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The temptation was there. I could easily feast upon the growing attraction between us without fear of repercussions. Collins seemed willing as well. The dance of lust in those timid, though strong, grey eyes of hers was a magnetic pull for me. Unfortunately, for both of us, there were extenuating circumstances. I had someone out to murder my family and Collins was a young woman who could easily be my daughter. The cold splash of reality tempered my arousal. “I was going to suggest a cup of tea or perhaps some warm milk.”
Collins gasped. “Oh... Oh shit. I read the situation wrong. Oh fuck.”
Laughter rumbled in my chest. The first genuine emotion besides rage and grief I’d allowed myself to feel since Rosalina’s death. “I won’t tell if you don’t.” Gazing at her, I took in the soft curves of her too thin body, causing me to wonder just how long she and her brother had gone without a lot of things and why.
“I appreciate the offer, but, uh, I think I’ll take a book, along with my embarrassment, and turn in. Goodnight.” Without hesitation, she hurried to the back door, letting herself out and forcing me to reset the alarm while she ran all the way to the smaller cottage.
Strange.I stared after her until the front door of the smaller home opened and a boy, her brother, I assumed, waited for her to step inside before closing the door behind her. Blowing out a breath, I ran my fingers through my hair. What was it about her? A fuzzy feeling of déjà vu or, more precisely, a memory I couldn’t fully recall rubbed at the back of my mind.What am I doing?I had more pressing matters to attend to, like trying to figure out who was trying to murder my daughter. Not pining after a young woman who was specifically hired to help Rocca until she could return to school.
I stepped away from the door and went to my office. Soren called with some updates about who might be after my family. I’d hoped he might have more on Collins, but nothing yet. Pity. I looked forward to learning about the young woman who kept me in knots all day. Or had grasped my attention in such a way, I couldn’t not be distracted. The last person who’d captured me so intensely was Rosalina. The notion should have scared me, believing there might be two women in this bastard of a world who might indulge me. Challenge me to be a better person... Messed with my head.
My phone rang, and I stopped midway to my cellarette, needing a drink after running numbers and signing contracts for most of the afternoon. I grabbed the device and glanced at the screen. Surprised by the lateness of the hour for Soren to be calling, I hit accept. “What do I owe the honors of a late-night phone call?” I continued on, opening the standing hutch so I could pour a finger or two of single malt scotch into a crystal tumbler.
“Got some information you might like to see,” Soren muttered. “Figured if you were awake, you’d want to look it over instead of me talking to you on the phone.”
“Sure.” I finished the drink in a single gulp. Fire raced down my throat and warmed my gut. Whatever Soren had to show me, I’d probably need three more of these to make it through the night. “When can you be here?”
“I’m right outside.” Asshole. Of course he was.
“I’ll get the door.” Hitting end on the call, I started for the front door. Whatever he had to say, it must have been important. Soren didn’t come off as a guy who liked to do the in-person type meetings. He let his work speak for itself, which people paid a hefty sum for, because he was the best in the business. Soren waited at the door when I opened it. After ushering him inside, I asked, “Want something to drink, or will you not be staying long?”
“I’ll be here for a while. This is the biggest cluster fuck if I’ve ever seen.” Soren went straight for the refrigerator and grabbed a beer. “I thought Collins was going to make me work for it too, but I might be on to something on her front.” He leaned against the kitchen island as he twisted the cap off his bottle, then drank down half the contents of the imported beer. “Should we do this in your office?”
“By all means.” He entered first. I was right behind him. As he made himself comfortable, I grabbed the bottle of scotch and brought it over to the table. “This is purely about Rosalina, then?”
“Yes.” Soren nodded. “I have someone I trust inside the Valentino family as we speak. This, though... This is only the tip of the iceberg.”
Interest piqued, I sat back in my chair with a freshly poured drink in my hand. “Do tell. I’m all ears.”
