pte

ce he hated to be kept waiting. In fact, she'd proved to be incredibly responsive over the past thr

plaint, not even when he'd kept her up for another hour after the meeting had finished. Then he'd woken her at 6 A.M. the next morning to go get his morning coffee. There hadn't been any complaints then eithe

admill and then discovered afterward that he was out of his favorite

n the second ring, which even hi

essive, he

she enquired in

e. "Espresso, two sugars. Also, get me a

r you. When would

phone carelessly down on his desk before going back to the email he'd been re

been following for months now had

g up and break it, or fling something at the wall and listen to it shatter. Eyeing his phone, he considered throwing that for half a secon

he'd also been fiddling with this particular file. In fact, he'd been fiddling with it for a long time now, gradually accumulating names and dates and locations, trying to put together a picture of a man he'd been trying to find for ye

d want to

d by thoughts of revenge. It had been the fire that had kept him warm at nights when he'd had nothing but a single threadbare blanket to cover hims

g bed in that room, pla

lways said-because his new stepfather was controlling and violent, and hated children. However, his mother had told Pero that she needed to stay with him because he was helping her pay off her debts and that as long as he didn't find out Pero existed, everything would be fine. Be patie

ime ago and not with his mother in the end, but the

ensured that for ten years Pero had to stay hidden

eemingly disappeared of

ddamn computer genius who not only designed some of the world's foremost digital defense

the gym that led off his main office. It was going to be impossible to get any other work done when he was this pissed, and the

gave a view out onto the garden. He liked that, too. Sometimes he had the doors open, so that the scent

tention on the big screens displaying different

it and drawers where he kept his workout gear. Changing into some workout shorts, a tank, and some running shoes, he went to fill a water

the door opened and Vera came in, a takeout c

re directing his attention back to CNN and the news story he was curr

moved over to the shelving unit and placed the coffee and bagel down on it

the past three days, she'd been incredib

now." He didn't bother to mask his an

repeated, apologetic.

iefest of hesitations be

ly zeroing in on her and that slight hesitation. "One

very busy and

tion from the screen to stare at her, his irritation at the delay combining with the anger already seething ins

its customary bun, not a curl or strand out of place, and her sharp features were-as usual-completely calm, n

anticipated," she said in that cut-glass British

nal phon

hesitation

eet hitting the treadm

g her closely, he would have missed it-flicker in

damn phone call was about that it took up twenty minutes of you

ing the subtler emotions in people, but he certainly knew when someone wa

if she thought she could take him on then she was

her red-gold lashes briefly veiling her gaze.

erview three days ago, hadn't she? The one in a co

at the lead he'd been chasing for months now had turned out to be a dead end, and he was just fucking pissed abo

. "I pay you a lot of money to be instantly available,

oyed him further. "What? Is this coming as a fucking surprise to you?

e gave him no hint of what she was feeling. "Then, is there a time that the h

rned his attention back to the screens and hit the button on the treadmill that controlled the inclin

he was feelin

ht, and she's no

creen, the sound of his feet pounding on the

ed the house in tears. And the guy had been the fifth male assistant who couldn't deal. Jesus, what was fucking wrong with pe

be a good

at the gym doorway where she'd

ys so straight, and there was never a hair out of place. He'd yelled at her, and she hadn't

wouldn't help him find another lead, but it would give him something to do with his anger, it

htened further, an elect

speed, the feral grin on his face deepening. Yeah,

g, the anticipation inside him pulled even tighter as the door opened and Vera

all table near the tr

he hot coffee, over to the table. As she bent to put them down, he found his gaze lingering on her

nd her shoulders, the color of apricots or peaches, or a flaming sunset. It felt so soft, like raw silk. He liked pretty things, and she wasn't p

pectant. "Your coffee, Mr. de la cruz. Hot, as p

he grabbed the towel hung over one of the treadmill arms and gave his face a curs

ck at him, he

. Not even being told that she couldn't answer call

d by anything? Perhaps he would discover. would undoubtedly be more fruit

do you think about me telling you that

ot follow your instructions." Her voice was as clear as

did not want

" He walked slowly toward her, watching h

ate red-gold brow, she remained

l. Nevertheless, that brow... Was that difficult? F

a few more steps while examin

few days. Then there was the lead he had been attempting to pursue. He had been able to foc

g now, though.

w what is going on with your fian

nited in her eyes, but he

oid getting fired any more. He was intrigued by th

er eyes. However, Vera just calmly stared back at him with her hands claspe

ered by his closeness, revealing

t to investigate, it both

agement?" He made a demand. How m

n her eyes again. "Is it really appro

y it is,

eautiful full botto

If you are going to wait five years to get ma

he took a quick look at the coffee cup resting on the tab

that. "Whatever

icate eyebrow, another

not act as though you have no idea

was in an automobile accident." Her voice was rock steady and cool.

after, how could he get some of this anger out? If, without even a

tougher. Maybe he

gh she remained motionless, he could see her posture stiffening as tension suddenly

king finally

ot when he was the type of man who wouldn't take just one mile, he'd tak

ient. He was also arrogant and domineering, and sh

aptivating. It perplexed her that, while the past three days as his assistant

d focus on caring for Josh, she would forgotten how goo

sing him to look at her with a vaguely suspicious expression on his intense, handsome face. As if her obedience did n

made his suspicious expression even more susp

something like that, but s

no matter that all the doctors and nurses had told her that Josh could hear her voice, those long hours of one-sided conversations had taken t

us man in a hospital bed. And that pushing him-even in the sma

she'd had her interview in his office. She thought she'd gotten used to his size, to his raw, primal energy, but appare

cotton outlining the hard-packed muscle of his torso. He smelled of sweat and spice, and it wasn't . . . u

step away

to back away and put some distance between them. Except she couldn't think why. Yes, he was her

rizing masculine scent of sweat and spice, trying to quell that equally stra

a black hole and pulled at her in almost the sam

phone calls, especially when Josh's infection was proving to be stubborn and sticking around. Dimly, she was angry. But she knew that wouldn't h

nd swallow the anger, to keep cal

at keeping calm. She'd had

as rough, gritty. "He's bee

ven a hint of the sadness she felt whenever s

her face in invisible ink and he was trying to read them. "Ha

s. At the thought of Josh just "waking up." "No. He has an infection that

fee sc

ning black eyes of his. "Hospital fees," she said levelly. "Your coffee, Mr. de la cruz. Please. It's getting cold." And she reall

started working with him, and then when she'd had to go into DS Corp downtown to attend a meeting in his stead. He'd been on the phone with her via a video link, and in both of those m

s distracted by anythin

question only just stopped

ing to have to te

nyone's business but hers, and she did not like questions being aske

d in a last-ditch effort to distract Pero,

er wrist, preventing her from reaching the cup. And instantly something in he

nsation so foreign and strange

intensity of a hunter. "You know how I hate to repeat myself, V

ust breath

es to relax. Difficult when every part of her wanted to rip he

who would exploit it, she'd learned that early on, both from her mother's emotional blackmail and from her father's relentle

lutely neutral. Giving him nothing to react against. "Fine. The hospital fees are going up, which means that if I want to

ained wrapped around her wrist, his

'd pegged him as being like her father, demanding and selfish and uninterested in anyone but himself, the way

eping secrets from him, demanding to know all

nd yet another part, the part that was far more sensible, whispered that s

had a chance to stop them, all sharp-edged with the annoyance she'

flared, a black spark igniting in his midnight eyes. Then

she'd made a t