Blind Faith by Rebecca Zanetti Page B

squeeze a bit too tightly. “Mr. Rastus, do you mind if I have a word with Miss
    Madison, here? We were in the middle of a conversation last night when I had to leave, and I’d like to
    finish up.”
    Ernie frowned, curiosity in his eyes. “All right. I’ll catch up with you later, Audrey.” He hastened down
    the hallway, his gaze on the papers in his hands.
    “What are you doing?” Audrey hissed. “We can’t know each other.”
    “Dom named Bubba?” Nate asked, raising one eyebrow.
    Audrey snorted. “You shouldn’t eavesdrop.”
    He stepped into her. “And you shouldn’t challenge me by using words like dom , rough , and spank .” His
    voice lowered to the tone of gravel in a cement mixer, and anger rushed through him at the blatant danger
    she’d sought with the commander and politics. How could he be so pissed at her for aligning with the
    commander and yet want her naked and bent over a table with a desire that pushed everything else to the
    side?
    She blinked, her pupils dilating.
    Layers upon layers upon layers. Nate lowered his face, keeping her gaze. He reached out and fingered a
    strand of her hair, shoving the fury down. “Or was that an invitation to explore a little bit? I never did
    spank you.” Frankly, he’d love to make sure every time she sat down for the next week she thought a little
    harder about consequences. Her current path with the commander would get her killed. “Bare hand or belt,
    baby?”
    She swallowed, pink flushing across her fine cheekbones. Desire glimmered in her luminous eyes, and
    she tried to blink it away.
    Oh yeah. They hadn’t had nearly enough time together.
    “Knock it off, Nate,” she hissed, slapping his hand. “Stop playing games.”
    He kept his hold on her hair, allowing the natural dominance he’d been born with to reflect in his smile.
    “You started the game. Too late to set the rules.”
    “There are no rules,” she muttered.
    “Exactly.” Heat filtered through him in response to the rapid pounding of a small vein in her neck. More
    than ever, he’d kill to have her writhing beneath him, his name on her lips.
    Memories assailed him, and he exhaled through the desperate need to taste her.
    Footsteps penetrated through the heartbeat roaring between his ears, and Nate stepped back, releasing
    her hair. Two secretaries walked by behind them and kept on going.
    They once again had the hallway to themselves.
    Audrey cleared her throat. “Enough, Nate.”
    He lifted a shoulder while his brain bellowed for him to get the hell away from her before he broke
    cover. “Maybe not. We’ll see.” Raised voices echoed from the conference room, and he filed the sound into
    the nothingness he used to keep from hearing too much and going crazy. “Why do you work here? You
    don’t like politics.”
    “I have a job to do.” Her chin tilted at a stubborn angle that made him want to take a bite.
    “No.” His gaze dropped to her lips—so pink and ready for him. “You wanted to go back to school,
    maybe get a master’s, and work in early childhood development. Work with little kids. What happened?”
    “Life happened, and I grew up.” Her gaze shuttered. “Now, if you’re done playing with me, we really
    should get back to the meeting.”
    Playing with her? Nate inhaled her natural gardenia scent. “Ah, baby, I’m just getting started.”
    Chapter 5
    After the disastrous meeting with Nathan, a luncheon with the senator, and three more meetings with
    special interest groups, Audrey wanted to head home for a hot bath and a stiff drink. The drive home took
    longer than usual because of traffic, and she finally sighed in relief when she walked into her quiet
    apartment in Virginia, rain dripping from her coat and umbrella.
    She’d been unable to spot the men tailing her, but she felt their presence. These two or three were so
    much better than the last couple at disguising themselves. When would they make a move against her?
    The door closed silently