I refused to sit down with my boss the following morning and tell him I was clueless about a project I’d been supervising. That only left me with one option. I would have to cancel my date and stay late to prepare for my meeting.
Reluctantly, I took out my phone and texted Luca.Change of plans—I’m going to have to cancel tonight. I’ll text you later.
I knew he’d argue, and I didn’t have time to explain, so I turned off my ringer and dove into work. I spoke with several coworkers about where we were in the bidding process and had begun to review the drafts of our proposaldocuments when I sensed a presence in the doorway of my office.
My eyes rose and took in all six feet and change of an angry Luca leaning against the doorframe. His casual stance was not to be confused for indifference—a storm raged in his obsidian eyes. I sat motionless, eyes wide, hands frozen over my keyboard.
“How did you find me?” I asked, stunned.
“The elevator—you said you worked at Triton, remember?”
Of course. How could I have forgotten? My eyes danced around the room as I stood, at a loss for words. He’d come because of my text—did he plan to argue with me? There were no private conversations in my office, and Luca didn’t do subtle. Panic had me surging forward to grab Luca’s hand and drag him down the hall toward one of our private conference rooms on the interior of the building. Pulling him inside, I closed the door behind us and rested my back against it.
“What are you doing here?” I hissed quietly.
He stalked to where I stood until we were toe-to-toe, his hand reaching out to clasp the back of my neck. “Don’t you know it’s rude to send a text like that, then disappear?”
“Don’t you know it’s rude to show up at someone’s workplace uninvited?” I shot back.
“I’m not letting you back out tonight.”
“My boss is coming back early from a trip, and I have to prepare for a meeting we’re going to have in the morning.”
His blazing eyes narrowed. “Go in early.”
“I … I can’t.”
He scrutinized me to cipher out what I was leaving unsaid, but I kept my lips tightly sealed.
“We’ll push dinner back an hour.” He gave me an expectant look, demanding I concede to his terms.
This man I hardly knew had sought me out in my office and was insisting I have dinner with him—everything about the situation implied I should walk away—not just walk, run. And yet, in my twisted mind, it was the sexiest thing a man had ever done. The little warnings voiced in my head were lost in the tornadic winds of lust he conjured inside me. A part of me was starving for whatever it was he offered—escape, protection, explosive desire. I’d been with men before, but no one like him. Nothing even came close. He was a tsunami, and my small island had no hope of surviving his battering effects.
Head still cupped in his large hands, I nodded my acquiescence. His eyes sparked in response, pleasure radiating from those dark depths. My chest swelled with warmth at the knowledge that my surrender had brought him such satisfaction. I had always been eager to please, but that side of me became all-consuming when I was around Luca.
His thumb traced a path along my jaw, came around to my chin, then lifted to pull gently on my bottom lip. My eyes were transfixed on his face while his gaze stayed glued to my parted lips. I could almost see the thoughts as they passed behind his expressive eyes, and I wondered what he’d decide—to kiss me, or not to kiss me. I was shamefully tempted by the former.
“I’ll come by the office and pick you up,” he said as his hands fell away.
Not to kiss. Too bad.
“No, I’ll meet you there.” Some small portion of my self-preservation instincts managed to overcome my desire to please.
“Stubborn, aren’t you?”
“Not normally—you seem to bring out the best in me.”
He stepped back with a wicked grin. “Eight sharp, be there.”
CHAPTER 5
ALESSIA
After throwing togethersome notes sufficient to get me through my morning meeting, I texted my driver to let him know I wouldn’t need a ride after work. Having a driver in the city wasn’t necessary, but it was one of the luxuries I allowed myself to indulge in. Plus, it had been one area in which my father had been unyielding—he didn’t want any of us girls living alone in the city without a driver to get us around at night.
I had no issue with using a driver, but on that beautiful spring evening, I decided to walk to the restaurant. It was only a couple blocks from my office, and I needed the fresh air to clear my head before facingLuca. He was overwhelming in every sense of the word. There was a very real chance I would lose myself in him if I wasn’t careful—drown beneath the sheer force of his will and the alluring pull of his magnetic personality.
My cheeks heated in the brisk evening air, and there was something else that caused my skin to tingle—something that set me on edge. Had I not been so focused on paying attention to my surroundings, I never would have noticed. It was the feeling of someone was watching me. Perhaps long-ingrained from our prehistoric days, I sensed an awareness of possible danger, a sixth sense that couldn’t be explained.
