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Emma stiffened as she felt his bony hand press against her. “Are you aware that you’re now cupping my right breast?”
He smiled. “Such a lovely right breast it is. The left one is equally alluring.”
Oh, boy. “I need to go now.”
“I’m a very rich man, Emma. And I enjoy collecting beautiful things. I have three mistresses set up in Manhattan, two in Toronto, and one in London. Have you ever given any thought to letting someone take care of you so you can live a life of leisure rather than having to pursue a full-time career to support yourself?”
She eyed him. “Are you asking me to be one of your mistresses?”
He swept his gaze over her, stopping at her cleavage. “I don’t have a redhead in my collection yet.”
She couldn’t say she was overly surprised by this turn of events. Xavier Franklin’s reputation for chasing much younger women by the baker’s dozen did precede him, after all. She was surprised he only had six mistresses.
“Look, Xavier, I’m flattered, of course, but I wouldn’t say I’m in the market for—”
He aimed a kiss toward her mouth, but she dodged out of the way just in time. He grinned wickedly at her. “I like a little spunk in my ladies. The chase only makes it more fun!”
This wasn’t happening to her. “I really need to leave.”
His pale eyes swept over her body. “You, me, hot tub. Now. You can leave the mask on but everything else comes off. I enjoy a bit of mystery.”
She grimaced. “No, thanks.”
“Your beautiful lips say no, but your sexy green eyes say yes.”
“My sexy green eyes are also saying no. Trust me on that.”
He grabbed her wrist and she had to jostle to keep a hold of the potion bottle so it wouldn’t spill. “I’ve desired you since the moment we met. I want to make love to you.”
She gritted her teeth. “That wasn’t part of the agreement with PARA.”
“I don’t care.” He waved a hand flippantly. “You know, Emma, I have a difficult time taking no for an answer.”
“I can see that.” She didn’t want to resort to kneeing the old man in his privates, but it was a distinct possibility she’d have to go there. He was rich and powerful. PARA considered him a VIP, so he could make her life very difficult, but she’d be damned if she was going to let him to fondle her like one of his shiny glass bowls.
“Excuse me,” a familiar voice said from behind them. “Emma, I was wondering where you’d gotten to. Is everything okay?”
She turned with shock to see Ryan standing by the open door to the library.
“Who are you?” Xavier demanded, without letting go of her wrist.
“I don’t think we’ve been formally introduced. I’m Ryan. Emma’s fiancé.” He smiled thinly. “Is there a problem here?”
Xavier let go of her so abruptly she nearly stumbled backward. She pressed her hand over the top of the bottle to keep the stopper in place.
“Emma, I wasn’t aware that you were engaged,” he said.
Her first inclination was to deny it, but she bit her tongue long enough to come to her senses. “Oh, yes. Very engaged. Ryan came along with me tonight. It was a long drive and I wanted the company.”
“Yes,” Ryan agreed. “I couldn’t let my angel come all this way by herself. The city can be very dangerous. Predators are everywhere. Present company excluded, of course.”
Xavier pursed his lips. “I thought you said you were taking the bus back tonight.”
“I…uh, yes, of course,” she said. “We both took the bus.”
The billionaire eyed each of them in turn and Emma was certain he didn’t believe a word they spoke.
“Yes, well,” he finally relented. “I really must get back to my party. Everyone will be wondering where I’ve gotten to.”
“Good idea,” Ryan said. “Bye now.”
“Lovely to meet you. Both of you.” Without another word, Xavier Franklin left the library and closed the heavy, ornately carved door behind him, leaving Emma and Ryan alone. She finally released the breath she’d been holding.
“You don’t have to thank me—” Ryan offered.
She looked at him, trying her best to repress the gratitude she felt. “I wasn’t going to.”
“—but you’re welcome.”
Emma put her hand on her hip. “I could have handled that, you know.”
“A dirty old man with big bucks trying to get you into his hot tub? Yeah, you probably could have. But I thought I’d intervene, just for old time’s sake. You do know these parties are simply a way for him to meet new women, right?” His gaze narrowed on the bottle she held. “So, what’s that?”
“A bottle.”
“I figured that part out all by myself. Was it a gift from the octogenarian Casanova?”
“Not a gift. I’m taking it back to PARA with me. Don’t try to steal it or I might be forced to stab you in the eyeball.”
He raised a dark brow. “With what?”
Emma frowned. “I have a very pointy pencil in my purse and I know how to use it.”
He studied her for a moment. “I see. So if you’re here on behalf of my old employer, where’s your new partner?”
“I don’t have a partner at the moment. I’m currently working independently.”
“For six long months?” His lips stretched over his straight white teeth. “So nobody lived up to me, did they?”
She shook her head. “I see you haven’t misplaced your inflated ego anywhere.”
“Thought I did for a while, but I found it in my sock drawer.”
Speaking with the gorgeous but disappointing man in front of her was wearying, especially when being close to him made it difficult to separate the anger she felt from the desire that pooled inside her. It was well past the time when Emma wanted to leave. “Well, it’s been great walking down memory lane with you, Ryan, but time is a-fleeting.” She grabbed her purse, slung it over her shoulder, and then eyed the tote bag. She’d have to catch a cab to the bus station. Any more walking was out of the question tonight with this load. All she knew was she had to escape. And soon.
His smile faded. “So you’re going to leave, just like that.”
She shrugged. “My work here is done. I have what I came for and now it’s time for me to go.”
He’d drawn close enough that she could feel his body heat. She forced herself not to back up a step or show any weakness toward him.
“Take off your mask, Em. I want to see your face,” he said.
“No.”
“Is that the only word you know?”
“Tonight it is.”
She wanted to stay professional, but it was difficult when Ryan Shephard was so close to her. She’d tried very hard to forget about him, to put everything that happened between them well behind her. Logically, she knew she wasn’t supposed to like him anymore, but it was as if her body had a mind of its own.
A whole year of wanting him when they worked together, side by side. Never having him. Fantasies of bare skin, his body pressed to hers, his lips and tongue moving over her naked body, lower, lower…
She had to get out of here.
“Can I tell you a secret, Em?” he asked after a moment.
“I’d prefer than you don’t. And stop calling me Em.” Her grip tightened on the bottle of potion. It was an abbreviation of her name that he’d used in the past, but now it felt much too intimate.
His jaw tightened. “Fine, Emma. Then let me ask you a question first.”
She reached up to adjust her mask. Flimsy though it was, it felt like it offered her a bit of protection against the man facing her. “Go ahead. But I can’t guarantee I’m going to answer it.”
“When you heard that I’d stolen all that stuff from the vaults, did it ever occur to you that I didn’t do it?”
“No,” she said, hating that her throat now felt thick. She didn’t want him to affect her like this. She thought she’d steeled herself against him a long time ago.
His blue eyes grew serious beneath his red mask. “Why not?”
“Because there was a witness to your actions, someone I trust more than anyone in the world.”
His eyes narrowed. “Who?”
“Like I’m going to tell you.” A flare of anger ignited inside her, which helped her see things clearly again. “Look, Ryan, I don’t care if you’re only now starting to feel guilt about what happened. I don’t care if you’re looking to make amends. It’s too late for that.”
“So you still hate me.”
She blew out a breath. “Actually, I feel nothing for you.”
His face tightened. “That’s even worse.”
“Just because you’re having a moment of guilt doesn’t mean I need to feel sorry for you. It’s not going to happen. You made your choices and I made mine.”
“Did you ever feel anything for me?” He searched her face.
Dangerous question. “You’re the empath. You tell me.”
His lips curved at the edges. “Humor me.”
Humor him. She wasn’t sure why she would want to do something like that.
“Okay, you really want to know?” She exhaled shakily and her grip on the glass bottle tightened until the sharp edges bit into her skin. “Whatever I might have felt for you in the past was swept away the moment you decided that being my partner at PARA was not as good as making some easy cash on the side. You had a good life and some great friends—especially me—and you threw it all away. We knew each other a year, Ryan. You were my partner. I trusted you with—” Her voice caught and she cleared her throat. “Quite honestly, at this very moment I just want you to go away and stay gone. I really never wanted to see you again.”
The words poured out of her mouth in a gush and he stood there letting her have her say. The look on his face, although partially hidden, stiffened with every word she uttered. His reaction bothered her, she couldn’t help it.
Because, bottom line, six months ago—even after he started dating Charlotte—she’d been well on her way to falling in love with him. And he’d broken her heart. So she’d stuffed those feelings down deep and tried not to pay any attention to them. But seeing him tonight—the realization that she was far from over him was not a comfort in any way, shape, or form. Actually, it made her want to cry.
Finally, a glimmer of a smile, although now lacking any humor, touched Ryan’s lips. “I guess it can’t get much more clear than that, can it?”
She swallowed past the lump in her throat. “You said you had a secret you wanted to tell me?”
“Forget it. Suddenly I’m not in much of a mood for sharing.”
“Then I’m going to go. Goodbye, Ryan.”
“Goodbye, Emma.”
She took a deep breath and began to walk past him. She had a feeling that after tonight, she’d never see him again. It would be for the best—for both of them.
“Wait…before you go—” He reached out and grabbed her wrist to stop her. The bottle Xavier had given her earlier jerked and the loose-fitting top flew off. The clear, oily liquid within spilled over the lip of the bottle and splashed them both.
“Damn.” She rubbed her hand against her dress, then grabbed for the stopper and quickly put it back in place.
“What is that stuff?” Ryan asked. He brought his fingers to his temples as if he’d suddenly developed a headache.
The temperature in the room felt as if it had just shot up about twenty degrees. A wave of dizziness swept through her. She pressed her hand to her face. “PARA business. It’s the reason I’m here in the first place.”
He frowned. “So that means it’s not just any bottle. What’s inside of it?”
“Xavier said it was something he’d gotten in London. Some sort of mood enhancing potion, but it doesn’t work properly. He called it Desidero.”
He gaped at her. “Did you say Desidero?”
The look of surprise on his face didn’t help calm her nerves. “Yes.”
He grimaced. “Uh, oh.”
She stared at him. “Uh, oh, what?”
“You’re sure that’s what he said? Desidero potion?”
“Positive, but he says it doesn’t work. You know what it is?”
“I worked a few weeks in the potions division when I started at the agency, before I was assigned as your partner. It was part of my training. Desidero was one of the potions I learned about.” He looked at the bottle she held. “Mood enhancement, huh? I guess it’ll kick in any second now.”
“What will kick in?”
He shook his head. “A whole lot of trouble.”
