Free Seduction of Steel: The Complete Series by Laura Charles Page B

these questions if she'd taken the time to talk to him back at the restaurant, but she was too angry with him to sit down and talk.  Besides, Kristin was with her, and she didn't her to see Ryan.
     
    I'm not sure why I'd protect this guy.  He's a criminal.
     
    After they finished their coffee, they decided to head back to the ship.  The walked the short distance to the pier and got in line to board the tender.
     
    Jessica was certain that she could see Ryan out of the corner of her eye, but when she turned to take a better look, there was no one there.
     
    A minute later, she thought she saw him again.  She turned quickly and saw him duck behind a sign.
     
    She told Kristin, “You go ahead.  I'm going to go back and buy a pair of earrings that I tried on earlier.  I think they're too cute to leave behind.”
     
    Kristin went ahead and got on the tender.  Jessica went looking for Ryan.  She found him a few yards away, standing behind a sign for a glass bottomed boat business.
     
    “OK.  You win.  What is this all about?”, she asked impatiently.
     
    “Let's go get a cup of coffee.”  He took her by the hand and they walked to a small coffee shop a couple of blocks off of the main road.  At Ryan's urging, Jessica found a table in the corner while Ryan got a couple of lattes.  He sat down and joined her.
    “You look beautiful”, he said.  “It's been a long time.”
     
    “Not long enough”, she said, angrily.  “Do you have any idea what you've put me through?”
     
    “I'm sorry about that.  I had planned to tell you everything.”

“Tell me everything?  When?  When were you going to do that?”
     
    “Remember that night I got left on shore? I was going to tell you later that evening when we met for a drink.  What have they told you about me?”
     
    “They've told me that you're an industrial spy, and that you were only on the ship to steal some software or something having to do with the engines.  They also said that you're a criminal and that you're going to go to jail if they catch you.”
     
    Ryan just smiled.
     
    “Some of that is true...in a way.  I am a spy.  But a criminal? I'm not so sure about that.”
     
    Jessica added some sugar to her coffee.  “You are a spy?  I could get arrested just by being seen with you.”  She stood up to leave.
     
    “Hold on”, he said, again grabbing her arm.  “Sit down.  You're not going to get arrested.  Please hear me out.”
     
    Jessica was reluctant, but she sat down to give him a listen.
     
    “It's true that I am a spy.  I'm involved in industrial espionage.  But I wasn't on the ship to steal the software.  Not exactly.”
     
    “What do you mean, 'not exactly'?”  She took a sip of her latte.
     
    “I work freelance.  I steal things for hire, but I don't steal from just anyone.  I steal from people who need to have things stolen from them.”
     
    “I don't understand.”
     
    “I was hired by a shipbuilding company - Eastern Shipworks.  They're one of the biggest shipbuilders in the world.  They also believe that MHI has infringed on their patents for their drive systems.”
     
    “That sounds like something for lawyers to work out.”  She took another sip of coffee.
     
    “Yes, the lawyers would work that out, if they had proof.   These ships consume unbelievable amounts of fuel.  Anything that improves efficiency by even one percent could save thousands of dollars per day in fuel costs.  That's per ship , by the way.  Eastern thinks that MHI is building ships now that use their designs and software, but they haven't been able to prove it.  So they hired me.”
     
    “And what makes you so special?”  Jessica gave a look that suggested that she didn't believe a word that Ryan was saying.
     
    “I do have some talents.  I'm good with a wrench, sure, but I'm also really good with computer software.  That's my specialty.  I'm also pretty good at infiltrating just about any place of