Free Betrayed by Melody Anne Page A

away from behind his desk and caught her in the doorway. He rested his hand on her shoulder and skimmed his lips lightly across her neck.
    “This will happen,” he murmured.
    A shudder passed through her, and she walked out of his office.
    Byron sat back down, his pants way too tight, his erection throbbing. And yet he still felt satisfied somehow. He couldn’t wait for the next round of this epic fight between the two of them.
    It was a few minutes later when he realized she’d managed to distract him from finding out what her phone call had been about. Dammit! But he’d let her try to keep her little secret from him for now. In the end he would learn exactly what was going on, and whether she wanted him to or not, he would help.
    Only because he needed her to do her job, he assured himself — not because he actually gave a flying…fig about the woman. That lie hung in his brain while he got back to work, but he allowed it to remain there, because that’s how he excused himself for his erratic behavior.

Chapter Eleven
    A fter finishing up the last of her work for the day, McKenzie tried to hurry. It was nearing six-thirty and she had a dinner date with Jewell that she didn’t want to miss. It was the best part of her week lately. She stood up, collected her coat and purse, then wavered on whether she should tell Byron she was leaving. She was well past quitting time, so she didn’t need to ask permission, but as only the two of them were left on this floor, it would be polite to let him know she was heading out.
    The choice was taken from her when he stepped through the open doorway, his coat hanging from his fingers. They hadn’t spoken since the kiss — the second one — not even to go over the Boise papers. She found herself…nervous. It was a strange sensation.
    “It’s late and I’m starved,” he said, blocking her only exit. “Why don’t we get something to eat and finish the discussion we began earlier?”
    There was no way she was going to get back into that discussion. They would fight, he would kiss her, she would fall into his bed. She wasn’t a stupid woman, and she pretty much knew the way this was all going to end if she weren’t very, very careful with what she did and said around this man over the next few weeks.
    “We finished that discussion,” she told him as sweetly as possible.
    “No, not to my satisfaction,” he countered, and he didn’t budge an inch from the doorway.
    “Sorry, boss.” She had to remind him of his position and hers before continuing. “I have dinner plans. Maybe some other time.” She scooted a few steps toward the door, hoping he would move out of the way.
    He didn’t.
    “What are your plans?” His voice didn’t change, but something in his eyes did, and if she were a stupid woman, she might have thought he was jealous. But that was just absurd. He might want to bed her, but he had no feelings for her — no good ones, anyway — and certainly didn’t feel anything strong enough to cause him jealousy.
    Still, she didn’t want to push him — not with the way he’d been acting around her. And not with the weakness she seemed to suffer from when in his presence. She’d surely lose any major fight they got into.
    “I’m going out with Jewell,” she told him, and the sharp look in his eyes faded. Hmm. Interesting.
    “Where’s Blake?” he asked, though she was sure he knew. Then again, maybe he didn’t.
    “This is a ritual for us. At least twice a month we meet up, unless a natural disaster occurs. So Blake uses it as an excuse to have a boys’ night, or do whatever it is that men do when their wives aren’t home,” she said.
    “A boys’ night?” he said before his lips turned up. “Please tell me what a boys’ night consists of.”
    “I don’t know. I just…I just said something. I have no idea what he does when we have our dinners. I just know that he doesn’t complain about it, because he’s not over-the-top possessive.” She