A Perfect Chance Read Online Free PDF Page B

taking a few deep breaths as I did so. Becoming aware of a presence, I looked up at Mace's open doorway to find him hovering there, looking uncertain.
    "Erm." He brushed his fingers through his hair and my gaze followed the movement. I was so easily distracted by this man. "So I'll just be in here, right?"
    I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth, not sure I could trust my voice not to give my lusty thoughts or even my excitement away. I nodded.
    His gaze flicked to my mouth before landing once more on my own. "Right. Okay." Hell, his nervousness was something new. "You remember what to do if you need me?"
    Work questions, I could do this. Yanked out of my dirty thoughts, I answered, "Zero on the phone, silent alarm under my desk to my right, a shoulder width away,"—I reached down to check, my fingers brushing lightly over the smooth plastic panic alarm—"or if all else fails, holler."
    "Right. So I'll leave my door open. It's rare that it's closed. It'll also help you to get used to the different noises."
    My eyes widened. Mace really had thought about everything it seemed. I knew he'd met with Janie, but so far he'd handled everything with such thoughtful precision and knowledge that I couldn't help but wonder if he'd done a heap of research himself on how best to handle a woman like me. My heart melted a little more.
    "Thank you, Mace." I pushed all the sincerity I could into those three words. There were very few people in this world who would go above and beyond to help a virtual stranger to cope. While he and Diesel were tight, he had no real allegiance to the club. He wasn't a pledged member of the Deadwood MC. I couldn't help but wonder why he was helping me in the first place, but it wasn't the time to ask.
    He nodded, offered me a quirk of his lips, and disappeared into his office.
    Once alone, I looked around. I could handle this space. I then looked at the mountain of paperwork and almost happy danced. I would be so busy over the coming weeks organising Mace's dishevelled office, there would be no room for distraction or time to allow me to overthink my situation, and when I'd finally got on top of everything, I was convinced I would be in a good place. It was perfect. I owed my brother, and Mace, big for this. I'd find a way to make it up to both of them.
    The fifteen minutes whizzed by phenomenally fast. I'd only just finished opening and closing every drawer in my desk and then the filing cabinet when Janie and Diesel re-entered. The chime before they opened the door alerted me to their presence, something Mace had had fitted so I would never be startled by someone entering the reception. He'd also had a Perspex divider fitted in front of my desk, something similar to what you'd find in a bank, ensuring I had physical distance between myself and everyone who entered. Between the three of them, they'd made sure I was as comfortable as I could possibly be. As I mulled over such while watching them enter, a pang of guilt hit me. Diesel was the only blood family I had left, and while we loved each other fiercely, I couldn't help but feel regret for how my anxiety impacted on his life.
    Over the years, he'd rarely dated. He put that down to being too busy in the club and running their multiple businesses, but I knew that wasn't the whole truth. So much of his spare time was spent with me, ensuring I was okay. It left little room for a relationship. I was aware of three dates my anxiety had wrecked for him. There could have been more, but he'd never admit to it.
    "Don't." Diesel's deep voice startled me. It was firm.
    I swallowed back my emotion. He knew me so damn well, knew the guilt I battled with constantly. It was time to beat this once and for all. I'd been in survival mode since it happened and had become far too comfortable accepting my current existence as my reality and my future. I would no longer accept that, and this job was the beginning. I would no longer allow my guilt or my anxiety to swallow me