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She found his online calendar. Empty. He must keep his agenda elsewhere. Contacts are also empty. Surely he must have some useful information stored somewhere on his computer?
I don’t think he’s so old fashioned that he would write anything down,Lorena thought to herself.
She tried to access his bank account, but thatwaspassword protected. Of course. She’d just clicked on his emails when she heard someone enter the building. She’d had the forethought to lock the front door behind her and shut his office door to give her a buffer. But she hadn’t expected him to come in so early.
In a panic, she shut everything down, but he was still through the doorway too quickly. She stood so fast that she almost knocked his chair over. She had the precious receipt clutched in her hand and held it out before her like a shield.
“Lorena?” Thomas asked with confusion in his voice. “What on Earth are you doing here?”
“I found this receipt in my drawer and figured you must have a receipt box somewhere. I came to look for it,” she babbled much too hurriedly.
“But it’s 7:30 in the morning. You’re not due for another hour.”
Lorena scanned her mind, looking for the excuse that had seemed so plausible when she made it up earlier. But now, it was nowhere to be found. Her mind was a total blank as he looked at her with those piercing lion eyes. “I thought I’d get an early start,” she said lamely.
“So let me get this straight,” he said, taking a step forward. “At seven thirty in the morning, you thought you’d come into the office to try to file some old receipt while sitting atmydesk?”
Lorena was terrified. She thought she might puke. “Okay, I was being nosey,” she said. It was a trick her father had taught her when she was young. If you have to lie, stick as close to the truth as you can. “You know, you’re the famous new alpha. I just wanted to see what it would be like sitting at your desk.” That was another trick, flattery.
Thomas didn’t look convinced, however. Maybe it was the fact that tears welled up in her eyes as she said it. Damn it, they were so close to the surface these days.
“Are you okay, Lorena?” Thomas asked with concern in his voice.
It was not what she expected. She braced herself for all-out rage. She’d been caught red-handed at the famed Leone lion pride alpha’s desk. She should have had her throat ripped out, her blood adding to the terrifying picture behind her. She did not know what to do with concern.
“Um, yes, I’m fine. You just startled me, that’s all. I guess I feel awkward being in your office when you weren’t around,” she said. The total understatement was the only thing that came to mind.
Thomas stepped forward and lifted her chin so she had no choice but to look up into his liquid amber eyes. Her heart was beating so hard and fast against her ribs that she was worried he would hear it, and she couldn’t keep the flush from her cheeks.
“You would tell me if there was something wrong, wouldn’t you?” he asked.
His eyes told her his question was sincere. She desperately wanted to tell him everything. To unload all her problems on his broad shoulders. But the thought also terrified her. Right now, she still had his trust. If she spilled the beans, he would surely destroy her. It’s what she deserved.
Who will protect Dad then?Lorena asked herself.
She managed a small nod in response to his question. He let go of her chin but did not step away from her.
His wild scent wafted into the air around her, wrapping around her like a comforting blanket.
“I would kill anyone who tried to hurt you,” Thomas said, a growl rumbling in his throat.
His words and the primal noise sent a thrill of fear and excitement coursing through Lorena’s body. It spoke to some deep animal instinct within her psyche, even though she wasn’t a shifter.
She so wanted to tell him the truth, to see Sonny destroyed and the threat he presented gone from her life. She also wanted to rip Thomas’s clothes off and make love to him hard and fast on the office table.
His proximity was intoxicating. She’d never met anyone who made her feel so utterly alive. Her skin tingled from head to toe, and she yearned to bridge the small gap of electrified air that stood between them.
With an iron will, she pulled herself back, away from him. She had to be strong for everyone’s benefit.
“I’m sorry, Thomas. I won’t snoop in your office again,” she said demurely. She glanced past him to the open door, but he didn’t take the hint. He stood barring her way, very much in her personal space.
“Okay,” he said, finally relenting. “Remember what I said, though.”
“I will, don’t worry,” she replied. How could she forget?
Thomas gave another deep growl. She thought he was going to pull her toward him and kiss her. The thought made her giddy. She wanted it with every fiber of her being. She longed to feel his firm body pressed against hers.
But instead, he stepped aside, allowing her to flee his office. What was this game they were playing? It felt dangerous, but it also made her hot.
