simply because until recently he’d deemed her involvement in his investigation peripheral at best.
The extent of her role in her father’s organisation had only come to light a few days ago. But even then he should’ve recognised her power.
Now, at the first proper sight of what was turning out to be the jewel in Benedicto da Costa’s crown, the essential cog in the sinister wheel that his enemy was intent on using to his full advantage, he experienced a pulse of heat so strong, so powerful, he sucked in a quick breath.
Up close, Inez da Costa’s heart-shaped face was flawless…breathtaking, her skin a silky, vibrant complexion even the best cosmetics couldn’t hope to produce.
Not that she hadn’t attempted to enhance her beauty even further. Her make-up was impeccable, her lids smoky in a way that drew attention to her wide, doe-like stare.
Long-lashed eyes that bored into him with unwavering demand and a healthy dose of suspicion. Her nose flared with pure Latin ire and her full lips parted as she released another agitated breath.
The pictures in his dossier did her no justice at all. Flesh and blood wrapped in red silk from cleavage to toe, she made his senses ignite in a way he hadn’t felt in a long time. The earlier pull deep in his groin returned. Harder.
‘I asked you a question.’ Her voice held a hint of dark sultriness that reminded him of a warm Santorini evening spent drinking ouzo on a deserted beach. And the mouth that framed her words, painted a deep matt red, reminded him of what happened on the beach after the ouzo had been consumed and inhibitions were at their loosest.
She glanced over his shoulder and Theo’s jaw clenched at the thought that she was more concerned with the departing Alfonso than she was with him.
‘Why is one of my guests walking out the door right this moment?’
‘I told him that if he didn’t want a noose slipped around his neck before he was ready to be hog-tied, he needed to stay away from you.’
Her parted mouth gaped wider, showing a row of perfect white teeth. ‘Excuse me—?’
‘You’re excused.’
Eyes the colour of dark caramel flashed. ‘How dare you refer to me as such—?’
‘Careful, anjo, you’re causing a scene. Pai would not be happy to see his event ruined by a tantrum now, would he?’
Her eyes didn’t stray from his, her stare direct and cutting in a way that made it difficult for him to look away. Or maybe it was because, despite the boldly challenging stare, he spied a quickly hidden vulnerability that tweaked his radar?
‘I don’t know who you think you are but perhaps you need to be educated in the etiquette of social gatherings. You don’t deliberately set out to insult your host or—’
‘My intention was quite simple. I wanted to get rid of the competition.’
‘The competition?’
The doors to the larger ballroom where the dinner fund-raiser was to be held were thrown open. Theo turned to her. ‘Yes. And now Alfonso’s gone, I have you all to myself. And, as to who I am, I’m Theo Pantelides, your VIP guest of honour. Maybe you should add another bullet point to your rules of etiquette. That the hostess should know who her most important guests are?’
Her mouth started to drop open but she caught her reaction and pursed her lips.
‘You’re Theo Pantelides?’ she muttered.
‘Yes, so I suggest you make nice with me to stop me from leaving. One high net worth guest departing before dinner may be excusable. Barely. Two will certainly not go down well with your crowd. Now, smile and take my arm.’
Inez reeled under the steely punch packed behind the suave, sophisticated exterior and charming smile.
Theo Pantelides.
This was the man her father and Pietro had talked about. The one who would be taking over majority shares in Da Costa Holdings until after the elections. The one her brother Pietro had referred to as an arrogant bastard.
Well, he certainly was arrogant all right. The swiftness with which he’d dispatched Alfonso and assumed he could control her confirmed that assertion. As to whether he was a true bastard…well, that was something to be determined. But so far all signs pointed in that direction.
What she hadn’t been aware of was that the man spoken of with such scorn would be so…visually breathtaking.
‘I thought you would be older.’ The words tripped from her tongue before she could stop herself.
‘As opposed to young, virile and unbelievably handsome?’ he drawled.
Shock jolted though her at his unapologetic, irritatingly justified confidence. Because he undeniably was. A full head of vibrant jet-black hair was common enough among her countrymen. Even his hazel eyes, sculpted cheekbones and square jaw were conventional in the polo-loving jet set crowd her father and brother encouraged her to associate with.
On this man, though, the whole combination had been elevated several hundred notches to an entirely different level of magnetism that demanded attention and got it. There was a quality about the way he carried himself, his broad shoulders unyielding, that spelled a tough inner core anyone would be foolish to mess with.
And yet that danger Inez could feel rising off him was…compelling. Alluring.
She found her gaze drifting over his face, past the tiny dimple in his chin to the dark bronze throat as he lazily swallowed a mouthful of champagne.
She inhaled a sharp dart of air as she watched his Adam’s apple move. Then jerked back when her fingers flexed suddenly with the urge to touch him there.
Santa Maria!
She fought to remember her anger at this stranger. As much as she detested her role in tonight’s events—the blatant begging for campaign funds disguised as a charity event—she couldn’t let opportunities slip through her fingers.
It was the deal she’d made with her father.
An education in return for serving her time. In six short weeks she would be free to pursue her dreams. Free of her father’s influence, of the sleazy, horrifying rumours that had been part of her childhood and what had driven her mother to quiet despair when she thought she wasn’t being observed.
She needed to focus, not moon over how coarse this arrogant stranger’s faintly stubbled jaw would feel against her skin.
‘Make nice? After you rudely interrupted my conversation and sent my guest for the evening running without so much as a goodbye?’
‘Think about that for a minute. Do you really want a man who would abandon you so easily on the strength of a few whispered words?’
Genuine anger replaced the momentary sensory aberration. ‘That you needed to whisper those words instead of state them
