Hacked by Love, Part 2 Read online

  “I can't imagine the look on your face when you saw her,” she said with a chuckle. “How did it happen? You have to tell me.”

  “I'm so glad you're getting pleasure out of my shitty situation,” I said, as I grabbed the pillow back from her and shoved it over my head again.

  “So you might get beat by a girl,” she said.

  I sat up fast, threw the pillow at her, and reached forward to get her when she yelled out.

  “Hold on there. I don't need to see my little brother's junk. Put that shit away. Do you always sleep naked? Maybe lock the damn door.”

  “Maybe you should have knocked,” I replied. “Get out of my room if you're just going to mess with me. I've already got enough going on.”

  “I'm sorry,” she said. “This really has you messed up. What's the big deal? Who cares that she's a girl and not some guy?”

  “I care,” I said with a growl.

  Sammie stood up fast and narrowed her eyes down at me.

  “Are you all bent out of shape because you let a girl get to you? What difference does it make? Is it better if a guy fucks with you? Do not even look at me like that, Lance Smith.”

  I wasn't looking at her in any kind of way. I'd poked the bear. She was spinning it into me being some kind of a pig or something. It wasn't that. Well part of it was. How had I let it happen all those years without putting a stop to it, I wondered? Was I really making such a big deal out of it because she wasn't a guy, or was I freaking out because I'd just gotten done fucking her hours before? It couldn't have been anything else. Was I being a jerk?

  “This really has you all fucked up, doesn't it?” she asked.

  “I don't know,” I answered with my head in my hands.

  “She likes baseball,” I said.

  “Really?” she asked. “How do you know that?”

  “I was sitting in the hotel bar,” I began, but she cut me off.

  “Wait,” she said. “You were in a bar.”

  I nodded and continued.

  “She sat down next to me. Baseball was on the television. We started talking, and I found out that she's a fan. I think she might know as much as you.”

  “I wouldn't go that far,” Sammie said defensively.

  I knew that would get her. She wouldn't be happy about some other girl knowing more about the game than her.

  “Does she know who your dad is?” she asked.

  “Nope,” I answered. “That part is pretty funny.”

  “How did she react when she found out you were the competition?” she asked.

  “I didn't tell her,” I said. “I didn't even know until the next morning. She was late for the meeting because her alarm didn't go off. We didn't get much sleep.”

  “Hold on,” she said, as she quickly put her hands up. “Please tell me you didn't do anything stupid.”

  “I didn't,” I said defending myself. “I didn't know who she was. I thought I was competing against a guy. I had no idea it was her. When she walked into the meeting, I was so shocked.”

  “You said you both didn't get much sleep,” she said. “Does that mean what I think it does?”

  “I don't want to talk about it,” I said before falling back and covering my face again.

  “No way,” she squeaked. “You screwed your competition. What the fuck were you thinking, Lance?”

  “I didn't know,” I said defensively.

  “This is so going to bite you in the ass,” she said.

  I knew if I looked up at her, she'd have a huge smile on her face.

  “Get out of my room,” I mumbled from behind the pillow.

  “Here I thought you were a nerdy guy that spent all your time in your room. I didn't picture you as the type of guy to screw strange women you met in bars. Damn! I never thought you'd even go into a bar. My little brother is a.”

  “Do not finish that sentence,” I snapped, as I uncovered my face.

  “What are you going to do?” she asked.

  “I'm going to get the job done faster and better than her. That's my only option. You know I won't let anything stand in the way of my dreams,” I answered.

  “I do know that,” she said. “Good luck, Lancie. I think you're going to need it.”

  “What does that mean?” I asked.

  Sammie stood there looking down at me for a moment before she answered.

  “You just seem different than usual when it comes to your work,” she said. “I don't know how to explain it. I just hope you keep your mind on what you really want and go for it completely. Don't let anything get in the way of your happiness.”

  She turned and walked toward the door.

  “I know what I want. You don't have to worry about that,” I said, as she walked out and closed my door behind her.

  That was the problem. I knew exactly what I wanted, at least what I'd been thinking about wanting since I'd first stopped in front of her at her hotel room door, with her back against it as she looked up at me.

  Chapter 6

  Lauren

  When I walked through the door to the home I'd been living in since I was eight and my dad had walked out on us, I'd never been so happy to be home. My grandma was standing at the kitchen sink washing dishes. She'd never know how much I loved and appreciated her. I was walking over to hug her when I heard him squeal from the other room.

  “Mommy,” the little voice I loved to hear yelled out as my little man came around the corner and hugged tight to my waist.

  “Hey, Jackson,” I said, as I scooped him into my arms and hugged him tight. “Were you good for your grandma?”

  “Very good,” he said with a smile.

  “Should I believe him?” I asked my grandma with a laugh.

  “He's always my perfect little guy,” my grandma said before turning right back to her dishes.

  “Where's mom?” I asked.

  “In her room,” grandma answered.

  “Want to watch a cartoon with me?” my little man asked.

  “Of course,” I answered. “I haven't seen any since I left.”

  “Did you get the job?” he asked. “You went there for a job.”

  “I did,” I said. “Come on.”

  I took my son's hand and walked into the living room with him. He was already in the middle of his cartoon, so I sat down on the couch and he hopped up into my lap. His little arms wrapped around my neck, and I sat quietly as I breathed in his familiar scent and let my body relax for just a few minutes. My son had just turned four, and I couldn't believe how big he was. It felt like he'd even grown in those few days I was gone. I really had missed him. It wasn't easy being away from him or my grandma.

  I let my mind wander to my past while I sat with my boy. When my dad left all those years ago, I hadn't expected it. Sure, he argued often with my mom, but I thought that was normal. He wasn't around much, and when he was, he liked watching baseball. Those were the only times we spent any time together at all. I'd sit down next to him on the couch, and we'd watch. He'd comment about the players and the game, and I'd soak up every second next to him. Then one day, I heard him telling my mom that he'd never wanted kids. At the time, I thought he was just saying it because she was giving him a hard time about being gone. They got into a huge argument that night, and he left. I figured he'd be back, but that never happened. He was gone. My mom packed our bags and we left. I couldn't believe it. She drove us from Michigan to Ohio and never looked back. We moved in with my grandparents, and that was where we stayed. I never saw my dad again after that day, and I'd never heard from him either. I guess he really meant it when he said he hadn't wanted kids.

  My mom had been really good to me before that. It felt good knowing that she still wanted me, but then that changed too. She started acting kind of distant and began spending less time with me. If it weren't for my grandparents, I'm not sure what would have happened. My grandma and grandpa took care of me. They took me to school, made sure I did my homework, kept me fed, and even got me a computer. My mom wo
rked here and there, but she never stayed at one place for long. The loving mom I once had was gone, and it was all because of my dad.

  I did okay until I was fifteen. The only man that really loved me passed away suddenly. He'd never been sick or anything. One minute he was there, and the next he was gone. My grandma was heartbroken. They'd been more in love than I'd ever seen anyone before. Her husband was gone. I could hear her cry at night, but during the day, you'd never know she was sad. She tried to keep the same routine for me, but it wasn't the same. Before long, I was lost. My dad left me, my mom didn't care anymore, and my grandpa was gone.

  The only one I had left was my grandma. You'd think I would have been there for her, knowing that she was suffering too. I could see that years later. That was what I should have done, but I didn't. I did the opposite really. I pulled away from her. Looking back, I was just afraid she'd leave me too, so I pushed her away before she could. I'd stay out late without letting her know where I was. She'd say that it scared her, but I kept doing it. Then I started drinking and partying with the wrong people.

  When I was sixteen, I had a long night of partying and woke up in bed, in a strange house, next to a guy I didn't even know. One month later, I found out that I was pregnant. When I sat my mom and grandma down to tell them, I didn't know what was going to happen. I was so damn scared. There was nowhere else for me to turn, and I needed them. As soon as the words left my mouth, my mom was up and yelling. Some of the things she said will be forever etched in my mind. I was a slut and a piece of shit in her eyes. Then she said it. It was something I hadn't expected.

  “We need to take care of it,” she said with a disgusted look.

  “Of course we do,” my grandma said, looking at my mom like she was crazy.

  “No,” my mom said. “I mean take care of it. This is not happening. You're not having a child at seventeen, Lauren. I'm not taking care of your kid.”

  “You mean the way you took care of me,” I snapped, so upset that she'd even let that slip from her lips.

  “What?” she asked in a stern tone.

  “I'm having my baby,” I said.

  “How are you going to pay for your baby?” she asked. “I surely won't pay for it.”

  “I'll help you,” my grandma cut in. “You've been through a lot. I'll do anything I can.”

  “Don't count me in,” my mom said, as she threw her hands up. “You're making a big mistake. This baby's going to ruin your life. No man will ever want you now. You'll see.”

  “Did you see that, Mommy?” Jackson asked, pulling me from my thoughts.

  I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him close.

  “I sure did,” I said. “Mommy missed you so much.”

  “I missed you too,” he said before turning his attention back to the silly characters on the show.

  My mom was wrong about Jackson. He wasn't a mistake at all. He was the best thing that's ever happened to me. At a time when I was going down a dark path, my baby pulled me back from the edge and gave me something to live for. The words my mother said to me that day went through my head all the time. There was no way I'd ever let her be right, I couldn't let her. I'd do anything and everything it took to prove her wrong. Jackson was my reason for living. He was my reason for doing what I was. He didn't ask to be brought into the world with a mom who'd had a one-night-stand. That was all on me, and I was going to give him the life he deserved, the life my mother never gave me.

  I spent the next several hours with my boy making up for the few days I'd been gone. We watched television, played, and read books. My grandma had been with him the entire time I was gone, and I could tell she needed a break. She was with him each time I worked and when I was working on something in my room as well. I didn't want to put so much on her, but she insisted I not waste the money I did make on childcare. As long as she was able, she was helping. I leaned down and kissed his little cheek, as I thought about her standing by me and not wanting me to do the same thing my mom had wanted to do. I couldn't imagine my life without Jackson in it, and I was so thankful to have him.

  “Come on, little man,” I said, as I got up from the floor and took his hand. “You need a bath, and we need to let grandma watch some of her shows.”

  “Okay,” he said, as he jumped up, took my hand, and pulled me toward the stairs. “I want to play with my dinosaurs in the tub. Can I?”

  “Of course,” I answered. “Anything for you.”

  When we walked by my room, I looked in at my laptop and knew I needed to get some work done. The flights and meetings had me stressed enough. Adding Lance to the mix didn't help any. I was exhausted from losing so much sleep the night before and knew it would be hours before I could sleep. I needed to give Jackson a bath and get him in bed. Then I needed to work. I had to be one step ahead of Lance if I wanted a good future for my son.

  One thing Jackson loved was his baths. I couldn't get the boy out once I got him in. He had a tub full of toys and no intention of getting out for bed. Grandma offered to get him ready so I could work, but I couldn't let her. He was my son, and if I was home, I was going to take care of him. She worried about me not getting enough sleep, and I loved her even more for that. She was the only person in my life that cared about me.

  Once Jackson was tucked into bed, I quietly closed his door and headed to my room. When I turned my laptop on, I stared at the screen. My eyes were barely staying open. I wanted to feel the warmth of my own bed so badly, but I knew I needed to get started. I opened the big envelope and pulled the papers and flash drive out onto my desk in the corner of my room. I copied the files over and began looking at them, but I couldn't concentrate. Lance was all I could think about. It was because he was the only guy I'd been with since I was sixteen. That had to be it. It had nothing to do with him or that sexy hair I wanted to run my fingers through. There was no way it was his sexy chest that I wanted to lick each muscle on. Nope, not at all. He was an arrogant punk with a big head. There was not one good thing about him. Nothing except for how good it felt when his mouth was between my thighs or his cock was buried deep inside of me.

  “Knock it off, Lauren,” I told myself. “He's an asshole. You thought he was one of the good ones, but he's not.”

  I stared at my screen for almost an hour and hadn't done one single productive thing. Then my mind really started fucking with me. Was he working? Had he gone home and dove right in? Had he already made progress? Part of me couldn't help the fear that filled me when I thought about it. I knew he had crazy skills when it came to hacking. For all I knew, he'd already gotten through it. The guy sold software to the military. I hadn't accomplished anything like that. As much as I didn't want to believe it, I knew he was better than me. He could have toned down the cocky attitude a little, but he definitely had skills. Part of me wanted to fuck with him. He'd mentioned it earlier in the day. I'd done it to mess with him in the past, but it seemed to really get to him. Where I was joking, he was as serious as can be. Would it throw him off, I wondered? There was no way I was going to change who I was to save a guy's feelings.

  “I should wish him luck,” I said aloud.

  Then I began to type and hit send before I could back out.

  Me: Good luck loser

  The smile that covered my face was huge, I could feel it. I waited a few minutes, and he didn't reply. Was he working, I thought? Maybe he was in bed already. Was he thinking about me? Did I make him nervous at all, or did his cocky ass know he had it in the bag? It wouldn't hurt to let him think something was happening for me. I typed out another message and laughed as I sent it.

  Me: Are you done yet?

  It was definitely time for me to start though. I needed to put him out of my mind and get down to business. I'd never let a guy get to me before then, and I wasn't about to start. I put my earbuds in, turned on some tunes, and got done to business. I tried anyway.

  After a couple of hours, I couldn't do it anymore. I really hadn't made much progress, and I couldn't see t
he words. I needed sleep. I walked the short distance to my bed and fell onto it still dressed from my day. I'd get it in the morning, everything would make more sense then.

  Chapter 7

  Lance

  “Keep your mind on what you really want,” I repeated my sisters words to myself again, as I sat down at my desk and brought my laptop to life.

  Sammie and Jilly had come by for breakfast and had finally left around two in the afternoon. I couldn't tell you the last time I hadn't started working until two. It was crazy.

  When my screen lit up, I honestly expected to see another message, but there wasn't any. I dove into my work and did my best not to think about her. It didn't work as well as I would have wanted. The words are you done yet kept popping into my head. I couldn't help but wonder how much work she'd already gotten done while I was sleeping and spending time with my sister and her daughter. I mostly knew of Eagle or Lauren through hacking, but it was her incessant need to irritate me that stuck with me most. I knew she was good, but I hadn't really seen what she could do. She'd really become more obnoxious those last four years. For all I knew, she was already through the system and working on a fix. It wouldn't surprise me one bit. She definitely fought to get to where she was. They didn't hire someone that didn't know shit to compete with me.

  When I looked at the small clock in the lower right corner of my screen, I shook my head. How could I let her get to me? Nobody had ever come close to driving me crazy like she did. If that wasn't enough to distract me, the thought of her beneath me in bed was enough to take me over the edge. Why had she been the one I'd been so stupid with? Why was I even in that damn bar? How could I have let it happen with her? Probably because I had no idea who she was. The even bigger question was why had it felt so different with her?

  “Shit!” I snapped. “Get your head in the game. Keep your mind on what you want.”

  Just as I'd really gotten sucked into my work, I heard a ding and a message covered my screen.

  Lauren: I can't believe this.