“Greta,” replied Jason in a barely audible voice.

“Ah, that’s right. A very pretty little blonde if I recall from the photo I saw. Swedish, is she?” asked Ian mockingly.

“How did you -” began Jason.

Ian regarded him in disbelief. “Do you really need to ask me that, Jason? I know everything. Or at least the things I need to know. And for obvious reasons I’ve kept very close tabs on you over the last few years.”

Jason’s expression was sullen as Ian finally released him. He straightened his rumpled shirt and tie, and ran a hand through his sun-streaked hair. “So what am I supposed to tell Charlotte about the reason for this sudden transfer?’

Ian shrugged. “Tell her whatever the hell you want. I’m certain it won’t be the truth. But then, you must have become quite the expert at lying to her after all this time.”

Jason glared. “What I can’t quite figure out is exactly what provoked these extreme measures. With the others, they were the ones who got transferred. Why can’t you move Tessa somewhere else? She’s just a fucking secretary while I’m part of the family.”

The expression on Ian’s face was scathing. “You’re sure as hell not my family. At least not that I’d acknowledge. And frankly, that girl is a far more valuable member of my management team than you could ever be. So she stays – you go. Now, I’ve got a dinner to attend so you can leave now. I’ll have your personal belongings packed up and delivered to you at your new office. Best get a good night’s rest, Jason – don’t forget you’ll have a bit of a drive tomorrow.”

But Jason wasn’t quite through, and a mischievous smirk turned his mouth up at the corners. “I get it now. The real reason you’re sticking up for Tessa is because you fancy her for yourself. You’re pushing me out because I dared to put my hands on her when you want to do the exact same thing. Is that it, mate? You’re getting the competition out of the way so you can shag the hot little bitch to your heart’s content?”

The grin on his face was abruptly replaced with a grimace of pain as Ian twisted his arm behind his back and held it pinned in an iron grip. Ian brought his face so close that Jason could have counted his eyelashes if he had been so inclined.

“First of all,” began Ian in a not so pleasant voice, “you would never be competition for me in any way, and especially not with a woman. Second, you are beyond offensive, beyond reprehensible. Tessa is a married woman, and unlike most of the others in this office – like your little fuck buddy Morgan – she’s also a lady. Lastly, if I ever see you speak to her or – God forbid – touch her again, or even hear that you’ve done so, I’ll break your jaw, all ten fingers, and kick you so hard in the balls you won’t be able to fuck anything for a year. And if you think I’m not capable of all of those things, don’t forget I was the heavyweight champion at Oxford for three years in a row. Now get out of my sight, you miserable piece of shit.”

As Jason made a swift exit, Ian paced furiously around his office, finally stopping in front of the wet bar in one corner. He poured himself three fingers of a very rare single malt Scotch and bolted it down in two gulps.

He was on his third drink – which he was now sipping – before he felt the rage begin to subside. He had never come close to displaying this sort of anger before, to losing control of his ironclad emotions. But then he’d never felt this way about a woman before, and every protective instinct in his body had risen up automatically when Jason had tried to accost Tessa.

‘I should have broken the slimy bastard’s wrist,’ Ian thought furiously. ‘For starters.’

There had been no question in his mind – and zero delay in making it happen – that Jason simply had to go. Ian knew his uncle wouldn’t be pleased but it was just tough shit. The family had stuck Ian with the horny little prick when he’d been appointed to this post, so it ought to be completely his decision on how to manage him. If it meant Jason now had an hour’s commute each way to his job, then in Ian’s opinion it was nothing less than he deserved. When Ian thought of how frightened Tessa had looked when he’d been fortunate enough to walk by the fitness room at the right time, he wanted to drag Jason back into this office and use him like a punching bag.

Christ, she had looked delectable – and very, very fuckable – in those tiny little shorts that had bared the long, streamlined length of her shapely legs. And that top she was wearing – more like a longer length exercise bra – had been molded to her lush breasts like a second skin. He hadn’t missed the way her nipples had pressed against the Lycra fabric, either, and hadn’t been able to resist ogling them for several seconds. He’d never seen her so scantily attired, and he knew the image of her toned, curvy figure would be impossible to dismiss.

And under different circumstances, he would have found it very, very difficult to resist stripping that snug fitting top off her body, baring those sumptuous breasts to his searing gaze. He wondered what size and color her nipples were, if she preferred to have them sucked or licked or both. Were her breasts as firm and high and round as they looked, or had her exercise bra just made them look that way? Was her ivory skin as soft all over as her arm had felt from that all too brief touch? Did she -

‘Damn it!’ He cursed softly to realize he was hard and throbbing, no better than that rutting rake Jason. But unlike his amorous cousin-in-law, Ian would never, ever harass Tessa or even give her the slightest hint that he was attracted to her. Not while she still belonged to another man.

He cursed again, for attracted was far too mild a term to describe what he felt for the beautiful girl who could never be his. Obsession was more like it, and he wondered in near desperation how much longer he could keep his hands off of her.

Tessa’s nerves were still in something of a shambles when she arrived at the office the next morning. The troubling scene with Jason Baldwin, followed by the very timely arrival of Ian Gregson, had continued to play out in her mind throughout the rest of the evening. She’d been so shaken up by the incident that the very thought of eating dinner had made her stomach churn, and all she had been able to keep down had been a cup of hot tea and some cinnamon toast.

She’d been alternately distressed by the ugly encounter with Jason, and deeply touched by the kindness and concern that Mr. Gregson had shown her. She would never have imagined someone as cool, calm, and controlled as he always was could exhibit that sort of raw emotion. She shivered a bit as she pictured the fiery rage in his eyes as he’d dealt with Jason, rage that had instantly softened when he’d directed his gaze on her. With her he had been uncharacteristically gentle, soothing, and, well, almost passionate – at least in his declaration to look out for her. No one had ever said anything like that to her before, not even Peter, and she had never, ever felt as safe and protected as she had during those few brief minutes in his presence. She sensed that he would defend those he loved the most with his very life, and she envied the woman who would one day claim him for her own. That woman would be the absolute luckiest female ever born to have a man like him to take care of her.