Beyond the Edge by Susan Kearney

her cool skin made her gasp. And with him sitting there fully dressed while she wore nothing made her very aware of his hard thighs under her bottom, his powerful chest against her back. Unsettled by his maneuver, she sat stiff and wary. With his breath fanning her neck, his arms reaching around her for the keyboard, he’d neatly trapped her. She was all too aware of how close his arms were to her breasts, how easily he could touch her.
    Corporate names, government agencies and private telephone numbers flashed on the screen and disappeared. When he logged onto the Internet and bypassed the Pentagon’s code, an icy tentacle wrapped around her gut.
    “Who are you?”
    “It’s okay, I’m authorized.” Kane spoke withoutslowing his typing, seemingly unconcerned by the secrets he revealed. Obviously, Kane, or whoever he was, worked at the loftiest levels of her government to have access codes to such high-security agencies.
    “What are you looking for?”
    “Something out of the ordinary. Something that doesn’t fit the pattern.”
    “What pattern?”
    Kane worked his way through the daily newspapers next, the pages blinking by too fast for her to read them. She didn’t expect him to explain, but Kane seemed to make a habit of doing the unexpected. “If Nigel intends to sell the stolen information, he has to find a buyer.”
    She couldn’t believe she was sitting naked on his lap having an ordinary conversation. The discs had settled to a soothing thrumming, keeping her on edge as she wondered what he’d programmed them to do next. Thinking about his mission was almost impossible while sitting on his lap, breathing in his scent, a crisp scent that was dominating and very male.
    Every breath she took caused friction between her back against his chest. The growing hardness behind her bottom told her he was very aware of her skin next to his. However, she forced herself to focus. “But you don’t know exactly what Nigel took, so how can you guess who the buyer might be?”
    “To optimize his sale and find the highest bidder, he only has limited choices of the wealthiest of—”
    She frowned at the screen. “Hey. That’s illegal. You’re reading private e-mail.” Fallon recognizedthe names of America’s leaders in banking, insurance and finance.
    “Spread your legs.”
    She’d been sitting with her knees pressed together, her ankles crossed. His sudden demand had her heart skipping. Unlocking her ankles, she allowed her knees to part a few inches.
    “Wider.”
    Oh…my…ah. She bit her bottom lip to keep from releasing a soft moan as she draped her legs over his and her bottom snuggled deeper against him.
    “Now lean your head back against me.”
    She did as she asked, realizing that the motion lifted her breasts. He took her hands that had been on her thighs and placed them to either side of the chair. She was squirming inside and the kindling desire burst into licking flames. He’d draped her over him and her parted legs released her musky scent into the air, telling him quite clearly that she was moist and needy and eager for whatever he wanted to do next.
    Kane continued scanning the correspondence of some of the country’s biggest financial institutions. And she sat still, her legs parted and open, wondering if he was ever going to touch her. Her nipples were so tight, the ache between her thighs so intense that sitting still was sweet torture. But even worse, her breath was beginning to sound raspy. Hiding her arousal was no longer an option. She needed him to touch her. His hands were so close, but he had only made physical contact with her once to lift her toposition her on his lap. She wanted to beg him to stroke her.
    She was trembling with her need, wondering if it was possible to find release by mental stimulation alone. Damn it. With her legs parted and draped over his, her mons shaved, he should be eager to touch her. But he didn’t, and every second seemed like…forever.
    “Nigel’s