Page 28 of Ruined By the Enemy
“You know what I mean, Sophie Greco,” I say coolly, stepping towards her again. “I told you I’d be watching you, didn’t I? I did some digging, and it turns out—” I pause, my gaze fixed on hers, letting the silence stretch. “You’re not exactly who you say you are.”
For a second, there’s nothing between us but the sound of tense air.
Then she scoffs—loud and incredulous—like the accusation physically knocked the air out of her. “Seriously?” she snaps. “You’re going to keep playing that card?”
I arch a brow, saying nothing. Just watching.
“You know what your problem is?” she bites, her voice rising. “You have insane trust issues. You hired me, Domenico Moretti.You. I know I lobbied for the position, but you had the final say. But ever since day one, you’ve been watching me like I’m some threat. Pushing. Testing. Antagonizing me every chance you get.”
She takes a step toward me now, chin up, eyes blazing. The dress clings to her like a second skin, but she doesn’t flinch under the weight of my stare. “You should’ve turned me away the second I showed up at your door.”
I would’ve.The only reason I didn’t was because I could tell there was more to what she presented. Something that bothered me to the point where I was willing to place her under probation until I could figure out the truth.
Also, if these were other circumstances, my behavior would be improper, even considered bullying. And that’s her point: bullyingin the workplace.She’s putting on a good show of being upset, too, given that her motives are dishonest.
“Are you sure?” I ask quietly as I lean in, once again thrown off when her scent hits me. It smells the same, but with a hint of something else that rides under my skin. “Are you confident that if I were to do a deeper dive into you, I wouldn’t find things you desperately want to conceal?”
“My private life is none of your business.” She’s not denying it.Huh.My tongue tucks in my cheek as my mouth twitches in a wry smile. She’s spinning the story in another direction, forcing me to confront a moral issue.
And Imight’vebacked down if I didn’t know that everything about her was a lie. Down to her very identity. Our eyes remainlocked for a minute, and I lean in another fraction, watching every flutter of her lashes, the imperceptible flare of her nostrils, and the beads of sweat that gather across her forehead, despite the cool temperature of the room.
I could break her.
I just need to push further—break the last barrier between us. My hand lifts and reaches her face, but I don’t touch her. Not yet. Sophie inhales sharply as my thumb strokes the air, a hair’s breadth from her cheek. Even in the semi-darkness, I feel the heat radiating from her cheeks and hear the keen sigh that slips out.
It sounds like longing—like the feeling that raised the hairs on my skin before crawling under them. It feels tight, pulling my gaze to where her lips part—a force almost beyond my control. My head dips with a mind of its own, and her eyes close in surrender.
Then my phone rings, abruptly ending the moment. I pull back quickly, surprised that I lost control that easily. I clear my throat. “The party’s the other way. And,” I turn with a scowl. “If your plan was to eavesdrop on the meeting, then I suggest you consider this a warning. The next time, I won’t be too forgiving.”
I walk away as her eyes harden, closing the door more forcefully than planned.
Raff swivels as I open the other door, giving me a look that clearly says,where the hell have you been?
“My apologies, gentlemen,” I say as I pull my suit jacket together. The two investors sit on leather chairs on either side of a large glass table. “I got sidetracked.”
Raff arches a brow. “Really?” He doesn’t say it out loud, but I can tell from how his lips purse that he doesn’t buy the excuse. I ignore him, taking my seat. I take a deep breath to steady myself, but all that comes is a whiff of caramel candy. My eyes dart to the door, and my gaze sharpens instinctively. Sophie.
She wouldn’t dare, would she? It would expose her position and leave room for the investigation she tried to avoid earlier.
Or maybe it’s just me.
My fingers still bear the warmth from her wrist, and I can picture her pinned to the wall, her chin tossed high and her eyes bright. Lust. The realization hits me like a freight train, pushing the air from my lungs without mercy. It’s not just the brush of my skin against hers or the inexplicable feeling that makes my airways too thin to breathe through.
It’s attraction.
Somehow, I find myself very attracted to Sophie. Not a one-night stand-had-too-much-to-drink scenario. No.
It’s the kind where my thoughts get interrupted with memories that have the blood rushing to places it shouldn’t focus on.
“Fucking hell,” I mutter under my breath.
“You don’t agree?”
I snap out of my thoughts when I hear Raff’s comment, and my forehead creases as I face him. “What?”
“You said something just now,” he says. “I’m asking if you have any reservations about their proposal?”
What proposal?I shake my head slowly as I try to recall where I zoned out of the conversation, but the truth is that I wasn’t listening. At all. I got sidetracked somewhere between walking in and sitting down, with no idea how much time had passed.
