Page 95 of Devil's Claim

Granted, he was the most handsome man in the room and I felt just like some fairy princess. Even the glorious lights of the city were more breathtaking than before.

“Plying me with perfection,” I said absently as I gazed through the bank of windows at the shimmering city lights. When Kruz remained silent, I turned my head in his direction. The wineglass was still in my hand, the rich Bordeaux perfect for my mood.

His expression was more impassive than I was used to, but there was no denying his attractiveness. Dressed in a lighter gray suit with a crisp white shirt and a stunning violet tie, he was the epitome of all things sexy while exuding danger. I hadn’t noticed before, but gray was flirting at his temples, the tiny lines on the sides of his eyes adding an air of sophistication.

“How so?” he finally asked.

“I wasn’t born yesterday. You arranged for Genevieve and Jago to babysit Maverick so we could go out. You brought me to an exquisite restaurant easily capable of rivaling anything in Miami. You ordered for both of us, something I would never have allowed in all my years on this earth. You ordered the most expensive wine on the menu. What’s next? Flowers and diamonds?”

“If that’s what you’d like.”

I couldn’t help but lift my wineglass in a toast. “Pulling out all the stops. You’re either nervous or simply trying to control me.”

“What if I said a little of both?” He presented his signature grin that could be misconstrued as a scowl of warning.

“Then I’d believe you.” A waiter suddenly appeared, whisking our dinner plates from the table. “Why don’t we get down to business? I’m certain you’re not interested in playing pretend.”

Kruz leaned forward, placing his forearms on the table. In the flicker of candlelight, his skin glowed, his eyes more luminous than usual. The man could easily place me in a spell, but I refused.

“How did you enjoy being at the corporate offices?” he asked, ignoring my request.

“You are excellent at deflecting. Is that how you handle business?”

“When absolutely necessary.”

“I thought you simply went out and took what you wanted.” I realized as soon as I’d made the statement how it must have sounded. Another heat flash almost derailed me. I’d enjoyed the time spent with Genevieve much more than I’d thought possible. The woman was a force to be reckoned with. She’d taken me on a tour of the office and there wasn’t a single person who had greeted us who hadn’t had respect for the woman and all she’d accomplished.

Was the morning and afternoon spent with glow and show? Absolutely, but when she’d presented financials detailing the last two quarters, I’d been more than impressed. She’d taken what deep down I knew to be a bogus consulting firm to launder money and turned it into a thriving legitimate business by diversifying. Buying real estate. Buying companies and either dismantling them or recreating their mission with significant success.

To say I was impressed was an understatement. What she didn’t discuss was the illegitimate practices. She didn’t know me. How could she trust me?

Kruz laughed and swirled his whiskey. “Usually, but not always.”

“Such a covert answer. I will say Genevieve has lofty goals to shift a portion of an already successful business into import and export diamond sales.” I was baiting him, at least to a point. I’d sensed from a few things Genevieve had tossed out like carats, not the edible kind, that something was in the works.

Instead of continuing down the path of fear, I’d become excited. Maybe it was the need for revenge rearing its ugly head. What I refused to do was to get in the middle of something without learning all the details.

If allowed by my future husband.

A knot formed in my stomach. We were getting married. The moment I signed on the long, black line, I’d be his property. I suddenly glanced away, uncertainty crowding out the excitement.

Using a single finger, he guided my face back to center. “What is it?”

“Nothing.”

“Not nothing. Weren’t you the one who insisted there be no secrets?”

He had me there. “I just remembered I’ll soon be married to you.”

“Answer me something? Will it be so terrible?”

The answer wasn’t as easy as I wanted it to be. “Not really, but…”

“But you’re one of those who believe in fairytales. Right? Knights in shining armor?”

“What’s wrong with that?”

“Nothing, but I’m no hero and I’ll easily admit that.”

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