Page 44 of Onyx Realm

Well...very wrong.

Serena set her shoulders and reached for the jumpsuit. “If I’m caught—”

“You won’t be.” The pretty birds were gone for the evening. Serena would be in and out before the boss caught wind of mystunt. He would definitely fume, but the chance at pulling one over on him was too delectable to resist.

“Don’t worry, prinkípissa, I’ll be right here, ready to save you,” I promised.

That lit a fire in her deep brown eyes. “The day I need a man to save me is the day hell freezes over.”

I fought to keep the smile off my face. She was primed and ready for the adventure.

“If you feel like stealing one of the apples on his conference table, I would be eternally in your debt,” I murmured, opening the door for her.

If she wondered how I had access to the building, she didn’t ask. Chin tipped high, she ventured into the belly of the beast. Turning on my heel, I strode to the security desk out front.

“Carter,” I greeted the nightguard. “Care for a bear claw?”

I held the bag of pastries and watched the guard’s gaze glaze over at the promise of sticky sweets.

“Whatcha doing here, Mr. Demetriou?” he asked, eagerly taking the bag.

“Mr. Drakos said he’d swing by later.” My explanation seemed to satisfy the guard. He perched on the desk, facing me, while I had an unobstructed view of the monitors as he began to gorge.

Upstairs, Serena emerged from the elevator and looked both ways before journeying down the corridor. So far, everything was unfolding smoothly.

“So, how are your Bucs looking this season?” I tempted the guard into a conversation about America’s favorite weekend pastime. Football—the true football—to my people was sacred, and I refused to call throwing the pigskin that. But for the sake of this mission, I chatted up the guard about the NFL.

Serena approached Atlas’s office. She paused, looked over her shoulder, and then pushed inside.

I knew it.

She was perfect.

This opportunity was one she could use to her advantage. Any sane person would call for help, explain the kidnapping, and find help. Not my little guest. She was heart and soul devoted to the mission. The need to prove herself ran deep.

And it raised several questions, but the most prominent was who the hell was stupid enough not to use her dark side? She would be dynamite in a corporate setting. The perfect tool for taking down businesses. To a crime syndicate like ours, she was pure gold.

On the monitor, I watched as Serena bent and inserted the USB in the boss’s computer. The look of triumph carried through the grainy footage. I wanted to grasp the screen, study her features.

We would be idiots to let her leave—and not because she might betray our organization.

As she hurried from the room, she paused by the conference table.

That’s it, princess. Take one.

As she deftly plucked an apple from the tree, a jolt of pride surged through me, like a bolt of lightning traveling down my spine. Her confident smile and the way her fingers curled around the fruit ignited a longing within me—to reach out, to feel the warmth of her skin, to make her mine. I shifted my stance, acutely aware of the heat surging in my veins and the unmistakable tightness in my jeans as my blood pulsed insistently, making my desire all too evident.

Crap.That was not the reaction I should feel toward her. But how did I deny this attraction? It went against my every inclination. Rubbing my jaw, I waited for Serena to slip into the elevator before I bid the guard goodnight.

I hurried through the empty lobby to the employee only area. The crackle of excitement made my skin prickle as I raced to the maintenance room. The thrill of Serena’s success coursed through me like a drug. The added bonus was knowing Atlas would turn on his computer and see the mischief I caused tomorrow. The flash drive, programmed to burst across his screen, held a slide show of provocative memes. The perfect trick to play, harmless and hilarious in equal measures.

My spy stripped out of the jumpsuit, disgust written on her face.

Her chin reflected the same defiance as when she’d started, but now there was a heat about it, a flame stoked by accomplishment. Her eyes, fierce and blazing, latched onto me the moment she sensed my presence.

Theos, she was beautiful.

“This smells like chili fries,” she said, dropping the uniform to the floor.

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