and she hadn’t even noticed that she’d just picked up her third piece. She put it down and glanced around Inatesso, wondering if the other people enjoying gourmet pizza had noticed her shoveling food in her face. But none of the other well-dressed men and women seemed to be paying her any attention. “It’s stress eating. Pizza’s my comfort food. That and Ben & Jerry’s.”
Branden grinned. “From what I’ve seen, a few pieces of pizza aren’t going to hurt you one bit. Go ahead and eat. I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”
“I’m not even hungry. I really am just stressed about this email business.”
“I understand. But you know you didn’t send that email, and I know you didn’t, so case closed.”
“Not really,” she said. “Why are you so sure I’m telling the truth?”
“Because I have a gift for judging people, Cara. You work too hard to color outside the lines.”
“Well, someone sent the email and now Deena and Mike both know about it, and I don’t think either of them are going to just let it go.”
“I’ll tell them to stop. No need for them to waste their time investigating you,” he said. “They need to move on and find the real culprit.”
She frowned. “Branden, it’s not that I don’t appreciate your faith in me, but why aren’t you more concerned? Someone who now works for you sent that email to Mahoney, and that someone and Mahoney both committed a crime. In fact, more than one crime, since it was sent from my email address. And let me emphasize again—that someone almost positively works for you. I mean, I know email can be hacked, but an outsider wouldn’t be as likely to know who to hack in this company to get that specific information, right?”
When Branden nodded, she went on. “I know you want to protect me, and I do appreciate that, but you can’t just sweep it under the rug. I don’t want it to look like we are doing anything inappropriate.” Her mouth twisted. “Any more inappropriate than what we actually are doing.”
“I didn’t say I’m going to sweep it under the rug. Believe me, I take this seriously, and the person responsible will be caught. But that’s my job, not yours. Promise me that you’ll leave it alone for now.”
Cara had a sneaking feeling that there was something Branden wasn’t telling her. “I don’t know if I can do that. This is my reputation. Someone wants to shred it by suggesting I slept with the boss. That’s one thing. But framing me for a crime I didn’t commit…”
“I will find that person, Cara. I promise. You trust me in bed. Trust me in this.”
An odd feeling, something like panic, worked its way under her skin. Her father had said nearly the same words to her and her mother after he’d been indicted. Trust me—I’m not guilty. I’ll fix this. Her father’s voice echoed in her mind and she shuddered, as if shaking off the ghosts of the past, then quietly said, “I don’t know if I can. Not because you aren’t trustworthy, but because I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time. And truth be told, the fact that we have been sleeping together, well…”
“What?” Branden frowned.
The waiter interrupted them then, asking Branden if he wanted lunch added to his account. Cara took the time to check her phone for emails or texts—nothing. She knew Iris was busy job hunting, but God, Cara could use her advice right about now.
Because she had to break things off with Branden. She didn’t want to, but she couldn’t keep hiding behind him. Couldn’t allow herself to accept his protection, especially from whatever was coming her way.
But as the thoughts entered her mind, tension entered her body. And a sense of longing, of missing, swept over her.
They exited the restaurant, and instead of heading to the busy street to walk back to D&M, Branden cupped her elbow in his hand and guided her to the alley out back.
“What are we doing?” she asked, her heel catching on the uneven ground.
“Hashing a few things out.”
“In an alleyway?”
He slid his hand down her arm and entwined his fingers with hers. “No view from above, and we can see if anyone comes around the corner. Little chance of anyone photographing what I’m about to do to you.”
“And that is?”
He halted then, and with swift movements, backed her up against the brick wall and slid a hand up the back of her neck.