Free Unbound by Kathryn Taylor

what exactly he means. Why should I worry—or not worry? Surely not about the thing I was thinking about just now. Or should I? I simply can’t think straight with him standing right there.
    His arm is very close to my face and I can feel the warmth coming off his body. My gaze strays from his eyes to his lips, as if it had a life of its own. It’s only for a second, but a sigh escapes me before I can stop myself. His smile disappears and he grows serious and looks at me the way he did in the car, when I slid up against him. My chest is rising and falling and my pulse is racing, as I lose myself in his blue eyes. For a brief eternity or only a few seconds—I don’t know which—we stand there in front of each other. Then he lowers his arm.
    “Well,” he lifts his glass, “here’s to successful teamwork—Grace.”
    With a shock, I jolt out of my trance as he clinks his glass against mine.
    “Yes. To successful teamwork,” I breathe, and wonder if this means that he wants me to call him by his first name too. But I’d better not try it, because I don’t want to make any more mistakes.
    I watch in fascination at his Adam’s apple moving as he drinks. Then I realize that I am staring at him and I quickly bring my glass to my lips. But I lift it too quickly and as the sweet juice floods my mouth I choke and have to cough. I feel him slap me on the back as I try to get my breath back. Darn it, Grace, can’t you do anything without embarrassing yourself, when Jonathan Huntington’s in the vicinity?
    “Is everything OK?”
    When I lift my head, I can see the amused twinkle in his eyes. I make a face and nod.
    “Yes, I’m fine now.”
    He goes back into the room and puts his glass down on the sofa table.
    “You’d better go and collect your things from downstairs and tell them that you’ll be working with me, up here, from now on. Then we’ll discuss things further,” he says and goes back over to his desk.
    “Yes, well …see you shortly,” I say and head in the opposite direction, still a little stunned. “And—thanks.”
    He’s standing behind his desk and just nods. I can’t see the expression in his eyes from here. “Hurry up. We have our first appointment in an hour.”
    With burning cheeks and beating heart, I walk past the dark-haired woman and back to the elevator.

7
    “He did what?” Annie is staring at me, completely stunned. “You can’t be serious.”
    We’re standing in the kitchen because I wanted to talk to her alone. I’ve just told her the news.
    “It’s great, isn’t it?” I say hopefully. In the elevator, I decided to take it for what it is—a unique opportunity which will certainly never happen again. “I obviously passed that test you were talking about yesterday.”
    Annie shakes her head. “That’s a departmental matter, the boss has nothing to do with it.”
    “Oh.” I thought I had it figured out because it seemed plausible to me. “He told me he had spoken to Mr. Renshaw and I’d made a good impression at the meeting yesterday, so I thought …”
    Annie frowns. “Something’s not right about this, Grace.”
    “But you said it yourself, I shouldn’t read too much into it,” I say, in my defense. “And, be honest, would you have turned down an offer like that?”
    Annie purses her lips thoughtfully. “That’s just it. The offer is far too good to turn down.”
    “Exactly,” I answer stubbornly. She’s making me uneasy and that annoys me. When she hears the sour note in my voice she looks at me apologetically.
    “Grace, he’s never done anything like this before. We have interns here all the time but not one of them has had any personal contact with him, let alone been allowed to more or less work with him. It’s …odd. And besides …” She doesn’t finish her sentence.
    “Besides what?”
    She looks at me almost pleadingly. “It’s just not right. Not when you already worship him so much. And don’t deny it, you do, I can tell. You were