Page 68 of Covert Temptation

Her stomach dropped. He read her file. About college.

She was very proud of getting her degree…but she wasn’t proud of everything she did.

Fortunately, she’d found a way to make her past disappear—quietly, completely. That little rewrite landed her the job as Alyssa’s assistant.

“I have a degree in political science with a minor in international affairs.” She pushed out the breath she’d been holding and lined the leg up in the corner of the tabletop. Slowly, she tightened the first bolt with her fingers before using the tool.

“That’s pretty impressive.”

Her stomach did another flip. Dante was doing that to her a lot—when she caught him staring at her, when his fingers brushed hers at an odd moment.

When he was moving between her thighs.

Her insides gripped with fresh want. She only had to get up and cross the living room to be in his arms, in his lap.

Riding him.

Her new emotions tied to him stopped her from taking action. She should have known that she couldn’t just have sex with no strings. But she didn’t expect to ever like the big, grumpy SEAL either.

She finished one leg with a small noise of triumph.

Dante started clapping for her achievement, and she rolled her eyes.

“Don’t make fun.”

“I’m not making fun. Not all people can follow directions and put things together.”

“And you think I’m just some airhead running around the country with Alyssa, managing where we’re going to shop next.”

His brows drew low, pinching together. “That’s not what I said, Kennedy.”

She ignored the comment, and how punchy she suddenly was. Whether it was the talk about her college days or wanting a man she couldn’t have, she didn’t know.

Long, muscular legs clad in worn denim appeared in front of her, forcing her to look up…and up…to steely thighs and the bulge behind his fly. She cut her gaze over that large, impressive speed bump, to abs she knew firsthand were carved from pure granite underneath that shirt he wore.

When she settled on his rugged, handsome face, she sucked in a pull of air. Those dark eyes of his were pinned on her, and they were burning with want.

“Dante—”

In the kitchen, his phone buzzed with an incoming call.

It rang once. Twice.

She widened her eyes. Was he just going to stand there staring at her like he wanted to take off all her clothes and kiss every inch of her?

“The phone, Dante!”

Rocking as if she’d slapped some sense into him, he broke the connection and strode sixteen steps to the kitchen table where she’d left his phone after placing the food order.

She let another sigh trickle out and raked her fingers through her hair to regain some focus. She could hear him speaking in low tones, but she couldn’t make out the words.

By the time he ended the call, she finished the table. She was just flipping it over and setting it in front of the sofa when he walked back in.

“Everything okay?” she breezed out.

“Yeah.” His voice was tight.

She straightened to her full height and met his gaze. “You sound tense.”

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