Page 28 of Close to the Edge

My burning need to be done with Chance depended on everything going smoothly.

There were times I wished I hadn’t hacked him. Times I wished I’d called his bluff when he’d turned up at my house with a patrol car and threatened me with jail unless I did what he—and my opportunity-grabbing stepfather—wanted.

Thoughts of how easily Stephen Gracen had thrown his own stepdaughter under the bus slashed painfully through me.

I was stealthily breathing my way through it when Miranda, my assistant, entered.

Her gaze swung to Caleb. And stayed.

His head snapped up, but the laser-eyed scrutiny he’d given my other employees was nowhere in sight. Instead, a slow smile broke over his face as he stared at my tall, attractive assistant.

“Hi,” he drawled, slowly rising to his feet.

Miranda’s toothpaste-white smile lit up her face. “Hi, I’m Miranda.” She strode to him, her hand outstretched. “And you are?”

He took her hand. “Caleb.”

“Caleb. Hi,” she repeated. Then just stood staring up at him.

I slowly disengaged my clenched jaw. Cleared my throat. They both looked at me.

I opened my mouth to explain Caleb’s presence, then remembered his gibe about me being a lousy liar. When his eyebrow started to creep up, I redirected my attention to Miranda. “I wasn’t expecting you in today.”

She reluctantly dropped Caleb’s hand, but I noticed a pronounced sway in her hips as she crossed to my desk. “It was either go off-road biking with the guys from design or finish the assignment you gave me on Wednesday.”

“It could’ve waited till Monday,” I replied. Her work had nothing to do with my secret project but she had an aptitude for programming that I utilized when necessary.

She shrugged. “Programming beats the risk of a broken arm, no matter how exhilarating the boys claim biking can be.” She glided a hand over her sweater dress and glanced at Caleb. “I prefer a different type of excitement.”

He slid his phone into his back pocket and crossed his arms, and I swore Miranda groaned under her breath.

“I’ll let you get on with it, then.” I couldn’t help the irritation filtering through my voice.

She nodded, then flicked Caleb one last glance. “See you around?”

Caleb smiled. “I’m sure you will.”

To his credit, or more likely because he knew he could have her if he wanted, he didn’t watch her sashay to the door. Instead, he turned his blue gaze on me.

Oh, hell no. I wasn’t about to answer questions about Miranda.

The tall brunette could double as a supermodel any day of the week, and was constantly hit on outside the office.

And technically, she didn’t fall under Caleb’s no-dating-clients rule.

I fixed my gaze on my screen and continued working.

He got the message and returned to the sofa.

An hour later his shadow fell across my desk.

The breath I sucked in didn’t quite catch. Irritated by my body’s continued betrayal, I raised my head. “Can I help you?”

His mouth twisted in a parody of a smile. “You seem different. Much less...tense.” He snapped his fingers. “That’s it. You look relaxed.”

I cursed the flush that crawled up my neck. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Sure you do. You’re in your element.”

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