Read Online Retribution Boxed Set (Books One and Two) by Cindy Stark - Free Book Online

Nicole said, sliding her bangs out of her
eyes with a finger. “This is really nice. Where did you say you worked?”
    Pride swelled inside him. Even without his
father’s money, he’d managed to carve out a nice space for himself. “Neider
Financial Partners.” He watched her face, waiting to see if her expression
changed, waiting to see if the mention of money elicited any kind of response. Maybe
once she trusted him, she might suggest they work together. He would expect
someone looking to steal a lot of money would find a guy like him highly
attractive.
    She answered with a wistful look in her eye. “Someday
I hope to have enough money to buy a home, to settle down and have a couple of
kids.”
    Not the reaction he’d expected. The look on her
face was so downhearted that he did take her hand this time. “You’re worried
about what might happen if they arrest you.”
    “How can I not? They are threatening some serious
charges.”
    “I know.” He squeezed her fingers, his thumb
grazing the soft skin on the back of her hand. “But we haven’t given this our
best shot yet. I’ll give my friend a call tomorrow when he’s available. Let’s
see what he can come up with and go from there.”
    *        *        *
    Xander had done a fairly good job furnishing his
home, Nicole thought as she entered the large, rock structure. Blues and greens
contrasted with dark, walnut wood furnishings and seemed to bring in the
outside colors of the sky, river and trees, leaving the house with a tranquil,
dreamy quality. Her surroundings coaxed a sigh from deep within, and her stress
level dropped another notch.
    He tugged Stormy’s leash from her hand and
removed it from her dog’s collar, allowing Stormy free access to his place
which she immediately took advantage of. Her dog danced around, sniffing the
carpet before she dashed down the hall.
    Xander gestured with a nod of his head,
indicating Nicole should let her dog be and follow him.
    The sizable kitchen was impressive. A dark wooden
table and matching cabinets combined with several lush potted ferns gave a
woodsy feel to the spotless room. “Your kitchen is cleaner than mine.” She gave
a little chuckle, but made a mental note that, if she ever decided to invite
him to her place, she needed to do some deep cleaning first.
    “I have a lady who comes in once a week to tidy
up.” He slid her jacket from her shoulders and draped it across the back of a
white leather bar stool, leaving her very aware of exactly how tall he was, and
giving her another delicious whiff of his earthy cologne.
    “A cleaning lady? Now, I’m really jealous.”
    He gave her an indulgent smile as he removed his
overcoat and slung it across another bar stool. “Don’t be. It’s a tradeoff for
putting in too many hours at the office. As I was building my career, I always
worried about money. About the same point I started to have enough money, time
became the hot commodity.”
    She watched with fascination as he shrugged out
of his suit coat and slipped the tie from around his neck.
    His fingers deftly unbuttoned his cuffs as he
spoke. “Can I get you a glass of wine before I change out of these clothes?”
    An appreciative sigh for the fine sight in front
of her was halfway out of her lungs before she changed it to an embarrassed
cough. “That would be nice.”
    “Red or white? An interested smile tilted his
lips.
    She matched his expression. “White, please.” There
was a definite undercurrent passing between them that was impossible to ignore.
It was much too early to determine if it was anything other than a spark, but
the flash of energy she experienced was addicting.
    Earlier, when he’d approached her at the coffee
shop, she’d been certain she couldn’t possibly be interested in someone while
her life raged out of control. Now, she wasn’t so sure.
    He removed a bottle from the fridge and poured
her a glass of wine. After setting the bottle on the counter, he