Page 67 of King of Ruin

"As always..." she said with a small shake of her head, amusement softening her voice, "...you forgot."

Before he could ask what she meant, her hands reached for the lapels of his suit jacket.

She had done it so many times over the past year that the movement came naturally.

Her fingers brushed lightly against his shoulders as she eased the jacket from him, careful not to wrinkle the expensive fabric. Xavier remained perfectly still, allowing her to work, his eyes never leaving her face as she stepped behind him to slide one sleeve free and then the other.

She moved around him again, smoothing the jacket between her palms before hanging it neatly on the coat stand near the window. Straightening the collar with meticulous care, she gave the fabric one final pat of satisfaction before turning back toward him.

Only then did Xavier realize he hadn't stopped looking at her.

His gaze drifted over her almost of its own accord.

Her lips.

Still the same soft pink they had been that morning.

Untouched.

His eyes lowered.

The graceful line of her neck disappeared beneath the crisp collar of her blouse, and his gaze lingered there longer than it should have.

He searched without meaning to.

A faint red mark.

The shadow of bruised skin.

Anything that suggested another man had kissed her during the hour she'd been gone.

He found nothing.

The smooth skin at the base of her throat remained flawless.

The tension coiled tightly between his shoulders eased just enough for him to draw a slow, quiet breath.

Elise, completely unaware of the scrutiny she'd just been subjected to, returned to the desk and gathered another stack of documents before looking back at him.

"Would you like to go over these before your three o'clock meeting?"

Xavier didn't answer immediately.

Instead, he slipped both hands into the pockets of his tailored trousers and watched her for another moment, his expression giving away nothing.

Then, in a voice so casual it almost sounded like an afterthought, he asked, "Who was the man?"

The pen paused in Elise's fingers.

She slowly lifted her head, surprise flickering across her face.

"What man?"

"The one you had lunch with."

For a brief second, she simply stared at him.

"You saw us?"