places?’
Seb shrugged. ‘At a very basic level.’
‘What exactly are you paid so much money to do?’
Seb tapped his finger against his coffee cup. ‘I guess you can call me a consultant. Companies hire me to evaluate their computer systems for vulnerabilities. So I go in there, try to hack their system—and pretty much always do. Then I point out where they have problems. Sometimes I fix the problems for them; sometimes they get their people to do it. Either way I get paid.’
‘Huh. So you use your powers for good and not evil?’ Rowan threw his words back at him.
‘Yeah.’
‘And you’d be willing to...poke around for me? Isn’t that illegal?’
‘Slightly unethical, maybe.’ Seb’s eyes were determined when they met hers. ‘Look, I’m not going to use the information for personal gain, and if it helps you out of a jam then so much the better.’
Rowan nodded her understanding, thought for a minute, then said, ‘Let me do some research. If I need your help, I’ll ask.’
‘Promise?’ Seb shrugged at her gimlet stare. ‘It’s just that you don’t have a great track record when it comes to asking for help, Brat.’
‘Promise. Can I borrow a computer?’
‘Sure. There’s a couple you can use in my office, or there’s a few you can use in my bedroom.’ Seb deliberately wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and Rowan, as expected, rolled her eyes. Yep, time to bust her chops, he thought, and to banish the tension he saw in her eyes.
‘I am not going anywhere near your bedroom, Hollis.’
Seb leaned back in his chair. ‘Why? Scared you won’t be able to keep your hands off me?’
‘What? Are you mad? You’re like my...my...er...’
‘Don’t say brother,’ Seb ground out. ‘That would be too creepy for words.’
‘No...geez! Eeuuuw! ’ Rowan shuddered as she banged her cup onto the table. ‘No talk of bedrooms!’
Seb liked the colour in her face and the snap in her eyes so he thought he’d wind her up some more. ‘Okay, can we talk about what happens in bedrooms, then?’
‘We could never have sex!’
‘Uh, yes...actually we could. You see, my Part A would slot into your Plot B—’
Rowan’s look was meant to freeze. ‘Stop being facetious! It’s a crazy idea! Yes, I think you’ve got some heat happening, but it would be a really stupid thing to do. We don’t even like each other.’
Seb stood up and ran a hand over her head. Then he placed one hand on the back of her chair and bent down so that his face was next to hers. She just folded her arms and lifted a perfectly arched, perfectly arrogant eyebrow. Man, that look made him hot.
‘Are you trying to intimidate me? It didn’t work when I was ten—what makes you think it’ll work now?’
‘I was just wondering whether you taste as good as you smell.’
‘You’ll never find out.’ Rowan pushed him away, stood up and put some distance between them. She placed her fists on her hips and tipped her head. ‘Back to business. So, if I ask you for help what is it going to cost me?’
‘What?’
‘Your computer skills? I’m already paying for my food and bed by being the housekeeper...’
Seb looked at the stack of dishes in the sink. ‘Not that you’ve done any housekeeping yet.’
‘Give me a break. I’ll get to it! So, what’s the price?’
‘We’ll work something out,’ Seb said, deliberately vague.
‘And that statement scares the hell out of me,’ Rowan retorted. ‘As per usual you’ve managed to drive me crazy, so I need to leave. I’m going to do some shopping, since there isn’t anything to eat in this house!’
‘Want me to come with you?’
‘I’ve been shopping on my own for a long time now. I think I can manage.’
Rowan made her tone even and unemotional, but Seb smiled at the twin strips of colour on her cheekbones. Her chest was flushed and her nipples were puckered against her shirt. Her mind and mouth might be protesting at the thought of them sleeping together
Seb shrugged. ‘At a very basic level.’
‘What exactly are you paid so much money to do?’
Seb tapped his finger against his coffee cup. ‘I guess you can call me a consultant. Companies hire me to evaluate their computer systems for vulnerabilities. So I go in there, try to hack their system—and pretty much always do. Then I point out where they have problems. Sometimes I fix the problems for them; sometimes they get their people to do it. Either way I get paid.’
‘Huh. So you use your powers for good and not evil?’ Rowan threw his words back at him.
‘Yeah.’
‘And you’d be willing to...poke around for me? Isn’t that illegal?’
‘Slightly unethical, maybe.’ Seb’s eyes were determined when they met hers. ‘Look, I’m not going to use the information for personal gain, and if it helps you out of a jam then so much the better.’
Rowan nodded her understanding, thought for a minute, then said, ‘Let me do some research. If I need your help, I’ll ask.’
‘Promise?’ Seb shrugged at her gimlet stare. ‘It’s just that you don’t have a great track record when it comes to asking for help, Brat.’
‘Promise. Can I borrow a computer?’
‘Sure. There’s a couple you can use in my office, or there’s a few you can use in my bedroom.’ Seb deliberately wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and Rowan, as expected, rolled her eyes. Yep, time to bust her chops, he thought, and to banish the tension he saw in her eyes.
‘I am not going anywhere near your bedroom, Hollis.’
Seb leaned back in his chair. ‘Why? Scared you won’t be able to keep your hands off me?’
‘What? Are you mad? You’re like my...my...er...’
‘Don’t say brother,’ Seb ground out. ‘That would be too creepy for words.’
‘No...geez! Eeuuuw! ’ Rowan shuddered as she banged her cup onto the table. ‘No talk of bedrooms!’
Seb liked the colour in her face and the snap in her eyes so he thought he’d wind her up some more. ‘Okay, can we talk about what happens in bedrooms, then?’
‘We could never have sex!’
‘Uh, yes...actually we could. You see, my Part A would slot into your Plot B—’
Rowan’s look was meant to freeze. ‘Stop being facetious! It’s a crazy idea! Yes, I think you’ve got some heat happening, but it would be a really stupid thing to do. We don’t even like each other.’
Seb stood up and ran a hand over her head. Then he placed one hand on the back of her chair and bent down so that his face was next to hers. She just folded her arms and lifted a perfectly arched, perfectly arrogant eyebrow. Man, that look made him hot.
‘Are you trying to intimidate me? It didn’t work when I was ten—what makes you think it’ll work now?’
‘I was just wondering whether you taste as good as you smell.’
‘You’ll never find out.’ Rowan pushed him away, stood up and put some distance between them. She placed her fists on her hips and tipped her head. ‘Back to business. So, if I ask you for help what is it going to cost me?’
‘What?’
‘Your computer skills? I’m already paying for my food and bed by being the housekeeper...’
Seb looked at the stack of dishes in the sink. ‘Not that you’ve done any housekeeping yet.’
‘Give me a break. I’ll get to it! So, what’s the price?’
‘We’ll work something out,’ Seb said, deliberately vague.
‘And that statement scares the hell out of me,’ Rowan retorted. ‘As per usual you’ve managed to drive me crazy, so I need to leave. I’m going to do some shopping, since there isn’t anything to eat in this house!’
‘Want me to come with you?’
‘I’ve been shopping on my own for a long time now. I think I can manage.’
Rowan made her tone even and unemotional, but Seb smiled at the twin strips of colour on her cheekbones. Her chest was flushed and her nipples were puckered against her shirt. Her mind and mouth might be protesting at the thought of them sleeping together
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