***
“How was it?” Elena asked when he returned to the office.
“Good,” he said, and closed the door behind her even though the intrusive glass walls kept him from showing any suspicious emotion. Maybe the desire for her was clouding his judgment. Having his fill of her until he got over that inconvenient attraction would help him see things clearer.
She fiddled with a long elegant necklace, the gold color sparkling against her subdued white dress. “Any new info?”
He flicked his screen and checked his email account. He had called the surveillance guy again, to demand an email with the footage of Toby’s birthday party.
“Nah. Just the same BS. Toby is looking into it. Have you heard from Matthew?”
She sat across from him, and he wished his eyes didn’t follow the way her legs crossed. The well-cut, starkly elegant outfit she had on was a wild contrast to the mischievous glint flashing in her eyes. “He texted me earlier to ask about your mystery woman.”
“What did you say?”
She worried her bottom lip. “That you’re having dinner with her tonight.”
He checked his email. His pulse quickened. Phil had come through. “You did not.”
“I did not. But are you?”
“Why would I?”
She cleared her throat. “Well, last night you said we weren’t done. That I had changed your mind.”
“I did. But things can’t escalate that quickly. Not after what you’ve been through with your ex,” he said, like he was some kind of sex expert. He opened Phil’s email and noted the video attachment. One step closer to figuring out the crook’s identity.
“I’ll be the judge of that.”
“You are not ready,” he said, his finger circling the mouse instead of clicking it straight away. Shifting in his seat, he watched her.
A few loose strands escaped her low ponytail, and she had on a tad more makeup than usual. A maroon shade enhanced her sexy bedroom eyes. His body reverberated. Damn it. He was ready—too ready.
“How can you know? It’s not your vagina.” She raised her hand in disagreement, and also to probably tell him to shut up. “Besides, I did therapy for three years. I have no more nightmares. I feel good about myself. I’m ready for the new chapter of my life, and this is the last obstacle I need to overcome to get there.”
“I don’t wanna hurt you.”
“You can never hurt me. We’re not an item in the romantic sense.”
He popped his knuckles. “I mean physically.”
“You mean your gigantic penis will send me to the ER? Isn’t that a tad exaggerated?”
“I didn’t mean it like that. I’m not used to sex the way you want it. Tender. Slow.” And damn if he was scared too. Not that he was about to broadcast it, and give her more leverage over him than what she already had. He liked to fuck hard, fast, and honest. Sex was two sweaty bodies smacking against each other with one simple goal: release.
The woman in front of him offered a lot more. She was opening the door to a world he had avoided for too long. Regina had been safe—even though she ended up screwing him over. During their time together, he never had to worry about stepping out of his comfort zone. He was too damn old and too damn cynical to change his views on relationships or sex. Especially because of corporate spy Elena Moretti. She had been broken, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t turn on him.
Besides, he knew that about broken people—they could survive. And that made them invincible. The question was…did she know that too?
“Then we’ll have to learn together.”
“I’ll be at your place around eight.”
She smiled, and a part of him couldn’t help but smile back.
