Kam nodded thoughtfully. Lin forced herself not to start when he abruptly lifted his hand off his thigh and subtly moved it the two or three inches to settle on hers. He squeezed. The front cutout of her cocktail dress left her knees and a few inches of thigh exposed, but when she’d sat, the dress had ridden up a few inches. His hand enclosed a stretch of silk-covered skin. He continued talking as if nothing had happened. His heat emanated easily through the super sheer fabric of her silk thigh-highs. Lin just sat there stiffly, trying to rein in her scattered thoughts and slow her racing heart.

“You just said a moment ago that my invention would revolutionize the way people took care of themselves. With the constant feedback the mechanism can provide, people will know when they are in a medical crisis or when they need to make a doctor’s appointment. They will automatically change their habits to become healthier when they see firsthand, in a split second, how a behavior is affecting their heart or their blood pressure or their stress response,” Kam said as he picked up his fork. “Is it your belief that only the wealthy deserve to possess such technology?”

Lin hastened to say something that would smooth over his bluntness. Kam squeezed her thigh again gently. She was stunned to realize he was reassuring her. Her mouth clamped shut.

“I don’t think it’s up to me to decide something like that,” Otto sidestepped gracefully. “I run a company and provide a certain product to a defined market.”

Kam nodded. “You’re right. I’ll have to make similar decisions for my own product, and who has access to it is a major one.”

Otto glanced uncertainly at his daughter, who seemed even more ruffled than him.

“Well, I suppose that’s what this meeting is all about,” Lin said, unable to keep quiet a moment longer. “Gathering information so that decisions and plans can be made.” She made a toast and successfully turned the conversation while they ate to lighter, although still-relevant topics. At some point during the main course, Kam returned his hand to his own lap, but she was still highly self-conscious of the warm, tingling patch of skin on her thigh where it had rested.

By the time coffee and dessert came around, she realized she’d been foolish for feeling the need to bail Kam out of a crisis. He clearly was not uncomfortable with what he’d asked, and why should he be? If the issue of availability of his product to the majority of people was important to him, then clearly it was relevant for discussion. She wasn’t here to make sure he sold his products to the Gersbachs or any of the representatives from luxury watchmakers, but to assist him while he explored whether this was a transaction he wanted to undertake or not.

Elise arrived at their table during dessert, pleasantly distracting Lin from her concerns. They all thanked her for the wonderful meal. Lucien’s wife wore her chef’s smock, her lovely face radiant either from the heat of the kitchen or good spirits or both. After repeating a request for Kam to stay with Lucien and her, and being politely refused yet again, she shrugged good-naturedly, clearly recognizing a losing battle.

“He doesn’t even want to stay at our hotel, why should he want to stay with us at our home?” Elise jabbed Kam fondly, grinning at Lin.

“Oh . . . that’s my fault,” Lin blurted guiltily. “I thought he might be more comfortable near Noble Tower.”

Elise waved her hand with matter-of-fact elegance. “Nonsense. I was just teasing him. Kam knows it. He’s not comfortable in most places in the city.” Lin glanced at Kam, worried Elise’s frankness had embarrassed him. Instead, Kam wore a sheepish grin. Lin really should talk to Lucien’s irrepressible wife about her handling of Kam sometime.

Elise beamed at the entire table in with that patentable Elise charm. “But we’ll get Kam wherever he wants to go eventually,” she told Brigit with a confidential, significant nod. She winked at Otto Gersbach. Otto blinked as if targeted by a stun gun. “Because he’s brilliant, but more importantly, he’s family. And family is very important to us,” Elise said simply, blessing them with one last smile before she bid them good night.

Otto muttered unintelligibly under his breath after Elise left them; the only phrase Lin caught was that charming, golden ray of sunshine. Lin was having trouble disguising her smile. So was Kam, she noticed when they shared a glance of amusement. By the time they finished their dessert, Lin was feeling much more at ease.

“The showing must be over. There’s Lucien, Ian, and Francesca,” Kam observed for Lin’s ears only as the waiter returned with their receipt for the bill. Lin had already noticed the subtle shift in the atmosphere, and knew Ian had entered the room. The energy of a place always amplified when he arrived. She’d been keyed in to Ian’s movements, his desires . . . his very presence for so long now. Of course she sensed it not only in herself, but also in others around her. A youngish-looking man standing at the periphery of the restaurant aimed a camera at Ian, who was escorting Francesca to their table. Lucien grabbed his wrist swiftly, forcing the camera downward. Lin saw Lucien utter a few quiet words to the would-be photographer, and the young man blanched. He walked out of the restaurant of his own volition. She gave a tiny sigh of relief. Lucien was an accomplished pro at keeping his patrons’ experience private and comfortable while they were in his establishments.

She felt Kam’s gaze on her profile and met his stare. “You don’t miss much when it comes to Ian, do you?” he said, his gaze piercing, his voice a low rumble.

“It’s my job.”

His eyebrows went up in an expression that might have been interpreted as politely interested or subtly sarcastic. Lin couldn’t say which. “Do you need to go and speak with him?” he asked.

Lin Soong and her work are practically synonymous.

His question had made his statement from earlier today spring into her brain.

“No,” she replied in a hushed, non-carrying voice, her eyebrows raised in a subtle challenge. “I’m done with work for the day.”

His nostrils flared slightly. His gaze dropped to her mouth, and Lin felt that familiar dip below her navel. It felt so strange to experience that familiar awareness of Ian across a crowded room and yet at the same time to feel a distance from it. It was hard to focus on the everyday with the exciting novelty of Kam so close.

“I think we’ll be making our way back to our hotel,” Otto said. “All I can think about is bed after that delicious meal.”

Lin started guiltily, realizing too late she’d been staring at Kam, and he’d been staring back with that hot gleam in his eyes.

“I look forward to seeing a demonstration of your mechanism, Kam,” Otto said as he set his napkin on the table.

“I was wondering if you’d be willing to let me see Gersbach’s operations and facilities in return?” Kam said, making Lin blink in surprise.

“I’d be delighted to give you a tour myself,” Brigit interrupted, leaning forward and catching Kam’s gaze. “And you must stay with us at our home.”

“We both would be delighted to have you,” Otto clarified. “Brigit and I are returning home at the end of next week. When do you think you might be able to visit us in Switzerland?”

“There are still quite a few things that I need to settle here,” he glanced at Lin. “And we’re still in the process of setting up a demonstration, right? We have to program for a test subject.”

“I’m working on that part,” Lin assured. By “subject,” Kam meant someone from whom they could gather baseline physiological data to import to Kam’s chip. His invention included the technology that personalized the device for every individual owner’s unique body. “But we’re set up for the demonstration at Noble Enterprises next Wednesday,” Lin said, reminding Otto of the schedule she’d provided his assistant.

“I’m still in the process of creating a reliable protocol for each individual watch owner so that they can gather their baseline physiological data themselves,” Kam explained.

Otto nodded. “I understand. For the pharmaceutical companies, there are qualified professionals built in to the process that can gather the data. But I’ve studied the outline you’ve done for self-administration during the data-gathering phase, and I have complete faith that we can integrate successfully. It’s an entirely safe, nonintrusive procedure that anyone who can read can learn to do.”

Kam nodded. “I agree. But given the fact that a full instructional protocol hasn’t been written yet, I’ll do the data gathering for the demonstration.”

Otto gave Kam a sharp, blue-eyed stare. “I sense your reservations about a deal with us. I’ll be unconventionally frank with you. I want your invention for Gersbach at all costs. It’s the most innovative, exciting thing to happen to watchmaking in centuries. The idea of the watch being a tool to tell the date and time is going to become an antiquated concept, thanks to your genius. I will not allow Gersbach to go the way of the dodo. The ball is in your court. If you have specific demands for your product, please assume that I will do whatever I can to meet them. I’m sure that we can come to some sort of compromise that will leave both of us very, very happy.”

Brigit couldn’t hide her surprise at her father’s words, and Lin understood why. Otto hadn’t even seen Kam’s mechanism firsthand yet. Otto Gersbach was not known for being so forthright, or for being so willing to waver from the conservative path of Gersbach tradition.

Lin gave Kam a private, barely repressed smile of triumph as they rose to leave the restaurant a moment later. His lips quirked at her show of enthusiasm.

They paused in the entryway of the hotel to say good-bye to the Gersbachs. Otto had hired a driver for their visit. He pulled up in a sleek black sedan.

“Will we give you a ride back to the hotel?” Brigit asked Kam hopefully as she grasped his forearm. They’d established during dinner that the Gersbachs were staying at the same hotel as Kam, much to Brigit’s apparent approval.

“No, thank you,” Kam replied. “I need a word with Lin. I’ll catch a cab.”

Brigit didn’t look very pleased, but had no choice but to drop her hand. Lin felt her evening bag vibrate and glanced at her phone as the Gersbachs entered the car. She slipped the phone back into her purse and turned to Kam when the sedan rounded a corner and was out of sight. He lightly brushed his hand over her bare upper arm, and she shivered.

“You’re cold,” he growled softly, taking a step closer to her and putting his other hand on her, chafing the pebbled skin on both her arms lightly.

“No, I’m not,” she said honestly. It was a warm fall night. It hadn’t been the night air coming in through the doors when the Gersbachs exited that had made her shiver, but rather his touch. “Kam, I wish you would have told me and Ian about the real reason you weren’t interested in the luxury watch companies. If you want your watch to be accessible to most people, I can understand that. Do you want to go through with the rest of the meetings?”

“Yes,” he said, with much more conviction than she would have expected, given his prior reservations.

“But—”

“I want to continue,” he said firmly, stroking her bare arms again. “I have my reasons.”

She hesitated, looking up at him. “Well, if you want to, of course. If anything, it’s a good experience for you, talking shop with premier watchmakers and businesspeople.”

“Exactly.”

“You were certainly a hit with Otto. And definitely with Brigit,” she said, giving him an amused, knowing glance at the last.

“You had warned me that one of Brigit’s ‘hobbies’ was man hunting,” he reminded her. “At least I wasn’t surprised.”

“You still seemed a little dumbfounded by her boldness a few times, not that most men wouldn’t be,” Lin chuckled. “I think she might have stepped up her game a bit even past her normal activity to be so obvious in front of her father. I’d definitely watch out for her.”

“Are you saying that for my sake? Or yours?”

“For yours, of course.” His fingertips glided across the sensitive patch of skin at the back of her shoulders, and again she shivered.

“I can’t get over how soft you are,” he said bluntly, his brows quirked as if he really was a little disbelieving of the evidence his fingertips sent to his brain.

Her smile faded as she looked up at him. For a few full seconds, neither of them spoke, although she read the message in his eyes like a bold neon sign.