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too. Maybe they’ll keep each other out of trouble.”
    Blake raised an eyebrow, looking doubtful.
    Silence descended again. The hum of the elevator seemed to amplify the energy between us, as if my attraction to Blake had somehow become audible and now radiated in the silence. Clearly I had underestimated how long ten minutes with him could be.
    When the elevator stopped at my floor, Blake walked me out and escorted me down the hallway to my door.
    “Here we are,” I said, hoping our goodbyes would be brief.
    Instead his hand trailed from my back to my elbow and down my arm until we were hand in hand again. He traced tiny circles in my palm with the pad of his thumb, and I was uncertain in that moment if the sensation had caused actual pain. It was an undeniable shock to my system, almost electric, traveling to my fingertips and other areas.
    “Blake, I—”
    My body was rioting against the tyrannical misgivings of my brain. His face was mere inches from mine, intoxicating me with his scent once more, reminding me of the first moment we met.
    “Aren’t you going to invite me in for a drink?” he murmured. His tongue traced his lower lip and his teeth caught it.
    Who could say no to him?
    I swallowed hard and stepped back a little, disconnecting from the electricity of his grasp. I shook my head and twisted with my hair nervously, trying to concentrate on anything other than his lips. “I have to get up in a few hours.”
    “Me too.”
    This was the same Blake Landon who had nearly destroyed my chances for funding my company only a few days prior. I wasn’t about lie down with the man. Right?
    I took a deep breath and looked him straight in the eye. “Blake, I’m sure you’re not used to hearing this, but I’m really not interested. We had fun tonight, but I’m here for work.”
    “You don’t look like you’re here for work.”
    I narrowed my eyes at him, but he only grinned.
    “Seriously, Erica, are you saying that you aren’t attracted to me, at all?” His arm slid up the wall as his body circled mine.
    Determined to keep distance between us, I pressed myself against the door. Were those last few inches that separated us the last bastion between me and… a night of a lifetime?
    No, between me and a very big mistake.
    “If you’re fishing for a compliment, you’re not getting one from me,” I said. “And even if I were attracted to you, I would not be acting on that for a number of reasons, not the least of which is keeping my relationship with Angelcom as uncomplicated as possible.”
    “I’m not investing in your project, so it’s not complicated.”
    “I disagree.”
    “How could I persuade you?” He smirked, challenging me.
    The fabric of his suit strained a little against his arms and thighs. Jesus, techies weren’t supposed to be this sexy. All I wanted to do was unwrap him like a present. How I could possibly resist him if he touched me again, or God forbid, kissed me?
    I wanted nothing more than to drag Blake into my room and fuck him senseless, but I knew better.
    “It’s quite simple. You can’t.”
    I turned away and fumbled in my purse for the key. The next minute his body was behind me, and a warm and possessive arm circled my waist. I closed my eyes and sucked in a sharp breath, reeling at the sudden contact. He swept the hair away from my neck, brushing a soft kiss behind my ear. My vision went white and I pressed my hands against the door for balance.
    “See you tomorrow,” he said with a shaky breath.
    I turned and he was gone. He disappeared down the hall and into the elevator. I leaned into the door, cursing myself and wishing he had stayed as much as I needed him to go. My fingers trembled but I finally found the key…and the chip next to it.

CHAPTER FOUR

    The door latched closed, and my eyes shot open. The room was pitch black, but the big digital clock on the end table read eight o’clock. The faint outline of a woman inched quietly toward the adjacent bed. Her