Expecting His Secret Heir by Dani Wade Read Free Book Online Page B

happened to you.”
    Under his breath, so only she could hear, he said, “Didn’t sound like it.”
    Her cheeks flushed hot, but she didn’t tuck her chin down the way she wanted to. Don’t show weakness. Always her first line of defense against the world.
    â€œGentlemen,” he said, glancing over her shoulder. “Glad to see you here. Thanks for supporting us.” Then he clasped her elbow. “If you’ll excuse us.”
    He pulled her away, quickly enough that she had to double her short steps to keep up. Looking back, she noticed the men talking and laughing. Goodness only knew what they thought he wanted with her, but whatever their assumption, they thought it was amusing.
    Not breaking stride, Zach marched her around the side of the parking area to a more isolated spot before turning to face her. “What was that about?”
    â€œWhat do you mean?” She had a feeling her innocent look wasn’t going to work here.
    She was right.
    â€œWhat right do you have to talk about me, about my life, with the people of this town?”
    â€œWell, technically the conversation didn’t start out that way—”
    â€œI don’t care how it started.” His voice rose enough to sting her ears. “Just that it stops. Now.”
    Unbidden, Sadie could feel her backbone stiffening and her expression becoming a blank mask. A lifetime in service had taught her how to deal with difficult people, usually men, and their expressions of displeasure. She instinctively took steps to protect herself, even if walking away from the situation wasn’t an option. Which it usually wasn’t.
    Her voice was awfully formal when she spoke. “I’m sorry you feel that way, but I was simply asking about the mill and they offered information. I didn’t dig into anything.”
    â€œI heard you asking questions.”
    She narrowed her eyes at him. If he thought she would just take this, he was mistaken. He didn’t know her as well as he thought. “A question. You heard me ask a question about you, and that’s after Earl brought you up.” She cocked her head to the side. “But I do have another question.”
    â€œI’m not telling you anything about myself.” His snarl said she didn’t deserve it.
    Which she didn’t. “And thus my question. Why do you care if I ask?”
    * * *
    Zachary Gatlin hated being caught off guard. He’d spent his military career planning for the unexpected, but that didn’t mean he liked it.
    Luckily, Sadie didn’t wait for an answer.
    â€œLook,” she said, “I have to ask questions. How else am I gonna know what to take pictures of? Who to take pictures of? Talking to people is part of that.”
    She cocked her jeans-clad hip, the hand she propped there drawing his eye more than he liked. “If that’s a problem, I can do it on my own. After all, you are only supposed to escort me through the mill.”
    â€œNo,” he said through clenched teeth. Not just from his anger, either. Being only a foot away from her seemed to be causing his entire body to go haywire. “That’s not what Jacob meant, and you know it.”
    â€œI know nothing of the sort.” Her brows rose. He didn’t remember her being so sassy before. This time she was pushing all his buttons. “I only know that the mill is dangerous right now and they want you with me when I go inside. That’s the only sure thing.”
    â€œIt’s my job to make sure everything you go over is safe.” They both knew what his emphasis meant, even if she wanted to pretend otherwise.
    â€œThen I guess you’d better stick a little closer, don’t you think?”
    For a split second, that sassy pink mouth and raised brow made Zach drop his protective barriers. Without thought, he stepped in. Her back hit the wall behind her. His hand planted right above her shoulder. There was barely