He stepped inside, shut the door.
Everything Luciano magnified a thousand-fold. His scent—a mix of soap and coffee—had her breathing deep. He looked phenomenal in his dark suit, white shirt, no tie. Like every other time, she peeked at his chest while her fingers tingled to caress his tanned skin.
But it was the intensity in his gaze, his sophisticated demeanor, and the power he wielded that had her biting back a moan.
“I left my laptop open if you want to read my notes.” She headed upstairs.
“Can I watch?”
She turned. “Watch?”
“You change.”
Her smile stayed with her until she entered her bedroom. Off came her shirt and yoga pants. As she stood in her walk-incloset staring at her suits, she imagined him coming in, kissing her shoulder, turning her toward him. They’d kiss, fall into bed, make love for hours?—
Blinking away the fantasy, she slipped into a white shirt, dressed in a black pantsuit, then pulled on her holster. In the bathroom, she freshened her blush and lipstick, ran her fingers through her hair, and hurried out.
As she passed her home office, she spied him at her desk, a mug in his hand. He looked like he belonged there.
I’ve lost it.
A billionaire who lives in a multi-million-dollar mansion does not belong in Normalville.
His gaze found hers and she smiled.
“Nice,” he said.
“Slow progress on the case, but?—”
“I’m talking about our clothes.”
Since he’d given her permission to check him out, she raked her gaze over him. He wore his designer clothing like a second skin. He tossed her a nod and she glanced down.
“Ohgod, what is wrong with me?” She’d dressed in black and white, just like him. “I’ll change.”
“You look perfect. We need to go.”
She sidled close and his musky scent filled her, his intense energy rolling off him in thunderous waves, sending a shiver of delight cascading through her. She logged out of ALPHA, closed her laptop. Down the stairs to the first floor they went, his power seeping into her every pore, touching the depths of her soul.
Outside, at the Rolls Royce, Luciano said, “Simone Redding, Stuart Fletcher.”
“Mr. Fletcher.”
“Ma’am.”
Into the car they went. As Stuart pulled away, Luciano said, “Develin and Associates.”
“Yes, sir.” Stuart raised the privacy screen.
“You’ve been busy,” Luciano said.
“I’m examining every Op,” she said. “So far, nothing stands out. I asked Cooper for a list of people who got fired from ALPHA and I made the mistake of suggesting he check with Z?—”
“Mistake?”
“Cooper doesn’t know about Z, which surprised me. He manages the Ops.”
“Can you contact Z directly?”
