Best Of Makeovers Bundle Part 21

'But you can do a reasonable likeness?'

'Yes. Then what?'

'I'll scan it in to your computer-you do have a scanner, I presume?'

He nodded.

'Good. Then I'll email the picture over to whoever controls the public access terminal she used, and they'll be able to confirm if it was her. Then we can see when she last used the terminal. If the time's the same as the one where your machine was accessed externally, she's caught. And it'll stand up in a court of law,' Cyn said.

It all sounded too good to be true. There had to be a catch. 'Supposing for some reason they don't keep records?'

'They have to,' Cyn said. 'They need to cover their backs, in case someone uses their machines to unleash a virus or hack into a restricted site. Techno-crime is on the up, and the law's going to get tough on it. Public Net access providers would be wise to get their houses in order before they're forced to do it legally.'

'So you're saying that Charlotte-' Max couldn't quite get his head around the idea of calling her Helen '-could get into serious trouble?'

Cyn sighed. 'Don't be sentimental about it, Max. The thing is, if she's done it once and got away with it, she could be tempted to do it again. And the next person might not be so lucky-they might not be able to fix things in time.'

'She's a kid. She doesn't need locking up. She needs help,' Max said.

'Do you want your name cleared, or not?' Lisa asked.

'Yes.' But he remembered the earnest look on Charlotte's face when she'd asked him for some work experience. She'd seemed so interested, so keen. Just as he'd been, at that age.

He'd been suckered. A naive, stupid fool.

'Hey. We all make mistakes,' Cyn said softly, as if guessing what was going through his head. She closed her hand over his and squeezed, just for a second. 'Don't beat yourself up about it.'

We all make mistakes. Did she mean about Charlotte? Or was she talking about them?

Her eyes gave nothing away. But the warmth of her hand lingered on his skin as he went back to his desk and sketched the girl he'd known as Charlotte.

'I would stay,' Lisa said, an hour or so later, 'but I'm supposed to be going to the opening of a new play, tonight. And I promised Sally I'd be there to support her.'

'There isn't anything else you can do here, to be honest. And I shouldn't be that much longer anyway. I've gone via Australia, America, and half a dozen Eastern European countries,' Cyn said. 'I'm pretty sure I'm going to get back to the source shortly. So go and enjoy your play. Say hi to Sally for me.'

'Sure. I'll ring you in the interval for an update. Or text me, if I don't get a chance to ring you,' Lisa said. She gave her best friend a hug. 'Good luck. Well, not that you need it-you're good at what you do. See you later, Max.'

'Yeah. And thanks for all you've done today.'

'You're welcome.' She grinned. 'Though if you really want to make me feel good about putting in some extra time without being paid for it, there's a pair of shoes in the shop round the corner with my name on it...'

'Subtle. Not,' Max said, grinning back. 'It's a deal, Lise. The least I can do.'

Half an hour later, Cyn leaned back in her chair. 'Bingo.'

'You've found the source?'

She nodded. 'London. Just as I thought, our hacker used a cafe chain.' She raised an eyebrow. 'Give me ten minutes and I'll have proof.'

Max watched her, his heart in his mouth. Her fingers flew across the keyboard as she looked up something on the Internet. A quick phone call and two emails later, her mobile phone rang.

'Cyn Reynolds. Yes. Yes. Uh-huh. Thank you very much. Yes, please do.' She cut the connection. 'Want the good news or the bad?' she asked Max.

'Start with the bad.'

'Lisa was right. It was Helen Jones.' She shrugged. 'So you'd better ring your solicitor.'

'And the good?'

'They have the information we need. You're in the clear.'

He nodded soberly. 'So why do I feel so bad about it?'

'Because you're a nice guy.'

He closed his eyes briefly. 'This is a mess. If I put this in the hands of my lawyers, Jason's career is over and Charlotte-I mean Helen-will be kicked out of college.'

'If you don't, they'll think they've got away with it and they'll do it again,' Cyn warned. 'Anyway, Jason's career isn't necessarily over. It's his first serious mistake. A stupid mistake. He was desperate-he panicked and lost his way. Someone will give him a chance to make up for it. And Helen needs to be stopped before she lands herself in really serious trouble.'

'Yeah.' He rubbed his hand across his eyes. 'I suppose.'

'Just ring your lawyer,' she said quietly. 'The main thing is to clear your name. We can work something out afterwards.'

By the time he'd finished the call, she'd packed up her laptop and her disks. His eyes widened. 'You're going?'

'I've done my job,' she said simply. 'And I've sent Lisa a text to tell her what happened, so you don't need to worry about trying to get hold of her.'

'But...' He didn't want Cyn to go. He didn't want her to walk out of his life. He caught her hand. 'Cyn...'

'Yes?'

Her eyes were huge. Fear? Antic.i.p.ation? Or both? He already knew he'd hurt her. But he'd hurt them both a lot more if he didn't stop her going right now.

'Thank you,' he said, and bent his head.

The second his mouth touched hers, it was as if something had snapped. All the fear, all the misery, just vanished-and there was only Cyn.

Filling his senses completely.

Making him whole.

He wasn't sure when they'd moved from his office. How they'd got upstairs. Or even who'd taken off whose clothes. All he knew was that they were exactly where he wanted them to be. In his bed. Skin to skin. Kissing. Touching. Stroking. Exploring.

Please, G.o.d, let this be real. Don't let it be another of those dreams where, when you wake, you cry to dream again.

Her skin was so soft. She smelled so sweet, like strawberries and cream. And he couldn't get enough of her. He loved her responsiveness. He loved the way he could make such a brilliant woman's mind turn to mush. But most of all, he just loved her.

Love.

Commitment.

Shouldn't he be out of this bed in record time and running? But, he realised with shock, he didn't want to move. At all. Because, the more he thought about it, the more it didn't seem such a bad idea. He loved her. He wanted to be with her.

Now, all he had to do was convince her.

'You're so beautiful,' he whispered. 'You make me ache.'

'Max, I-'

He touched one finger gently to her lips, stopping her words. 'Later. We'll talk later, I promise. But for now I need to do what I wanted to do the minute I first saw you. What I've been wanting to do ever since. What I haven't been able to stop thinking about since the night you slept in my arms.' He rubbed his nose against hers, and murmured in her ear, 'I need to be inside you, Cyn.'

CHAPTER SIXTEEN.

CYN closed her eyes and tipped her head back against the pillow. 'Yes.'

This time, when Max kissed her, it was different. Because he'd admitted the truth to himself. A truth he wasn't quite ready to admit to her yet-he wanted some time to get used to it himself, first. But he loved her. Mind and body and heart and soul.

He traced the line of her collar-bone with his mouth, and she tipped her head further back, offering him her throat, where her pulse beat hard against its base. Max touched the tip of his tongue to it, feeling it speed up.

This wasn't s.e.x, not the way she reacted to him. It was more than that. Something special. Something he'd never really felt before.

Slowly he moved down, caressing her b.r.e.a.s.t.s with his hands and his mouth, taking his time. Revelling in her sweet scent, the velvety smoothness of her skin, the softness of her curves.

'Yes,' she hissed, threading her fingers through his hair. 'Please. Now.'

Oh, no. He wasn't ready yet. He wanted to take this slow and easy. He wanted to fan the flames until they were both at meltdown. He took one nipple into his mouth and sucked hard; she gasped, and he smiled against her skin. He wanted to take Cyn to her limits. And then some.

Slowly, he moved southwards. Circled her navel with the tip of his tongue. Nuzzled the soft swell of her belly.

'Max.' His name came out as a plea. 'Now.'

'Mmm.' He stroked her thighs. 'We have all the time in the world.'

She tilted her hips impatiently, and he rocked back on his haunches. 'Patience is a business a.s.set,' he reminded her.

'This isn't business.'

'No,' he agreed. 'It's pleasure. And there's going to be more. So much more,' he promised.

She quivered, and pushed against him.

He flattened his palms against her thighs and dipped his head. At the first slow stroke of his tongue, Cyn's fingers tightened in his hair. 'Oh, yes. Yes.'

She was hyperventilating when he raised his head and sat back on his haunches again.

'Max?'

She looked as lost as he felt. Maybe that meant she felt the same way.

He sure as h.e.l.l hoped so.

Every nerve-end was quivering in desire. He'd raised her to fever pitch-and now he'd stopped?

'This is so not fair,' Cyn whispered. He couldn't do this to her. He couldn't arouse her to the point where her brain was turned to mush and then stop. 'I need you inside me. Now.'

'Are you taking charge?' His eyes glittered. Challenge? Interest? Both?

Ha. She could do that. 'Yeah. I'm taking charge.' She sat up and pushed him backwards. 'Got a problem with that?'

He grinned. 'I thought you were supposed to be quiet and sweet and shy? Cynderella?'

She shook her head. 'I'm Cynthia.'

'Cyn.' The diminutive came out as a hiss of pleasure as she moved to straddle him. His eyes widened. 'Oh, yes.'

Wow. So she could make him feel the way he made her feel? Turn him to mush?

She wriggled. Just a tiny bit. And was rewarded with a soft gasp.

Yeah. She could turn him to mush.

She tilted her hips. Rocked slowly, gently. Forward and back.

'Oh-h-h.' He was quivering. 'Cyn. We...I...'

'Yes?'

'Condom,' he ground out.

She'd been concentrating so hard on blowing his mind, she'd forgotten. 'Where?'

It looked as if he had to make a real effort to think. Good.

'Top drawer,' he said finally.

She leaned over to open the drawer, and blinked when she saw the size of the box. Max Taylor clearly liked s.e.x. And had a lot of it.

Her stomach turned to water.

'Cyn?' He sat up, clearly worried by her silence.

'I'm there,' she whispered. Though her heart felt as if it had just been run over by a steamroller. She'd thought this was special. That he reacted this way just to her. But in the end she was just another notch on his bedpost. Max had been under extreme pressure for the last couple of days, thinking he was about to lose his reputation and his business. s.e.x was his safety valve.