Gaby blinked at Rhys then at Callan, before realization slammed into her. “Oh my God. Álvarez contacted you!”
“More than that. He invited me to a private event. I can bring a plus one.”
“Me?”
“Exactly. It’s my chance to prove how much I’m like him, by showing up with my own personal muse.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Don’t you mean sex slave?”
“It’s what Álvarez will expect.”
She nodded, jaw tight. “This is good. I’m all in, but it doesn’t make him less of a pig.”
“That’s an insult to pigs everywhere,” Callan muttered.
It took a moment for it all to absorb, then joy pulsed through her, wild and impossible to contain. Gaby let out a startled,breathless laugh. Without thinking, she surged from her chair and wrapped her arms around Rhys.
His hands came around to her back. Warm. Sure. Steady.
Not tentative. Not careful. As if they belonged there.
“Do you know what this means?” She leaned back, a rare smile tugging at her mouth. “We’re one step closer to Natalie!”
Only when she caught the flash of surprise in his eyes did reality snap into place.
She stepped back too fast, her heel catching on the chair leg. “Sorry. Professional boundaries,” she blurted, righting herself.
His eyes had darkened, now unreadable. “Actually, we’ll need to set those boundaries aside.”
“What?”
“He wants to see how I interact with my—”
“Muse,” she supplied grimly. “Bought and paid for.”
A muscle ticked in his jaw. “For this cover to work, I need to act like the pig. And you’ll have to submit to me for the entire weekend. Publicly. Consistently. Without hesitation.” His eyes held hers, unwavering. “Are you prepared for that?”
“Yes,” she replied without pause. “I’m willing to do just about anything to get my sister back.”
Callan made a pained sound followed by, “Ouch.”
Gaby’s widened. “Wait… that came out wrong—”
“I understood,” Rhys cut in, but he laid a hand on his chest. “Surgical repair of my shredded ego can be scheduled after the mission.”
The faint uptilt of his lips told her he was teasing, not offended. Relief warmed her chest, but that small, crooked hint of a smile nearly undid her, and heat swirled low in her belly.
He moved away, businesslike again. “We need to start planning the op. I’m going to find Dev. Meet me back here in an hour.” He paused at the threshold. “And clear your evening schedule. You’ll be at the club.”
“Why?”
His gaze tracked back to her, cool, potent, unmistakably dominant. “For practice.”
Then he was gone, and the room suddenly felt too small.
Callan whistled softly. “Well. That’s one way to kick a hornet’s nest.”
Gaby pressed her hands to her heated cheeks. “I really didn’t mean it the way it sounded.”
