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I needed to gather as much intel as possible.
A sudden noise outside the office door made me freeze. My heart raced as I held my breath, praying that I hadn’t been discovered. After a tense moment, the silence resumed, and I let out a quiet sigh of relief.
I’d worked for the FBI for years, and I’d finally been promoted to a covert operative.
My first job?
To infiltrate the Murphy family criminal organization and to finally make a difference in the world. If I could just find enough evidence to put them all away, then I’d make the streets a safer place.
I gritted my teeth. I’d grown up in South Boston and seen the insidious influence of the mafia firsthand.
My brother, a decorated police officer, had been killed by the Cosa Nostra. Left to reign free without rules or limitations, they’d gotten away with it without even a slap on the wrist. I lifted my chin, my quiet determination fueling me forward.
I could do this.For him.
As I meticulously sifted through confidential files, I heard a creak behind me, and a shiver ran down my spine. I turned to see a man standing in the doorway, his dark hair streaked with lighter patches that caught the faint glow of the overhead light. His hazel eyes met mine, and for a moment, the room felt too small and too intimate for the two of us.
It was Liam Shelby, the consigliere of the Murphy family.
In person, though, he seemed like so much more. His dark, well-trimmed beard framed a strong jawline. His hazel eyes, now even more intense under the dim light, held a darkness that seemed to pull me in. A sudden yearning to kiss him seized me. His proximity, and the dangerous glint in his eyes made resisting the urge to lean in and taste the forbidden all the more challenging, but I remembered myself.
He was a criminal.
I couldn’t kiss him. That was insanity.
“Well, well, what do we have here?” he drawled, his voice a low rumble that sent a spear of ice surging straight through me. His eyes, greener than golden brown under the light, bore into mine with an intensity that left no room for evasion. “You’re not supposed to be in here, sweetheart.”
My heart raced as I tried to gauge his intentions. His quiet, brooding presence only added to the suspense. Despite the threat in his words, there was an undeniable magnetism about him, and I found it difficult to look away.
You can’t be finding Liam Shelby sexy right now. That’s crazy talk.
“I… I was just looking for the bathroom,” I stammered, my voice betraying a nervous edge. The air crackled with tension as he stepped further into the room, his gaze unwavering.
“Does the bathroom usually have confidential files spread out on the desk?” he questioned, a hint of amusement in his tone. His lips curled into a smirk, adding to the enigmatic charm that surrounded him.
I swallowed hard, my palms growing clammy. “I… I got lost. Must be the layout of the place.”
“Lost, huh?” He chuckled, a low, throaty sound that resonated in the quiet room. His words hung in the air, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that he saw right through my feeble excuse.
Not only that, but I could feel my nipples pebbling in my bra and I sucked in a breath. I couldn’t be getting aroused simply by a man’s presence, a dangerous criminal no less, probably a liar and a murderer, too.
Yet still, his gaze appeared soft. Tender even.
“Yes. Definitely lost,” I tried.
He raised an eyebrow and appraised me, his heated gaze roaming up the length of my body. I felt the intensity of his scrutiny, and it left me feeling both uneasy and strangely alive. It was as if his eyes could unravel me with just a look, and I sucked in a breath.. In that moment, I couldn’t shake the feeling of being seen, truly seen, by a man who exuded danger and charm in equal measure.
“I’m sure you are,” he drawled. He stared at me like a lion would a lamb.
I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came out.
“What’s your name, sweetheart?” he finally asked.
“Kelsey,” I blurted out before I could think to stop myself. As the echo of my first name hung in the air, I could have kicked myself.
How stupid could I be, giving him my real name?
I felt like a noob.
