Embracing Danger by Olivia Jaymes

abdomen. She wasn’t much of a drinker, so the liquor would go straight to her head if she wasn’t careful. The last thing she needed to do was get drunk in front of Shane.
    “There’s more about your father though.”
    She held the glass with both hands to keep them from shaking. “Of course there is. Let me guess, he works for MI-6 and he’s licensed to kill by the Queen of England.”
    “He’s broke.”
    Arden jerked her gaze away from the floor to look into Shane’s eyes. “That’s not possible. My father is a successful businessman. Look at his house. His cars. He travels by private jet. He can’t be broke.”
    Shane pulled a few pieces of paper from the file and held them up for her but she didn’t reach out for them, content to keep a hold of the highball glass like a lifeline. When she didn’t take them, he sighed and set them back down on the table.
    “Honey, from what they were able to find your father has always lived on the edge. He’s taken big chances in business and leveraged the hell out of himself. That’s great if you win, but if you don’t it can wipe you out. The economic downturn in 2008 hit everyone hard and your father wasn’t immune. He lost pretty much everything and has been holding on by a thread. He has assets but he also owes a lot of money.”
    Arden knocked back the rest of her drink and reached for the bottle to refill that glass but Shane’s hand stayed her movement.
    “I’m a grown woman.”
    “Unless you’ve changed, you’re also a lightweight who could get tipsy on one glass of wine. You always were a cheap date.”
    Reluctantly she placed the glass on the table. She hated it but he was right. “Do you think that’s why my father disappeared? That it has something to do with his finances?”
    “I’d say that’s the best guess at this time. We only know what he owes through legitimate sources. He might have borrowed money under the table from some less than ethical people.”
    This evening was getting better and better. All she needed was some pestilence and plague to make everything perfect. “You’re saying he’s hiding out. That they might want him dead.”
    Shane’s warm, strong arms slid around her, pulling her next to him as a finger tipped up her chin so she was looking into his eyes. At first she struggled; it had been so long since she’d been held with such tenderness. She and Michael’s physical relationship had ended long before the separation and divorce. But Shane’s implacable hold didn’t allow any protest and she settled back against the cushions and let herself luxuriate in someone else being strong.
    But just for a moment. That’s all she would allow.
    “You knew this was a possibility. You said you were aware of Ben’s actions.”
    “Not specific incidents but I had a pretty good idea. Still, it’s one thing to know them and another to realize that he might have to face the consequences of those decisions. I’m even more worried now, Shane. He could be in real danger.”
    Shane’s lips were pressed together and his brows pulled down. “I hate to break this to you but you could be too. If he owes money to the wrong people they might figure that you are Ben’s one weakness and he’d do anything to keep you safe.”
    It was all too much and her mind and body rebelled. The whiskey and her lunch suddenly pushed into her throat and she was up and off the couch, bolting for the powder room off the foyer. Kneeling in front of the toilet, she emptied the contents of her stomach as strong, soothing hands lifted her hair out of the way and stroked her back.
    With hot tears rolling down her cheeks, she slumped against the vanity while Shane flushed and then wet a cloth with warm water. He bathed the cold sweat from her neck and face before tossing it into the sink and scooping her into his arms and laying her gently on the couch.
    “Stay here. I’ll get you some ginger ale for your stomach.”
    Where was she going to go? Her legs were