Saved by a Dangerous Man by Cleo Peitsche Page B

you.”  
    Instead of smiling and inundating me with all the reasons I’d never regret accepting his offer, Corbin sat on the bed next to me. He took my hand in his. “Audrey, I need to tell you something.”
    Oh, shit.
    “I have to retract my offer.”
    My hands went clammy, and I wished Corbin would stop looking at me. I wasn’t accustomed to rejection on any level, and in less than an hour he had put the brakes on the relationship and reconsidered hiring me.
    “Why?”
    “Things are unstable right now.”
    My heart started to beat again. “So after the leaks get sorted—”
    “No.” Corbin leaned closer. “I’m sorry,” he said. “Everything has changed.” He kissed me, but I pushed him away.
    “Changed? How? What’s so different?”  
    “For one thing, I haven’t disposed of anyone since I met you. I don’t want to do that anymore.”
    It wasn’t the kind of statement that lent itself to a quick response, though a dozen quips rose to mind. About it being Christmas already. About him liking fucking me more than killing people. Anything to hide the wave of emotion that had washed over me. I swallowed. “You’re retiring?”
    “I want to. I’ve got to see my current project through, and then I’ll make my wishes known.”
    I wanted to ask him why. To know if it was a coincidence or if he was doing it for me. But then his mouth brushed mine.
    There was hunger in his kiss, and tenderness, too. Longing. Lots of that. Was this what it felt like to be kissed by someone who had feelings for me? I didn’t know. But I liked it, and I wanted more. I kissed him back, sorry that I’d lied to him about my feelings, sorry that I couldn’t change it even now. Because despite my bravery in the face of bodily harm, I was a coward when it came to my heart.  

    I spent the next morning watching tepid talk shows. At 11:00, my phone rang. It was the office, and I sent it to voicemail.
    Technically I still had two more days off. Holidays were always a good time to grab fugitives, and Stroop Finders had ruined more than a few family dinners. So Dad tended to give us time off here and there, though not usually in a big clump like this, with the whole office shut down. It wouldn’t be out of character for him to call us in, promising that we could take the extra time at a later date.
    A moment later, my brother called. His call, I answered.
    “Evaluations,” he said. “Please tell me you’re back in town.”
    I hesitated. It would be unfair to make Rob face Dad alone.  
    “You are,” he said. “Noon. He’s doing it over lunch.”
    “He must have some bad news.” I straightened, smiling. “Maybe we’re getting fired!”
    “Doubt it,” Rob said. “My guess is that he wants us to sign away our lives for another seven years of servitude. Am I right… are you back?”
    “Yeah.”
    “So you’re coming?”
    “Guess so.” I hung up, dressed, and grabbed both my phones. Maybe I was supposed to stay put, but me going to a family work function wouldn’t be out of the ordinary. Nor would it cause problems for Corbin and his mysterious organization.
    But when I reached the elevator, I had a problem. It wouldn’t budge without a code that I didn’t have.
    So I took the stairs. At the bottom, I ran into Jennifer, carrying two large hot drinks.
    She looked at me, stunned. “Where are you going?”
    When I told her, she shrugged. “Sounds harmless. But I’ll have to come with you, you know.”
    I really didn’t appreciate having a minder. On the other hand… “I do need a ride.”
    “And I happen to have a truck.”
    Of course she did, and I bet it was huge and black. She handed me one of the cups. “Hope you like hot chocolate. I didn’t know if you’d prefer whole milk or skim, so I went for 2%.”
    “Whipped cream?”
    “It’s not hot chocolate without it.”
    That deserved my undying loyalty. “Thank you.”
    She pushed a code into a keypad, but I wasn’t able to see it. “You couldn’t