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return.
    Emma
was the kind of woman Atticus had always dreamed of finding. She wasn’t focused
on or overly impressed with his wealth, she had brains, and she preferred
working hard to leaving the office early to get her nails and hair done. Not
that she needed to get either done. She was so damn pretty and sexy, but he also
knew she didn’t realize that. He wanted to make her realize it. He wanted her to understand how perfect she was in his eyes.
    But
he needed to take things slowly. She’d been burned in a bad way. From what
she’d told him about her dating life before Leland, it had been non-existent
and there had certainly been no sex. He’d never gone out with anyone who had
such a sheltered past. He’d need to keep that in mind tonight, and allow her to
set the pace.
    It
wouldn’t be easy, because every second these past two weeks he’d spent with her
at work had left him horny and ready to pour ice down his damn pants. But she
was worth it. The way she talked about her design was as arousing for him as
looking into her dark eyes, or watching her luscious ass move under her jeans
when she walked. No matter what happened or not between them personally, he’d
hired the right person to design this gadget and corresponding app.
    He
surveyed the table in the rooftop space one more time. Jonas had done a
wonderful job, as usual. The silverware gleamed in the candlelight. The wine
was ready, and the fake park already smelled heavenly as the scents of lobster
and steak wafted up from the kitchen below. He’d promised her a perfect steak
in the park, and she would have one. And then, if he was very lucky, he’d have her for dessert.
     

Chapter
Eight
     
    Emma
couldn’t help but be impressed with how much fuss Atticus had obviously made
for this dinner. He did indeed have a room on the roof of the building that had
been made up to look like a park. It even had the sound of birds chirping and
squirrels chattering piped in, along with soft jazz.
    An
actual picnic table sat in the center of the room, set with china and
silverware, which should have looked out of place but somehow it didn’t. He’d
lit candles everywhere, and the smell of the food made her mouth water.
    She
gazed out the windows that lined all four walls. “There’s quite a view of the
city from up here.”
    “The
best part is that no one can see inside.”
    She
turned to face him. “Why not?”
    “It’s
a special kind of glass. Even with the lights on in here, no one can see inside
the room. We have total privacy.”
    She
returned his smile as images of them naked and sweaty in this very room filled
her head. Would that happen? Was she ready for a sexual relationship again? And
with her boss, yet? Or would that only lead to all kinds of complications at
work she wasn’t prepared to handle?
    He
poured them each a glass of wine, and she tasted it. “This is delicious.”
    “I
hope you like the food as well.”
    “Did
you make it yourself?”
    He
chuckled. “Tease all you want but I actually can cook. I did grill the steaks.
The rest of this meal was made by my housekeeper, who doubles as my cook.”
    “You
have a household staff?”
    “Only
two people. They’re married and were with me before we moved underground.”
    Leland
had mentioned having a staff at his house, but she didn’t see the point in
telling Atticus that. She was, however, now more than a bit curious how Leland
could have afforded such luxuries. Odd how that had never bothered her before.
    They
ate their salads, and she told him it was delicious. Then she asked when he’d
started his company.
    “I
was still in grad school. It began as a project I worked on, designing a better
phone. Or, what I thought would be a better phone. The idea never took off
because there were too many flaws in it, but from there I realized that was
what I wanted to do. Design hardware, gadgets, and the apps that go into them.”
    “Where
did you get the capital? And if that’s too personal a