Razor's Edge Read Online Free

her office door. “I see you two have a lot to talk about. Outside of my office. I have work to do.”
    â€œThis is a bad idea,” said Roxanne, praying for a last-minute reprieve.
    Bella ignored her. “And don’t think you can come back here in a few hours claiming you tried to make it work. There will be no trying today. Just doing. Got it?”
    â€œYes, ma’am,” said Tanner. “We won’t let you down.”
    Bella gave Tanner a stern look. “She’s going to try to ditch you. Don’t let it happen. Some asshole is giving her trouble, and if she gets hurt, you’re fired.”
    All hints of amusement fled Tanner’s rugged face, making his eyes turn cold. He seemed to grow a couple of inches taller and took a step closer to Roxanne. It reminded her of her best friend, Jake, who had a tendency to be a bit overprotective.
    Tanner nodded. “I understand.”
    â€œGood. I’m glad that’s settled. Now get out.” Bella shooed them through the door and shut it behind them.
    It was time to let the new kid know how things worked around here. “If I’m going to be your trainer, we have a couple of things to get straight.”
    â€œSuch as?”
    â€œI’m in charge. You do what I say, when I say.”
    The slightest creases formed at his eyes, but he didn’t refute her order. “Is that it?”
    â€œNo. I don’t want or need a babysitter. I’m going to deal with my personal problems on my own, without your interference.”
    â€œAnything else?”
    Wow. He was taking that remarkably well.
    â€œI think that covers the basics. But I reserve the right to change my mind.”
    He moved, somehow maneuvering her so that her back was against the wall. He nudged closer, breaking the edge of her personal space. His voice dropped to a quiet rumble that Bella’s secretary, Lila, would have had trouble overhearing from her desk a few feet away. “Then it’s my turn to talk. I don’t work for you. I work for Bella, which means she’s the one who gets to hand out the orders, not you. So, while I’m happy to learn whatever it is you have to teach me, I’m sure as hell not going to stand around like a good little boy while you deal with your personal asshole problems when Bella specifically told me not to.”
    Roxanne wasn’t sure what she’d expected from the seemingly good-natured man, but it wasn’t that. She pulled in a breath to put him in his place, but an instant later, his thick, hot finger pressed against her lips, quieting her.
    She was so shocked by the touch, she entirely forgot that she should have been upset by it. Instead, she drew in a breath scented with soap and the faintest hint of his skin.
    A touch of vertigo spun inside her head, and she realized she’d forgotten to breathe. The roughness of his work-hardened finger grazed across her mouth as her lips parted slightly so she could pull in enough oxygen.
    â€œI’m not done,” he told her. “You and I are going to be working together, and I’m not going to let you do anything to screw up my chances of keeping this job. I need the work. So you and I are going to get along real nice-like and make Bella proud. Got it?”
    As close as he was, she could see deep blue streaks radiating out from his pupils. The creases around his eyes were paler, as if he’d spent a lot of time in the sun, squinting. His scent reminded her of a summer drive in a convertible—warm and exhilarating with just a hint of an incoming storm.
    She felt her skin heat and attributed it to her sudden flash of irritation at his high-handed ways.
    Roxanne pressed her hands against his chest to push him back, but as soon as she felt the hard contours of his muscles beneath her hands, her mind stuttered for a moment before she remembered herself and finished pushing.
    Tanner stepped back, his finger shiny from her lip