go back downstairs and check those security cameras. And time how long it takes them to discover I’m in the building.’ Rio sprinted up ten floors and reached the locked door that protected the exclusive Penthouse suite. He entered a code into the pad and the door opened. Realising that no one had changed the code, his mouth tightened and a dangerous spark lit his eyes.
Inside the luxurious suite, it was warm and peaceful.
And decorated for Christmas.
Rio froze.
He’d given strict instructions—no decorations.
His tension levels rocketing, his gaze fastened on the tall fir tree that glittered and sparkled in the elegant living room, taunting him—reminding him.
Turning his back on it, he prowled through the suite. His instincts, honed through years of dealing with people, were suddenly on full alert. Something didn’t feel right and it wasn’t just that his express instructions had been overlooked.
His firm mouth hardened and he walked purposefully towards the bedroom suite, his footsteps muffled by the thick carpet.
Pushing open the door, Rio stopped on the threshold of the room.
Lying on top of the bed was a naked woman, her glorious red hair spilling over the pillow like a spectacular sunset, her eyelashes forming a dark smudge above pale cheeks. Her mouth was a deep pink, her lower lip full and softly curved.
Rio stared at that mouth for a full minute before trailing his gaze down the rest of her body. It wasn’t just her mouth that curved. The rest of her did, too, although some of the secrets of her body were concealed beneath all that glorious hair. As he studied the astonishingly vibrant colour, he felt his libido come alive. His mind computed every last detail. Eyes—green, he decided. Temper—hot. Body—incredible. She had the longest legs he’d ever seen and, as for the rest of her—
When she didn’t stir, he strolled into the room.
Distracted by the full curve of her breasts, he sat down on the edge of the bed and slid a leisurely hand over her shoulder, brushing aside a strand of silky hair.
Unable to resist the sensual curve of her soft mouth, Rio lowered his head and kissed her. He just had time to register that she tasted as good as she looked when her eyes opened.
Deliciously groggy, she stared at him blankly. ‘Oh—’ Her words were slurred from sleep. ‘Is it Christmas?’
If this was Christmas, then maybe it was time he re-evaluated his feelings towards the festive season. Perhaps it wasn’t all bad. Blue, Rio thought absently, correcting his earlier assumption. Her eyes were the palest aquamarine.
Lust shot through him and he felt himself harden. Because he was staring down at her, he saw the exact moment she was gripped by the same sexual awareness. Those incredible eyes darkened. Her lips parted and he saw the moist tip of her tongue.
Unable to help himself, Rio lowered his head and was about to kiss her again when a light flashed.
He whipped round in time to see a man darting from the room, camera in hand.
Swearing under his breath in Italian, Rio moved with a speed that would have impressed an Olympic sprinter, but the man was already out of the door.
He grabbed his phone from his pocket and speed-dialled his security team but before Antonio could answer the call, Carlos came striding into the room.
‘Rio? I was told there was an intruder in the Penthouse. We had no idea you were arriving this early. Reception should have notified me. How was your journey?’ He held out his hand in greeting and then froze, his eyes widening as he stared over Rio’s shoulder and through the open doors of the bedroom. ‘I’m so sorry—I had no idea you had company—how very embarrassing. Rio, forgive me…We’ll give you privacy, of course…’
Rio didn’t have to look round to identify the reason for the triumphant gleam in the man’s eyes. He had his lawyer’s words ringing in his ears.
The most important thing is that you need to keep yourself whiter than fresh snow between now and Christmas.
He, of all people, had allowed a woman to distract him and his carelessness could have the most devastating consequences.
He’d been set up.
He’d walked right into a trap.
And now he was going to pay.
DIZZY from the kiss and fully aware of just how much trouble she was in, Evie scrambled frantically off the bed and then remembered she was naked. She grabbed the silk throw and covered herself, but it refused to co-operate, slipping and slithering through her fingers. Finally she managed to fasten it, sarong-style around her body. She clutched it tightly, praying that it wouldn’t fall off. Hurrying through to the living room, she saw Carlos standing there, deep in conversation with a tall, broad-shouldered man. The man who had kissed her a few moments earlier.
Still shaken from the explosion of chemistry, a strange heat spread through her body as she took her first proper look at him and immediately her grandfather’s words flew into her head—a real man.
He dominated the room with the sheer force of his presence, his powerful legs spread apart, his stance unmistakably commanding as he focused furious black eyes on Carlos’s face.
Hearing her entrance, he transferred that terrifying gaze to Evie and she stood pinned to the spot, the simmering fury in his eyes acting like a bucket of cold water.
She went from burning to shivering in the space of a glance.
‘I…I’d better get dressed,’ she stammered and he made a sound in his throat that sounded ominously like a growl.
‘You’ll stay exactly where you are until I give you permission to move.’
Whatever had propelled him to kiss her, it obviously wasn’t something he intended to repeat. There was no softness in his eyes. No hint of the sexual promise that had shimmered only moments earlier.
And suddenly she knew exactly who he was and that realisation came with a cold flash of horror. She’d once seen his picture in the back of the hotel brochure—read a statement from the lord and master of the Zaccarelli Leisure Group. The man who had kissed her was Salvatorio Zaccarelli—Rio to the media, who licked their lips over his taste for glamorous women and super-fast cars.
From what she’d read, Evie had already decided that he was a ruthless, cold-hearted money-making machine who didn’t give a damn about the human cost of his decisions. When he took a personal interest in one of his hotels the first thing he did was to change everything he didn’t like, and that included the staff. He didn’t visit when things were going well. Only when they were going badly did he thunder in like an executioner wielding his sword. There was nothing gentle about him. Nothing soft. He treated women the same way as his business. He hired and fired. No one was with him for long.
Evie had planned to keep her head down and stay out of his way.
Realising
