Page 62 of Covert Temptation

Her makeup pouch sat on the counter. Since she’d been in hiding, she hadn’t felt like doing more than applying a little lip gloss. But next thing she knew, she had a mascara wand in hand and was pulling it gently over the very tips of her lashes to accentuate the length. Then she added the lip gloss to her pout.

There—her lashes were darker. Her mouth kissable.

If anyone was looking.

If Dante was looking.

She smiled softly at her wishful thinking.

Now to be Dante’s assistant.

She grabbed her messenger bag. The leather patina was perfection, each little scuff mark only adding to the charm. The bag had traveled all over the world with her—and she always kept it stocked with anything Alyssa might require for project planning.

Inside, she found markers and highlighters. She took out a small stack of white poster board and after a beat of consideration, added a legal pad and a pen to the stack.

Armed with these simple office supplies, she headed to the living room, counting the steps in her head as she went.

Dante was hunched over his desk like the letters on the screen were a code that would give him all the answers. He’d shoved the sleeves of his black thermal shirt up to reveal the thick tendons roping each forearm.

There was something so hot about a man who was so focused on his mission, as if he were determined to single-handedly take down the enemy even if it got him killed.

Her heart twinged at the thought.

His quiet intensity throbbed through the room, winding around her too. She drifted over to him and set the supplies on the corner of the desk.

He looked up at the items. “What’s all this?”

She gathered air into her lungs, filling them with the scent ofhim.

Her insides clutched with the memory of how good it felt to be in his arms, cradled in his lap in front of the warm fire, listening to him talk about things she suspected he hadn’t spoken about in years.

Of how good he felt moving inside her.

She lowered herself to the chair. “I figured we could do this research right.”

He cocked a brow. “And you just happened to have all these things in your suitcase?”

“My messenger bag, but yes. Alyssa liked to work on the fly. I needed to be prepared at all times.”

“What are you planning to do?” He waved at the screen. He had about thirty windows open.

“We’re going to write down the most important information and see if we can draw any conclusions.” She lifted her shoulder in a shrug. “It always helped Alyssa to see the facts laid out.”

“So we’re going to create a theory board.”

She gave him an enthusiastic nod. That old familiar hum of excitement vibrated inside her, making her feel useful again.

He eyed the poster boards. “Those are too small.”

She glanced around the living room. “Well, unless you want to order a whiteboard and have it delivered…”

He sat back, tapping his fist lightly against his hard lips, his mind seemingly too far away for her to guess what could be running through it.

Then he dropped his hand and snatched up his phone. When he thrust it her way, she blinked in surprise.

“What am I supposed to do with this?” Her fingers brushed his warm, rough ones as she took the phone.

“You’re going to order that whiteboard and anything else we need. If we’re really doing this, we need every advantage. We’ll fill up those poster boards front and back in half an hour with all the information I’ve already uncovered.”

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