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He was reaching for the closest book when he heard footsteps. Reaching for Ruby, he looked over his shoulder at the closed office door. The knob turned. Grabbing her wrists in one hand, he lifted her arms above her head as he maneuvered her so her back was up against the bookshelves, her legs parted enough that he could step between them.
The door squeaked open.
“Luc—”
He cut off her question with a kiss. She parted her mouth in surprise. Taking advantage of the moment to delve deeper wasn’t something that should happen. It did anyway. When it came to Ruby, things had a way of working out that way.
Dropping his free hand to her hip and sneaking his thumb under the hem of her shirt to stroke her bare skin underneath at the same time as he slid his tongue inside her sweet mouth, he reveled in the feel of her smooth skin and the taste of her delicious kiss. The truth of it was, Ruby wasn’t an asset, she wasn’t a pawn in this operation. She was the woman he never thought he’d find—the one he didn’t want to be without.
“What in the hell are you two doing in here?” Joey yelled.
Lucas tore his mouth away from Ruby’s and lowered her arms to her sides but couldn’t seem to let go of her. Holding onto her hand, he turned to face Rolf’s snarling second-in-command.
The other man stood in the doorway, his right hand on the gun butt sticking out of his shoulder holster and his left held a plate heaped high with meatballs and bread.
“What’s it look like?” Ruby asked, her voice convincingly breathy. “Hiding from mom.”
Looking from one of them to the other, Joey slowly moved his hand away from his gun to get a better grip on his overfilled plate. “This room is off-limits. Get out.”
“Fine.” Ruby tossed her head, the sun steaming in from one of the windows making the brightly colored hues sparkle like a real rainbow. “No one wants to be here now that you’re here anyway.”
With that she flounced to the door, all attitude and snobbery. Damn. His girl was cool under pressure, even if her strut seemed a little on the shaky side as she passed by Joey and went out into the hall.
Lucas took a slower route, taking his time as he crossed the room like he owned it. Sure, it was an asshole move, but he was okay with that. Sometimes being a dick was the only way to get the message across, and he did have one for Joey: Ruby was off-limits. Now. Tomorrow. When Lucas was no more than a memory. Joey might see her as a way to ensure he’d eventually be number one in the Macintosh organization, but that wasn’t going to happen.
Accidentally knocking into the other man’s shoulder as he passed, Lucas kept his gaze straight ahead and didn’t slow down as he walked out of the office.
“My mom went into the dining room.” Ruby grabbed his hand and pulled him in the opposite direction. “We’re going to the kitchen.”
The kitchen was behind the wide staircase leading to the second floor. Open and airy, it was the domain of the single cook and her handful of minions—all of whom were on the staff patio enjoying their lunch in the sunshine.
“That was close.” A pink flush brightened Ruby’s cheeks as she opened the cabinet next to the sink that held the water glasses.
“And still no answers.” That was the nut of it. He couldn’t keep playing fake fiancé, no matter how much he and his cock liked it. “Time is running out and we’re like a cow on ice trying to stay upright.”
Ruby let out a surprised gasp and peeked around the open cabinet door at him, her eyes wide with glee. “Time to get back to dry land then.” She pushed the cabinet door open wide so he could see what was hanging on the inside. “My mom’s calendar.”
A peel and stick dry erase calendar took up the bottom half of the door. The notes on the calendar had a feminine turn to them and listed things such as florist numbers, a few wedding details, and a listing underneath the Sunday heading that read:
R. FLIGHT ARRIVES 10 A.M. SUNDAY, LE GRAND DUCA
L HOTEL, LUXEMBOURG
“That’s it,” Lucas said, shaking his head in disbelief. “It’s been out in the open all along.”
Adrenaline rushed through his veins as a plan started to form. He’d let the team know. They’d alert Interpol. Agents would be routed to Luxembourg.
“So what happens now?” Ruby asked as she softly closed the cabinet, keeping her face averted from him.
“My room’s bugged.” It wasn’t, but something wouldn’t let him leave her yet, not when he could hear the clock ticking down in his head. “Let’s go to yours. I need to make a call and then we need to call off the wedding.”
The words tasted foul on his tongue, but he couldn’t think about that now. He had a country to save, and whether he lost part of himself in the process shouldn’t matter.
Chapter Twelve
Ruby sat on the edge of her bed and watched Lucas as he talked to someone on his team about available agents and Interpol. It was fascinating to see him like this, in all of his master-of-his-domain glory as he prowled her room issuing orders and plotting Henriksen’s downfall.
The whole show was turning her on. Chewing on her bottom lip in a failed effort to distract herself from noticing the way his suit pants fit perfectly on his tight ass and the way his mussed hair and the determined line of his jaw gave him an air of hot badassery, she exhaled a deep breath. The action only emphasized the way the lace of her bra scraped against her sensitive nipples.
