His Every Touch [The Complete Series] Read Online Free PDF Page B

pretty sure he couldn't
actually fire her since she could just turn around and accuse him of
harassment. True, he had written evidence while she had nothing physical to
support her story, but the publicity alone could ruin his career.

Right. She just need to get things under control.
Decide what she needed to do next. Once she had a plan, a course of action,
everything would be all right. After all, wasn't that what she always did? Take
care of herself?

Courtney took a shuddering breath and then another,
drawing the air into her lungs until it moved evenly. Only then did she stand.
She could do this. Compared to what she'd already done on her own, this
situation wasn't anything she couldn't handle.

The thought took her back into the past, back through
years of having to be the adult when she shouldn't have needed to be. She never
felt sorry for herself. Too many kids had it so much worse. She'd never been
abused or really neglected. There'd always been more than enough food in their
house, clothes to wear. The only thing that hadn't been there was her parents.
While they were out making their mark on the world, Courtney had been left with
a series of housekeepers and nannies until age twelve when her parents decided
she was old enough to stay on her own. Every decision was hers to make as were
the consequences to bear. Courtney was no psychologist, but she understood
herself well enough to know that this was the root of her authority issues. She
hated other people making decisions for her, telling her what to do.

And yet, she'd always had a fascination with the idea
of someone taking away that control. Not in some domineering or misogynistic
way but because he truly understood that this was what she needed and that she
trusted him implicitly. When Vance had told her to stand, to take off her
jacket, she'd been surprised at how quickly she'd complied, how good it had
felt to not think, to just do. For once in her life, she hadn't spent hours
analyzing, weighing the pros and cons of each option. She'd just obeyed. And
the relief she'd felt had been indescribable. Not to mention the intensity of
the orgasm she'd had from fantasizing about Vance taking things further.

Courtney felt herself grow wet just thinking about
it, desire blooming in her belly even as she tried to push the memory from her
mind. She needed to focus on how she was going to regain control of the
situation. She wasn't entirely sure how she was going to do that, only that she
had to.
    ***
    “Hi.”

The paper Courtney'd been holding – her careful plan
outlining everything from her resignation to putting in applications at other
agencies – slipped from her fingers as Vance spoke. “Hi,” her response was
automatic.

“Can I come in?”

Courtney blinked. This uncertainty was nothing like
the man she'd met yesterday. The man who'd ordered her to take off her jacket,
the man whose touch had sent flames licking over her body at his every touch.
“Of course.” She took a step back and, as he walked past, his scent washed over
her. Rich spices that made her think of warmth and safety. Of home.

He turned towards her as she shut the door. Her heart
was in her throat, and she opened her mouth.

“This is a really bad idea.” They spoke together,
eyes locking on the last word.

Courtney could almost hear the spark that went
between them, almost see it. As a child, she'd imagined that, one day, a prince
would come who'd sweep her off her feet and take her to his kingdom. She'd live
in a castle and have servants, and her husband would take care of her forever.
She hadn't been very old when that fantasy had faded, but a part of it had
always remained. The part that said she'd know the moment she met him, that
they would have this instant connection. Now, as she stared into Vance's pale
eyes, she couldn't help but remember telling one of her many nannies that her
prince would be everything she'd ever wanted, and they'd recognize each other
the