Addison Fox - The Paris Assignment

“I didn’t hire you to be my bodyguard.”

It was obviously an inside job—and security expert Campbell Steele figured he’d have to get very close to his new client—CEO Abigail McBane—to uncover the traitor. But when an electronic blip led to a bullet, he had to move fast….

Suddenly the commitment-shy expert is posing as Abby’s lover and jetting off to a conference in Paris. The city of lovers should be the perfect cover to trap the enemy. As the stakes keep rising, they soon realize it isn’t just her company the traitor wants, but Abby herself. And Campbell isn’t about to lose what he’s claimed as his own….

“I’m not leaving tonight.”

Abby whipped around to face Campbell. “You can’t stay here.”

“I can and I will. I’ll sleep on the couch if you don’t have enough room.”

“It’s not that.”

“Then what is it?”

“It’s not decent.”

“What’s not decent? I’m a friend of the family.” The tension he’d been carrying relaxed in the face of her protest. “Besides, what do you think we’ll be doing for the next week in Paris?”

“Working.”

“Sharing a home.”

“That’s a setup. This is real.”

At her use of the word real, a different sort of tension returned, desperate for release.

“You think so?” Before she could reply, he moved close to her, his hands on her hips as he pulled her into his arms. By the way she tumbled into him, clearly he’d caught her off guard.

Never one to miss an opportunity, Campbell leaned in and took.

House of Steele: Danger is their legacy. Love is their destiny.

Dear Reader,

I’m thrilled to introduce you to the world of the Steele siblings. Liam, Campbell, Kensington and Rowan established their company—The House of Steele—as a resource for wealthy clients the world over. As they fondly think of their offering—they can find anything, fix anything…or break anything.

In The Paris Assignment, sexy computer geek Campbell Steele is paired with beautiful CEO Abigail McBane. Abby’s dealing with a problem deeply rooted in her communications company and as she heads to Paris for her annual board meetings, knows she needs help dealing with the nameless, faceless threat who has infiltrated her technology and has the ability to ruin all she’s built.

What she believes to be solely a professional problem quickly spills over to her private life as she and Campbell discover her assailant has a very personal motive for doing her harm, even as he’s targeted her company’s upcoming launch of three new satellites into orbit.

The Paris Assignment is my first book for Harlequin and it’s absolutely a dream come true for me. I’ve read the Harlequin Romantic Suspense line for years and count the books from the line among many of my absolute favorite reads. I can only hope The Paris Assignment adds to the rich legacy of Harlequin Romantic Suspense stories and finds its way into your hearts.

Best,

Addison Fox

The Paris Assignment

Addison Fox

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ADDISON FOX

is a Philadelphia girl transplanted to Dallas, Texas. Although her similarities to Grace Kelly stop at sharing the same place of birth, she’s often dreamed of marrying a prince and living along the Mediterranean.

In the meantime, she’s more than happy penning romance novels about two strong-willed and exciting people who deserve their happy ever after—after she makes them work so hard for it, of course. When she’s not writing, she can be found spending time with family and friends, reading or enjoying a glass of wine.

Find out more about Addison or contact her at her website— www.addisonfox.com—or catch up with her on Facebook (addisonfoxauthor) and Twitter ( @addisonfox).

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For Eric

The brother I always wanted.

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Epilogue

Excerpt

Chapter 1

“We’re not taking this job.”

Campbell Steele stared at the travel itinerary in his sister’s outstretched hand and wondered—not for the first time—how a self-proclaimed computer geek like himself had morphed into an undercover operative. He liked a good adventure as much as the next guy, but nearly eighteen months straight on the road with an array of jobs that boggled the imagination with human depravity was getting old.

Real old.

The success of House of Steele had surpassed every expectation he and his siblings had when they established the firm three years before and the latest assignment—a babysitting job for a rich heiress—wasn’t high on his list of priorities. “I’ve made my feelings more than clear.”

“And you know my feelings on work. We take it when it comes.”

He made a valiant attempt to stare his sister down and failed miserably. “You look like Grandmother when you get all uppity like that.” As an insult it was horrifically low, but the narrowing of Kensington’s gaze had the desired effect.

“Here are your tickets. You’ll meet Abigail McBane here in New York and then fly with her to Paris tomorrow evening.”

“Because some disgruntled employee keeps sending her nasty emails? There’s nothing in this for us, Kenzi. Her security folks should be able to uncover something as routine as this.”

“There’s plenty in this and Abby doesn’t want this going through her corporate folks. That’s why she contacted us.”

“At least be honest with me. You’re doing this as a favor for a friend, not because it makes good business sense. I could be helping Liam on that job in London or Rowan figure out her Chicago museum problem. Both need some serious electronics work.”

“I’ve got them covered. Now.” Kensington pointed toward the TV mounted on the far wall of her office as a series of photos came up. “McBane Communications had a seven-minute security breach two days ago when their entire satellite system was unreachable from their central command. None of her experts could get remotely into the system while it was happening. Nor could Abby and her electronic skills are rock-solid.”

Campbell took in the images that flashed on the screen before coming to rest on Abigail McBane. She stood in front of a large backdrop, obviously speaking to an audience, her slender frame clad in a fitted business suit and sky-high heels. A lush fall of dark hair fell down her back while wide-set chocolate-brown eyes lit up her expressive face.

The entire package screamed professional and competent, yet innately feminine and he couldn’t quite pull his gaze away fast enough.

“She’s a beautiful woman.”

Since Kensington always saw too much, Campbell deliberately turned away from the screen. “What else?”

“Did I mention her top security team can’t find the breach?”

“Inside job?” The question came out, despite his best intentions to stay uninterested.