Captured Innocence (CSA Case Files) Read Online Free PDF Page B

specialized order that he was probably here for.  Knowing that was not like her at all, Lauren promised herself that she’d call her sister to say she was coming for a visit immediately following this transaction.
    Something about this man’s bearing drew her to step closer.  He was dressed in jeans that fit his form in a way she could appreciate, accompanied by a brown bomber jacket adorned with unit patches from what appeared to be a military background.  He was a good six inches taller than her five-foot-six-inch frame.  His stance clearly stated he was a dominant alpha male.  Taking a brief moment to shake off the previous melancholy that had settled over her, Lauren stepped around the counter and cleared her throat.
    He turned his head in her direction and she lost her breath.  The blue of his eyes were like the most pristine blue tourmaline stones found only in Brazil.  His gaze cut through her like the razor thin blade in the machine she used to resize the stones she handled. Remembering she could never be with a man who needed so much control, she brought her hands up and closed her fingers around her watch to remind herself of why.  Immediately, the inferno was extinguished and she felt more grounded.
    “May I help you?” Lauren asked, grateful her voice came out smooth and didn’t betray the confusion within her.  She dealt with many Dominants in her business, so what was it about this man’s demeanor that affected her in such a carnal manner?
    “I ’m just browsing.” 
    He turned to face her full on and Lauren tightened her grip on her watch.  The man’s jet-black hair was closely cropped on the sides, yet long enough on top that it fell over his forehead.  His skin seemed sun-kissed, but his color was obviously from his heritage.  Maybe a mixture of Cuban and Caucasian?  He had a square jaw, probably matching his personality, and he hadn’t shaved this morning.  Why that made him more sexually appealing, she didn’t know.  His lips were full and she finally noticed that they were moving. 
    “… town.  I was at Masters last night and overheard them mention your store.  My name’s Connor Ortega.  I seemed to have missed your vendor table at the club, although I’m usually there during play hours only.”
    Lauren just bet he was.  Connor Ortega seemed to be the type of man who worked hard and played hard.  The exact kind she stayed away from, although he was the precise type she would have gone for had she still been the naïve girl she once was in her early twenties.  When he stepped forward and held out his hand, she had no choice but to reciprocate.  Releasing her watch slowly, she slid her hand into his and ignored the way his warmth seemed to seep into her skin through the electric contact of his grip.   
    “Lauren Bailey.”  The second he released her hand, she stepped back.  “Are you looking for anything in particular?”
    “Not really,” Connor said, although his eyes said something different.  She retreated around the counter.  “I’m meeting a friend for lunch and had some extra time to kill.”
    “Well, please look around.  If I can be of any help, let me know.”
    Lauren gave him a strained smile and hoped it didn’t show.  As he went back to perusing the items in the various display cabinets, she leaned up against the stool that she always kept behind the counter pretending to look at a clipboard listing the shipment she needed to go through today.  There was an underlying sensual impression that he seemed to leave in his wake.  Feeling her irritation grow at the irrational emotions she was experiencing, Lauren put it down to the hectic afternoon she still had ahead of her.
    The bell above the shop door rang once more.  Lauren looked up to see one of the two police detectives from earlier walk through the door.  A slight throbbing developed in her forehead.  She watched as he gave an evaluating glance toward Connor, but continued to amble up