Mine to Hold (Mine #3)(2)
Author: Cynthia Eden

And at that moment, Claire broke.

Chapter One

I can do this.

Claire Kramer stared up at the tall, imposing lines of York Towers. The building seemed to touch the sky, and windows—far too many to count—gleamed as they reflected the bright sunlight back on her. The Towers were located in the heart of New York, and the streets were packed with people.

So many people. Their bodies brushed against her as they passed her on the sidewalk.

Claire took a deep breath. That breath was supposed to fortify her. She’d come this far. She had to go inside the building. It wasn’t like she had much of a choice at this point.

Her savings were gone. Her apartment—um, she didn’t have one. She had nothing but a hotel stay that would last for two more nights.

She was desperate, and desperate times sure called for desperate measures.

After one more glance up at York Towers, Claire straightened her shoulders. She smoothed down her jacket for what had to be the tenth time. Fall had hit the city, and the brisk air chilled her skin. Or maybe that chill just came from the fear she felt. What if he doesn’t help me?

Going to York Towers…it was her last option.

So do this. With her chin up, Claire approached the entrance to the hotel.

The rich and famous usually stayed in places like this one. Claire wasn’t rich, and she sure wasn’t famous.

Just infamous back home.

But New York was a long, long way from Fairview, Alabama. No one knew her in this city. No one but Noah York. The man who was York Towers. Young, dynamic, mysterious…Noah York was a powerhouse in this city and around the world. He had dozens of luxury hotels and getaways.

He was also the sexiest man Claire had ever met. That sexiness made him dangerous. The last time Claire had fallen for a good-looking, rich boy, she’d lost everything.

This time, I have nothing to lose.

A doorman hurried to open the door for her. He tipped his hat, a friendly smile on his face. Claire found herself nervously smiling back. She’d worked in plenty of other hotels during the last few years. It wasn’t as if she was totally out of her element.

She’d seen gleaming marble floors before. She’d seen other lobbies filled with complimentary welcome champagne and roses.

It was just that…this was Noah’s hotel. And Noah made Claire very nervous.

She headed toward the concierge desk. The woman there immediately stood to greet her. “May I help you?” she asked. Her ID listed her name as Janelle.

Claire cleared her throat. “I’m here to see Noah York. My name’s Claire—”

The woman’s brown eyes lit with curiosity. “Of course! Mr. York told me that you’d be here for a meeting this morning.”

Because she’d broken down and called him last night. She and Noah had met a few months ago. They’d both been caught in a terrible nightmare in Chicago. She’d been stabbed. He’d been shot.

They’d both survived.

Sometimes, Claire felt like that survival had linked them. Or maybe it was just the odd, instinctive awareness that she’d felt for Noah since the first moment that they’d met. When he was close, Claire was hyper-aware of the man.

An elevator dinged behind her. She heard the doors slide open.

And goosebumps rose on Claire’s arms.

Instinctive awareness. Almost like prey, sensing danger.

Claire glanced over her shoulder. Sure enough, Noah strode from the elevator. His golden eyes were locked on her. Such unusual eyes—they reminded her of a lion’s. Noah was certainly a top notch predator, both in the boardroom and, judging by the gossip columns, in his personal life.

As she turned to fully face him, Noah smiled, a flash of his perfect, white teeth, and his steps quickened as he approached her. “Claire, you’re late,” he chided as he closed in.

She shook her head. “I…it’s only nine.”

“Five minutes after nine.” He raised one dark brow. “And here I thought you’d be more punctual.”

Oh, crap. What a way to begin a job interview. Claire felt her cheeks sting with embarrassment. How did she go about explaining that she’d actually been outside of the hotel for thirty minutes? She’d just been trying to work up the courage to step inside the place.

Noah scares me.

Her gaze drifted over his face. He was too handsome. Handsome men were dangerous. That was rule one in her book.

Rule two went something like…Never trust handsome men.

And Claire didn’t trust Noah. The man was too much of a mystery for trust to enter the equation. But then, Claire didn’t actually trust anyone. Not completely.

Noah’s cheekbones were high, sharp slashes. His nose was straight and strong. His jaw was perfectly square. His lips appeared hard but sensual. His hair was midnight black and his eyes—

They were like a lion’s. A deep, beautiful gold.

Those eyes seemed to be looking right into Claire’s soul then.

Nervously, she pulled at the sleeves of her jacket, making sure they covered her wrists. Then she stopped, catching herself.

Noah reached for her hand. “Come along, Claire.” He nodded to the concierge. “Morning, Janelle.”

“Sir…” Janelle said, giving a quick nod.

Then Noah pulled Claire toward the elevator. A private elevator, she noted, because he had to use a keycard to get the control panel to function. Once they were inside, he pressed the button for the top floor.

She knew that floor would house the main luxury suites.

The elevator doors closed, and they were sealed inside. The space seemed far too small to her, or maybe Noah was just too big. His broad shoulders stretched the tailored suit that he wore, and the guy had to be at least six foot two, maybe six foot three. A raw power clung to him.

Claire inched back a bit.

“Don’t.”

Her gaze flew to meet his.

Noah shook his head. “You have nothing to fear from me, Claire.” He smiled at her. “Besides, from what I remember, you’re pretty strong in your own right.”

She blushed. Again. She couldn’t help it that she had the annoying skin type that flushed way too much. No, she couldn’t help it, but she could hate it. “I was…” Claire cleared her throat. “I didn’t know who you were then.” When a strange man appeared out of seemingly nowhere and came at her, Claire’s immediate instinct had been to attack. She hadn’t wasted moment on questions. Instead, she’d gone in fighting.

These days, Claire knew it was better to be safe—