Page 7 of Daddy's Little Spy

“I know, I know.” Amara, ice princess of crime, rolled her eyes like a recalcitrant teenager and Diana nearly giggled at the sight. “Go. You’re spoiling our fun.”

“Behave.” Benito’s low growl sent a shiver down Diana’s spine that had nothing to do with fear. “Both of you. I’ll be here when the show ends to pick you up.”

Looping her arm with Diana’s, Amara waved at him behind her head as they picked their way up the stone steps to the theatre.

“You’ll have to excuse Benny. My husband can be a bit… overbearing, and Benny often acts in his stead when we’re out and about together.”

“How so?” Getting to know the Rinadlis was imperative to uncovering the truth about the corruption in her department. And girlfriends asked about these things, didn’t they? It had been awhile since she’d had a real girlfriend, but she thought she still remembered the basics of friendship.

Something close to mischief sparkled in Amara’s eyes. “You know. Jealous. Territorial. Protective. I swear the man would fit me with an ankle monitor if he thought he could get away with it.”

“And you’re okay with that?” Strong, beautiful, independent Amara Vitali let her husband order her around?

Yes, Daddy.The conversation she’d overheard at the salon played over in her mind. Did that have anything to do with Amara’s deference to Emilio?

“Okay with it? Honey, I live for it.” Stopping by a caterer carrying a tray of drinks, Amara snagged two more flutes of champagne and grinned. “Not always, of course. It’s no fun if you don’t put up a bit of a fight.”

Behave. Both of you.Was that how Benito would be with a woman?

The idea was far more appealing than it should have been, especially given her assignment. These people were criminals, a fact she needed to remember. Even if Amara was witty and fun and Benito made her feel things she hadn’t felt for a man in years.

They were criminals, and she was going to bring them down.

* * *

Parked around the corner from the theatre, Benny tapped a finger against the steering wheel as he considered this latest development.

No cop had any business looking like that, with all those lean lines and subtle curves. Not to mention the face. That face was made to drive men to their knees just for a chance to kiss her.

He’d seen pictures, of course, as they’d been researching her. But no image on a computer screen could have prepared him for the depth of those wide, doe eyes. The adorable slope of her nose, the dimple in her chin.

Mine.

The second she’d opened the door, with that black, shimmery dress clinging to every curve, that word had imprinted itself in his brain.

So, the plan would need to change. Lure her in, yes, but not to turn her dirty. The only one corrupting her would be him, and he planned on enjoying every second of it.

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