Free Heart of Hurricane by Ginna Gray Page A

bent over her desk, his arm "accidentally" brushing against hers whenever they walked together.
    At first she hadn't noticed the changes; she had been so elated over keeping her job. Althea had never particularly liked Deborah Lang, but when Ward dug in his heels at the woman's ultimatum, she could cheerfully have hugged her. Strangely, especially in view of the fact that she would not have had to take a cut in pay, Althea had hated the idea of working for someone else.
    But gradually, as the days passed, she had become aware of his silent perusal and of the strange electrical charge that seemed to crackle between them. It was unnerving. There were times when she wanted to shout at him to stop watching her every move, to leave her alone, but she always managed to stifle the impulse. Half the time, she even managed to convince herself that she was imagining the whole thing.
    But Althea knew she wasn't imagining the strange looks she received from her fellow employees, nor the giggled whispers, nor the way conversation suddenly stopped whenever she appeared. As she had feared, she had become the main target for all the office gossips.
    With a sigh, Althea rolled a sheet of bond paper into her typewriter and began to transcribe the squiggles on her steno pad. It will all blow over soon, she assured herself as her fingers flew over the keys. Before long someone else will catch their interest. Just as someone else was bound to catch Ward Kingman's.
    When the letter was finished she took it in to Ward's office and quietly laid it on his desk. He cast her a scowling glance, then, noting the letter, affixed his signature and shoved it back toward her.
    "Get me the file on the Litchfield merger, Althea," he commanded when she picked it up and started for the door.
    "Yes, sir."
    Dropping the letter on top of her desk as she went by, Althea headed straight for the row of file cabinets. She located the proper drawer and her fingers began a walking search over the file tabs.
    "Also pull out that physical inventory on Litchfield's, too."
    "Oh!"
    The sound of Ward's deep voice directly behind her made Althea jump and whirl around. Her hair swung out like a rippling golden curtain, and to her consternation, a long, silken curl caught in the slight growth of beard on Ward's face and clung.
    Their eyes met and locked, hers wide and startled, his growing steadily darker as flames of desire kindled in their depths.
    Althea's heart was drumming in her throat. She hadn't realized that he had followed her. Or that he was so close. At this range she could see each individual, incredibly long lash, the way they curled upward from his eyelids. In the dark glimmer of his eyes she could see her own reflection.
    To her complete and utter astonishment, Althea watched dazedly as Ward lifted his hand and gently stroked the golden lock that adhered to his cheek. Holding Althea's stunned gaze, he lifted it and very slowly, very deliberately drew it over his parted lips, letting the tip of his tongue taste the silken strands. The act was so provocative, so overtly sensual, that Althea could not stifle the tiny gasp that escaped her throat.
    She could feel the cold metal of the file cabinet pressing against her back, and the warmth emanating from Ward's big body searing across her front. Her heart was beating so hard it was almost suffocating her. She was sure that Ward could hear its frantic thudding. Mesmerized, Althea watched in mingled horror and excitement as his head tilted and lowered toward hers.
    A delicious tingle rippled all the way down to her toes the moment his lips touched hers. Ward's hands settled on her shoulders, then slid around her back to bring her closer, and still Althea offered no resistance. She stood docilely, her arms limp at her sides, her head tilted back under the gently insistent persuasion of his kiss. She was quivering, weak, her body and mind quiescent before a stronger, more urgent force.
    Her lack of resistance fueled Ward's