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

must have shattered her confidence.
    “But you’ve done well,” she said, pasting on a smile. “You’ve gone from being president of a medium sized company to CEO of a huge corporation in only five years.”
    “I’m happy with my progress.”
    “And Collier Industries is an even bigger entity now that you’ve bought Brenier Electronics.”
    He sipped his water. “We’re not going to talk about it.”
    He knew she was edging to talk about the merger.
    He stood up and cleared away her empty plate, then poured her a coffee. He’d ordered decaf because the instructions the doctor had given him said to ensure she got lots of rest. She added sugar and cream. He picked up the two cups and carried them to the sitting area. She followed him into the room before he could go back to help her to the couch.
    He knew he was being overprotective—she could walk on her own—but he didn’t want to take any chances.
    He said nothing and sat down beside her on the couch. He pressed a button on the remote control sitting on the side table and the large television mounted to the wall came on. He selected a movie, some current romantic comedy he knew she’d probably like, and settled back in the couch.
    She sipped her coffee and placed it on the table, then settled back, too. After twenty minutes, her head was drooping sideways. She was going to get a sore neck that way, so he slid his arm around her and drew her close to his body, her head resting against his chest.
    She felt damned good there.
    When he knew she was sound asleep, he scooped her up and carried her to the bedroom. As he laid her on the bed, he realized he shouldn’t leave her to sleep in her clothes. She wouldn’t sleep comfortably in a snug, straight skirt, a bra binding around her chest and garters pinching her thighs.
    He smiled. She probably wasn’t actually wearing garters, but a guy could fantasize.
    He unfastened the top button of her blouse. When his fingers moved to the second button, his gaze lingering on the newly exposed skin, just barely showing the swell of her breast, he hesitated.
    What the hell was he doing? Once he got her blouse off, would he unfasten her bra next, exposing those beautiful breasts of hers? His cock swelled at the mere thought of seeing them again. Then would he strip off her skirt and take off that garter belt she might or might not be wearing?
    And would he stop there, or would he peel away her panties and gaze at her sweet pussy? Would he be able to stop himself from touching her? From waking her up and seducing her?
    He couldn’t do that. It wouldn’t be right. She was in his care right now and the one thing he seemed to need to protect her from the most was himself.
    He squeezed her shoulder. “Rachel, wake up.”
    She turned her head to the side, her soft breathing still slow and steady.
    “Rachel,” he said a little louder.
    “Hmmm?” She turned to him and her eyelids fluttered open. “What?”
    “You fell asleep. And that’s good. You need to get a lot of sleep. But right now, you should change into something more comfortable.”
    She glanced around the room. “Oh,” she said sleepily, “I don’t have anything here.”
    He stood up and grabbed his pajamas from the dresser drawer and set the top on the bed beside her.
    “Here, put this on.” He helped her sit up. “Do you want help?”
    She shook her head. “I can manage.”
    “Good. I’ll be back in five minutes to make sure you didn’t fall asleep in your clothes again. Okay?”
    She nodded and he headed for the door. He timed exactly five minutes, afraid she’d just roll over and go to sleep again, but when he tapped on the door, she called for him to come in.
    When he stepped inside, she was sitting on the bed wearing his silk pajama top. His gaze fell to her long, shapely legs, then to her shiny, chestnut hair cascading over her shoulders in soft waves. He longed to run his fingers through it.
    While he’d waited, he’d changed into the pajama