Chapter 25
Three days later…
“Are you sure about this?” Juniper asked, chewing on her thumbnail. She might not have known her Daddy long, but she knew he really didn’t like sharing his workspace. He was very territorial about his computers and monitors. He snapped at his teammates when they got too close. He worked long hours when it was necessary just so no one else would touch his mouse if at all possible.
“Positive, Juni.” He was sitting in his special desk chair, and he pulled her between his legs. He even took off his hat so she could see his eyes better and held her gaze. “This is where you belong. I have no doubts.”
“Not even a little doubt?” she challenged.
He shook his head. “None.”
She glanced at the second chair he’d ordered for her that matched his and the brand-new computer system set up just a few feet away from his own on the long stretch of desk. It was a state-of-the-art system, even better than his. She’d been itching to touch it ever since she’d first approached.
“This is where I want you, Juni.”
“How about a trial? A few days. I won’t hold it against you if you decide you can’t stand having me in your space.” The man was a loner. She’d gathered that. She could hardly blame him. She’d never liked people in her workspace either.
Years ago, when she’d worked in a large office with cubicles, she’d frequently had trouble holding her tongue when people got too close. For the last several years, she’d worked from home.
“I don’t need a trial, Juni. I want you here. You’re the first person I’ve ever met who I would trust with my equipment, and I don’t even flinch when you touch it.”
She covered her mouth and giggled. It was impossible not to.
He narrowed his eyes. “What’s so funny?”
“You trust me with your…” she slid a hand down to cup his erection, “…equipment?”
His mouth turned up in a grin as he grabbed her hand and pulled it up between them. “Naughty girl.”
She shrugged before looking back at his desk. “I won’t touch yours if you don’t touch mine,” she offered.
“Deal—as long as we’re talking about computers. No deal with regard to your sexy body. I want my hands on it often.” He slid his palms up her back and hauled her closer so her pussy pressed against his erection.
Now wasn’t the time to get frisky, though. They had work to do. But first, he needed to tell her a few things. He lifted her and set her on one knee with her feet between his legs. “Let me share something about myself.”
“Okay.”
“Years ago, I landed my first big defense contract. I had almost completed all my data retrieval when I discovered I was not working for the Department of Defense but for an enemy of our government.”
“Holy crap!”
“I still haven’t forgiven myself for being an idiot. They were good. I just happened to see a bit of code that seemed off. I was able to handle the situation with Baldwin Kingsley’s assistance, and the bad guys didn’t profit from my mistake.”
“That’s harsh, Daddy. Those companies are finely disguised. You should give yourself credit for noting one section of code and paying attention to it.”
“I’ll never forget it, and I don’t trust easily.”
“You trust your team,” Juniper pointed out.
“And you.”
She nodded and pressed her hand to his chest, connecting them. “Thank you for telling me. That explains a lot.”
He nodded and tried to lighten the mood. “Now, I find my perfect Little girl, and she’s a computer hacker. I suspect you have some skills that are superior to mine. I’ll try not to get jealous. Maybe I’ll learn a thing or two from you.” He winked.
She was well aware that Magnus was a brilliant man with an amazing brain. “I doubt that, Daddy.”
He chuckled. “Such a modest little liar my girl is.”
“Daddy, you were assigned to save me…”
“I was, Little girl, and I intend to keep you safe forever. Can you help me do that?”
“Yes, Daddy… I promise.” She had made a promise to herself not to give him heart attacks in the future.
“Good. Now, I think your skills are a bit more advanced than mine, so I hope you’ll bring an old man up to date when you start working with me.”
“For you, you mean.”
He shook his head. “No, Juni, with me. We’ll be partners down here in this basement. We might have to stagger our hours, which might mean we don’t get as much alone time as I’d like, but we’ll be able to keep the team safer if we both get plenty of sleep.”
“You’re better in the early morning than me,” she pointed out.
“Then I’ll take the earlier shift. We’ll overlap in the day and work together on projects, and you can work later in the evening. But, I insist that every night we have alone time, even if it’s from eight to ten. Let’s make that a priority.”
She threw her arms around him again and held on tightly. “That sounds perfect, Daddy. I’m so happy.”
“And you don’t mind giving up your apartment in the States and staying in New Zealand?”
She shook her head. “No. I love it here. It’s so beautiful. Kingsley said he will get my paperwork sorted out so I can work here. I’ll hire movers to go into my apartment, pack it up, and put everything in storage. Someday, we can go there, sort through it, and bring back the important things.”
“I love that plan. The entire team will be safer with you here.”
She blushed, deciding to change the subject before it got too sappy. “I spoke to Sammi this morning.”
“That’s right. How is she doing?”
“Much better. I think she’s handling her abduction and spending almost twenty-four hours in fear for her life better than her parents are handling the experience. They spent that time scared out of their minds, taped to dining room chairs with no food or water or the ability to use the bathroom.”
“I know that must have been horrifying for them.” He rubbed her back. She loved it when he did so. It always calmed her.
“Do you really think it’s over?”
He nodded. “I do, Juni. Edmund and Eric won’t be eligible for bail. The money is in police custody. There’s no one else living who would want to seek revenge for the crime now.”
Juniper agreed, but she’d wanted to hear him say it.
“I’m just sorry your father was a victim in all this, especially since we now know he had absolutely no knowledge of the hidden money.”
“I can’t believe the only person who knew was Sammi, and she thought all this time the bags were filled with dirty clothes.” Juniper still chuckled inside every time she thought about what thirteen-year-old Sammi had overheard and believed. She hadn’t laughed in front of Sammi, of course, but it was comical.
Magnus smiled. “It all makes more sense now. When those two men drowned, there would’ve been a lot of chaos dealing with the bodies. Why would Sammi have thought to tell anyone they’d stashed their dirty laundry in the tunnels? Especially since her parents sold the resort soon after that.”
Juniper sighed and leaned into her Daddy.
Suddenly, Magnus rose from his chair, still holding her in his arms.
She squealed as he headed for the elevator. “Where are we going?”
“Our work schedule doesn’t start today. Some of the other guys are going to keep an eye on things and monitor the resort. You and I are going to take the rest of the day to lock ourselves in our apartment and touch each other’s equipment.”
She giggled. Her heart was so full. “I think we’ve already touched each other’s equipment, Daddy. I’m pretty familiar with yours.”
“Mmm.” He stepped into the elevator and pressed his thumb against the pad so they could head for the fifth floor. “There are still parts of you I haven’t thoroughly debauched yet, Juni.”
She gasped. After a few seconds, when she realized what he was probably referring to, she squirmed in his arms. “Uh, Daddy?”
“Mmm-hmm?”
“I think you’ve checked out enough of my equipment.”
“Oh, I’m pretty positive there is some untouched place.”