Page 25 of Fury

“Absolutely no idea what it’s about?”

She looked up at me again, thick dark lashes parting for me to see those beautiful blue eyes, loose blond hair gently moving from side to side as she shook her head. Fuck, she was killing me.

“Think. Who’ve you pissed off recently?”

Heidi grimaced, her teeth raking at her lip, feigning innocence.

“That little receptionist outside doesn’t like me. My half-brothers. No one who’d have the balls to fucking threaten me. Dave. Maybe Dave?”

“Telling someone that they should think about retirement isn’t gonna get you a death threat, doll.”

“He told you that?”

“I’ve known Dave for years.”

“He’s looked after your dead, yeah I get it.” She waved her hand in the air dismissively.

Maybe I could understand why someone wanted to kill her after all.

“He’s anything but a killer. No matter how pissed off he might be at you. And actually, he looked after my dad and my uncle when they died.”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, her face suddenly sullen. “I don’t do well in conditions like this.”

“None of us do, doll. None of us do.” I patted her shoulder. “Think though, babe. What have you done recently that might make someone want to scare you off? Last night. Now today.”

“I’m sure it’s just a coincidence.”

“I don’t believe in coincidences, Heidi.”

“I dunno,” she said slowly, and I didn’t need to read her mind to know she wasn’t telling me the truth.

I dropped onto my haunches, spinning her chair so that she was facing me, adjusting so that I was no longer towering over the top of her.

“I can’t help you, doll, if you don’t tell me the truth.”

Heidi swung sideways, the chair stopping abruptly when I gripped the armrest, not letting her turn away.

“Get off me, Fury,” she said angrily, those blue eyes darkening.

“I can protect you.”

“Why? Why would you want to do that?”

“That’s just who I am. Couldn’t live with myself if something happened that I could prevent.”

“It’s just a stupid email. Someone trying to rattle my cage. I will not be scared away. By anyone.”

This time she looked at me pointedly, those blue eyes locking on mine. Here I was, on my knees at her side, navy trousers hugging her thighs, my body nestled in between them. I could just nudge those legs further apart, get closer. She held her gaze, a challenge. And now I couldn’t help myself. I pushed my hand forwards, cupping the back of her neck, my fingers parting, tangling in her hair, locking in place. For a split second, her eyes fluttered shut, her teeth raking across her bottom lip, the pointed arches of her top lip more prominent.

Then she opened her eyes again, staring at me, the sudden surprise morphing into anger and I thought she might just murder me herself there and then. But I could have a death like this, between the legs of this power-hungry stunner.

“Get. Off. Me,” she said through clenched teeth.

I dropped my hand.

“Look…” I started.

“Finish your side of this deal,” she said, her voice filled with poison. “And I’ll hold my end. Then never come back here again.”

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