Page 4 of Lethal Hearts

“Makes sense,” she mumbled.

Harper had virtually run out of interesting conversation topics. Thankfully, Mikhail didn’t seem bored with her yet. As they got out of the car, she noticed another black car taking the parking slot next to Mikhail’s.Mikhail’s private security, she thought with some trepidation. They encountered more of his men waiting by the private elevator that would lead to Mikhail’s penthouse suite.

Two more were stationed at his front door. She noticed he greeted every man and woman on his security by name. He even asked two of them about their families. Harper hated to admit it, but she was beginning to like this man more and more, despite her misgivings.

He pressed a gentle hand on the small of her back, leading her inside his apartment. Harper swallowed when the door closed behind her. She realized she was finally truly alone with her target.

****

“Do you have any wine?” Harper asked him.

“You’ve already had too much to drink,” Mikhail reminded her. She fidgeted and gazed around his apartment. Was Harper finally regretting her decision to come here?

“Let me get you some water instead,” Mikhail offered.“Then I’ll show you around the place.”

“Okay,” she whispered.

Mikhail grabbed a water bottle from his fridge and returned to Harper. She hadn’t moved from where he left her. He wondered why she was nervous. Had she lied earlier to him and was actually afraid of him, of the rumors she might’ve heard about him?

Mikhail handed her the bottle. She uncapped it and drank. There wasn’t much to see. Mikhail showed her the dining and living rooms.

Harper seemed suitably impressed by his kitchen. He watched her place the empty bottle on the counter and run her long fingers down the marble, over some of his appliances.

“Do you like to cook?” he asked her.

“Yes, but I’m not very good at it. The cook always tells me to stay out of his kitchen…” Harper trailed off and didn’t complete that line of thought.

Mikhail shrugged it off and showed her the outdoor pool area. Usually, at this juncture, the women he brought to his apartment would be all over him.

Harper wrapped her arms around her body, biting her lower lip. She seemed nervous for some reason. Another man in his shoes might’ve grown impatient and sent her home, but clearly she wanted to stay with him for some unfathomable reason.

“Am I the most boring date you’ve ever brought home?” she finally asked him.

“You seem nervous,” Mikhail remarked. He placed his hands in the pockets of his trousers.“Are you regretting coming here?”

“Not at all,” she blurted.

“Let me get you a spare blanket and some towels,” Mikhail offered. They returned to the indoor area of the apartment. As Mikhail fetched the items, he wondered why he hadn’t asked her to leave. Harper stared at the items he offered her, looking confused.

“You can stay the night here,” Mikhail said.“My living room couch is rather comfy. I’ve fallen asleep on it a few times while working.”

“Why are you being nice to me? You don’t know me at all.”

“No particular reason,” he answered.“You remind me of a stray kitten I once took home.”

Something nagged at the back of his mind. Gut instinct told him something was about to happen tonight, but what? Was this nervous little lamb a trap sent by his enemies? Mikhail was paranoid by nature but the idea seemed wild, ludicrous.

“A stray kitten?” Harper demanded.

“There it is. The fire in your eyes that attracted me to you in the first place. For a moment, I thought it had disappeared,” he told her with a smile.“Stay the evening. I’ll have my chauffeur drive you back home tomorrow. Will that suffice?”

“Yes,” Harper whispered.

“Bathroom is through that door, in case you want to shower,” Mikhail said.“If you excuse me, I have some emails to answer.”

Mikhail retreated to his room and heard the bathroom door clicking shut moments later. She locked it, he thought with some amusement.

An hour later, Mikhail had closed his laptop and saw Harper tucked under a blanket on his sofa. Judging by her soft snores and the subtle rise and fall of her chest, she had already fallen asleep. Mikhail had to admit, he was a little disappointed he didn’t get any action tonight, but he’d simply shrug it off as a loss.

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