Loe raamatut: «When Morning Comes»
Her hottest suspect yet…
Men have always been eager to tell Autumn Hilliard their most private secrets. Her fine mind—and natural beauty—are the reasons she’s such an excellent private investigator.
But investment banker Isaac Mason isn’t like the other men who strive for Autumn’s attention. He’s easily the sexiest man alive, and while his lean, muscular body screams temptation, his careful manner reveals nothing. Working her way into Issac’s world at Paxton Investment Securities, Autumn intends to find out what makes the millionaire tick, while remaining detached in his enticing presence.
Autumn hopes that her instincts are right, and that Isaac is innocent of the fraud he’s suspected of committing. Otherwise, come morning, will Autumn pay the ultimate price for giving her trust—and her heart—to the wrong man?
She started to shake her head side to side, but he reached out and cupped her face in his hands.
“Don’t do that,” he said. “All those snowflakes caught in your curls make you look like a princess.”
She lifted her chin, and the tiny droplets of melting snow on her face seemed to glisten. “How can this frog be a princess when she’s never been kissed?”
That was all Isaac needed to hear.
He sucked in a breath, not giving his mind time to think or to worry or to even care about tomorrow.
“I can take care of that right now,” he whispered.
He closed his eyes and slowly guided her face to his, relying on sense, rather than sight, to that first taste he knew he would never forget.
And Autumn did not disappoint. Her lips were soft and warm and surprisingly insistent upon his, and in the haze of their kisses he felt her fingers on his chest, unbuttoning his coat.
HARMONY EVANS
loves writing sexy, emotional, contemporary love stories. She is a single mom to a beautiful daughter who makes her grateful for life daily. Her hobbies include cooking, baking, knitting, reading and, of course, napping. She works full-time writing and managing digital content, and has over fifteen years of experience in internet marketing.
Harmony received the 2013 Romance Slam Jam Emma Award for Debut Author of the Year. In addition, she was a 2012 RT Reviewers’ Choice Awards double finalist (First Series Romance and Kimani Romance). She is a member of Romance Writers of America.
Connect with Harmony at www.harmonyevans.com for the latest news on upcoming releases.
When
Morning
Comes
Harmony Evans
MILLS & BOON
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Dear Reader,
I just love a hot man in a business suit, don’t you?
Isaac Mason is an ambitious, intelligent and sexy investment banker. But is he also committing fraud, or is he simply the victim of blackmail? That’s what Autumn Hilliard, a private investigator, has been hired to find out. As she gets closer to Isaac, Autumn discovers that he is hiding more than just the key to his heart. And it’s got nothing to do with cold, hard cash.
When Morning Comes is my fourth novel for the Mills & Boon Kimani Romance line, and I hope you enjoy it. I love to hear from readers. Contact me 24/7 at www.harmonyevans.com.
Be blessed,
Harmony
This book is dedicated to my daughter, who has made me richer than I ever thought I could be with her enduring love.
Contents
Dear Reader,
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 1
“I will not tolerate anyone destroying what I’ve worked so hard to build. Paxton Investment Securities must prevail unscathed. Is that clear, Ms. Hilliard?”
Sterling Paxton, the firm’s owner and CEO, stood at the boardroom window with his back to Autumn, his pale white hands clasped loosely behind him. His stance was relaxed, yet every terse word sounded as if it were uttered through gritted teeth.
A chill threaded through Autumn’s spine, warning her to keep her guard up even as she sat frozen in place.
So this was what a bug must feel like, she thought, right before it’s about to get squashed.
Sterling turned abruptly on his heel and smacked his hands together.
“I said, is that clear, Ms. Hilliard?”
Autumn winced and drew in a sharp breath before smiling sweetly. “Of course, Mr. Paxton. I’ll do everything in my power to prevent that from happening. If Isaac Mason is committing securities fraud, rest assured, I will find out.”
Sterling’s lips thinned. “How long do you think that will take?”
Autumn resisted the urge to shrug, knowing he would be offended. Every client expected immediate results and it was her job to manage expectations. She was a damn good investigator, but she wasn’t a miracle worker.
“A few weeks. Maybe a month. Undercover work is never an exact science,” she cautioned.
Sterling slid his hands into his pockets, and she heard the tinny jingle of coins.
“Isaac must never know he’s under surveillance.”
“And he won’t,” Autumn affirmed with a nod. “Having Isaac mentor me as a new employee will enable me to build trust without arising suspicion.”
Sterling’s gaze narrowed. “For your sake, he better not.”
Autumn bristled at his veiled threat, but she said nothing. It was obvious Sterling didn’t trust Isaac. What she didn’t know was why, but she’d surely find out, on her own terms and in her own way.
“You have full access to all his files, reports and records,” Sterling continued. “I sent you the log-in information to our internal file system via email last night.”
He crossed the room and sat at the head of the table. The leather chair squeaked under the weight of his large frame.
“You and I are the only ones with knowledge of why I hired you,” he said, folding his hands slowly. “Not even my daughter, whom you’ll be meeting shortly, knows about this.”
Autumn sensed extreme urgency in his tone. “I understand the need for confidentiality,” she reassured him. “As soon as I have something of interest, I’ll report back.”
The conference room door opened and a tall, slender blonde entered into the room with a thick sheaf of papers in her hand. She closed the door behind her and glared at Sterling. But when she saw he wasn’t alone, she took a step back and Autumn watched as her face quickly morphed into a smile that was as fake as the handbags sold on a New York City street corner.
The woman moved toward her and extended her hand. “I’m Felicia Paxton, director of human resources. You must be Autumn Hilliard.”
Autumn stood. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
She shook Felicia’s clammy hand and silently wished for a tissue. She was five feet eight, and Felicia towered over her in an oppressive way that was probably intimidating to a lot of people. But not to Autumn. She wasn’t afraid of anything, except failing to solve a case.
“Please have a seat,” Felicia instructed. She turned to Sterling and glanced at her watch. “It’s 8:55 a.m. now. The meeting was supposed to start at 9:00 a.m., correct?”
“Yes,” Sterling answered in a bored tone, not bothering to look up. He seemed engrossed in scrolling through his smartphone. “We were just chatting while we were waiting for you.”
A blush washed over Felicia’s taut cheekbones. She walked around the table, pulled out a chair and settled down directly across from Autumn.
“In addition to being CEO, my father seems to love to do my job.”
Autumn took Felicia’s contentious tone as a subtle warning that anyone who dared trifle with her had just better think twice.
Sterling eyed the stack of papers Felicia had on the table. “Not that part,” he barked. “With the level of technology that’s available today, why is it that our employees still have to fill out all these forms?”
Felicia uncapped a pen and held it out to Autumn. “Two words, Father. Paper trail.”
Autumn produced one from her notepad, not from her ear, where it normally hid in a mass of natural curls.
She held it up. “I have one, thanks.”
Felicia frowned, as if she took it personally that Autumn had her own ink. “The government still loves killing trees,” she continued. “And I for one have to agree with them. Paper is more permanent. Electronic records can be hacked or deleted.”
Sterling’s eyes narrowed and caught Autumn’s. “My daughter seems to have forgotten that paper can be shredded,” he said dryly.
Felicia ignored him, but Autumn could almost feel how much she wanted to roll her baby blues at her father.
With one finger, she pushed the stack of papers toward Autumn. “I prefer you complete these now, but if you must, you can bring them back tomorrow. I’m here by 7:00 a.m. sharp every day.”
Autumn nodded and dutifully began to fill out the ream of paperwork, starting with her social security number. It was as fake as the new identity the government had bestowed upon her a few years ago. Just one of the so-called perks of settling out of court in one of the most high profile cases of corporate fraud in the United States.
She was just starting to fill out her name when the door suddenly opened. Her head snapped up, curls brushing against the side of her jaw, as Isaac Mason walked into the room, his stride purposeful.
It only took one look and Autumn knew this was one man she wouldn’t mind sticking close to all night long.
Isaac wore a tailored gray suit cut to perfection, a crisp white shirt, maroon silk tie and black leather shoes shined to a gloss. It was standard corporate attire and likely designer, based upon his wealth and prominent position in the company, but she couldn’t tell and didn’t care. It wasn’t his clothes that attracted her.
It was his face. Isaac was boyishly handsome with clean-shaven, mocha skin, a long straight nose that flared out just enough to be interesting, and full lips that invited lust.
Autumn found it especially difficult not to openly stare at his lean, muscular body. There was something irreverent about the way it seemed almost caged beneath the fabric of his suit.
So as discreetly as possible, she sized him up. From the top of his close-cropped black hair to the tips of his Brooks Brothers shoes. Because that’s what private investigators were supposed to do. No one could blame her for trying to do her job even in the midst of extreme male temptation.
And in her professional opinion, one fact was clear: Isaac Mason was her hottest suspect yet.
Isaac shut the door and held up his smartphone. “Sterling, sorry I’m late. I just got your meeting request.”
He stopped midstride, his eyes zeroing in on hers. From a distance, she couldn’t see what color they were, but they mesmerized her just the same. Luckily, she was able to maintain a mildly curious look on her face, although on the inside she felt her professional resolve begin to disintegrate.
“Am I interrupting something?”
Only the normal rhythm of my heartbeat, Autumn thought.
“Not at all.” Sterling waved him over. “I have someone I’d like you to meet. This is Autumn Hilliard, our newest analyst on the Paxton team.”
Autumn swiveled in her chair and stuck out her hand. Before she could stand up, Isaac’s skin warmed her palm and his smile instantly carved its way into her heart. It seemed that he held her hand a beat longer than necessary, but that could have only been her imagination. She was pretty but not gorgeous, and Autumn had a feeling that Isaac was used to the latter in his ladies.
He gave a little bow. “Welcome to the madness.”
Isaac’s voice had just enough depth to rumble in her ears, his tone pleasant and slightly mocking. He seemed distracted by something, and she wasn’t vain enough to think it was her.
Sterling openly scowled. “Isaac, I realize the market is slightly down this morning, but you’re going to be spending a lot of time with Autumn, so let’s keep things positive, okay?”
Autumn’s face tingled. The negative vibe in the room was getting more uncomfortable by the moment.
Isaac slipped his phone into his pants pocket. “You know me, Sterling.” He shrugged calmly. “I was just playing.”
He dropped into a chair next to Autumn and leaned back. She smiled and held his gaze, a tactic she used to build rapport with a client, a potential suspect or a man who was really, really cute.
An unbidden spark pulsed between them, like the feeling one gets when suddenly remembering a long-forgotten dream, and Autumn knew that she’d have to be careful not to succumb to temptation.
Suddenly Isaac shot up in his chair. “What do you mean we’re going to be spending a lot time together?” It was as if he’d just now grasped the full extent of what his boss had said moments earlier.
Felicia’s eyes narrowed at Autumn and Isaac before turning her attention to Sterling. “Yes, Father. Explain.”
“That’s why I called the meeting,” Sterling bellowed, ignoring Felicia’s glare. “For the next few weeks, Isaac, you’re going to be Autumn’s mentor. Getting her acclimated to the way we do things around here.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Autumn saw Felicia’s hands tense.
“M-mentoring!” Felicia sputtered. “What are you talking about, Daddy? My new employee onboarding process doesn’t begin until next month.”
Sterling pressed his index finger on the table and shook his head. “It starts now, Felicia.”
“But the process hasn’t been fully vetted,” she protested.
Sterling shrugged and leaned back in his chair, as if the matter was settled. “What better use case than a real scenario?”
Felicia smoothed her blond-in-a-bottle hair. She was probably very pretty when she smiled, but that wasn’t the case now.
“Legal won’t like it,” she warned.
He gave a disgusted sigh. “Have you forgotten that our in-house attorneys report to me?”
Felicia threw up her hands in exasperation. “I haven’t even completed all the required documentation.”
Sterling looked up from his cell phone and rolled his eyes. “Great, just what we need. More paperwork.”
Autumn cast a glance at Felicia and stifled a laugh. If she had a pencil, paper and an artistic bone in her body, she would sketch two plumes of steam erupting from each of her ears and fire blazing in her eyes. The woman looked that angry.
Sterling’s phone beeped loudly and he stood. “You’ll have to excuse me. I’m due at another meeting in a few minutes.” He handed Isaac a manila folder. “I’ll leave you two alone to get acquainted.”
Autumn smiled at Felicia and she could almost see the wheels turning in her head. Her gaze lingered on Isaac for a moment, as if that would lure him away. She seemed to sense something that neither Autumn nor Isaac could have imagined.
Sterling opened the door and exhaled impatiently. “Felicia, are you coming?”
Autumn tapped the stack of papers with her pen, breaking the tense moment.
“I’ll have these back to you this afternoon.”
Felicia rewarded her with a nod and a thin-lipped smile.
“Right behind you, Father.”
She waited until Sterling was gone, and then rose from her chair slowly, as if she were still reluctant to leave.
Autumn felt Isaac’s gaze upon her cheek. She dug the toes of her shoes into the carpet in a vain attempt to hold on to the twinge of pleasure that zoomed through her body.
“Isaac,” Felicia said sharply. “Be sure to show her my office, won’t you?” Her voice suddenly dropped to almost a whisper, like dark silk hiding a double-edged sword. “You know the way.”
Without saying another word, Felicia quickly walked out of the room, closing the door behind her, leaving an empty vacuum of silence and longing.
The statement was an invitation for Isaac, backed up by veiled warning meant for any woman who might interfere.
Namely, Autumn.
But what Felicia didn’t know was that Autumn wasn’t a threat to whatever hold—real or imagined—she had on Isaac. Sterling hadn’t hired her to bed the man, although at first glance the thought did cross her mind. No, she was here to conduct an investigation into a possible case of corporate securities fraud.
Autumn didn’t know what, if anything, was going on between the two of them, but if it affected the outcome of this case, she would damn sure find out.
Chapter 2
Isaac leaned back in his chair and almost smiled at the irony. He hadn’t been expecting a beautiful woman on the agenda for Monday morning. Then again, he’d never expected to be cooking breakfast every day for two children, either.
Or trying to cook. His kids were not pleased with having to settle for Pop-Tarts. Again.
He sniffed lightly wondering if the stench of burned bacon was still on him and what Autumn would think if it was.
Isaac mentally slapped himself upside the head. If he cared even a little bit about the opinions of this perfect stranger, this gorgeous stranger, the stress must be really getting to him. He had two children to think about now, not impressing a woman.
He was a father.
“Anything wrong?”
The concern in Autumn’s voice sounded so genuine, he nearly blurted out, Everything.
And it was true. His life was in a state of total upheaval right now. Sure, the chaos was the result of choices he wanted to make, but that didn’t make things any easier.
Instead Isaac opted for the answer likely echoed in countless offices across the country on any given morning. Men and women just like him who wished someone would care, but who also realized that most people were too busy just trying to make it in this crazy world to bother.
He faked a yawn. “I was running late and missed my morning coffee.”
Isaac kept his gaze trained on the boardroom window. The mid-January sky was a bleak and dirty gray, the kind that makes you wonder if the sun will ever shine again. For reasons he didn’t understand, he didn’t want to look too deeply into Autumn’s eyes. It wasn’t that he was afraid of what he would see in them, but of what he wouldn’t.
“I don’t drink coffee.”
Her voice wove through his ears, piercing the fog of his thoughts. It was throaty, insistent and knotted with just enough innate sexiness to make his groin twitch in a way that made him glad he was sitting down.
Just to be on the safe side, he rolled closer to the table and turned his head toward her.
“What mortal doesn’t drink coffee?” he said in an incredulous tone. “What gets you up in the morning? Your extremely good looks?”
No sooner were the words out of his mouth that he realized he’d overstepped the boundaries between simple curiosity and workplace etiquette. Rule number one: never acknowledge the physical attractiveness of your coworkers.
He hated the fact that his stomach clenched as he waited for her reaction, but Autumn just sat there with a blank expression on her face.
If Felicia was still in the room, she’d probably write him up. Ever since she tried to seduce him and he’d turned her down, he’d been paying for it. She watched him like a hawk circling prey.
Did she really think he was stupid enough to bed Sterling’s daughter? His working relationship with his boss was strained enough without any additional help from Felicia’s shenanigans. Although Isaac doubted Sterling knew anything about Felicia’s unwanted advances, he couldn’t be sure without actually asking him.
Still, Isaac had a nagging feeling that the partnership he’d busted his butt working for his entire career was now out of reach, and he didn’t know why.
Autumn’s voice broke in on his reverie. “No. What gets me up in the morning is,” she replied, leaning forward, as if in secret. “Pure. Adrenaline.”
Her plump lips, coated with just a hint of pale pink gloss, turned up into a very kissable half smile. She seemed amused rather than offended at his statement, which made her even more attractive.
Her perfume, the scent of a flower he recalled but at the moment couldn’t name, teased his nose. At that moment, he knew he would drive himself crazy trying to remember and wishing he could smell more of her.
Isaac whooshed out a breath of relief. “Ah, yes. I remember those days.”
The times he couldn’t wait to get to the office. He was always the first to arrive, the last to leave and the chump who didn’t mind coming in on weekends and holidays. All B.K.
Before kids.
Thank God, they’d saved him.
Autumn settled back in her chair. “So what happened?”
Isaac’s heart squeezed again at the caring in her voice and he drummed his fingers on the table under her intense gaze. Although the question was a legitimate one, he wasn’t about to tell her—or anyone else—the truth.
“The world’s financial markets collapsed one by one. Making our jobs a whole lot tougher. You need more than adrenaline to survive in this business now. You need a magic wand and the ability to predict the future.”
Autumn’s warm laugh resonated throughout the room and sank into his bones, and for a moment he felt carefree and relaxed.
Her expression quickly sobered. “That’s part of the reason why I’m here.”
He frowned, sorry to see her smile disappear but suddenly knowing why. “Another victim of downsizing?”
Autumn nodded. “We’d lost so many clients that it didn’t make sense to keep all our analysts around. Or at least that’s what they told me.”
He couldn’t imagine being jobless. In the past, it was something he’d never had to worry about. But with the way Felicia was acting toward him lately, he wasn’t so confident. Since she was Sterling’s daughter, nobody at Paxton really knew how much influence she had over him. To be ensnared in her web was one place no employee ever wanted to be.
“Their loss is our gain,” Isaac replied with what he hoped was a reassuring smile.
Her exuberant grin was infectious. “Thank you. I’m really excited to be here and to be working with you.”
Autumn tilted her head and he watched her curls skim the edge of her jawline. He wondered what that hair would feel like in his fingers. Her white, long-sleeved silk blouse did not detract his eyes from coveting what was beneath. In his mind, he saw his hands around her trim waist as she hitched up her navy blue skirt.
Isaac’s groin tightened painfully and he shifted slightly in his seat as his body involuntarily reacted to a sudden desire for Autumn that he didn’t understand. But he did know this: furtive glances at her across the cafeteria or in a meeting room would never satisfy him.
He bet that, beneath the stark corporate garb, she was as soft and fleeting as the snowflakes that were beginning to swirl outside. Yet he sensed she was tough to catch and even tougher to hold on to. That’s why he had to stay as far away from her as he could manage.
He picked up her résumé to distract himself. There was no current home address listed, but he assumed she lived in the area. As was his custom, he flipped to the last page so he could review her work experience in reverse chronological order.
Reading quickly, he learned that Autumn had a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Mathematics, and a master’s degree in Statistics. All from Yale University. She was an Ivy girl, she was smart and she loved numbers. Plus, she had a killer body. It added up to some serious trouble for a man who was trying not to be attracted to her and failing badly.
“I hope you won’t let our respective universities affect our working relationship,” she said in a teasing voice.
He glanced up from the paper in front of him. “You’re referring to the long-standing rivalry between Yale and Harvard.”
She nodded and crossed her legs, sheathed in sheer hose he yearned to rip away.
He smiled. “A little bit of competition always makes things more interesting, no?”
“Most definitely,” she responded. “But I’m glad I’m on your team, rather than fighting against it.”
Isaac raised a brow. “Because you know you would lose?” he said matter-of-factly, hoping he didn’t sound arrogant.
She shook her head. “Not at all. But winning isn’t everything.”
Isaac glanced over at the door. “Don’t let Sterling ever hear you say that.”
Autumn didn’t ask why and Isaac was glad he didn’t have to explain. If she wanted a career at Paxton, she would learn for herself soon enough.
He returned his attention to her résumé and noticed something that puzzled him.
Like Autumn, Isaac had also made the decision to pursue an advanced degree directly after college. But the difference was that when he finished graduate school, he’d gone straight to work for Paxton, which was one of the leading investment firms in the country.
On the contrary, Autumn had worked at some midlevel investment banks all around the country. Los Angeles. Phoenix. Miami. Companies whose names he’d never even heard of.
He considered pressing the issue but decided against it.
Multiple job hops might make some people nervous, but not him. Autumn was young, intelligent, and she obviously knew when a situation wasn’t working to her advantage. Ambitiousness was a quality he admired, especially in a woman.
Besides, if Sterling trusted her enough to hire her, why shouldn’t he?
Still, he couldn’t let her off the hook completely. “Your résumé is impressive,” he began slowly. “But you’ve moved around a lot. Surely that’s not because of the economy every time, is it?”
“I always leave myself open to the possibilities of a greater challenge or something new.”
He flipped back to the first page again. “Your previous place of employment was in Cleveland?”
Autumn’s lips curved into a mischievous grin. “What can I say? I love to rock and roll!”
Isaac laughed aloud, pleased by the free-spirited tone in her voice. He found her playful attitude refreshing and very appealing. Even in the overbearing atmosphere of the boardroom, not to mention the pressure of the first day in a new job, she had no problem being herself.
Most women tried everything they could to impress him. The girls in the office knew he was single, available and one of the wealthiest men in New York City. Out on the street, the women knew him as a regular guy who was hotter than the asphalt on a July afternoon. In the winter, they worshipped the ground he melted ice on.
He’d be the first to admit that sometimes he took the bodies they willingly offered and he enjoyed them. The one-night stands most of these women hoped would turn into a lifetime of ardor and passion meant absolutely nothing to him.
While the opportunity to bed a beautiful woman and run the other way the next morning was still there, now he had two good reasons to refuse their advances. His children.
Consequently, he hadn’t slept with a woman in a very long time. Whether becoming a father caused him to feel a sense a guilt or greater moral virtue, he didn’t know.
The more likely reason was that he was tired of being a pawn in a two-player game that never went anywhere. Of pretending he didn’t want a woman to love him for more than his face, his body or his money.
Isaac checked the time on his phone and stifled a yawn.
He’d been up late again helping his son, Devon, with his math homework. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a good night’s sleep. And tonight, he expected that thoughts of what Autumn looked like without the corporate jail suit would impede his rest even further.
“What do you say we rock and roll and get a jump on that tour?”
“Sounds great,” Autumn replied. “You can show me the cafeteria and we can finally get that cup of coffee you missed out on this morning.”
Isaac tried to swallow back another yawn. When it escaped, they both laughed.
“Yeah, you can tell I really need it, can’t you?”
His eyes caught hers again. God, she was even prettier when she laughed. Thank goodness, the analysts occupied a space on another floor in the building.
His phone beeped, bringing his attention back to business. He pulled it out of his pocket, looked at it and groaned.
“Unfortunately, the tour is going to have to be a quick one. I’ve got another meeting in ten minutes and I think I’ve used up all my Get to a Meeting Late cards for the day.”
“How do I snag one of those?” Autumn joked.
“Trust me, you do not want to be in Late Club,” he said, in all seriousness.
“Why not?”
“Because I’m the one and only member.” His gut did a little flip when she pursed her lips at him. “I didn’t used to be,” he backtracked. “I mean, it was only when I—”
He stopped abruptly at the winsome look on her face and realized he was rambling. Something that was completely out of character for him. Worst of all, he’d almost told her about his kids. No one at Paxton knew about them and he wanted to keep it that way for now.
“Just do your best to never be late to a meeting, especially one with Felicia or Sterling,” he said curtly.
“I appreciate the heads-up,” Autumn affirmed. “By the way, is there always that much tension between them? My neck was beginning to hurt watching their verbal ping-pong match.”
“Yeah,” Isaac snorted. “But you’ll get used to it. We all have. Felicia plays the Daddy’s-girl role around here to the hilt, but she’s very capable.”
And lately very dangerous.
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