Falling for the Code Breaker ~ Excerpt from 'A Code of Love'
Preoccupied, Cord didn’t register her outrage. He spoke matter-of-fact. “I’m trying to find a clue to the thief’s intentions. Does your uncle have a secure area for his confidential work? There are two different sets of handwritings on these notes. Is this your handwriting?”
Her heart thumped loudly, as if it might leap out of her chest. “Yes, it’s my handwriting. As you know, I help my uncle with his work. Do you need to go through my uncle’s papers at this time?”
She had almost slipped and called them “her papers.” She needed to be careful not to reveal anything that might hurt her uncle.
Cord stopped his search and came around the desk. His face was creased with concern.
“How is your uncle this morning?”
His quiet strength made her want to confide all the secrets that she had just sworn not to reveal. She was drained. If he so much as touched her, she would cave. “He’s napping but awoke earlier with a headache.”
He stepped closer and his voice softened. “You’re exhausted. You mustn’t worry. Lord Harcourt will recover and return to his normal brilliant self.”
She longed to tell him that her uncle would never return to the man he had been; he hadn’t been that man for years. But once informed, how could he, as the head, ever allow the situation to continue with her uncle?
He took her into his arms, pressed his mouth against her hair, and slowly rubbed her back in slow circles. His touch was gentle and loving. “You’ve had a hard night.”
She inhaled his smell, an earthy mixture of lime and starch. Tilting her head upward, she looked straight into his intense blue eyes and was lost in the deep tenderness.
He cradled her face in his hands and kissed her forehead, her eyelids, her cheeks. “You’re not alone. I’m here.”
Henrietta relaxed into his strong hands. This is how it feels to be cherished. It was a feeling she had never experienced and it filled her with longing and hope.
Click here to keep reading A Code of Love, The Code Breakers Series Book 1
