Wilde Fire by Chloe Lang Read Free Book Online Page B

narrowed. “My job is to
    make sure that the miners whose families depend on this place staying open continue to earn a living.”
    “Even if that means some of them might get hurt, or worse—
    killed.”
    He slammed his fist into one of the lockers, causing her to gasp.
    Still, when he spoke, his voice was steady and controlled. “Ms.
    Greene, I’m certain you will not find any infraction that points to something lacking in our policies and procedures at Wilde Mine.”

    Wilde Fire
    47
    She shivered. The man was so intense. And so sexy. “I’m here to
    make sure it’s safe. Do you agree with me that something is odd about the accidents? Wilde Mine has been free of incidents for years. Now, there’s several in a month. Even I was nearly injured in one just a few days ago.”
    His hands curled into fists. She’d hit a nerve. Good.
    “I apologize for that. You do understand that the driver of the
    machinery had an episode with his heart?”
    “Yes. How is he?”
    “I checked with the doctor this morning. He says that Paul should
    be going home sometime tomorrow.” For the first time, Jessie spotted a softer emotion on this stoic man’s face. It was relief.
    “I’m glad to hear that he’s doing well.”
    “What do you need to help you speed your investigation along,
    Ms. Greene? The quicker you get through it, the quicker you can get home.”
    “Well, I’d like to look into the files around the areas where the
    initial accidents occurred. Then, I’d like to read the reports that were filed by the supervisors that were on site.”
    He stood up and gathered up his papers and the remainder of his
    meal. “Follow me.” Without waiting for her, Austin walked out of the locker room.
    Jessie leapt to her feet and trailed him. He’s got me hopping like a trained pup.
    When she finally caught up to Austin, he was standing in front of
    his secretary’s desk.
    “Yes, sir?” Selby asked.
    “Whatever Ms. Greene needs, make sure she gets it. Understand?”
    The woman looked up at him with stars in her eyes. “Sure thing.
    Mr. Winters has called three times. Said it’s urgent.”
    “Bankers think everything is urgent. Fine. I’ll call him. I’d like
    some coffee.”
    Selby nodded. “I’ll make some fresh for you, sir.”

    48
    Chloe Lang
    “It’s going to be a long night. I’ll need you to stay late, too.”
    Austin wasn’t asking the woman, he was commanding her. Arrogant.
    Chauvinistic. Asshole. Steamy.
    “Yes, sir.” Clearly, Selby was totally smitten by the man and
    didn’t mind his dominating nature. Austin seemed to like her mooning gaze on him, too.
    Jessie suspected there was a lot more than just business going on
    between these two. Well, she wasn’t some airhead girl from this small town that didn’t know a thing or two about dealing with jerks. There were more than one or two at work that had tried to go toe-to-toe with her. They’d lost.
    She decided to push him. “If you really mean that, Mr. Wilde, I
    would like one thing from now on.”
    “Of course I meant it. What do you want?”
    “I’d like to have better access to you.”
    The corners of his mouth turned up, warming her entire body.
    “Interesting request, Jessie.”
    She felt all her skin burn from embarrassment. “I–I mean I would
    like to be able to meet with you on a regular basis and not have to go through your gatekeeper.”
    Selby stood up and folded her arms over her chest. “That’s not
    how it works here, Ms. Greene. If you want to see him, you’ll have to deal with me.”
    Austin kept staring at Jessie, until nervousness had her wringing
    her hands. Without turning to his secretary, he ordered, “Sit down, Selby.”
    The woman slammed back into her chair, frowning.
    “Good.” He smiled, and everything went woozy inside Jessie. “I’d
    like to spend more time with you, too.”
    Jessie needed to clear her head. Think about work. Think about the investigation. It helped, and her mind snapped back to the