Mastered by the CEO (Mastered By #4) Read Online Free

Totally and completely.
    But if he’d even tried, he’d been certain she would have run for the hills. Most of the time, she wouldn’t even do what he told her as her boss. Trying to command her as his lover… Well, that was doomed to fail.
    She lifted her gaze from her glass briefly, then dropped it again when she found he was watching her. At her uncertainty… the slight confusion in her green eyes… protectiveness surged through him.
    He loved the fact she needed him right now. Loved that she’d agreed to stay the night so he could watch over her.
    The predatory male in him couldn’t resist her frailty. Not to take advantage of her, but to take care of her. To know she was his woman and he would protect her.
    Even if only for one night.
    A knock sounded at the door and he walked across the room to answer it. A waiter rolled in the cart of food and placed the covered platters on the table, along with the condiments, a basket of bread, and coffee service. He signed the check and the waiter left.
    Before he could return to the couch, Rachel was on her feet. He strode to her side and slid his arm around her.
    “I can walk on my own,”
    He ignored her protest as he guided her to the table and pulled out her chair, then waited until she was settled before he sat down at the head of the table, kitty corner from her. He lifted the lids off the platters. He’d ordered both of them seafood pasta, which he knew she loved.
    He smiled when he saw the way her eyes lit up at the sight of it.
    He poured her a glass of water and watched her poke her fork into a fat scallop and raise it to her lips.
    God, he’d missed her. She might be defiant and strong willed, but she was also sweet and feminine. And he knew that very defiance and strong-willed nature made him want to dominate her even more.
    “It’s very good,” she said. “I love seafood.”
    “I remember.”
    “You do?” Her inquisitive look seemed incredulous.
    Did she really think their relationship had been so superficial to him that he wouldn’t?
    “That’s why I ordered it.”
    “Oh… well, thank you.”
    He ate a plump shrimp, the succulent flavor bursting in his mouth.
    “I know you’ve been with Brenier Electronics for three years now. Where did you work before that?” he asked.
    He risked her wanting to talk about the merger again, but he wanted to know how she’d been these past five years.
    She stared at her plate, pushing around a shrimp. “After I gave you my notice, I moved to Granger Intel.”
    “Yes, I remember. But I did some business with them a few months later and I heard you were no longer there.”
    He had specifically asked. In fact, he’d insisted she be put on the consulting project they’d proposed to his company. He’d thought if he could spend more time working with her, maybe he could convince her to continue their relationship.
    She toyed with her food a little more. “I… was self-employed for a while.”
    “You left Granger Intel after three months to be self-employed?”
    She bit her lip, a sure sign she was lying.
    “Rachel, tell me what happened.”
    She sighed. “They hired me because they’d bid a big project for the government, but the funding dried up and they didn’t continue after the first phase, so they laid off the entire team.”
    “That’s unfortunate. Where did you go after that?”
    “I… well, I said I was self-employed.”
    Oh, fuck. “You couldn’t find anything, could you?” He knew how tight things had been. “How long were you out of work?”
    She gazed at him, her sad eyes telling the story.
    “The whole time until Brenier hired you?”
    She nodded.
    “I’m sorry. It must have been a tough time for you.” He shook his head. “Why didn’t you call me? I would have hired you back in a heart-beat.”
    She shook her head. “I couldn’t. Not after I’d walked out like I did.”
    His heart ached knowing the financial difficulties she must have faced. How being out of work like that