Page 52 of Read This Before the Villain falls in Love with You

Being trapped in Luca's private office with stacks of security logs and financial records doesn't feel like an assignment. It feels like an endurance match.

I slump into the big leather chair across from his desk like I own the place. "You check the bank papers. I'll watch the video. I've got better eyes. Plus, I look better solving crimes."

Luca slides a thick leather folder across the mahogany with two deliberate fingers, his gaze fixed on the dual monitors. "You handle both. I supervise."

"Supervise. Sure." I yank the folder toward me across the polished wood. "Does that mean you get to stand there looking pretty while I do all the actual work? Because you look very scary right now. A real tough guy."

He turns a page without looking up. "Just do the job, Blake. These numbers won't read themselves."

I drop my chin into my hand, resting my elbows right on his clean desk. "I am doing the job. I'm watching your jaw twitch every time I speak. It's funny. You look like an angry statue."

His pen stops on the paper. He sets it down very carefully, as if he might break it in two if he squeezes any harder. "Someone walked past the east fence. Look at that part first."

"East fence. Got it." I swing the monitor toward me and scroll back through the recorded time logs. "You know, if you just wanted to hang out with me alone for three hours, you could have asked nicely. We could have had wine. Less paperwork."

He gets up from his leather chair and walks around the desk, stopping right behind me until I can feel the heat coming off his clothes. "Look at two in the morning."

I rewind the video. A dark shape slips right past the outside fence, walking easily like he knows where the cameras can't see him. "Well, look at that. Someone knows where to hide." I tilt my head back to look straight into his face. "Your fancy cologne smells way too good, you know. It's annoying."

Luca lets out a slow breath against my hair. His hard jaw never softens. "Keep your eyes on the screen."

"I am looking." I pause the video and trace a circle with the mouse over the guy's shoe. "See that? The heel of his left boot is ripped up. Same as the guy who signed for the fuel delivery on Tuesday. We found him. Now, are you going to keep hovering over me, or are you going to admit you want to grab me?"

He doesn't step away. He reaches over my shoulder to start the next clip, his arm brushing my skin. I sit up straight and don't budge. "You're wasting time," he murmurs by my ear.

"I'm doing two things at once. Finding your rat, and seeing how long you can last before you touch me." I spin the chair around so my knees bump against his legs. "You're losing this fight with yourself, Moretti. I can see it in your eyes."

Luca drops both hands flat onto the arms of my chair, trapping me in place. His voice drops real low, rumbling against my chest. "We have work to do."

"This is just an excuse to get close to me." I poke my finger into the middle of his chest. "Admit it. You like that I don't run away when you try to look scary."

He clamps his warm fingers around my wrist before I can poke him again. "I want to catch this guy so I can deal with him myself."

"Always so tough." I pull my hand free and slide the paper back in front of him. "Look at this bank transfer. Fake company registered out of the country. It uses the same account from those forged papers last month. Your rat isn't very smart."

He leans closer down to look at the numbers, his face right next to mine. "Good work."

I turn my chin just enough so my mouth almost touches his cheek. "I'm smart like that. Do I get a prize? Or are we pretending you don't want take me again?"

Luca looks down at my lips for a second, then pulls back and checks his shiny watch. "Check the next one."

I shake my head and laugh out loud. "You are so stubborn. Watching you try not to want me is the funniest thing I've seen in three days."

He walks back around to his chair, pulls out another black folder, and writes a check mark on a page. "Check the garage camera from three in the morning. Watch it twice."

I load the video and play it slowly. "Same guy. He took off the dark vest and put on a coat, but he's wearing the same scuffed boots. He's an idiot. And look at the way he marches. He was definitely in the army. How did your guards not spot him?"

Luca clicks his pen against the pad. "People got lazy. Keep looking."

I stand up and stretch my arms, letting his big shirt slip up my legs a little. His eyes narrow immediately. "You know what would help me work faster? If you stopped staring at me like you're starving."

Luca grabs the edges of the desk with both hands, his fingers digging into the dark wood. "Sit back down, Nora."

"Come make me." I hop right up onto the side of his desk, swinging my bare feet. "Just one quick kiss to clear the air. Help me focus on the job."

He doesn't move a muscle, but his jaw clenches hard as he glares at me. "No."

"You're no fun at all." I lean in closer across the desk, keeping my voice down. "I still feel where your hands were on my waist. I remember what you said while pounding to me. And now you're going to sit there like a stone and pretend you don't want me?"