He frowned. “Well, The Ranch would be a great place to hide, especially if she’s looking to make some cash quickly.”
She nodded, her throat threatening to close. Her flight response was kicking in just thinking about asking the question. Dammit. Get it together, Brynn. She reached for the doorjamb to hold herself steady.
His blue eyes evaluated her, and his mouth sunk into a deeper frown. Before she could force out a word, he rose from his chair and crossed the room, his focus never leaving her face. She wondered
if he was going to embrace her, ward off the panic. The thought seemed both appealing and abhorrent all at the same time.
But he didn’t hug her. Instead, he slipped his hand into the inside pocket of his jacket and pulled out a small white card. When she didn’t make a move to take it, he grabbed her hand and with a gentle pressure uncurled her fist. He placed the card in her palm. “I told my friend to expect you around eight tonight.”
She lifted Reid’s business card, flipped it over, and read the handwritten address. “But how did you know to make an appointment? I hadn’t even decided to do it.”
The corner of his mouth tipped up. “Ten years may have passed, Brynn, but I still know you.”
Anger at his knowing glance chased away the burgeoning panic. “What? That I’m a girl who willingly jumps in bed with anyone?”
His expression hardened. “No, I was going to say because I know how protective you are of your sister. But maybe your assessment is more accurate.”
She flexed her fingers, wishing that she’d taken the kickboxing class instead of the self-defense one because punching Reid’s smug face would have been so satisfying. But she really didn’t need to get fired for interoffice violence on top of her already shitty day. “Screw you, Reid.”
He smirked, tilting his head closer as if he were going to share a secret. “You already did that, sugar. And from what I remember, you loved every minute of it. All you have to do is ask and I’ll come along with you.”
Heat rushed to her cheeks, but her tone turned icy. “Don’t misconstrue my appreciation for your help this weekend with forgiveness. You lost the right to touch me a very long time ago.”
“Suit yourself.” He rocked back on his heels and tucked his hands in his pockets. “Good luck with your stranger, Brynn.”
Your stranger. Her lunch threatened to make an encore appearance, and she turned on her heel, striding away before Reid could see how much he’d gotten to her.
SIX
then
Brynn flinched as Davis Ackerman slammed his fist on his desk, a strand of perfectly gelled hair falling across his forehead.Author: Roni Loren
“Dammit, Brynn. How could you leave the governor on hold that long?”
She stared down at her skirt, worrying the hem between her fingers and wishing—not for the first time—that she worked directly for Reid’s uncle and not for the power-happy campaign manager. “I’m so sorry. I… um… I had an emergency call on the other line. I got distracted.”
“What call could possibly be more important? He’s the goddamn governor!” Davis’s face turned the color of the cinnamon gum he incessantly chewed.
Tears brimmed her eyes, but she blinked them back. Explaining to him that her sister had called her in hysterics a minute after she thought she’d transferred the governor’s call would not win her any points. She cleared her throat. “I promise it’ll never happen again.”
“You got that right,” he said, rising from his chair, his hand still clasping a copy of the e-mail the governor had sent to him about sitting on hold so long he’d hung up. “I know Patrick has taken a liking to you, but this kind of thing will not be excused. No more mistakes, Ms. LeBreck.”
She breathed an inner sigh of relief. Thank God. No pink slip today. She nodded and stood. “Yes, sir, I understand. Thank you.”
She yanked open the office door and escaped in such a hurry she didn’t notice Reid until she barreled into him. A stack of papers dropped from his hands. “Whoa, there.”
“Shit,” she said, sinking to her knees to gather the mess. “I’m sorry, I didn’t—”
He knelt next to her and laid a hand over hers, stilling her frantic pace. “Hey, chill. It’s okay. What’s wrong?”
She glanced up to meet his gaze and died a little when a hot tear slid down her cheek. No, please, not in front of him. She wiped the moisture from her face and pulled her other hand from beneath his. “I’m fine, just in a rush.”
He glanced at the closed door behind her. “Did Davis upset you?”
She shook her head and straightened the documents into a neat stack before handing them to Reid. “It’s nothing. I made a mistake, and he was talking to me about it.”
Reid stood and set the papers onto a nearby desk, his blue eyes narrowing. “More like yelling. I could hear him from across the office. God, that guy can be such a prick sometimes. He thinks just because he landed a management position at thirty he can piss on everyone else.”