Page 25 of Close to the Edge

As if he could read my thoughts as easily as he could read my body, his gaze dropped to linger on my breasts, then rose to my face again as his breathing altered.

I’m not sure how long we stood staring at one another.

His phone beeped with an incoming message. His gaze dropped for a second, and then he stared back at me.

“Are you ready?” His voice was gruff.

My head bobbed a nod.

As he turned to open the door, I noticed he’d changed into dark jeans, a black T-shirt and a dark brown leather jacket. “We’ll take the SUV.”

I stopped. “I usually go to work by bike but I understand that it’s no longer a viable option. So we’ll take my car.”

“No disrespect to your car, but I prefer not to arrive with leg cramps. And before you say it, no, I won’t follow while you drive your car.”

“But—”

“Sorry, this is one of those nonnegotiable scenarios we talked about. The safe house is also still an option.”

I stalked to the SUV and yanked open the door, worryingly aware this man had the ability to unbalance me with very little effort.

I studied his profile as he started the engine and rolled the large vehicle toward the gates. After he drove through, he flashed me a smile, intensifying the heat blazing through me.

God, had I not stood my ground last night, I would currently be ensconced in a cabin in the middle of nowhere with him.

Mr. if-the-urge-takes-you-feel-free-to-go-with-it.

Erotic thoughts and images bombarded me, enough to keep me silent as he drove toward SDM’s Sunnyvale offices.

At the checkpoint, I showed my ID, confirmed that Caleb was with me and directed him to my parking spot.

A curl of pride drifted through me as I saw him read the sign attached to my name—Junior Vice President—Programming & Coding. Despite the yoke around my neck in the form of my debt to Chance and my stepfather, I knew I’d earned this position. That I was capable of conquering even bigger mountains. It was what I intended to do the moment I was free of my twin oppressors.

Caleb’s glance showed cool respect.

A knot loosened in my chest. Which in turn made me madder that I’d wanted to see that respect in his eyes. Wanted him to see me through another set of lenses than those of a powerless victim needing help from a fixer.

Throwing the door open, I jumped out.

“Lily, wait—”

I was half a dozen cars away when he caught up with me. “What?”

“You don’t rush off and leave me behind. Understood?” he gritted out. He was annoyed, too, but trying to hide it with a fake smile. His fingers slipped around my wrist, his gaze scanning the parking lot before returning to mine. “He could be anywhere, including right here in this parking lot, waiting for an opportunity to strike.”

I felt the blood leave my face. His hold tightened momentarily, a gesture of comfort despite his annoyance. “I know it’s a pain in the ass but it will become much easier if you accept a few temporary changes.”

“Like agreeing for you to become my shadow?”

Annoyance receded to leave a smile that looked more genuine. “I was thinking more like your second skin but I’ll settle for shadow.”

I tried not to recall the feel of his golden skin against mine and failed miserably. “Okay, can we go now?”

“Sure.”

And just like that, he’d gotten his way again. Deciding that keeping score would only mess with my sanity, I headed for my place of work.

SDM’s San Francisco offices were shaped like two bananas facing each other, connected by glass and steel walkways on every floor. The hardware development and tech team took up one building, and the software, programming and coding team took up the other.

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