overrated anyway.

Chapter
Fourteen

Julianne
felt like she was living a fairytale during the next two weeks. She hadn’t
spent a night in her own apartment since Friday, and only saw the inside of it
when she returned there to pick up more clothes or personal items. She did her
laundry at Kane’s apartment. Or rather, his housekeeper did it. They ate dinner
together each evening, and either swam in the pool afterwards or watched a
movie, if they didn’t go out.

Kane
took her to the symphony one evening, where he had box seats of course, and she
loved being able to dress up and pretend she was royalty for the evening. He
did indeed look the part in his tux, and in the way he simply told people to
bring them things and they did. What she especially loved was the way he
treated everyone, however. He wasn’t smug or demanding. He was polite and
appreciative, and she hadn’t expected him to be that way.

He
also took her to the city park, where they walked and admired the exhibits of
local artists and craftsmen. There was a fountain in the center of the park
that he told her a fascinating story about, which included the tricky mechanics
of getting it to work in the first place.

Apparently
when the city was built, the underground plumbing schematics hadn’t originally
included piping into the downtown area. Kane told her it was still a running
joke among the Weathermen that anyone needing to use the bathroom in downtown
NorthEast
was supposed to simply piss in the street. She’d
laughed until she almost had to excuse
herself
to the bathroom when he’d told her that story.

Every
evening they made love, and sometimes they didn’t make it into the bedroom to
do so. By the end of two weeks, Julianne realized there were only a few rooms
in the apartment where he hadn’t fucked her. Her entire body was sore, but she
didn’t care. She’d never had so damn much fun, or so much incredible sex, in
her life. She loved it, and it was becoming more difficult with each passing
day not to fall head over heels for Kane Bannerman.

Patti
had loved the stories, and they would both be published in the coming months.
Kane had promised her an exclusive interview with each of the Weathermen, with
the understanding that she stay focused on each of their companies and the
contributions they made to the world of technology.

She
was allowed to focus somewhat on the angle of taking back control of The
Madeline Project, and finding those responsible for the Tommy Twister virus,
but she had to stay away from writing about secret teams. She’d easily agreed
to that condition, and when she told Patti about the upcoming interviews, Patti
had practically drooled. The Weathermen weren’t known for granting interviews
very often.

On
a Friday afternoon, two weeks after the hockey game, she was updating her notes
on the interviews. She’d already interviewed Ace Easton, Emmett Radcliffe, and
Damien Rivera. Dominic Greco and Addison Carlyle were scheduled for the
following week, and Barclay Hampton, Grayson Jensen, Oliver Fairchild, Atticus
Yates,
Viggo
Ingram, and Blaine Parker had all
confirmed their interview times during the next three weeks.

Julianne
was working in Kane’s apartment, and he came into the room to ask her how
things were going. She showed him the calendar she’d just finished updating.
“It seems no one has scheduled anything for this week.” She pointed toward the
last week in the following month. “Is there something going on?”

“
That’s when Ace and Harper are getting married. We’re
all attending, of course. By the way, would you please come along as my date?
You could meet all of them in person that way.”

A
shiver ran down her spine, but not because he’d asked her to attend with him,
or because it was a wedding. “I’d love to. It’s in
NorthCentral
,
right?”

Kane
nodded.

“
Where Rob and Olivia Marin live.”

“
Right again.”

He
hadn’t mentioned them or Isabelle in two weeks, and she hadn’t asked, but now
she wanted to know. “Have you fired Isabelle yet?”

“
I have not. I’m still monitoring what she’s doing.”

“
What is she doing? Can you share anything? Strictly
off the record, of course.”

The
corners of his mouth turned up as he perched on the edge of her desk. “It’s
actually quite amusing to watch. I never noticed before because I wasn’t paying
attention, but she pulls HR work out of the queue first, even if she has to
scroll down several pages to find it.”

Julianne
frowned. “Why hasn’t anyone noticed this?”

He
shrugged. “Too busy, and too many of them to watch. As long as the queue stays
current and each of them does the same number of tasks, or close to it, no one
tracks what specific tasks they do.”

“
What is she looking for?”

“
More of what she gave you, I imagine, only she won’t
find it. It was an oversight that allowed her to find out about the new teams
to being with, but that won’t happen again. None of the correspondence for them
or for the hacker team goes through HR now. Not even when they’re first hired.
It comes through me and Agnes only.”

“
Do you trust Agnes?”

“
Completely. She might not be a pleasant person, but
she’s loyal. I’d stake my life on that.”

“
How long will you let Isabelle search?”

He
sighed. “Not too much longer. Has she contacted you again?”

“
Nope. Not
so
much as a text
message, which is odd. I’d have told you if she had.”

“
I have to figure out a way to let her go without
outing you.”

“
Didn’t you talk to your father about that?”

“
Not that detail. He’d leave it to me regardless.
My
problem, and all that goes with it,
you understand.”

There
was that tone again. The same one he’d used when he’d given her a glimpse into
his childhood the first time they swam in the pool. “Is it that he can’t be
bothered with day-to-day details?”

“
Something like that.”

“
You’re lucky in that respect. I’m sure you’ve noticed
how many times a day my family texts me. I know everything about them, down to
what they each had for lunch.”

His
smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I’ve never known that kind of closeness
with my parents.”

“
You’re an only child?”

“
Yes.”

“
That’s why, then. They probably treated you like an
adult most of your life.”

A
muscle in his jaw twitched. “That’s true. They did.”

She
rose and walked around the desk to stand in front of him. “Do they love you? I
mean, do they say it or show it?”

His
gaze grew hard. “Depends on how you define ‘love’.”

“
How do they define it?”

“
By how much cash you earn them, how often you do
exactly as they say, and by the number of times you
don’t
embarrass them or the company.”

She
swallowed against the sudden lump in her throat. “I’m sorry, Kane. I find it
difficult to imagine growing up like that. My parents were the opposite of
driven. They’re happy each of us ended up employed, period. It doesn’t matter
to them where we work, or what we do for a living.”

“
You’re blessed.”

“
I know.”

He
stared at her for so long she grew uncomfortable, but not because he was
silent. It was because he seemed to be weighing his next words, and she
suddenly didn’t want to know what he was about to say. “My father had some very
uncharitable things to say about us.”

She
swallowed hard again. Julianne knew that Daniel Bannerman had demanded her
termination from
The Whole Truth
five
years ago. She also remembered how he had publicly denounced her and the
magazine. It came with the territory when you wrote for a rag mag, but that
didn’t mean it hadn’t hurt like hell at the tim
e
.

It
was also part of the reason she’d written the letter to Kane and badgered
The Whole Truth
to print the retraction.
But to find out Daniel still hated her sent a wave of profound sadness through
her.

“
He’s still angry about the piece you wrote, but he’s
even angrier with me.”

“
Why?” She suspected she already knew.

“
Because he knows I’m seeing you now.”

“
Did you tell him what I wanted to write at first?”

“
God no. I’d never do that. I told him who you work for
now and about the alternate stories we came up with.”

Thank you.
“So why does he object to you
seeing me now?”

“
He doesn’t change his mind about people easily, if at
all.”

“
Do I have anything to worry about from him,
professionally or personally?”

“
No.”

Then why bring it up?
“He obviously upset you a great
deal that day he was here.” It was two weeks ago, and the fact he was just
bringing it up now told her how much Kane kept to himself. She couldn’t be
angry with him for that because she understood it. There were times it was best
not to share everything with the entire world.

“
He compared what I’m doing now with you to what
happened to me seventeen years ago.”

“
Wow.” She hadn’t been expecting that. “I’m sure you’re
not the same person now.”

“
I’m not, and that’s exactly what I told him.”

“
He needs to let it go.”

“
So do
I
. I only wish I
could.” His voice was soft, but full of emotion.

“
Do you mean let it go that your father will never get
over it, or do you mean it still bothers you that Ellen used you?”

“
Both.”

Julianne
placed her hands on his face. “Let me help. What can I do?”

The
pain on his face nearly burst her heart. Right now, he looked like a frightened
boy who only wanted someone to tell him he was worthy. “Just be who you are,
and stay with me.”

“
I’m not going anywhere, Kane.”
God help me.
She was in love with this man. It hit her as suddenly
and as hard as a bolt of lightning. She still remembered them, and that’s
exactly what the realization felt like. She might as well be on the surface,
standing next to a tree that just got hit. She swore she could feel the
electricity in the air.

“
Thank you.” He kissed her. “I won’t let you go, you
know. You belong with me.”

She
didn’t know what to say. The emotion in his eyes and in his voice unnerved her,
so she simply wrapped her arms around him and held him close. Sometimes, that’s
all a person really needed.