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“I would imagine not, but you have enough sitting in your not-so-well-hidden accounts to last you a lifetime.” He leaned against the desk, crossing his arms over his massive chest, and examined me like a bug under a microscope.
Who the hell did he have working for him? I was good at what I did, but obviously not good enough. The confidence I’d been trying so hard to portray evaporated like mist in the morning sunshine. I had a sinking feeling that some of the work I’d been given recently was a ruse. He’d gained access to my computer. It was the only explanation for why I was here.
“What are you asking me, Mr. Guardian?”
His smile did nothing to ease my fears. It was the smile of a predator about to pounce on his prey. “We both know what I’m asking you, Miss Matthews. Who hired you?”
I forced myself to stand on wobbly legs, bringing me inches from his massive frame. I was tall for a woman at five-ten, but he towered over me. Tipping my head back, I held his gaze. “Who hired me? I do believe that would be your HR department.”
The heat radiating from him had me off kilter. He stepped closer until our bodies were touching. Electric shocks skittered over my skin. What the hell was that? Why did I want to close the gap even further and press my mouth against his? I’d never been this close to a man. I stumbled back, and he reached out to steady me.
His grip was firm on my wrist for a moment before he released me and stepped back. He cleared his throat. “Don’t toy with me, Miss Matthews. A person of your… abilities seeks a job in an IT department at a company that handles large contracts with the government, and you expect me to believe you have no ulterior motive? So, again, I ask Miss Matthews, who hired you?”
My body was on fire from his touch on my wrist, and heat pooled between my thighs. A strange growl escaped me, a sound I’d never made before. What the hell? “I can’t answer that, and if you fire me, my untimely demise will be on your conscience.”
He leaned against the desk. “I can do whatever I like when a staff member steals from me.”
The intensity of his stare almost unraveled me. The glimmer of gold in his eyes seemed to shift, taking up his entire pupils. It disappeared after a few seconds. I fought the urge to place my hand on his cheek and shift his face into the light. I needed to know if what I’d seen was real.
The weight of his stare held me in place. I opened and closed my mouth. “I’m not?—”
He raised his hand again to silence me. “Don’t lie to me. I want to know who sent you here.”
“I can’t.” Fear pierced me. My heart pounded. My ears buzzed so loudly that I wasn’t sure I could rely on them to decipher his words. What was happening to me? His presence was affecting me in unfamiliar ways.
“You can, and you will. Then, I’m going to figure out how to use you for my own benefit.” His smile was dangerous and dark.
“You’re not going to fire me or have me… you know… arrested?” The thought made my mouth dry.
He laughed, which did odd things to me, sending warmth radiating through my lower belly.
“Have you arrested?” He shook his head. “Oh, no. That would be far too easy on you. No, you’re not going anywhere. I intend to keep you close where I can monitor your every move.”
My stomach flipped as he moved, his body brushing mine as he came to stand in front of me. My knees turned to butter, threatening to cave beneath me. He leaned in, running his nose along my neck and inhaling deeply. Did he just sniff me?
Shit. I was in so much trouble.
Chapter 3
Mila
Magnus’s breath fanned my mouth. My breath stilled, my heart skipped, and my lips tingled as something intangible shivered through me. He smelled like the woods, hickory, and something else I couldn’t quite name. One hand gripped my waist tightly while the other slid into my hair.
“I’ve never seen hair this color before,” he murmured, teasing the silver strands between his fingers.
“I-It’s always been this way. Some recessive gene, apparently.”
Magnus brought the strands to his nose and inhaled again, a frown creasing his forehead as if he were trying to figure something out. “Unusual.”
His mahogany gaze captured mine, and he pulled me against him. The air around us thickened with tension.
“W-what are you?—"
Before I could finish, his lips claimed mine. His hand cradled my head, holding me in place as he ravaged my mouth, his beard silky against my face.
Oh, Lord. I’d never been kissed like this. It was like a fever. Wisps of flame roared to life, licking through my lower belly as his lips coaxed and caressed mine.
I should be screaming. Pushing him away. But my body had a mind of its own as his tongue traced my bottom lip and slid inside. He tasted me, stroking secret places, his fingers caressing my spine through my silky blouse. Overwhelmed, I heard myself whimper as I melted into the hard wall of his chest. At some point, I’d looped my arms around his neck and buried my fingers in his thick, dark hair.
