Because He Plays Me (Because He Owns Me, Book Seven) by Hannah Ford

Sir?”
    “Yes, thank you.”
    I stared out the window at the miles of blue sky. Aside from the initial panic at takeoff, I hadn’t given a thought to the fact that I was hundreds of miles above Earth. It probably helped not to be wedged between a screaming baby and a man wearing too much cologne.
    I glanced at Madden from under my eyelashes. This man smelled amazing. Just the mix of cologne and him. Every time he got close I wanted to bury my nose in his neck and inhale.
    “Here you are.” Gretchen set down our coffee and a plate of tiny bite sized cakes that had been elaborately decorated. This taste of how the other half lived was going to be very hard to give up after the two days were over. I took a mini layer cake and popped it into my mouth. Chocolate. God that was good.
    “The agency said that you have a dual degree in Marketing and Accounting and that you graduated recently with a 4.0,” Madden said, pinning me with his stare. “So why is someone with that kind of pedigree cleaning toilets?”
    The bite of cake turned to sawdust in my mouth. I took a large gulp of coffee to wash it down. No way was I going to spill the truth to him. “I guess I’m trying to figure out what to do next before I commit to anything.”
    “The job offer from McKeller and Associates wasn’t good enough? They’re one of the best firms in the Northeast. Junior Associate would have paid a lot better than janitor. You wouldn't have to worry about sleeping in your car. Or eating.”
    “How do you know all that?” I said.
    And did he know the rest of it? Was he just toying with me to see which way I’d jump?
    Deep-seated dread filled my muscles. What if he’d somehow found out why I’d left Maine? Even worse, what if Jacob had somehow put something on my record. I hadn’t thought about that until this very minute. Being a detective, he could have easily said just about anything; that I was a wanted criminal, that I had outstanding parking tickets. I waited, my breath in my throat, for Madden to demand to know why there was a warrant for my immediate arrest.
    None of it would have surprised me. Jacob was capable of anything, which was why I’d run so fast and so far. But I needed to get further away still.
    “Did you think I’d spend a weekend with someone I knew nothing about? What if you were a dangerous criminal?” Madden said, his expression giving away nothing.
    Blood drained from my face. The breakfast I enjoyed so much threatened to come back up. I had nowhere to go, no escape. I watched Madden carefully, waited for him to accuse me of something terrible.
    “I’m not a criminal,” I mumbled, feeling like I was, somehow. A criminal. A liar. Someone not worthy of his trust.
    “So why did you leave a promising job and come to Boston?” He appeared to be relaxed as he drank his espresso, but I could see the astuteness in his eyes. It was no wonder he’d made a fortune in business. Authority radiated from him, even when he wasn’t trying to intimidate. I had a feeling that Madden Cross never missed anything going on around him.
    “Don’t we all have skeletons in our closets?” I said, meeting his hard gaze.
    His entire body tensed, and for a second, I thought he was going to break the table in half the way his hands were gripping the edge. He looked away then and stared out the window and his jaw flexed. Several minutes passed and I said nothing. Little by little, his hands loosened. The harsh planes of his relaxed, though they were still chiseled as if he were made from stone.
    I waited for more questions. Madden turned his gaze back to me. His stare seemed to pierce right through to the depths of everything I was and I shifted in my seat. I felt like a specimen under a microscope. But then the look changed, and what I saw made me shift for an entirely different reason.
    This man could switch from hot to cold in a blink.
    He stood and held out his hand. I took it with my pulse pounding in my ear. Was this it?