He watched her carefully from across the roof of the car, taking in the steely determination in her eyes, the firm line of her mouth, the furrow of her brow. The gentle slope of her neck, the way her ample chest rose and fell as she sucked deep breaths into her lungs. He might not have guessed she was upset at all, if those deep breaths didn’t hint at a racing heart.
Sydney was such a crazy bundle of contradictions. Hard, but not inflexible. Vulnerable, but not weak. And so completely different than anyone he’d ever met.
Her outburst—brief though it was—had told him more about her than any other conversation they’d ever had. As strong as she looked, as smart and competent as he knew she was, he had seen a totally different side of her. He had now glimpsed the child she’d once been. Alone, defenseless and afraid. The idea of that girl was burned into his brain, like the afterimage of a flash of lightning. It streaked across the sky with wicked speed, but it was still strong enough to burn the retinas. The very idea of that young girl was going to stay with him.
And even though he wasn’t the kind of guy who coddled his girlfriends, even though he wasn’t big on displays of emotion himself, he had the undeniable urge to pull her into his arms and comfort her.
As strong as that instinct was, equally strong was the warning bell roaring in his head that if he so much as tried it, she’d bolt. So instead, he just stood there, waiting for her next move.
Over the next minute, she incrementally got herself back under control. Then she straightened and gave the hem of her sweater a tug. A single strand of red-gold hair had slipped free from the knot at the base of her neck and she tucked it back behind her ear.
Finally, she slung the strap of her purse over her shoulder and headed for the parking garage elevator. “You coming?” she asked over her shoulder.
He nodded, following her. Would she ever stop amazing him? He didn’t think so.
The funny thing was, with every other woman he’d ever been with, sex had been the most interesting part of the relationship. But with Sydney he found her as fascinating outside of bed as she was in it. Maybe more.
For a relationship that had started out being just sex, it was getting surprisingly complicated. He had never meant to be this involved with her. He could only hope that because his awful invasion of her privacy hadn’t scared her off, then dealing with his complicated family garbage wouldn’t, either, because the truth was this new side of Sydney intrigued him. He wanted to see more of her. He just hoped he got the chance to.
*
As they took the elevator to the tenth floor offices of Sheppard Capital, Sydney was painfully aware of Griffin beside her, watching her carefully. She had the definite feeling that she’d failed some sort of test during their conversation in the car. She didn’t know what Griffin had expected of her.
Had he been itching for a fight? Was he looking for a reason to end things between them? She just didn’t know.
She honestly hadn’t been upset that he’d dug around in her past. She was a little disconcerted about what he’d learned because that was information she didn’t share with anyone. Those were things not even Tasha knew about her. She’d worked hard to put that all behind her. It had taken years of therapy to make peace with her past. But she honestly felt like she had moved on. She was a competent adult now. Not that child. No, her life wasn’t perfect, but she had a good job—one that paid well and challenged her. She had her own house. She had the stability she’d never had as a kid.
Everything in her life was fine. Fine.
And once they found the heiress, things would go back to normal. They had to because she wasn’t sure how much more upheaval she could take.
For now, she just wanted to get through this meeting with Sharlene without incident.
But as the elevator doors opened, she could still feel the tension in Griffin. She could feel him watching her carefully. To smooth things over, she gave Griffin a playful nudge in the ribs as they walked into the reception area of Sheppard Capital. “Wow. Clearly breaking up with your father was a good move for Sharlene.”
“Yep. Unless she preferred to be penniless and powerless,” Griffin quipped as he guided her farther inside.
She was acutely aware of the feeling of his hand at the small of her back. Even though he was barely touching her, she felt each fingerprint like it was a brand on her bare skin.
To distract herself, she asked, “What exactly was she doing as your father’s assistant that she managed to go from that job to this one? Because suddenly I feel like I’m not pulling my weight.”
Griffin chuckled. “Don’t worry. I seriously doubt Sharlene had any skills as an assistant that you don’t have. But you have to remember Sheppard Capital was in serious trouble when Jack Sheppard died unexpectedly. The company needed anyone they could get. Sharlene stepped in to get it done. I don’t think she had any special skills or knowledge. She’s the CFO because she’s earned it. Because she’s fought tooth and nail to keep it going.”
“You almost sound like you admire her.”
“Almost?” he asked with an arched eyebrow. He then approached the desk of Sharlene’s assistant, introduced himself and Sydney and asked to see Sharlene.
At the mention of Griffin’s last name, the assistant’s lips curled away from her teeth a little, like she found him distasteful, even though she felt obliged to offer him a seat. For the first time since they’d set off on this little adventure, it occurred to Sydney that it might be strange for them to just show up at Sharlene’s office without an appointment. It was like opposing armies in a great battle. One didn’t just show up in the enemy’s camp without first sending an envoy to establish safe passage.
“Have a seat,” the assistant said, her voice dripping with disdain. “I’ll see if she’s available.”
In her head, Sydney translated: have a seat while I verify that my boss would never stoop low enough to see you.
Just a few days ago, Sydney might have thought Griffin didn’t even notice the woman’s unpleasant reaction, but she knew him well enough now to realize that he probably did but wasn’t showing it.
Sydney stood there, feeling suddenly nervous, knowing that the assistant was no doubt sending an instant message to Sharlene, wherever she was. It was what she had done whenever someone showed up unexpectedly and wanted to see Dalton. It was an easy and silent way to find out if he wanted to see the person or have them sent on their way.
Whatever response Sharlene had given was not what the assistant expected because a moment later she glanced from her computer screen over to them, her expression equal parts confusion and suspicion. Before she could say anything, the door to Sharlene’s office flew open.
“Griffin, dear!”
The woman who stood there—Sharlene, presumably—looked to be in her early fifties. She had platinum-blond, carefully styled hair. Everything about her, from her hair to her flawless skin to her elegant pantsuit, spoke of a woman who knew how to take care of herself and spared no expense in doing so.
She took a few steps into the front office, then held out her arms wide. With obvious affection in his expression, Griffin stood, then met Sharlene halfway across the office. Despite the sizable heels on Sharlene’s pumps, the woman barely came up to his shoulder.
Sydney was reminded all over again how very tall Griffin was. At just over five-nine, she wasn’t a small woman herself, but she’d quickly gotten used to the fact that Griffin was at least five inches taller than she. Griffin was the first man she’d ever dated who had made her feel delicate and feminine. However, beside Sharlene, Griffin looked like a giant. He even lifted her clear off her feet for a moment before setting her gently back to the ground.
Sydney glanced over at Sharlene’s assistant, who looked as shocked as Sydney felt by the unexpected display of affection.
Finally, Sharlene released Griffin—but kept a motherly hand on his arm. “Come in, come in.”
Griffin started to follow Sharlene into the office, then glanced back at Sydney, giving her a nod to indicate that she should follow.
Sydney watched Sharlene’s expression as she rose to follow them. Disapproval flickered over the woman’s face but was quickly replaced with a distant but polite smile.
“And you are?” she asked.
“This is my assistant, Sydney Edwards. She’s helping me with a project I’m working on.”
“Interesting,” Sharlene murmured as she gestured toward the love seat and pair of chairs nestled in the corner of the room. “I believe the last time I was over at Cain Enterprises, your assistant was Marion Green. I didn’t hear that she’d been let go. What a shame. She was with the company for so long.”
Griffin sat in one chair, so Sydney claimed the other. Sharlene sat on the loveseat, crossing her ankles to the side and draping her arm over the furniture.
Griffin smiled, as if he didn’t find Sharlene’s line of questioning odd. “Marion is still with the company. I suspect that even if we let her go, she’d keep coming to work every day.”
Sharlene laughed. “Yes, I suppose so. Well, come in, come in and sit down. My assistant will get drinks. Griffin dear, the last time you visited me at work you were still drinking chocolate milk. Somehow I suspect your tastes have changed. Let me guess.” She tapped one perfectly manicured nail against her chin. “Your father was always a Scotch man, but you don’t strike me as the type to drink during the day. Shall I have her just bring coffee?”
Griffin nodded stiffly. Sydney got the impression he didn’t want the coffee, but he also didn’t want to be rude. He went on to explain the situation with Hollister and his missing daughter before ending with, “We think we know who the woman who wrote the letter might be.”
“You do?” Sharlene asked in surprise. “Then you’ve narrowed it down from a fairly extensive pool.”
Griffin ignored Sharlene’s comment and said, “We had a nanny who lived at the house from the time just before I was born to when I was an infant. Apparently, she was pregnant and she had some sort of relationship with Hollister. My mother remembered that you helped hire the girl. Or at least found the service that sent her over.”