Page 1 of Wilde and Deadly

one

Seven days.

Seven long fucking days.

Davey Wilde groaned and leaned back in his office chair. His first official week as the head of Wilde Security Worldwide was a goddamn disaster.

It started with him being tied to his bed on Christmas Eve and having his dog stolen by a woman he couldn’t decide if he hated or was helplessly, irrationally attracted to. Rowan fucking Bristow—danger wrapped in temptation, a beautiful weapon he’d never learned how to resist. Sleek and lethal, all sun-warmed skin over wiry muscle, straight dark hair spilling down her back like ink, and those damned golden eyes that saw straight through him. Every smirk, every sharp-edged taunt was a calculated strike, designed to burrow under his skin, to make him forget what was at stake.

He’d chased her across three states, following every scrap of intel, every whisper, every hint she might’ve left behind, only to find himself one step behind each time. The woman was an expert at disappearing, and every dead end stoked his frustration to dangerous new heights.

But Rowan wasn’t his only problem.

Half his cousins were considering mutiny—led by Cade, the smug asshole—and two major clients were threatening to pull their contracts unless certain vague “security concerns” were addressed immediately. He’d barely had time to breathe, much less sleep, caught in a constant battle between managing the company and tracking down the one woman who’d always had the power to tear his carefully controlled life to pieces.

He still couldn’t believe she’d gotten the drop on him like that. Tied to his bed with his own fucking Christmas lights—could she have chosen anything more humiliating?—while she calmly made off with Luka.

His dog, for Christ’s sake.

It was a low blow, even for her.

And the worst part? He still wanted her. Even now, his pulse raced at the thought of her, at the memory of her body pressed against his, her lips brushing his ear as she whispered tauntingly, teasingly. He should have known better—didknow better—and still, he’d let himself fall into her carefully laid trap.

He scrubbed a hand over his face, fingertips rasping against days-old stubble. Sleep had become a distant luxury. Every time he closed his eyes, Rowan’s face—sharp angles softened by full lips, tiger eyes gleaming with mischief and challenge—was right there.

Haunting him.

Daring him to chase her down again.

And, dammit, he knew he would.

And not only because her father had hired him to find her.

The weight of responsibility settled heavily on his shoulders, but he refused to let it crush him. He was a Wilde, dammit, and Wildes didn’t buckle under pressure. They thrived on it.

As he sat in his new office, poring over the latest report from his cousin Daphne about a cyberattack on their network, his cell phone buzzed against his uncle’s—no,his. It washismahogany desk now. Solid, heavy, imposing. The kind of desk meant for a man who commanded a room with a single look and made decisions that shaped empires.

Would he ever get used to sitting here, making the decisions that used to be Uncle Greer’s to make?

Jesus.

He needed to get his shit together. Fast.

His phone vibrated again. Elliot, his middle brother. He started to pick it up?—

The door burst open.

A tall, blond man strode in without knocking, moving with the easy arrogance of someone who had never once hesitated before inserting himself into a situation. He was all effortless charm and careless confidence, dressed in a crisp, open-collared button-down and dark slacks that should have looked polished but somehow gave the impression he’d just rolled out of bed wearing them. His golden hair was too long, a little too artfully tousled, as if he’d spent the morning tangled in silk sheets—or wanted people to think he had.

Jean-Sabin Cavalier was the kind of man who made bad decisions look like a good time.

Davey dragged a hand down his face again, inhaled deeply, and exhaled even slower.

Of course.

Because the universe wasn’t content with just testing him this week—it wanted to see exactly how close he was to snapping.

He steeled himself, locking down his patience before lifting his gaze to meet Sabin’s smug grin. “Whatever it is, the answer is no.”

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