Inevitable by Michelle Rowen Page A

possible things might be different.”
    He snorted, but it was a humorless sound. “You think?”
    â€œI do.”
    â€œIf I knew where everything was, then that might be possible. But I don’t.”
    â€œYou could go back to the people you sold the items to and—”
    He cut her off. “You just don’t get it, do you, Em?”
    â€œGet what?”
    He stared at her for a long, drawn-out moment. She could sense the tension building between them wasn’t merely sexual anymore. “I didn’t steal anything.”
    She frowned. “But—”
    â€œNo, Em, it wasn’t me. I was set up to take the fall.” He looked frustrated.
    Her jaw tightened and disappointment flooded through her. “I see.”
    His brows drew together. “A part of you has to see that I’m innocent. I’d never do something like that.”
    â€œLet’s just forget I said anything.”
    She tried to ignore the lump that quickly formed in her throat. Even now he was denying it. But she remembered it so clearly, it was as if it had been only yesterday, watching him around the corner of the building as he left the office with a duffle bag in hand. He’d looked suspicious and checked his surroundings, then unloaded the bag into the trunk of a car. He got on his cell phone and spoke to somebody on the other end.
    â€œI have the items,” he said. “Nobody even saw me. Meet me at the rendezvous point in ten minutes for the handoff.”
    That didn’t sound like an innocent phone call to Emma.
    She’d wondered why Ryan hadn’t sensed any suspicion from her the next day. He was an empath, after all, although it took a lot of concentration for him to get a good read on anyone. Looked like he hadn’t wanted to expend any extra energy on Emma.
    The vault might have been easy to break into, but it had been equipped with a security camera. It had captured a glimpse of the perpetrator. It had been enough to turn attention toward Ryan.
    Patrick knew about Ryan’s history as a car thief—a story told one night over drinks at the pub down the street. That hadn’t helped his case, especially not when a witness confirmed that it had definitely been Ryan on the security tape.
    In confidence, Emma had told Patrick what she’d seen. In return, he’d kept her name out of matters. Patrick, as agency manager, had had no choice but to fire Ryan. He’d done it privately, but word spread like wildfire.
    Ryan had no idea that it was Emma who’d been the nail in his coffin. But her disappointment with him had been so vast, her trust in a partner that she’d had extremely warm feelings for so shattered, that she couldn’t help herself. It had felt like her father’s betrayal all over again. Perhaps he’d only taken the job at PARA so he could steal from the vault on a regular basis.
    Then, instead of just admitting it and doing what he could to fix the situation, Ryan continued to claim his innocence.
    And despite this, she still wanted him. Forget the lust potion that made it impossible for her to deny her attraction to him, she still desired him even without it—desired a man who’d lied to her and betrayed her. Even now she wanted to forget about the past and give him a chance to make it up to her.
    But she’d be setting herself up for more disappointment. She knew it. It had been proven one too many times before.
    Her feelings were definitely complicated, especially now. She hated what he’d done, but she wanted him anyway.
    And she knew that was not the least bit healthy.
    â€œCome on,” she said, starting up the stairs. “Let’s get this over with.”
    He stood at the base of the stairway with his hands on his hips. “So, what? You’re just going to confront Harold?”
    â€œYeah, that’s pretty much it.” After this was over, she wanted to go home. Alone. Then she’d try