Hidden Threat by Sherri Hayes Read Free Book Online

thought things through beyond the immediate future.
    Matthew arrived early that morning, even for him. He’d been up until after one last night, and even then, he couldn’t sleep, his mind full of the events of his day.
    He’d made arrangements to drop off the surveillance tape to a friend of his in the police department. Needing to know who was hiding in the shadows of the parking garage as soon as possible was top priority with the shipment so close at hand. He knew that even if his friend could pull a few strings, it would be a long shot for them to have something by the end of the day, but he had to try.
    What bothered him more was what had almost happened with his boss. The memory of being so close to her and the feelings that closeness invoked in him was frightening. Obviously, there was a physical attraction. He could deal with that easily enough. The problem was, that wasn’t the end of it. The time he spent with her Tuesday had been quite enjoyable. Well that was until she’d suggested being there Friday and he’d lost his temper. He never lost his temper, at least, not before he’d met her, anyway. Since meeting Cali Stanton, he’d lost the hold on his temper twice; once with her and once with his brother. This was not good.
    The elevator opened. He stepped inside, and rode up to his floor. The office was deserted of course; none of the staff were in at this ungodly hour. His office door stood like a sentry, guarding the space that would shield him from whatever the day would bring. His sentry hadn’t been able to protect him last night. He knew it wouldn’t protect him from the woman that was haunting him, and she was haunting him. Every time he closed his eyes, she was there. Every cell in his body wanted to kiss her. At the same time, every logical part of him told him to stay away.
    Shaking his head, he walked through the door and into his office.
    ***

    Cali sat at her desk drinking her morning coffee. It was beautiful out today. The sky was clear blue, and the sun brought with it promises of warmth. There was one problem. She was in no mood to enjoy it.
    She’d spent her night combing through the folders she’d brought home.
    Somewhere during the long night, her eyes had shut, and she’d fallen asleep. The sound of Jessie’s arrival this morning had awakened her, and she’d been rather embarrassed to be found on the couch still in her work clothes.
    Jessie, of course, was great about it. She’d helped her pick up the papers that scattered across the floor as a result of her restless sleep and then prodded her up the stairs to shower and dress for the day. Cali had no idea what time she’d actually fallen asleep, but the couch had been less than comfortable.
    The one good thing that came from her exhaust-ridden sleep was she hadn’t dreamed. And although that was great, her mind seemed to think because of that, it needed to catch up. As she stepped into the shower, the steam warmed her skin, reminding her of last night and the feeling of Matthew’s breath on her face. Try as she might, the memory wouldn’t leave her. 
    She finished her shower and dressed only to be met with the sun—the warm sun. It seemed everything warm turned her thoughts back to the memory. This was not good. And now? Now she was sitting there, starring into her coffee mug, relishing its warmth.
    With a frustrated sigh, she pushed the mug away from her and ran a hand through her loose curls. This was not going to work. She needed to get Matthew Andersen out of her head if she was going to get any work done today.
    ***

    By lunch, Matthew had managed to get quite a bit of work done. He’d reviewed the surveillance tapes from last night and found nothing of interest. Jason was already down in the warehouse by the time he went back upstairs, and his brother still wasn’t back yet. Their talk would have to wait. Pulling yesterday’s tape out of his drawer, he got up and slipped his jacket on. It was time to find out who