“I think you’re good for me, too.”
The rest of the night blurs into a haze of music, laughter, and stolen moments of peace. For a little while, I forget about the danger, the lies, and the tightrope I’m walking.
Then the music shifts, a sultry beat that pulls the crowd closer together, bodies pressed together, barely a breath apart. A hand slides over my hip, firm but careful, and I stiffen on instinct.
“Easy,” a deep voice murmurs in my ear, the sound barely cutting through the music.
It’s a voice I know.
Before I can turn, the stranger moves in time with me, his other hand grazing the curve of my waist. The scent hits me next—rum spice and black pepper, warm and achingly familiar.
I freeze, my breath catching in my throat.
Leon.
I whip my head around, meeting the eyes I’ve been looking for all night beneath the brim of a low-slung cap. It’s him. Disguised, hidden in plain sight, but undeniably him.
“What are you doing here?” I hiss, my body still moving in sync with his despite the fact my heart is trying to beat out of my chest.
“Dancing with my wife,” he says, his tone casual but edged with heat.
My heart lurches. “You’re insane,” I snap, even as my body betrays me, pressing closer to his.
“Maybe.” His lips curve into a small, dangerous smile, and his hands tighten on my waist, pulling me flush against him. “But I’ve been watching you all night, and I couldn’t stay away.”
I glance over my shoulder, searching for Carmen. She’s still by the bar, laughing with someone who looks like they’re trying too hard.
“You shouldn’t be here,” I say, my voice lower now, almost pleading. God knows I’m going to lose all motivation to send him away if he keeps touching me like this.
“I know.”
I swallow hard, my pulse roaring in my ears. I’m letting him guide me through the song like we’re the only two people who can even hear it.
When the song ends, he leans in, his lips brushing my ear. “You look beautiful, by the way.”
Then, just as quickly as he appeared, he slips into the crowd, disappearing into the shadows.
I’m left standing there, my body humming with the aftermath of his touch, my mind in complete disarray.
“Mia!” Carmen’s voice cuts through the haze, and I turn to see her making her way over, having ditched her admirer, blissfully unaware of the storm raging inside me.
I plaster on a smile and pretend that everything is absolutely, positively fine.
16
LEON
“Permission to speak freely, sir?”
The voice in my ear sounds professional, but there’s an undercurrent to the tone that already has me gritting my teeth. “No.”
He does so anyway. “You should really work on your two-step.”
I make a point of looking over across the room to where Max is lounging by the bar and flash him a middle finger.
“Real subtle there, boss,” the voice is now Dante’s from somewhere over on the dancefloor.
Teo’s second had been in the office when Mia had messaged. I should have realized he’d seemed a little too eager to help out and probably asked a few more questions about his intentions.
