up. He was sure she would have said something by now.
âBeth?â Chris called out. âYou can come down now. Itâs safe.â
He heard a snuffle. âChris? Is that you?â
Beside him, he felt Ryanâs body tense with interest. Unbidden, a pang of jealousy tore through him at the thought of Ryan checking Beth out. She might not be his but she was his to take care of. At least for the time being.
Climbing up the first two rungs, he said, âI promise, everythingâs okay, you can come on down.â
Chris felt his cheeks and neck go red as he heard the tone he was using in front of his boss, but he steadfastly ignored the way his boss was eyeing him.
âAre you sure itâs safe?â
He had to smile. If he were really in trouble and had come to retrieve her, he knew heâd have no choice but to say whatever it took to get her to comply.
âIâm sure.â
He climbed up the rest of the rungs and poked his head into the narrow crawl space where she was hidden. Realizing how dark it was, he started to worry about her. âWhere are you? Itâs bigger than I thought. Do you need me to find a flashlight or a candle or something?â
âCandle?â Ryan murmured.
âYouâll understand soon,â Chris said under his voice. Far more concerned about taking care of Beth, he climbed up another rung. âHey, how about I come up to get you?â
âThereâs no need,â she said after a momentâs pause. âI can come down. If . . . if youâre sure weâre safe.â
He hated that she was so frightened. He hated that heâd done this to her. âIâm sure.â With a bit of surprise, he realized he had an endless amount of patience where she was concerned. He didnât mind her nervousness. Didnât care that she needed a lot of assurance.
All he cared about was her well-being.
When he saw her face peeking out, half hidden in the atticâs dark shadows, he saw that it was tearstained. âEverything is all right,â he said as calmly as he could. âCome on down. It was just Ryan, by the way. Heâs my boss.â
As she shuffled toward him, Chris started down the ladder.
As he reached the floor, he held out his hand to offer it to Beth. To his surprise, he felt himself half holding his breath as she descended. Her safety and care was his main concern now.
As her black flats, then dark blue skirts came into view, he had to stop himself from reaching out to embrace her. And when she turned to stare at Ryan with wide eyes, he saw her eyes were distrustful.
âLike Chris said, Iâm Ryan. Ryan Holditch,â his boss said as he held out a hand.
She ignored it, looking at Chris in concern instead.
This time he did give in to temptation. Stepping to her side, he rested a reassuring arm around her shoulders.
It seemed he was beyond subtleties now. âHeâs a good man, I promise.â
But instead of looking relieved, her expression grew more uneasy. âWhy is he here?â she whispered.
After a quick glare in Ryanâs direction, effectively stopping any comment he was about to make, Chris guided her toward the hallway. âHow about we talk downstairs?â
For a moment, he was sure she was going to refuse to budge. But then she walked down the steps, her head high.
âWow,â Ryan murmured before following Chris down the stairs.
He understood what his boss meant. Beth was lovely. There was something else about her, too. Something that made a man want to take another look at her. There was little that was weak or fragile about her. Despite her tears, there was a silent strength that was intoxicating.
He knew right then and there that he would do anything in order to protect her from harm.
He just hoped it wouldnât come to that. There were countless reasons why his boss would show up, unannounced, two days before Christmas. But none of those reasons were
Brenda Novak
Italo Calvino
C. C. Hunter
ylugin
Mario Puzo
Charlotte Boyett-Compo
Toby Neal
Amarinda Jones
Ashley Hunter
Riley Clifford