Raven (Kindred #1) by Scarlett Finn

wasn’t afraid to make eye contact because she wanted to judge his veracity when he spoke. Her respect for this man prevented her from being abrupt and so she chose to approach the subject with tact. “I’ve noticed that you’ve been distracted and erratic recently,” she said.
    His brows rose. “You’ve noticed a difference in me?”
    She nodded and tried to stay loose, to appear as unthreatening as she could. “I know there’s something on your mind, something going on,” she said, offering a soothing outlet in the hope it would encourage him to talk.
    When his lips thinned, her initial thought was failure because she thought she read displeasure. Leaning back, the chair reclined a little and his concern turned to a greater intrigue. “What have you noticed?”
    If she wanted honesty, she had to give it. “You’ve been late to work. You were delayed in your return from New York. You’ve had clandestine meetings and are expecting mysterious clients to call the private line. Something is going on.”
    He locked his fingers together. “Are you concerned or is this you reprimanding me?”
    Horrified that he would think her so haughty, she inhaled. “I would never reprimand you. That’s not my place,” she said. “But I am worried. As you said to me, you would help me out of any jam and I want you to know… I’m here to help you as well.”
    His gentle expression of concern had been replaced by a hard frown. “Your worry is noted, although I put in many hours here at Cormack Industries. My dedication to this company has never wavered. I treat my role here with great respect.”
    “I didn’t... I didn't mean to suggest otherwise... But...”
    The impulse to back away from the subject and apologize engulfed her because it was clear that Grant had been offended by her suggestion he was giving less than a hundred percent. Her heart was hammering so loud that it reverberated to her eardrums and for a second she wondered if Grant could hear it.
    But her gumption only returned when she visualized Raven walking out of her apartment after she had clammed up and claimed allegiance to Grant. She couldn’t chicken out of being honest with the man she had defended. As long as she had faith in Grant’s good intentions, she would remain his ally.
    Raven wouldn’t be coming back, but she still needed to know what was going on. That left her with only one option: to tempt Grant into proving that her faith was founded and her trust reciprocated. He had to tell her the truth.
    “What is it, Zara?” Grant asked, making her realize she hadn’t said anything for a while.
    With a deep breath, she ventured to prove her trust. “I had a date on Saturday night,” she said, crossing one leg over the other and brushing her hand down her thigh. “It didn't go particularly well and... I decided to come into the office to do a little work—”
    “Your own dedication is“—the furrow in his brow grew deeper. He stopped talking for a moment and she assumed he’d put the pieces together—“you were here on Saturday night?”
    “Yes,” she said, with a gentle nod. “I overheard some of your meeting.” Zara had thought it was better to lead with that than with the attack. But she reconsidered her approach when he flew up out of his chair.
    “Zara! I… I expect far better from you. Eavesdropping? I didn’t think that was your style.”
    Having never offended him before, she tried to backpedal, which made the pace of her words kick up. “I didn’t,” she said, rising to match his stance. The glow of his disappointment cut her deep. “I heard very little. When I realized you were here, I left.”
    “What exactly did you hear?” he demanded.
    “Nothing,” she said, shaking her head because his disappointment merged with the anger that simmered just beneath his surface and she didn’t want to face his wrath. “I just… I wanted you to know that you don’t have to keep secrets for me. Whatever the time of day,