along the side of her head. Swallowed back the fear.
It didn’t work.
Mitch pulled up outside Ryan’s building. “Simone and I’ll go grab some take-out and meet you both back here.”
“You don’t have to,” Ryan said, easing out of the car. He grasped Kate’s hand and helped her out.
“Don’t argue, Ryan.” Simone reached through the window and squeezed Kate’s fingers. “We’ll be right back.”
Why did she have such a bad feeling about this? Kate ran a hand over her hair as she walked into the building with Ryan. Tingling fingers of dread coursed over her, much as they had the day she’d knelt on the floor in Jake’s office and unlocked the file cabinet that had changed life.
“Hey, John.” Ryan nodded at the security guard seated at the lobby desk.
“Mr. Harrison. You’re here late tonight.”
“Have a little work I need to do. My brother-in-law and a friend will be by later. Let them up when they come in.”
“Sure thing, Mr. Harrison. Looked good on the TV today,” he added with a lopsided grin.
“Thanks.” Ryan placed a hand at the small of Kate’s back and urged her toward the elevators. A hand that was warm and solid and sent tingles all along her lower back where he touched her.
She couldn’t deny she felt a connection to him. She just didn’t know what to do about it or how to deal with it when everything else was happening at the same time.
Ryan’s office was a huge expanse of dark wood and metallic chrome. A wall of windows looked out over the skyline of San Francisco. Lights glinted in the city below, and the Golden Gate Bridge lit up in the distance. A wet bar was positioned across the room; two couches and a few low tables scattered in front of it. Ryan’s massive desk sat on the other side of the room, a wall of bookshelves to the right.
Intimidation swept over Kate the moment she stepped into the room. Her scrawny office would fit in one small corner of this colossal space. The press conference flashed in her mind, and she remembered the steely look in his eyes when he’d dealt with the reporters. Ryan Harrison the business mogul was nothing like the tender man who’d held her so carefully after her nosebleed.
“Grab us something to drink, would you?”
Thankful for something to do, Kate wound to the wet bar. Ryan sat in the chair behind his desk and flipped on his computer. His fingers danced over the keys, his eyes intent on whatever he was looking for. His silence told her he wasn’t willing to share his concerns just yet.
Kate bit back the urge to hover over him. She busied herself pouring them each a drink, then took the glasses to his desk.
“Is there a bathroom around here?” she asked.
He nodded toward a door. “Through there.”
“Thanks.”
She spent as much time in the lavish corporate bathroom with its marble counter and huge shower as she could, splashing water over her face, trying to get a handle on her emotions. When she finally worked up the nerves to step back into Ryan’s office, she found him still sitting behind his desk. But this time, his head was cradled in his hands, his elbows propped on the surface in front of him. The computer screen blinked with images of Julia as the screensaver.
Tension seeped from his body, rushed across the space separating them and wrapped around Kate’s chest, sending her nerves into the out-of-this-world range. Trembling, she eased around his desk to stand next to him. “Ryan?”
Without looking up, he grasped her by the waist and pulled her in front of him. His knees pressed against her inner thighs, sending shivers across her skin. Then he leaned forward and rested his forehead against her abdomen as he drew in deep, ragged breaths.
Something was wrong. Whatever he’d found was so bad he couldn’t even look at her. She thought about walking away, just forgetting this whole mess. She could get on a plane and go back to Houston if she wanted, forget about Ryan Harrison and his daughter. That was probably the smartest idea all around.
But even as she thought it, she knew she wouldn’t leave. She was connected to him now whether she wanted to be or not. Not just because of Julia and Reed, but because of something else. Something that drew her to him even when she wanted to run. Something she didn’t understand but was desperate to see through.