With every passing second, the man who started out as a stranger had stolen pieces of my heart. Which was exactly why I did what any other self-respecting woman would do. I snuck out of his bed in the wee hours of the morning…
…And ran like hell.
3BLUE-EYED DEVIL
Waverly
Three weeks wasn’t nearly enough time away. The sun, the sand…I missed it already. I missedhimdesperately.
Kier with no last name. He had one, obviously, I just didn’t stick around long enough to learn it. You’d think as an FBI agent in my position, I’d be a tad more wary of strangers. Truth was, he happened to stroll into my life when I needed him most. He saved me from myself, then he gave me hope. Something I hadn’t had in a really long time.
The best part was there were no games; or there hadn’t been until I lost my nerve. Being home for forty-eight hours hadn’t lessened the sting. I was the one who ended things, so why the hell was I suddenly wishing for a thread to hold on to. That wasn’t me. I didn’t become attached. Not anymore.
“Waverly, your ten o’clock is here,” Sammy, our office assistant, informed me. She was more than an assistant. She kept me straight when my world curved to the left.
“I have a meeting? With who?”
“Finnian O’Lachlan. CEO of Lachlan Industries.”
“Okay. Should I know that name?”
“You can’t tell me you’ve never heard of them?” At my look of confusion, she went on. “They’re a billion-dollar tech company.”
“Why is the CEO of a billion-dollar tech company meeting with the FBI?”
“Corporate espionage, I think? Director Ashland approved the meeting. Apparently, the guy asked for you specifically.”
“Fine. Where is Mr. O’Lachlan?”
“He’s in the conference room.”
“Lovely. This shouldn’t take too long.”
“Take as long as you want, Waverly. The guy is extremely easy on the eyes.”
My three-inch heels clicked against the floor as I ambled down the hall. Heels were my weakness. I owned more than I cared to admit, but what else was I going to spend my money on? My family and I had been incommunicado for years. I’m allergic to cats, I’m not home enough for a dog, and if it weren’t for my job, I probably wouldn’t leave my house. Three weeks ago, my anxiety was so off the charts, I decided I needed a vacation from my life. Turns out, it was not my life that was the problem. It was me.
Stopping outside of the conference room door, I pulled in a deep breath and held it for the count of three. I’d be in and out. No need for a lengthy conversation. Just listen to what he had to say, then show him the door. Simple. But I should have known that nothing was ever simple.
All the air left my body in a whoosh when I stepped into the room. Standing in front of me was my newest obsession, and the reason I’d left the island two days early in a mad rush.
“Kier? What are you doing here?”
“You ran, I chased, Waverly.”
“Bullshit.” I fisted my hands at my side. “We said no strings.”
“I lied.” He smirked.
“Oh yeah? What else did you lie about?”
Closing the distance between us, he held out his hand. I returned the gesture without thinking.
“My full name is Finnian Kier O’Lachlan. But you can call me Finn.”
He lowered his head to kiss the top of my hand, but I yanked away, backing up a few paces until there was nowhere left to go. I’d hit a wall, literally and figuratively. My breathing accelerated as images of our time together flashed through my mind like an out of control movie reel. Nothing seemed out of sorts; no red flags were triggered. To top it off, he’d pried the doors off my closet full of skeletons with ease, all the while hiding something as simple as his name. Was I so blinded by a gorgeous face that I missed the signs? Any other day, the answer would have been a resounding no, but apparently today was not that day.
“Whoa, beautiful. Slow your breaths before you pass out.”
