Page 11 of Ruined By the Enemy
My smile is poised, polished. “Thank you.”
“If—” he adds, casting a mischievous look toward Dom, “you ever find yourself craving a change of pace, I hope you’ll consider joining us.”
“You’re too kind,” I reply smoothly, though I catch the brief flicker of Dom’s gaze. Once the last hand is shaken and the room empties, I settle into my seat with a quiet sigh.
“That went well,” he says from beside me.
I glance over. “Yes, it did. Are you going to ask how I pulled it off, or have I officially passed your little test?”
His fingertips tap the table. “What makes you think this was a test?”
“You said so.”
Dom blinks slowly. “Did I?”
Did—I shut my eyes for a second to gather myself. “You said it earlier. You weren’t sold on Blackwater Talent, so you needed to know if I’d done something you wouldn’t do.”
His shoulder lifts in a noncommittal shrug. “I did say so, but I did say I wasgoingto keep you close. I didn’t talk about a test, Miss Greco. Why would I give you something to handle if I thought you would fail?”
He’s baiting me again. “Because you had a plan B,” I retort. “You’re the kind of man who makes room for contingencies. If I’d failed to close this deal, you’d have done it another way.”
“And you believe that?”
I don’t know. My response was a last resort to regain control. “Yes,” I say firmly.
A shadow passes over his face, and his jaw twitches as something dangerous flickers behind his eyes. The black in them deepens, pulling me closer like a temptation too hard to ignore.
It’s impossible to look away, even though I know I should.
And when I try, I end up at the curl of his shirt, where his tie has come loose and the top buttons sit undone. My mouth waters—from talking for too long or rejecting the number of drinks offered, I’m not sure—and my pulse thrums as the air sizzles.
“How long have you spent looking over your shoulder, Miss Greco?” he asks quietly. There’s chatter around us, but I hear his voice clearly, as if he whispered the words in my ear.
He leans in. “You strike as a woman who’s been on guard for far too long; you don’t know what it’s like to let go anymore.”
He’s not the first to say it, but the way he says it, smooth and sin-wrapped, brushes against me like velvet against bare skin. It tempts. It teases. It dares me to surrender, to stop bracing and start breathing him in.
“I could say the same about you,” I murmur, holding his gaze. “You’re a billionaire at thirty-one, with a… let’s call it an unusual family. Somehow, I doubt you even trust yourself.” I catch myself in time.
His lips twitch into something that isn’t quite a smile. “Touché.”
But he doesn’t pull back. He stays close, so close I can feel the heat between us. My breath stutters, chest rising a little too fast, too high—like my body’s already decided it trusts him more than I do.
My lashes flutter, my lids too heavy to stay open, and my resolve weakens.
Remember the plan, Sophie.I turn with every last shred of will, grabbing the glass of wine I hadn’t touched. “You drink?”
“I do now,” I mutter as I take a sip.
Dom chuckles, and the sound reverberates through the air. “And here I thought you were trying to hide your guarded secrets well.”
“I’m not sure I know what you’re talking about,” I reply.
Through the rim of the glass, I watch himwatchme. “I see. You’re exactly what I’d pegged you as, Sophie Greco.”
I carefully set the glass of wine down, turning to face him. My heart is still pounding, and the heat in my stomach spreads even lower, gathering between my thighs.
But I’m done being toyed with.
