Page 21 of Decoding Morse

His all-business tone served as yet another splash of cold water, drowning whatever sparks I must have imagined in the conference room.

“I also need Morgan’s iPad.”

“No.” I stepped closer, stopping when his eyes widened in alarm. Annoyed because, seriously, what did he think I was going to do? Attack him? I folded my arms across my midsection and stared him down. “Absolutely not. I can survive without my phone, but my daughter needs books to breathe. She’s been forced out of her comfort zone and into… this. You can’t take the one thing that grounds her.”

His gaze dropped to my breasts for a split second before darting back up to meet mine. “She likes it that much?”

Caught! He was totally checking me out. What the hell? How was I supposed to feel about that? Probably honored because the man was hot. So why did it send a zing of sensation to my lady parts?

Focus on the task at hand. Save your daughter’s tablet.

I swallowed. “Yeah. Her uncle sent it to her, and it’s her most prized possession.”

His lips twitched at that. Could he tell what his proximity did to me?

“I won’t take it. Just need to tweak some settings so she can’t be tracked.”

That made sense. Also, scooting this close to Morse hadn’t been my brightest idea. What was it about the leather and manscent that made my insides clench and flung all common sense out the door?

It was my turn to flee.

“I’ll be right back.”

I used my key to unlock the door and barged into the room. Stretched out on the bed with her tablet propped up on a pillow beside her, Morgan didn’t so much as flinch at my entry. Her eyes were closed, so I crept into the room.

“Hey,” Thia said from her perch on the sofa. She was watching some murder mystery show on the flatscreen TV mounted to the wall.

I put a finger to my lips and pointed to the bed. Thia craned her head around, saw that our girl was sleeping, and grabbed the remote to lower the volume before whispering, “How’d it go?”

Cutting her a look I was sure spoke volumes, I said, “Give me a sec. Then we’ll talk.”

Her eyebrows rose in question as she watched me filch Morgan’s cell from where it was charging on the nightstand. Then, I carefully plucked her tablet from its spot before rummaging through my purse to retrieve my own phone. Marching the devices back out the door, I stopped directly in front of Morse and thrust the tablet into his waiting hand.

Accepting it, he angled it toward me so I could key in the code before he tapped on the screen. Seconds later, he handed it back.

“I turned off the GPS and put it on our secure Wi-Fi. Please tell Morgan not to adjust any settings.”

“I will. Thank you.” I stuffed the tablet under my armpit and extended the phones. A problem with this little plan occurred to me, so I didn’t let go.

“What about Theo?”

He frowned. “What about him?”

The world was spinning out of control, and I couldn’t tell which way was up. But one thing was for sure. “I can’t just cutoff communications with my son. What if something happens and he needs medical attention? He calls every few days and will freak out if he can’t reach either of us. The last thing we need is him hopping on a flight to do an in-person wellness check.”

“I’ll take care of it.”

I stared up at him, drinking in all the changes to his face. He’d always been attractive, but the beard and the confidence were new. Still, this was my kid we were talking about. “How?”

“I’ll get in touch with him.”

“Don’t tell him I’m in danger.” There was no need for Theo to worry.

Morse shook his head. “He’s a grown man who deserves a heads-up about the situation. I won’t lie to him, but I will reassure him I’ve got it under control.”

It was a suitable answer, so I released the phones when he gave them another tug. “Thank you.”

He nodded and, to my surprise, stepped closer, invading my personal space. I sucked in a breath as the scent of him enveloped me. Dark blue eyes caught mine, and my heart skipped several beats, but not out of fear.

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