Free Torn (Lords of the City #1) by Alice Ward

spell from earlier. Folding my arms across my chest, I sank into my seat. “You really should treat your employees better.”
    “Why? It’s my company. I pay my employees well. I make sure their families are taken care of. If they don’t like it, they can leave.”
    “That’s a coward’s way out. I know you built the company with your own sweat and blood, but your employees deserve respect. Without them, you’d be standing in a lab all alone.”
    “I do respect them. That’s why I take care of their families. I just make sure they respect me too.”
    Passing by a park, I realized we were heading away from the offices. “Where are we going?”
    “I instructed the driver to circle around for a little while. We can go through the notes here.”
    “Good thing I don’t get car sick,” I said, scrunching my nose.
    It made him laugh, lightening the mood. “You’re too adventurous to be car sick.”
    “I am adventurous, but I’m also tired. My boss is very demanding.”
    “You haven’t seen demanding yet. Shall we start? You can begin by reading me the notes of the meeting.”
    Reluctantly, I turned the tablet back on and went over the discussion on nanotechnology. Closing his eyes, Noah leaned back and listened to me as if I were singing him a lullaby. As he did, there was an intensity to his face that was a mix of anticipation and fatigue. Halfway through the notes, I stopped. “This is really important to you, isn’t it?”
    His bright green eyes met mine once more. “It is.”
    “Why?”
    “You read the presentation.”
    I nodded. “But why is it important to you?”
    “It could save lives.”
    “Is there a life you hope to save?”
    His jaw clenched, and he tensed. “There are many lives I want to save.”
    I understood too well. The weight of what he was trying to accomplish hit me. “Maybe Julia should be the one working with you on this. She has way more experience than I do.”
    “Julia will be promoted before the convention. And she’s not a scientist. This is your project. Don’t worry, if I didn’t think you could handle it, I never would have hired you as my assistant.” He placed a hand on my knee, and I let him, telling myself he was merely trying to comfort me, even though the strength of his grip made my stomach flutter with anticipation.
    “If Corey hadn’t emailed you, and I’d applied on my own, would you have hired me?” I asked, desperate to remember the man I really wanted. If anything happened with Noah, if I fell for this attraction, Corey would never forgive me.
    “Yes, I do believe I would have given you some sort of position, but his email gave me the opportunity to learn more about you. After reading about your life, I knew I could trust you to be my assistant.”
    “How so?”
    His eyes burned into mine, igniting a fresh course of adrenaline that rushed through me. “You stayed close to home. After you graduated from high school, you could have gone to any university, but you didn’t. I suspect it had to do with your grandmother. You wanted to be close to her. That’s loyalty. And for that reason, I’m glad my brother emailed me. It brought you to me.”
    “I’m glad he emailed you too,” I said, trying to ignore how much I liked his hand on my knee. It was firm but protective, like he was. “You know, Corey trying to save the herd of elephants isn’t much different from your commitment to nanotechnology.”
    His eyes refused to leave mine. “It’s clear how enamored you are with my brother. Tell me, Imogen, are you as enamored with me?”
    My mind stayed with Corey, but my body pulsed under Noah’s intensity. There was plenty of room in the backseat, but we were so close, pulled together like magnets. “I don’t know you,” I breathed.
    “You barely knew him.”
    “I didn’t like him when I first met him,” I blurted out, trying to break his hold on me.
    It didn’t work. Tenderly, he massaged my knee. “Does that mean you don’t like