Breaching His Defenses (Love Hack #1) by Allyson Lindt Read Free Book Online

her interview. After he’d fired the guy who’d made hacking the Skriddie systems network a part of her technology test even though the interviewer told her she was still on NSS systems.
    Hayden had reiterated his, and the company’s, zero tolerance policy about the ethics of spying on the competition. He’d also driven home that Skriddie would probably demand her head when they found out she’d committed such a serious transgression as breaching their security just to get a job, unless he smoothed things over first.
    She turned her attention to her breakfast, keeping her tone casual. “You want a dictionary definition of each word?”
    “You kill me sometimes, you know? Slay me dead.” He pointed at the magazine cover. “Look, I’m not trying to be a wet blanket. This is standard stuff.” Concern edged his kind tone. “They were furious when I told them what you did, and steering clear of them is going to make your life less stressful. I just want you to avoid any unpleasant situations.”
    She frowned at the reminder she might have pissed off someone at Skriddie and gave her full attention to her food. Six months, and she’d almost managed to put the entire thing out of her mind. Hoped the situation might just evaporate. Talk about a buzzkill. “I get it. Thanks.”
    “Are you ready for the panel this morning?”
    Good. A neutral topic. Dull as hell, but neutral. “I’m set.” She redirected her thoughts to work-related subjects. “I pulled anything that could be considered interesting—sorry, proprietary —from the slides.”
    An unpleasant thought joined Hayden’s warning. If Jared had known who she was last night, would he have had a different reaction to her? What if he was still angry about what she’d done?
    Professional people didn’t hold grudges like that, right? He was way too mature to do something like resent her just because she’d found a teeny, tiny…okay, fairly significant hole in their security when she wasn’t even supposed to be on their network. Besides, at least she’d found it before someone else. And Hayden had made sure they knew about it. There should be some forgiveness for that, right?
    Still, conflict of interest. Not that it was Hayden’s—or anyone else’s—business who she did or didn’t sleep with.
    Images and sensations teased back in response to her mental question. Jared’s breath on her skin, his teeth digging into her shoulder, his hands gripping her hips. No regrets. She just had to keep it quiet.

Chapter Five
    Jared’s sneakers thwapped against the rubber of the treadmill, the sound filling the hotel gym with a rhythmic pulse. The beat echoed in his skull and with images of the night before. He’d had enough impulsiveness to last him the next year, but it had been worth it.
    The sensations from the bar still teased him. Her heady scent, the rainbow of sounds she’d made, and the carefree attitude always dancing behind her eyes.
    “Ever stop to wonder why you’re the only person in here at seven a.m.?” Tate’s jab shattered Jared’s rambling thoughts.
    “Nope. Never even considered it.” He couldn’t help the tiny smile that slipped out. He owed Tate a thank you for ditching him the night before. Or maybe “giving him some room” was a more appropriate way to put it. He continued running—no reason to interrupt his daily routine—but did set the speed slower so he could talk and jog at the same time.
    “Of course not.” Tate used a nearby wall for support and took a long swallow from his oversized coffee. “Then you’d have to admit your routine is boring and predictable.”
    “Predictable and consistent,” Jared corrected him. “Unlike, oh, say, abandoning your buddy in a bar after you suggested we drink all night.”
    Tate snorted. “Right. Because you’re so torn up about that.”
    Jared couldn’t suppress his grin. The expression had to be a dead giveaway about what happened. “If you’d rather have hit up the tables,