A Darker Shade of Dead by Bianca D'Arc

was all he could get.
    Dammit. She wasn’t going to get away with it. Not if he had anything to say about it. He was about to force her hand when she pulled away from him.
    Â 
    Sandra had to make a hard decision. Either go with the incredible feelings Matt stirred in her or reject them and stick to her plan. Such as it was.
    It really was a stupid plan. What sort of red-blooded female would pass up the opportunity to be with an incredible guy like Matt, even if only for a short time? A crazy one, that’s who. Certifiably insane. There was no doubt about it.
    She was going to do it. She was going to reject him. It was probably the most foolish thing she’d ever done, but damn if she wasn’t going to do it.
    â€œI’m not comfortable with this, Matt.” She stood abruptly.
    He backed off. “What exactly are you uncomfortable with? Is it me?”
    She was tempted to say yes, but that wasn’t right.
    â€œIt’s not you. It’s more who you are.” She squirmed under his scrutiny. “You’re my boss.”
    He flopped onto his back, sighing heavily as he stared up at the ceiling.
    â€œI’m almost afraid to ask.” He looked from the ceiling to her. “Have you been hassled by men you worked with before? Because in no way do I want to hassle you, Sandra. Ever. That’s not what this is about.”
    â€œI’m flattered, Matt. Really.” She stood, pausing by the door. She couldn’t do this anymore. One more minute in his presence and she’d give in—to hell with the consequences. “I need some space.”
    She stepped through the door, but Matt’s hand on her arm made her pause. His touch was gentle, but it stopped her in her tracks.
    â€œI apologize if I misread anything—”
    â€œIt would be wrong of me to let you believe that.” She cut off his words but couldn’t face him. “I am attracted to you, Matt, but I can’t let it go any further than that. Not now. Maybe not ever. Please just accept that.”
    His hand dropped from her arm, and she felt him move away.
    â€œI’ll accept it. For now.” She heard the bedsprings squeak as he sat down again, but she still couldn’t bear to look at his face. “I hope I haven’t made things awkward between us. Are you still okay working under my command?”
    She nodded. “I’m okay with your leadership. In fact, I wouldn’t want to work for anyone else on this mission. Let’s just forget this. Forget it all.”
    â€œI wish I could, doc. I wish I could.”

Chapter Five
    M att was glad Sandra was so confident in his leadership. He wasn’t so sure himself. Especially not when he returned to his office to find a small listening device poorly hidden under his desk.
    A cautious man, Matt usually looked around for changes in his environment whenever he entered a room. It was part of his SEAL training that had spilled over into all areas of his existence. Observation had become a way of life.
    Even distracted by thoughts of the moments spent alone with Sandra, he still noted the slight disarray of the papers on his desk. Normally, that could be explained by the activity of one of his support staff. They frequently came in and left documents for him.
    But that, coupled with the misalignment of his desk drawers, alerted him to look deeper. He had one of those old wooden desks. It had been in service for many years and had developed quirks. The drawers didn’t like to close all the way unless they were aligned perfectly. It had taken him a few days to get the hang of the stubborn piece of furniture, but he eventually had discovered all its secrets.
    The way the drawers sat now—not fully seated in their slots—told him someone had been in them since he’d left his office. That wasn’t normal. His staff knew not to mess with the private areas of his desk. There was no reason for anyone to delve inside unless