The Cinderella Mission (Family Secrets #1)(25)
Author: Catherine Mann

Hadn’t she learned threats could lurk in the safest of places? Her professor hadn’t respected the sanctity of school grounds when he’d lured her into his office under the pretense of discussing a test grade.

Her pounding pulse throbbed in her ears. At least no one skulking outside would be able to see her. She inched farther to the side. Think. Stay out of sight until she could find a weapon and ID who it was.

She stifled suffocating memories of a hand on her mouth, blunt fingers pinching her nose until she stilled beneath him rather than pass out from lack of air. Her hands fisted.

More than her safety depended on keeping a cool head. Alex Morrow was somewhere, waiting, hoping his government would retrieve him.

What if Ethan had been the one lost overseas?

Determination fired within her. She made a quick visual sweep of the greenhouse.

Snaking a hand up, she snagged a miniature garden rake from the shelf. The lethal three prongs on the hand-sized cultivator would make a weapon more deadly than any dragon-eye slap. As long as she didn’t lose control of it.

Kelly crouched, crept toward the door. Adrenaline burned the sweat from her skin, the spit from her mouth. It was likely nothing, she reassured herself. Just some animal rustling through the snow. There certainly wasn’t much noise.

The knob turned.

Not an animal. Kelly’s grip tightened around the plastic handle. The door swung open, the entryway empty. Pressing her back against the wall by the door, she waited. She wasn’t stupid. She wouldn’t strike unless necessary. But if she did—

“Kelly?”

Ethan’s voice rumbled through the opening even though he didn’t show himself. Relief surged through her and she shot to her feet.

Her body slammed against the wall. Ethan pinned her, his face looming over. Where had he come from so fast?

“Kelly?” His hand vise-locked her wrist to the wall.

Her fingers numbed. The three-pronged rake clattered to the ground. “Geez, Williams, way to stop a girl’s heart.”

He didn’t laugh.

She glanced down at the 9mm in his other hand. Suddenly the abundance of flowery scents made her nauseous. Thank God for his fast reflexes in lowering the weapon.

Harsh lines marked his face, his skin pulled taut along angular bones. “Don’t ever, ever jump out at me like that. You’re damned lucky I didn’t shoot you.”

Residual fear made her ornery. “I didn’t jump out. You snuck up.”

“That’s what I do in order to stay alive, take my time entering an unsecured area.” Water glistened on his hair like the sparks flecking his angry eyes.

“I waited until I knew it was you.” She nudged the gardening rake with her toe. “And I had a weapon.”

A smile kicked through the harshness hardening his face. “Good, making the most of what’s around.”

Pride flowed through in a warm rush that eased her fear. Slowly, her heart rate returned to normal.

Only to speed right back up again.

His long lean body pressed flush along hers. His hand lowered her arm, bringing them closer still until her br**sts flattened to his solid chest in an exchange of heat that conversely sent shivers through her.

He stared back at her. Then down. His slight shift allowed a whisper of air between them.

Ethan’s eyes cruised every inch of her leggings and sports bra. The fire of his gaze threatened to melt Lycra clean away from her skin.

Not that she could feel any more exposed than she already did.

She scrambled for composure. A sweatshirt to yank over her skimpy getup might help. Her increasing breaths threatened hyperventilation, not to mention too-damned-enticing brushes of her br**sts against his pecs. “So glad you’ve decided to apologize for what you said earlier about Matt,” she babbled.

“I’m not here to apologize.”

“Oh. Then please leave.” Please, please, please. “I’m busy.”

He braced an arm over her head. “But I will apologize for scaring you just now.”

Kelly sagged against the wall, farther from him and the temptation to rest her hands on his shoulders. “I’m fine. Just startled.”

“Couldn’t guess by that yell.”

“I never yell.”

“Tell that to the office full of operative-support folks.”

“It’s called projection. Not yelling. There’s a difference.” She knew she was rambling to cover her nerves, but couldn’t make herself stop. “You can go now.”

He pushed away from the wall and strode down the row of plants, tapping along each one with careless leisure, while the 9mm dangled from his other hand.

“What are you doing?” She scooped her sweatshirt from the floor and yanked it over her head.

“Taking inventory.”

She grabbed her jacket from a hook by the door. “Then I’ll leave you to it.”

“Stay,” he called over his shoulder without turning.

She shouldn’t. But suspected she would anyway. “Did we forget to discuss something?”

He shook his head.

“Okay. Then I’d like to go.” She clutched her parka in her hands without moving.

“Soon.” The length of the greenhouse separating them, he pivoted on his heel to face her. “Right now, I need to look at you for another minute.”

“What?”

He set his weapon beside a potted topiary of miniature roses. “You may have only been startled, but I was damned scared.”

“Of what?”

The harsh lines of his face hardened into a man she barely recognized, but she’d bet those he’d taken down in the field would know well. “You scared the hell out of me, disappearing like that, Taylor.”

“I did?” Kelly clutched her coat to her stomach in direct pressure against a dangerous yearning blooming faster than the orchid stretching toward the sunlamp.

“I’m responsible for you.”

And then he wilted those tender feelings as quickly as if he’d pulled the plug on the lamp. “We’re responsible for each other.”

“Whatever.”

Damn it, they had to start working together as partners or they would end up maiming each other with garden tools by the end of the week. She accepted responsibility, as well, knew she should have kept him informed if she intended to wander off.

But he wasn’t being straight with her, either. Sure his ego might sting if this assignment didn’t shake down right, but he would still have a future in the field. Unlike her. She needed to close this case.