When Morning Comes

Isaac was certain that if Sterling found out about his children, he could pretty much kiss the partnership goodbye.

Needless to say, he was praying his children wouldn’t get seriously ill. Although he was already very wealthy and had private insurance coverage, depending on the injury or severity of illness, he could end up in a financial bind. After growing up poor, that was something he never wanted to experience again.

Isaac pushed himself away from the table and rose. “Let’s get this show on the road.”

He strode to the door and leaned against the wall, waiting while Autumn gathered the rest of her things. Everything she did—straightening the papers, stowing her pen in her purse and then hitching it over her thin shoulder—seemed larger than normal in his eyes.

But of course it wasn’t.

It was only him, without understanding his need, trying to soak in as much detail about her as he could, as mundane as it might be. Before he had to turn her loose and go on about his business.

Although he knew he shouldn’t, he couldn’t stop his eyes from wandering all over her slender body, from tip to toe, as she walked over to him, clasping the thick wad of paperwork in her arms like an innocent schoolgirl. Her curly mane beckoned him unknowingly, her body forcing him to bite the inside of his mouth as he stiffened once again.

“Ready to go?” she asked.

Thank God she was standing an arm’s length away, because if he could have it his way that stupid paperwork would be littering the floor and she’d be wrapped in his embrace.

At just over six feet, he was taller than her, yet he knew instinctively she’d be a perfect fit.

“Yeah,” he muttered thickly, hoping she couldn’t see or hear his desire for her.

He opened the door, bowing slightly. “After you.”

She murmured her thanks, giving him a strange smile as she walked out of the room. The sultry way Autumn’s skirt clung to her backside was almost too much for one man to bear, especially on a Monday morning.

He’d just turned off the lights in the conference room when his phone rang.

“Hi, Sterling, what can I do for you?”

As he listened to his boss and the man that was almost a father figure to him, his heart raced with excitement and dread.

He ended the call and glanced quickly at Autumn. “I’m going to need to postpone the tour. Are you going to be okay?”

Her brows knit together in confusion. “What was that about?”

“I’ll explain at lunch,” he replied, shoving the phone in his pocket. “Meet me in my office at noon.”

Without waiting for Autumn’s response, he turned and jogged down the hall, feeling her eyes on his back and her smile settling in his heart.

Chapter 3

“And we’re off,” Autumn whispered under her breath as she watched Isaac round the corner.

Way to go, Sterling.

Her plan was falling together nicely. Though she was curious what her new boss had said on the phone to make Isaac invite her to lunch, it hardly mattered. She routinely left the initial minor details of a surveillance case up to the client. Experience taught her that doing so put her on the fast track to gaining her client’s trust. In the end, she did what she wanted, when she wanted to do it, whether the client liked it or not. All was forgiven when she solved a case and got the answers they wanted.

Autumn shifted the stack of papers in her hand, wishing she could toss them into the nearest trash can. She had no need for any of the Paxton benefits, the government took care of her quite nicely. Whether she had a nosebleed or a gunshot wound, she could walk, run or crawl to any hospital and get medical help. No questions asked and no payment required. Being a friend of Uncle Sam was the best insurance policy in the nation.

Hopefully neither of those injuries would occur on this case. But Autumn wasn’t so sure about what would happen to her heart. Over the past few years, she’d been in some pretty scary situations, but none of them made her heart beat as hard as it did when she looked at Isaac, or when he looked at her.

The raw power that he exuded, even when he was relaxed, made her unabashedly wet between the legs.

She smiled with pleasure. It wasn’t until the end of the meeting, when she had stood before him and his hot gaze sent a jolt of fire down her body, that she’d realized his hunger was for her.

Sadly, she’d almost laughed. The man had no idea that she was there to potentially destroy him.

It had been a while since she’d seen that look in a man’s eyes, and even longer since she’d welcomed it.

But Isaac? He was different. If she were to be truly honest with herself, there was something about Isaac that made her want to run into his arms. Yet, for the good of the case, she knew she would do well to remind herself on a daily basis that she was there to learn the truth, not hop into bed with the most gorgeous man she’d seen since—well...ever.

What she needed right now was a distraction. A nice cup of tea would make her forget about Isaac’s tawny-brown eyes and help her refocus on the investigation.

She was just about to try to find the Paxton cafeteria herself when she heard a voice calling her name. She turned to see Felicia walking toward her. How she didn’t manage to trip in those stiletto heels was an unfortunate miracle in itself.

“There you are. I’ve been looking all over for you, and here you are exactly where I left you.”

Felicia’s voice was so syrupy sweet that it made Autumn want to gag.

She opened the door to the conference room, peered inside and quickly shut it. “Where’s Isaac?” she demanded.

Autumn pasted a smile on her face. “He had to run to a meeting.”

“You mean he left you here without giving you a tour?”

“No. He gave me the tour,” she lied. “We stopped back at the conference room because I accidentally left my paperwork on the table.”

Autumn grasped the wad and waved it in Felicia’s face so hard her eyes blinked. “See?”

Felicia pushed the paper away with annoyance. “All I see is that it’s not filled out. You’d better get to your desk and get started.”

“Sure. I would be happy to do so if I knew where my desk was located.”

Felicia touched the back of her hair. “All analysts are housed in the cubicles on the second floor. Didn’t Isaac show you?” she said impatiently.

Autumn shook her head. “No, that was our last stop but then he was suddenly called into a meeting.”

Felicia let out an exasperated breath. “Come on, I’ll show you.” She started down the hall, muttering under her breath. “I guess if you want something done right around here, you’ve got to do it yourself.”

“Wait,” Autumn called out. “Sterling wrote down the location of my work space. He said it was somewhere on this floor.”

Felicia swiveled on her heels, her eyes narrowing. “Are you sure? This floor is for members of the Paxton executive team only.”

Autumn accidentally dropped the scrap of paper Sterling had given her earlier. She bent to retrieve it and when she stood, Felicia rudely snatched it away.

“Let me see that.” Felicia’s cheeks reddened and she crumpled the paper into a ball.

Autumn bit back a smile. She had no idea where her work space was located, but it was obvious the woman didn’t like it.