Impetuous Read online

“What?” Anger rose up inside her. Irritation brought more tears to her eyes, and she took a shuddering breath. “We are not.”

  Tyler’s nervous grin went with his thin voice as he said, “She’s just angry with me.”

  Synna took a deep breath to force the quaver out of her voice. “I’m more than angry, Tyler. Please don’t ever talk to me again.”

  “But—”

  “Hessler.” Ian’s frown went deeper. “You need to get out of here right now before I lose my professionalism.”

  Leashed power vibrated from Ian. His eyes seemed to have darkened, and the menace etched into his features said he could be dangerous if the situation warranted. As if he might consider arguing a little more, Tyler didn’t move. While he’d always been annoying, she never suspected he could be this dim-witted.

  Tyler threw them both a hateful look then left the cubicle.

  Ian’s features calmed and instantly turned into a worried frown. He squatted down in front of her. His eyes held hers, concentrated with genuine concern that warmed her. This close, the rugged lines of his face became clear. His jawline held determination, and his Roman nose sported a slight crookedness that prevented it from being too perfect. His eyebrows were a little darker than his hair, and thick golden lashes framed the most remarkable eyes she’d seen.

  She drew in his intoxicating scent, a cross between soft sandalwood and musk. God, he smelled so good, she could drown in everything unique and gorgeous about him.

  “Did he hurt you?” he asked.

  She shook her head and rubbed her knee. “N-no. Nothing but my pride.”

  His glance fell to her knee. “I heard you cry out. What’s wrong with your knee?”

  “When he let me go I hit it on the corner of that table.”

  He winced. “Damn, that must have hurt like hell.”

  “It did.”

  “How does it feel now?”

  “A little sore, but I think it’ll be fine.”

  A gentle smile touched his mouth. “If it isn’t, make sure to stop by medical before you leave tonight, okay?”

  A feeling of total safety cradled her. “Will do.”

  “What’s going on between you and Tyler?”

  She didn’t want to explain the awkward situation, but she couldn’t hide it from him either. “He’s been hounding me for a date for three weeks. I’ve said no, but he doesn’t listen.”

  His frown deepened. “Is he stalking you?”

  Startled, she shook her head. “Really, I hadn’t thought of it as stalking. I mean, he seems harmless enough.”

  “He’s not harmless, Synna, if he was willing to force himself on you. Then when you hurt yourself, he wasn’t concerned about it. There’s something wrong there.”

  She couldn’t disagree. “I’ll keep a watch on it, and if it gets worse, I’ll tell human resources.”

  He stood up slowly. “Good.”

  “B-but—” She cut herself off.

  One of his eyebrows twitched upward in question. “But?”

  She shook her head as more tears moistened her eyes. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so unable to control her emotions. The damned stuttering had returned without remorse. “N-nothing. I just didn’t want to go out on a note like this.”

  “What he did isn’t your fault.” His features hardened, his disagreement edged in deep lines. A gentle grin erased the harshness on his face. “Your judge of character is pretty damned good. You rejected him before and it was for a good reason.” Ian’s understanding took her off-guard, but he didn’t give her a chance to acknowledge it. “How does the knee feel now?”

  “Much better.” His closeness and eagerness to comfort touched a tender spot deep in her heart. Flustered by the attention, she said, “Thanks for coming to my rescue.”

  “I won’t have any woman at SIA putting up with harassment.”

  “Thank you. You’re a very nice man, Mr. Frasier.”

  He grinned, and she could swear a blush rose in his cheeks. “Thanks. Call me Ian, all right?”

  Heat filled her center, and she eased into a smile to match his. “Okay.”

  “May I call you Synna?”

  “Of course.” After all, he had called her by her first name earlier!

  Silence came over them, and then he broke in with, “You’ve worked here ten years, right? You moved up from entry-level secretary to head of records.” He glanced around her modest digs. “I’m surprised you don’t have an office of your own.”

  “They offered me an office, but I felt better able to communicate out here mingling with everyone else.”

  His glorious smile returned. “There aren’t too many supervisors I know who would do that. Let me guess. Heidi is going into an office.”

  She nodded. “Mr. Monroe thinks it appears more professional, and she’s jumping at the chance.”

  “I’ve already heard rumblings about the new arrangement.”

  Surprised, she asked, “From whom?”

  “I directed human resources to let me know how this changeover works out. I like to keep my pulse on things, too. I think a supervisor who stays hidden in his or her office isn’t always effective.”

  Impressed, she wished in a way she could stay here and enjoy the new directions he might take the agency. “What do you think? Should Heidi stay in a cubicle or have her own office?”

  “I think she should keep a cubicle out here, but I’m willing to see how it works with her personality and how people respond to a more traditional supervisor.”

  She couldn’t argue with his logic, and the fact that he cared what happened impressed her.

  He spied a small framed photo she kept on a shelf near her desk and picked it up. “This is a beautiful picture. Is that you in the red velvet dress?”

  “Yes. My sister Tanya is next to me with my mom and dad.”

  “You have a beautiful family.”

  “Thank you.”

  A pause came between them, just long enough for her to feel awkward.

  “Can you spare a few minutes tomorrow morning?” he asked suddenly. “I need your opinion. That’s why I originally stopped by in case you were still working.”

  Of course. He didn’t stop by just to see me. No, that would be too ridiculous. “Certainly. How can I help?”

  “I’ll tell you then. Just stop by around nine o’clock if you’ve got time.” His gaze narrowed, penetrating in a way that made her feel like she couldn’t hide anything. “I’m sorry I didn’t ask about this earlier. Do you have somewhere you need to be at that time? If you do, we could set up another time tomorrow.”

  She added considerate to his list of outstanding qualities. Good looks, brains, and thoughtfulness. A dangerous combination to the female heart.

  “I have a meeting at eight o’clock, and I’m afraid it will run into nine o’clock.” An idea came to mind. “What about earlier? I usually get in around seven o’clock.”

  He grinned. “That early, eh?”

  She shrugged. “I like to beat traffic through the city.”

  “It’s a date. I’m usually here around that time, too.”

  It’s a date. Interesting way of putting it.

  Intense and probing, his gaze seemed to ask for answers. Perhaps his proximity did it to her. She didn’t feel stable with him near, as if she might say or do something unbelievably dumb. She loathed feeling like an out-of-control teen. She hadn’t stuttered in months until this man appeared on the scene at SIA.

  Instead of leaving, he came closer. When he towered over her, only a few inches away, her breath caught and her pulse did a wicked dance in her veins. “Do you need someone to walk you to your car?”

  Taken by surprise, she spoke hastily. “Y-yes. I mean, no. Of course not. Why would I?”

  “I’m concerned about your safety. I don’t trust Tyler.”

  Pleasure settled inside her and she looked away, a little flustered. “Thank you for caring.”

  He reached out and tilted her chin
up. The heat in his fingers sparked and danced over her skin. “You have a difficult time looking people in the eyes, don’t you?”

  His question took her completely off-guard. She couldn’t deny the truth in what Ian said, even if she wanted. “Yes. I suppose people might think I was hiding something.”

  Ian released her chin, but he didn’t step away. “Are you?”

  Only that I think you’re the most hunky guy I’ve ever seen, and I’d like to know what it feels like to be with you intimately? To know how your body would feel against me, deep inside me? Oh right. Like I can just let that information spill out.

  “I never think much about it. I guess I learned to be that way when I was a child.” She laughed softly. “Most people can’t tell that I’m not looking them in the eyes. I stare at their lips or their chin and they don’t know the difference. How can you tell?”

  His voice lowered the timbre—husky, raw, and caressing. “I can read people very well, but I can’t read you. I think it’s just because you won’t look me in the eye in particular.”

  Pain rushed across her psyche. God, she wanted know him better. To be truly understood by a man who appreciated her for what she was, for what she felt and thought. Sex might be an intimate connection of two bodies, but she craved the penetration of mind into mind, of feelings into feelings. True connection of souls she knew must be out there for her somewhere…if only she knew where to find it.

  “But I have looked into your eyes.” She let the floodgates open, eager to explain. “You just didn’t see it. I’m stealthy that way. Besides, I pick up as much information about people intuitively. Body language is great, but sometimes even that can deceive.”

  Fascination colored his eyes deeper blue, the impact starting wildfire spirals deep in her loins. “What do you see in my eyes?”

  In my wildest dreams, I see desire. A passion to make love to me.

  “Intelligence and a strong determination to run SIA in the best way possible. Y-you want to make this new position work. You’re compassionate, emphatic, and like you said, a keen observer.”

  He smiled a little. “Thank you. Is that all you see?”

  This time she didn’t do a hit-and-run when she gazed into his eyes. She really looked, sinking into his penetrating stare. Warmth swept into her as his eyes told her something she couldn’t believe.

  She thought she saw hunger increase, build like a storm ready to burst free. She couldn’t say that to her boss. It would be suicide. “N-no…I can’t see anything else.”

  A little ragged around the edges, his voice held urgency. “Then I guess I’ll just have to show you.”

  Before she could blink, he plunged one hand into the hair at the back of her neck and drew her toward him until they touched. In reaction, her palms landed on his chest. His smooth sweater covered hard, tensile muscle that shifted under her tentative touch. Barely suppressed authority bunched and flexed, and she wanted to test his rigid muscle against all her inches.

  Before anything else registered, he moved in and his mouth touched hers. Exquisite and gentle, he tasted and explored with a quick gesture that spelled fresh and new excitement. Pleasure spiked through her veins in wildfire explosions. His kiss came tentatively, as if he feared she might bolt.

  She should run.

  She should scram and never look back.

  The head of SIA was kissing her.

  Oh God.

  How could she run when the man she’d fantasized about kissed the stuffing out of her and the pleasure almost brought her to her knees?

  Synna’s soft moan muffled against his lips as she responded mindlessly to the raging sexual inferno building inside. He might have moved away if she hadn’t clutched his waist, her fingers encountering his belt as she searched for an anchor in the storm. Glorious sensations danced over her skin, popping like embers from a fire. As his mouth moved over hers with ravishing need, she felt dizzy and elated. Participating in the dance, she welcomed his kiss with wanton abandon and heady exhilaration. The kiss turned wild, consuming its own fuel, building like a fire overshadowing a tinder-dry forest. His mouth twisted this way, then that, tasting, moving her blood in a wild rush.

  She wanted his tongue in her mouth, wanted him taking that last step to claim ownership.

  Oh yes. This was the kiss she’d wanted, had waited for all her life.

  Nothing had ever felt his good before.

  Absolutely nothing.

  He released her and stepped back, his chest rising with deep breaths. “God, I’m sorry.” A stricken expression passed through his face, his eyes showing her everything. He looked horrified. “That was…” He shook his head. “Here I was telling you to watch out for Tyler, and I’m as bad as he is.”

  “Y-You’ve got to be kidding,” she said impulsively, her pulse still rushing, body still aflame. “You’re nothing like Tyler.”

  Remorse filled his face. “I’ll be lucky if Level Ten doesn’t fire me over this.”

  Alarmed, she took a step toward him. “Why? How could they know?” She looked around, wondering if anyone had seen them. All the cubicles appeared empty. “Do they have cameras in here spying on us?”

  He didn’t answer right away, and that satisfied her question.

  “Oh no. They do,” she said on a whisper.

  “Damn it. Look, this was wrong.” A pleading entered his eyes. “Pretend this didn’t happen. I still need you to come to my office tomorrow morning. It’s critical. But I promise I won’t touch you.”

  I promise I won’t touch you.

  Those words sounded so damned depressing, she wanted to scream. What if she wanted him to touch her? That kiss had rocked her, set her blood on fire and melted her into a gooey mass of confusion.

  “I’ll be there,” she said.

  “I’ll see you then. Have a good night,” he said a little hoarsely. He left in a rush.

  Her heart thumped with a combination of unexpected excitement, anticipation and utter dumbfounded surprise at what happened between them. As she watched him disappear around a corner, she didn’t move. Shock rooted her to the spot.

  No, what he’d done wasn’t appropriate. What she’d done wasn’t appropriate.

  A twisted satisfaction made her grin. Ian Frasier, top dog at SIA, had swatted Tyler away from her like a pesky fly, then kissed her despite the fact cameras watched him.

  He’d lost control, and she couldn’t ever remember a man losing control like that with her.

  On shaking legs, she sank down onto her chair and stared at the floor. This had been one hell of a day.

  * * * * *

  Ian strode across the SIA complex and headed for the Level Ten offices located in the subbasement. SIA was a twenty-four hour, seven days a week operation, but few people traversed the corridors this late at night, and even fewer people roamed the Level Ten area. Once in the elevator, he entered his security code, then placed his hand against the palm reader near the touchpad. The reader scanned and then sent the elevator down.

  During the quick trip to the subbasement, he still had time to wonder how he could forget Synna for the rest of the evening.

  He hadn’t been on the job more than a few days before he’d been introduced to the administrative head of Division Two. With a name like Synna, a man could fantasize about what she looked like, and he did. He never listened to gossip, but he’d overheard two of the men in his office area making bets on whether Synna had lost her cherry yet. He’d walked up to the watercooler and had told them to stop speculating about her and get back to work.

  A virgin at thirty-two? Not impossible, of course. The idea intrigued him. He’d never dated a virgin or slept with one, and the idea intrigued him the way it did most men, on a primal level.

  She kept her glossy maple-colored hair cut shoulder-length, the waves loose and glorious. A side part meant her hair slid down a little on one side, and when she peeked out behind that curtain of hair, her gaze flirted with his libido.

  Her eyes, a start
ling jade, had a slight almond tilt. While he could read most people with ease, he found her much harder to decipher. He’d seen more than one emotion in her gaze tonight. Fear, discomfort, curiosity, sadness and maybe…just maybe, a hint of interest in him as a man. With a strong jaw, she looked determined, yet her small nose and the elegant curve of her mouth spelled gentleness.

  Her body…well, she’d worn a sweater dress one day that made everything male inside him want to touch and kiss and lick. Slim shoulders, full, lush breasts, a small waist and gently rounded hips completed the picture. She couldn’t be more than five foot five and looked delicate.

  Then there was that intriguing stutter that sometimes slipped into her sentences. He wondered if she’d always had it.

  When he’d seen Tyler kissing Synna, Ian had wanted to run into the cubicle and jerk the asshole away. Even now, his anger over the incident hadn’t diminished. He’d never felt this powerfully aroused, both mentally and physically, about a woman. It scared the crap out of him. She brought out primitive instincts he almost couldn’t contain. Ian couldn’t deny it, no matter how he tried to manipulate his feelings in a different direction.

  He wanted to keep her safe and he wanted to fuck her.

  Two very commanding, undeniable feelings.

  Mortification burned deep inside him. If they said something to him about that kiss, he’d fess up. He admired Synna way beyond what even he’d understood until he’d realized she didn’t look him directly in the eye. Her vulnerability had shaken his barriers loose.

  “Fuck,” he whispered.

  When he talked to the members of Level Ten, he’d make them see they couldn’t allow her to become involved with this project. Not only because she’d be working against a dangerous evil, but because his feelings for her went too far. He’d be damned if he’d let her get hurt, and with the subject of the investigation already stalking her, his concern escalated every day.

  The elevator opened and he proceeded down the hall. When he reached the door to the conference room, he again used a palm reader. The metal pocket door slid into the wall and he stepped inside.

  All except one member of the team sat at the black oval table in the center of the room. Eleven individuals comprised Level Ten. One associate always attended the meetings by intercom. No one ever saw her, and while not all of the members liked the idea that paranormal research librarian Dorcas “Dorky” Shannigan never attended the assembly in the flesh, they all understood why. The reason remained a tight secret within Level Ten. No one outside of Level Ten knew she belonged to their top-level group, even though many within SIA talked to her every day.