Page 16 of His Smile
“A glock under each pillow,” he answered smoothly.
Watching her shake with laughter, he had to admit he wasenjoying this on some level.
A light buzz sounded from her thigh, and Roman could see theglow from her phone inside her mesh pocket. With deft ease, Roman read thebriefly lit up phone screen, the number was blocked. A blocked number would nothave caught his attention if it hadn’t been for the flash of a man’s imagebehind the word “blocked,” meaning whoever was blocked was one of her contacts.
She completely ignored the phone.
Roman stared at the now blank phone for a couple of secondslonger before looking up to ask, “What do you do when you are not studying foryour ornamental degree?”
She gasped dramatically. “How many times do you plan onthrowing that in my face, it’s starting to become painful?”
Still leaning on his fist, Roman grinned evilly. “I amsorry,” he said with mock sincerity. “Does the truth hurt?”
The shock transformed on her face with the barest movements.Lifting one black brow in arched challenge, her lips drew his gaze as theypressed together, moistening them before setting into an arrogant purse.
“Okay, I see,” she nodded as if coming to terms with a newplan of attack. Roman resisted sitting straighter in his chair in anticipation.“If you want the truth, I can give it to you if that’s what you really want?”
Roman didn’t say anything, he just leaned back and openedhis arms signaling to her to give him her best shot.
Leaning forward on his desk, Rahina put her face less than afoot from his. “Here are three truths about you.” Her voice was soft, and herbrown eyes were impossibly wide. The sudden feeling of that unnamed cravingreturned violently, clawing at his wall of control. “One,” she began. “I thinkyou, Roman Mashir, the apex criminal and alpha crime lord of Boston areincredibly bored.”
Roman kept his expression neutral.
“Two, I think you are starting to like me because youhaven’t threatened to kill me once today.” The amusement in her brown eyes wasalmost contagious, but he resisted.
“And three, which in my opinion, is the most dangeroustruth—are you ready?”
He watched her lips as she whispered the question and felthis smile widen. Lifting his head in a subtle gesture for her to go on, hewaited.
“Sitting this close to you, I am reminded that you areextremely good-looking.”
For a few seconds, neither of them moved or blinked. Slowly,second by second, her control dissolved as she bit her bottom lip, trying tocontain her laughter. Swiftly, Roman reached up and wrapped his hand around hersmooth neck.
He almost let out a growl of satisfaction at the rapid pulsebeneath his hand and the sudden shock in her eyes. “I see that I’m going tohave to start reminding you again just exactly who I am,” he rumbled.
Grabbing his wrist softly with both hands, she stroked hisoffending hand with a gentle caress. “Like that you’re an incredibly attractivepsychopath?”
Where the hell did this girl come from? Roman couldn’t tella she was naïve, stupid, or just insane.
“Pity, and here I thought I could go a day without wantingto kill you,” he said, tightening his grip by a fraction. “I guess thatdisproves your theory that I like you.”
Unfazed by his grip, she lifted a finger pointedly. “Oh, Iwouldn’t say that…”
Her phone started to ring. Rahina‘s face lit up inexcitement as she pulled out the phone from her pocket. Letting her go, Romansat back and watched her.
“I have to take this, it’s the company,” she was alreadyhopping from his desk and swiping the phone to answer.
Taking a deep breath, he renewed his control she threatenedto destroy and opened his laptop. With a few clicks, Roman forwarded theincriminating email to the necessary people.
“Okay, thanks for letting me know,” tapping the screen,Rahina stood in front of the couch staring blankly ahead. It was probably thefirst time he had ever witnessed her standing still.
“What is it?” He demanded, pulling her attention back to thepresent.
“Oh, it’s nothing really,” she threw him a wan distractedsmile before looking down to her feet. For a few minutes, she didn’t sayanything, she just stared absently at the ground while she walked an invisibleline in the carpet. Placing her sock-clad feet one in front of the other, shepointed them outwards performing one of the many basic ballet positions. “Ijust got some info I didn't want to hear.”
Ignoring her fidgeting, Roman pressed her further. “Whichis?”
She didn’t respond immediately, leaning forward she raisedher right leg up. Roman watched as her leg extended higher than he expected asshe balanced perfectly on one foot, keeping her chest high and straight. Allthe while, her somber expression remained, bothering him greatly.
