Page 37 of Deception & Desire

The tension in my shoulders releases a bit more with every centimeter it beats back toward my location. It’s not a heartbeat,I remind myself. But she’s coming anyway. Soon, she will be home and safe.

Of course, someone could have intercepted her and taken the tracking deVitale. But Dante called to say he was following her back to Carmen Rubio’s apartment, where she dropped off the debutante without any issues.

Dante was likely parked outside now, watching as Mia entered the house. I make a mental note to thank Teo for letting me borrow his second.

“Leon?” her voice calls out.

“In here.”

There’s the clicking of heels on the wooden floor, and then…

…and then she’s there.

She’s still unfairly stunning in that sinful black dress, still holding herself tall. Even her makeup seems to have stayed exactly in place.

I bury my fingernails into the palms of my hands to stop myself from reaching for her. Something primal within me needs to do more than see, totouch,to make sure that she’s okay. That there’s not even a hair out of place on her head.

Words don’t feel like enough, but I force myself to settle for them instead. “Are you all right?”

“Yes, fine,” she brushes me off, uncaring, unaware of the knots coiling in my stomach. “Did I get everything you needed?”

I swallow. I’m still looking, still assessing every visible inch of her. “The camera cut off.”

“Oh. Sorry, I should have charged it more.”

“It wasn’t your fault.”

“Leon?”

“Hm?” My eyes snap to meet hers, looking away from analyzing her preference to weight bear on her left leg. Did she always do that? Or did she injure herself at the party?

“Don’t…take this the wrong way, but…are you alright?”

A bark of laughter escapes my lips.Me?I shake my head in disbelief. “We can debrief in the morning if you’re tired. I caught enough of the evening to begin making progress.”

“Okay. I’ll go then.”

No, no. No. I’ve only just got her back. She’s only just becomesafe.

“You have a room here,” I blurt out. “If you want it. Save you the trouble of getting across town.”

Please, please. Please.

I feel so tightly coiled. If I make one wrong move, I’ll completely spring into chaos. I won’t be able to let her go. I can’t let her leave this house. Not until this feeling ends, not until I’msureshe’s okay.

“I suppose that makes sense.” She bites her lip. “Will you be coming up?”

Her cheeks instantly redden as I look up at her in alarm. “I mean, you said you were going to begin making progress. I was wondering if you intending to sleep tonight,” she corrects herself hurriedly.

“There’s not much point. Usually, after something like this, I’m a little…pent up.” It’s not even a lie, although this level of anxiety is definitely new. “But you should rest.”

She nods and starts to leave, only to linger in the doorway, hesitating.

There’s something she’s not saying. She must have been hurt, after all. They must have gotten to her. They must have threatened her…

“Are you sure you’re alright?” I press, unable to keep the desperation out of my tone this time.

“Yes. It’s just that I’m…um…I started ovulating.”

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