His to Keep (Beauty and the Brit) by Terri Austin Read Free Book Online Page A

sweat, her body heavy with need and not an orgasm to be had. So no, Brynn didn’t want to go in there and be subjected to that hot piece of British ass. Not again.
    But she had to.
    When the office door opened, she jumped.
    Marc Atwell stopped just shy of running into her. “Brynn, you all right? You look a little pale.”
    She nodded. “I’m good. Just getting ready to meet Iain.”
    “He’s in his office. Go on in.” He held the door for her.
    No chance of backing out now. Brynn adjusted her purse strap and walked forward. She passed a few desks and smiled, trying to appear innocuous to the rattled employees.
    Amelia beamed when she saw Brynn. “You’re here. Yay, I’m so glad.”
    “Did I have a choice?” The assistant laughed as though Brynn had told a joke. She glanced down and spied a photo on Amelia’s desk—a ginger-haired kid with bright blue eyes. “Your son?” Brynn asked, stalling for time.
    “Yep, that’s my Tyler. Too smart for his own good. Now go on, honey. Iain’s waiting.”
    Grasping the doorknob, Brynn tried once again to get a grip on her nerves. She didn’t have much success as she quietly stepped into Iain’s office and took a second to study him as he sat behind his desk. He concentrated on the computer screen, and his brows dipped toward the bridge of his nose. He was just as gorgeous as she remembered. “Hey.”
    When he looked up and saw her, his expression cleared and a predatory glimmer dawned in his eyes. “Brynn, good to see you—although I’m surprised. To be honest, love, I thought you might bottle it.”
    She walked farther into the room. “What does that mean?”
    “I thought you’d chicken out and refuse to come back.” Boy, did he have her number. “Glad you made it. I’d hate to get you in trouble with your boss.”
    She let that slide without comment. “Are you ready to get started?”
    He pushed away from the desk and stood, gathering his jacket. As he walked toward her, he slid it on and tugged at each cuff. “Absolutely. Shall we go?”
    “Go? No, I brought you a binder.” She held it up. “I even have a list of exercises.”
    Iain removed the notebook from her hands and tossed it in the chair. “No need for all that. We’ll wing it.”
    “You mean ignore the lessons? But there are helpful worksheets in there, guided instructions.”
    “Look, Brynn, I don’t do textbooks and exercises, right? I prefer a more realistic approach. So while we look at a few potential buildings I might be interested in buying, you can teach me how to be a smashing leader.”
    “How am I supposed to do that without the manual?”
    “You wrote the manual.” He circled her temple with his finger. “It’s all up here, innit?”
    “ I don’t believe this is a good idea.”
    “ I happen to disagree. And the customer’s always right.”
    “Not in this case.”
    “Especially in this case, as I happen to be the customer.” Iain grabbed her hand and walked through the outer office, dragging Brynn behind him like a toy wagon.
    Amelia pursed her lips in disapproval. “It’s best to go along, honey. He always gets his way.”
    Employees in the front office watched in silence as Brynn tried to pull free from his grasp, but Iain’s grip, while not tight, was unyielding. Keeping her head down, Brynn felt the rising tide of heat cover her neck. She hated this, hated being the focus of everyone’s attention. If she’d just stood up to Cass in the first place, none of this would be happening.
    Iain led her to the elevators. Once he punched the button, he finally let go of her hand. He hadn’t been rough, but she flexed her fingers anyway. He glanced down at her. She wouldn’t look at him.
    When the doors opened, Iain gestured for Brynn to get in first. She did, her shoulders rigid, her back straight.
    He climbed on and instead of facing the doors, he planted himself in front of her, his big, lean body demanding her attention. “You’re angry.”
    “ I don’t