Free Sweet Seduction Stripped by Nicola Claire Page A

because Eric said Jaxon wouldn't come in here, and so far Sala hadn't followed me in here, didn't mean he didn't have someone unknown to ASI who could.
    And now my heart was beating too quickly again. I should have asked for decaf.
    "Adam," he said, reaching forward and offering me a hand to shake. "Adam Savill." I just stared at the hand and then crossed my arms over my chest. His eyes followed the movement and rested on my boobs.
    Another rub of the stubble on his jaw as he quickly darted his gaze elsewhere.
    "I'll keep you company," the guy, Adam, said.
    "I'm waiting for someone," I offered, in an attempt to get him to back off.
    "And I'll keep you company until he arrives," Adam counted, looking at my face again, having spent the last several seconds looking anywhere but.
    He'd moved on from rubbing his square jaw to scratching the back of his head, and followed that up with a wide mouthed yawn.
    "Night shifts," he growled, making me lean further back in my chair. My eyes must have been the size of saucers, my heart was definitely beating out of my chest. Why wouldn't he leave? "Hate 'em."
    "What?" I said, unintelligently.
    "Hate night shifts. Ever done 'em?"
    "Yes. Kind of," I found myself saying. Why was I talking to this man? He was a stranger, and a rude one at that. Hadn't even asked if he could join me, just assumed.
    I opened my mouth to advise him of this and my coffee arrived, carried by Gen from the front counter.
    "Hey, Adam," she said, as she placed the black cup in front of me with a smile. "Want another Long Black?"
    "Yeah thanks, Genny. Should be countin' sheep, but the bastard's got me babysitting."
    Gen smiled and flicked her eyes to me.
    "Well, could be worse," she offered and then swung around and sauntered towards the coffee machine.
    "True," Adam murmured, staring at me.
    " Who are you? " I asked with a bemused shake of my head.
    "Told ya already, Dancer."
    Blood ran from my face. I could literally feel it draining. Dancer. My alias on-line.
    I wanted to ask. It was on the tip of my tongue. Do you know Eric? But what if this stranger was on Jaxon's payroll. What if giving Eric's name could lead to his death.
    God-dammit. First my father and now Ric. I was so worried both of them could get harmed by my murderous boyfriend, that I wasn't doing a thing about getting myself sorted out. That now familiar feeling of entrapment crashed in on me, making the walls in the café seem to warp and bend and push closer on all sides, until I was panting for breath and Adam was saying something and all I could hear was a pounding inside my head.
    "Slow down."
    His lips moving finally made sense.
    "In and out through your nose."
    He hadn't moved closer, wasn't touching me, hadn't invaded my personal space. Just intent deep blue bottomless eyes holding mine, keeping me tethered to the earth.
    "There," he murmured, leaning over and pushing my coffee cup closer. "Know it'll make your heartbeat rocket, but I think you can use a boost. Gone too pale, dude. Need a pick-me-up."
    I made a noise in the back of my throat but swiped up the coffee and took a good swallow. The action alone calming me.
    "Tell me," I said, on a sucked in breath of much needed air. "Who the fuck are you?"
    He blinked. Leaned further back in his chair while sitting more upright, and then blinked again.
    "Adam," he repeated, as though I was mentally impaired. "I..."
    But he didn't get to finish, a shadow fell over us and suddenly Ric was there.
    I'm not sure whether it was the recent panic attack, or the vague answers Adam was giving that made me suspect he was hiding something and it wasn't good. Or the unconscionable fact that my fucking boyfriend was not at all who I thought he was and I feared for my life and my father's safety. But the moment those vivid green eyes landed on mine I was up out of my chair and hurling myself into Eric's arms.
    He stumbled slightly, took a step back with me hanging off his shoulders, and then finally brought his arms