Intimate Caresses (The Love and Danger Series) Read Online Free PDF Page A

“This is some sort of sick joke and I’m not going to be the brunt of the latest office prank,” she said and stepped towards the doorway.  She had taken several steps, but the image of all the officers down in the lobby popped into her head.  If it were a prank, it was a pretty elaborate one.  But if it weren’t a prank…she shivered as the idea hit her.  “It is a prank, isn’t it?”
    Brock was deeply aware of how pretty her voice was.  He liked the melodic flow of her words, as if she’d grown up in Texas or Alabama.  He wasn’t completely sure about all the various southern accents, and hers was very subtle.  In fact, it had just shown up in the last few minutes.  Perhaps that’s how he could figure out if she was truly upset. 
    “Jared Silverberg is definitely dead.  Murdered, in fact.”
    She watched Brock carefully again, then laughed.  “Nope.  I don’t believe you.”  She made her way towards the door again, but one more time, she looked back at him. When she realized that he wasn’t laughing, not even teasing, but seemed completely serious, she took a deep breath.  “He’s not dead,” she shook her head.  “No.  The man’s a jerk, but he’s not dead.”  She fell back down onto the chair again and her breathing became erratic. 
    “Are you going to be okay?” Brock asked, moving closer.  Bending down, he realized that she was starting to hyperventilate.  “It’s okay,” he soothed, and his hands bent her forward. “Here, put your head between your knees and take deep breaths.”
    Nina followed his instructions because she wasn’t sure what else to do.  All she could think about was Jared.  Dead.  She simply couldn’t believe it.  It seemed impossible.  Just yesterday, she’d been slipping out of the kitchen to avoid being cornered by him again.  Thankfully, someone else had come into the kitchen at that moment, so she’d easily been able to slip out and head back to her office.  She had even brought in her own coffee maker a few weeks ago simply so she wouldn’t have to go to the kitchen as often.  Being cornered by that lecher was not an option.  He played dirty. 
    “What happened?” she asked and she felt his hand on her back, rubbing back and forth.  Oh, that felt good!  And when he massaged the tense muscles in her shoulders….!  She thought she might just pass out from…okay, so she wasn’t exactly sure what she was going to pass out from.  Was it the fact that her obnoxious, horrible boss was dead?  Or was it because the man beside her was touching her and she was both drawn to him in an odd, sensual way while at the same time, he terrified her right down to her red, painted toenails?  Either way, his touch was causing her to stop hyperventilating.  Or maybe it was just that his warm hand felt like it was putting her skin on fire as he tried to soothe her.  It wasn’t soothing.  In fact, it was the exact opposite of soothing.  It was making her more than a little bit crazy. 
    Brock felt her skin through the silk of her shirt and wanted to pull her onto his lap, to feel her curl up around him so that her body was touching as much of his as possible. 
    He took a deep breath himself and shook his head mentally.  Damn!  She was a suspect and he was supposed to be interrogating her.  Not making love to her! 
    He cleared his throat and pulled his hand away before the temptation to lift her onto his lap became too strong. 
    He stood up and watched as she lifted her head, her eyes slowly coming into focus and those blue eyes latched right in on him. 
    “So what do you know about the murder?” he asked, watching her reaction.  These first interviews were always so important.  Impressions were formed, leads discovered.  He could usually sniff out the culprit within the first few interviews.
    Unfortunately, Brock wasn’t sure what his gut was telling him in her case.  He figured he was too dazzled by her temper and her figure,