Page 24 of King Of Order

A man, seated at a small table not too far away, eyes on me.

I turned, meeting his gaze, and I jolted—Rio.

So freakin’ sensual with his aqua ice gaze burning over my skin and that ink on his neck, I itched to run my fingers over.

I tagged a flicker, a gleam in his eyes, a challenge.

I raised a brow.

He arched his.

I tilted my head and pursed my lips at him.

Still pissed at him, yet oh so intrigued.

I hooked a finger.

His tongue ran under his top lip. So seductive, so hot.

He stood up with fluid grace, moving toward me with an easy confidence I envied.

I raked my eyes over his impossibly handsome face, his walk.

His slight, almost imperceptible upturn of his lush lips.

This man.

I took a sharp breath to calm my racing heart.

He sat beside me without waiting for an invitation, commanding the space dividing us.

The air shifted around him, energized, crackling, and scented with the musk notes of his evocative cologne.

‘Have you come to save me from my sorry self?’ I asked, my voice hushed, hoarse, mocking.

He leaned in, his subtle simper widening a little. His pale eyes caught the subdued light from the bar, giving me a shiver.

‘Maybe,’ he rasped, his tone as casual as if discussing the weather.

I raised my glass halfway, hesitating, and the uncertainty and wariness created a divide between us. ‘Or perhaps you’re following me,’ I muttered, half to myself.

He chuckled, the timbred sound warm and unsettling at the same time. ‘Possibly both.’

I stared into my wine, my reflection distorted in the deep red liquid.

Then I looked up at him, at how calm and controlled he seemed, while I balanced on the edge of a precipice.

I sighed, unsure whether to thank or curse him for interrupting my descent. But somehow, with him so close, I noticed the pull toward that third glass starting to fade.

Not gone, but softer, like it wasn’t the only option anymore.

‘You always seem to have an uncanny sense of timing,’ I whispered, setting the goblet back down.

‘I do indeed,’ he replied, leaning back a little.

His eyes narrowed on me like they were waiting to see which version of me would surface next. ‘Thing is, will you accept the fact I’m fuckin’ good at what I do and hire me?’

I tossed my hair back and gave a husky laugh. ‘I don’t like men who beg.’

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