Read Online CEO's Expectant Secretary by Leanne Banks - Free Book Online Page B

and computer security,” he said as their meal arrived.
    “Wow,” she said. “That’s a big switch from sales.”
    He nodded but didn’t make any further comment and a possibility occurred to her. “Computer security,” she mused. “He always seemed better suited for security. So quiet, so determined to stay in the background—he could be a private investigator.”
    Brock’s jaw twitched, but he still added nothing. It suddenly hit her. “He is a private investigator,” she said. “Was he the one who told you about me?”
    Brock stabbed his fork into his meatloaf. “And if he was?” he asked her.
    She bit her lip, feeling her appetite for the open-faced turkey sandwich disappear. She adjusted her paper napkin. “That’s why you wouldn’t talk about him with me,” she said. “Did you already suspect me?”
    Brock set down his fork. “You were the last person I suspected,” he said, his eyes as turbulent as a stormy sea.
    She felt a twist of guilt and looked away. “I was almost relieved when you found out,” she confessed in a low voice. “Being pregnant made it even worse. If it hadn’t been for my mother needing the experimental treatments—”
    “What?” he asked, his voice hoarse. “What experimental treatments?”
    She finally met his gaze. “I wasn’t sure if Logan might have known something about my mother’s illness,” she said. “My mother is taking experimental treatments that are very expensive. There’s no way she or I could afford them, and insurance wouldn’t cover them.”
    “Are you saying that Athos agreed to pay for your mother’s treatments as long as you spied on me?”
    A lump formed in her throat. “Yes, he did. I’m ashamed of it, but I didn’t feel as if I had any other choice. I couldn’t risk losing her. She’s all I’ve ever had.”
    The sound of stainless steel clanging against platesand the conversation of the other diners was a roar compared to the absolute silence between them.
    “Why didn’t you tell me your mother was sick?” he asked.
    She shook her head. “I didn’t want to.” She closed her eyes, thinking back to the times she’d shared with Brock. “I didn’t want my time with you tainted with any of my problems. Those moments we shared together—it was like you and I were on a private island and nothing or no one could trespass.” She opened her eyes and took a deep breath. “Afterward, I had my work and you had yours, but that time together was precious. It had to be protected.”
    Brock reached across the table, his hand covering hers. “I can take care of your mother’s medical treatments.”
    She immediately shook her head, swallowing a quick taste of bitterness at the havoc her grandfather had created in her life. “No,” she said. “Let him pay. It’s the least he can do for all the trouble he has caused.”
    Brock’s gaze gentled. “You’re lucky you have such a good relationship with your mother,” he said. “I admire your devotion to her.”

Five
    A fter a long shower, Elle wrapped a towel around herself and ran the blow dryer through her hair. She would clip the tags off her new robe in just a moment, she promised herself, looking forward to the luxurious sensation of silk over her skin. She suspected there’d be no sensual pleasures in her near future. They were, after all, sleeping in separate rooms.
    Closing her eyes and mind to her thoughts, she concentrated on the warm air dancing through her hair and over her shoulders. A few seconds passed and she opened her eyes, finding Brock standing in front of her, bare-chested with a small tray in one of his hands.
    Startled, she dropped the dryer. “Oh, my,” she said, bending down to turn it off. As she leaned forward, her towel dropped to her waist. Swearing under her breath, she lifted it to cover her chest and stood.
    “I knocked,” he said, his gaze sliding across her towel-covered body.
    “I didn’t hear you,” she said, sensing awareness twist and