Read Online Wronged (The Cuvier Widows Book 1) by Sylvia McDaniel - Free Book Online

Marian and Henry. She’d been
talking to him about his wife and children. She’d called his wife
by name. Until that moment, Louis hadn’t even known his accountant
was married!
    And that wouldn’t have been so surprising,
but he’d overheard her do the same thing with the new man, Sean.
Maybe it was coincidence that she knew Henry’s wife’s name, but
with Sean the only way she could have known anything about his
family was if she’d asked.
    She was getting to know the employees,
finding out about their personal lives, even going so far as to
bring a baby gift to Joe, a new father in the office.
    Hell, he didn’t know half the employees’
first names, let alone who their wives and children were. Like a
politician running for office, her campaign to undermine him and
make him look bad was working!
    Then there had been her frequent diggings
through the files, doing research, or so she claimed. He had
nothing to hide, just the same her investigations were driving him
crazy. What could she be looking for?
    For the thirtieth time that day he caught
himself staring across the way at her. Past five o’clock on a
Thursday afternoon, only a few employees remained. Marian sat
sifting through some papers.
    Sitting across from her, staring at all that
dark hair twisted up off her graceful long neck, imagining what she
looked like beneath the black gown that encased her body, and
wanting to dispel the sadness he sometimes saw reflected in her
gray eyes, was making him uneasy. How could he work with her for
the next few months, until he sold the business?
    Maybe he could scare her away. What would a
woman like Marian be afraid of? Somehow he had to convince her to
stay home or he would take advantage of that cherry red mouth. The
realization caused him to smile at how easy the answer seemed.
There was one thing he’d wanted to do almost since the day he first
met her, and it would certainly send her running. Suddenly he
stood, unable to wait any longer.
    Louis strode across the hallway, his steps
sure and even, until he found himself standing in front of her
desk.”You’re still here. Why?” he asked.
    She glanced up at him, her face an innocent
mask. “I was just trying to finish up the last of the ledgers I’ve
been going through. Very interesting what our customers transport
on our boats.”
    He shrugged and then leaned across the desk.
“Marian, I need to talk to you.”
    “Can it wait until tomorrow?”
    “No. It must be now,” he demanded.
    “Okay, let me just finish this ledger and put
it back.”
    He reached across the desk and shut it for
her. “Now!”
    She gazed up at him, her eyes widening at his
urgency. “What’s wrong?” she asked.
    Louis placed his hands on her desk, gripping
it and leaned in closer to her. “You are a gorgeous woman working
in a man’s business. For the last three weeks, I’ve sat across from
you and tried my damnedest not to show that I notice how beautiful
you are. How your lips beckon me every time you flick your tongue
across them. I’ve tried to deny how I feel, but I can’t do it
anymore.” Her eyes widened and she leaned back away from him.
    Louis stepped around the desk, took her chair
and whirled her around to face him. He grasped her forearms and
roughly pulled her to her feet and toward him until she stood just
inches away. Her lips glistened, tempting him not to hesitate, but
to do the deed.
    “Really, Louis, I’m not falling for this
ridiculous attempt to persuade me not to come back,” she said, her
voice breathy and tremulous.
    He smiled. “Good, because this is not an
attempt, Marian. This is for real.”
    He’d only meant to scare her away, but when
she called his bluff, he reacted by covering her mouth with
his.
    Yet the moment he planted his mouth over
hers, all thoughts of frightening her disappeared. The sensation of
her mouth pressed against his, her breasts crushed against his
chest, sent delight spreading through him. Right where he