hurt him. Her sexy mouth twisted into a pout and his stomach immediately tightened in response. He’d never loved anyone before, but he was pretty sure what he felt for A.J. had to be it.
Yet, losing control of one of his little games almost broke whatever was left of his family once before. With the genius of the Adler line, came its own particular strain of madness — an almost pathological need to create and rule over your own reality, one separate from everyone else’s, and completely subject to your control.
This urge thrived inside of them, whether it was in relation to the collection of mortal beings in their lives, or over a pattern of ones and zeroes, such as those his father developed. One of them had even become the most important operating system of its time, revolutionizing the world in the 1980s.
This Adler “gift” was great for building an alternate world, but it was also perfect for devastating relationships in a real one. Trey was intent on controlling this side of himself so he wouldn’t lose A.J., but he had to balance this desire against the promise he’d made to his father.
“Fine. But I can’t help but want to shove it in that asshat, Professor Cooper’s, face. I’d love to show him a girl actually can be a hacker.”
A.J.‘s face turned into a mask of angry resolve.
“You’re still pissed about that?”
“Hell yes, I am. He spends every day of class acting like everyone who ever did anything with a computer had a penis. Especially stuff like this.” She waved her hand toward the screen, a vibrant symbol of just what this sexy, and voluptuous, girl could accomplish. “I mean, the school could be taken down with one keystroke…we did that. And you need to calm down, because we aren’t going to get caught.”
“You won’t rest until you prove the whole world wrong, will you?”
“Damn straight, I won’t. I showed you what I can do, which was hard enough. Taking on the rest of the world seems like a good next step.”
Trey smiled and stroked slowly over the length of her long, blonde ponytail, taking a moment to bury his nose into her neck.
“All I want is to feel you close to me, A.J. World domination is not really my thing,” Trey whispered against her skin.
“Oh, really? You seem pretty comfortable telling me what to do. Maybe simply lording over me is what you’re into.”
“I like the sound of that. But, even if I may need to dominate some things, the rest of the world can wait.”
A.J. giggled again. “Hey, remember when you told me every good virus needs a cool name?”
“I do. What should we call ours?”
“Hmm…” A.J. intoned. She crinkled her nose and squinted her pretty, light blue eyes, a sure sign she was deep in thought. “I was thinking we could call it ‘Starling.’”
“Like the bird?”
“Exactly! They are gifted mimics, and will actually take over another bird’s nest and control it.”
“They’re also beautiful, just like you,” Trey whispered against the soft skin of her cheek.
“You’re gonna turn me into goo, Trey. Before I rip your clothes off, we need to record this moment of triumph, partner,” A.J. said gleefully, grabbing Trey’s digital camera from beside his keyboard. She quickly turned it around and snuggled up to him before snapping several shots.
Flipping through the pictures, Trey’s heart squeezed at the sight of them together — smiling, laughing, and sticking their tongues out. It was the most normal he’d ever felt, and it was amazing.
Her face turned serious when she looked over to him, wrapping her arms around his neck, the camera still dangling from her hand.
He pulled her flush against his chest and said, “I’d love to be able to give you whatever you want, A.J.”
“You make me so happy, Trey. That’s enough, I swear,” she whispered in his ear.
Five Weeks Later
“Trey…Trey. Wake up. Please.”
A distant, pleading voice was breaking through Trey’s sleepy brain as hands shook him vigorously. He slowly opened his eyes to see A.J.‘s face. Even in the darkness, he could see her eyes were wide and frenzied.
“A.J.?”
“I packed you a bag. We have to get out of here, fast.”
“Are you messing with me? Come back to bed.” He reached for her, but she shook him off quickly. The movement jarred him fully awake. He sat up, running a hand through his hair, trying to will his brain to process how crazy A.J. was acting.