Free Almost Forever by Linda Howard Page A

soon discovered her error. The security was tight and the research fascinating.
    She loved her job, and that morning she was especially grateful for it, because it took her mind away from Max and gave her some breathing space. He had occupied both her time and her thoughts since she had first met him Friday night, overwhelming her with his sleek sophistication and wry good humor, inserting himself into her life so neatly and firmly that even in her sleep she couldn’t quite escape from him. Claire had slept badly the night before, waking to tell herself over and over that she didn’t love him, she couldn’t love him, but then her traitorous mind would form his image in her thoughts, and her body would react wildly, growing warm and heavy, and she was afraid. Loving him was both reckless and foolish, especially for a woman who prized the secure, even tenor of her life and never again wanted to risk the pain of loving. It was even more foolish because Max had told her from the outset that he only wanted to be friends. How awkward it would be if he guessed that she was just like all the others, mooning over him like a starstruck teenager! Goodbye friendship, goodbye Max.
    Sam called her into his office late that morning to take letters, but dictated only a few. Leaning back in his chair, he steepled his fingers and peered at her over them, frowning. Claire sat quietly, waiting. Sam wasn’t frowning at her; he was lost in his thoughts and probably didn’t even see her. At last he roused himself and got to his feet, groaning a little as his stiff muscles protested. “Days like this remind me of my age,” he growled, rubbing his lower back.
    â€œSleeping at your desk reminds you of your age,” Claire corrected, and he grunted in agreement.
    â€œI heard some rumors over the weekend,” he said, walking to the window to look down at the roof of his laboratory.“Nothing concrete, but in this case I tend to believe them. Some foreign interest seems to be interested in buying up some of our stock. I don’t like that. I don’t like it at all.”
    â€œA takeover?”
    â€œCould be. There’s no active trading in our stock, no sudden surge in demand or price, so the rumor could be groundless. Still, there is something else that makes me uneasy. Another rumor is also circulating, about the new titanium alloy I’m working with now.” His lined face was taut with worry.
    They stared at each other in silence, both aware of the implications. Sam had developed an alloy so superior to its predecessors in strength and lightness that the possibilities for its use were so far-ranging they were almost beyond belief, though he still wasn’t satisfied with the production process. That was still in the experimental stage, and security had been especially tight on its development. By necessity the lab people knew about it, though Sam was the only one in possession of all the information, and the people in production also knew about it. Information, once leaked, took on a life of its own and spread rapidly.
    â€œThis is too sensitive,” Claire finally said. “The federal government wouldn’t allow a foreign-held company to buy access to this alloy.”
    â€œI’ve always tried to stay independent,” Sam mused, staring out the window again. “This research should have been classified, and I knew it all along, but I was too much of a maverick to do the sensible thing. I thought we were too small to attract notice, and I didn’t want the hassle of government security clearance. It was a mistake.”
    â€œAre you going to contact the government?”
    He thrust his fingers through his gray hair. “Damn, I hate to! I don’t want all that going on right now, distracting me. Maybe…”
    Sam was a maverick all right, with his unorthodox genius and his impatience with boundaries and restraints. Claire watched him, already knowing what his