Free In Serena's Web by Kay Hooper

you’re going to tell Ashford the truth.” Josh glanced at his watch, and added firmly, “Tonight.”
    She grimaced, and confessed ruefully, “I was hoping to use your absence for a little breathing room.”
    “You said you were going to be honest with him.”
    “Yes. But do I have to bare my soul
tonight
?”
    Josh grinned at her. “You’ll feel better with it all behind you. You know what they say about confession being good for the soul.”
    “He’s going to kill me,” she said darkly.
    “You are,” Josh told her, “dressed to kill—not dressed to
be
killed. I think Ashford will know the difference.”
    She sighed. “All right. I’ll tell him. If he’s speaking to me. Maybe he’s not speaking to me,” she added hopefully.
    “Never put off till tomorrow. I’ll knock on his door as I pass and tell him you want to see him.”
    “Are you sure you want to do that? The two of you haven’t even been introduced. Besides, Josh, he thinks you’re the villain—remember? He could—”
    “He’s a rational man, Rena. I’ll just tell him you want to see him.”
    “Why don’t I just go to his room—”
    “Nothing’s going to happen.”
        Brian was in a very peculiar mood. After hearing about the men who might be on Serena’s trail, he was anxious, and after the scene in the garden he was more than slightly confused. Three weeks of Serena’s company had taken their toll on his nerves when they’d arrived in Denver; after the surprises here, he knew himself to be badly in need of time to stop and think things through.
    Though generally a controlled and quiet man, Brian had a considerable temper, and the physical expertise to cause a respectable amount of havoc if he lost control; he was near the edge now, heknew. He needed an outlet for the various kinds of frustrations building inside him.
    He paced his room, jacket and tie cast aside, sleeves rolled up. Restless. He couldn’t get a handle on Serena’s sudden turnabout; her motivations eluded him.
    So when he answered the firm knock at his door and found Joshua Long standing there, he felt an abrupt inclination to give in to at least one of his frustrations.
    And his temper took over.
    As if he were someone else, he felt his face assume a mildly quizzical expression, felt himself step back and gesture for the other man to enter the room. Long seemed surprised, but he came in. Brian wondered vaguely why there seemed to be a red veil between himself and his visitor.
    Josh could have explained that. He turned, and had only a moment to note that red haze. And in that instant he recognized sheer, flaming temper in the other man’s eyes, and thought fleetingly and wistfully of his confident words to Serena. He barely had time to finish the thought.
    “If we break the furniture,” Brian said calmly, “I’ll pay for it.” That was his only warning.
    Joshua Long remained exactly as he’d fallen, except that he sat up. Working his jaw gingerly with one long-fingered hand, he stared up at Brian expressionlessly. “Contrary to popular opinion,” he said, mildly under the circumstances, “the boardroom isn’t the only place I tend to come out swinging. However …”
    Brian, although he definitely felt better, was rather surprised at himself, since he couldn’t remember ever slugging another man who hadn’t provoked him physically. He met that steely blue stare—and every male instinct he could lay claim to told him that Long wanted badly to come
up
swinging this time. He
really
wanted to. But he sat there and rubbed his jaw, and somehow managed not to lose a single iota of dignity.
    “Serena owes me for this,” Long said wryly.
    “Get up,” Brian told him.
    “I’d love to,” Josh responded cordially. “I could use a good fight. Unfortunately, I promised Rena I’d be the one to back down if you started a fight.” He frowned, but there was sudden laughterin his eyes. “And you did start it. Barely gave me time to turn around, in