pte

darkness swallowing the glints of pure gold that he'd seen flash in the depths as he'd circled around her. Glints of temper or fear,

part from that initial widening of her eyes as he'd walked through the door into his office, Vera Swift hadn't shown any signs of shock or even surprise. She'd merely sat there with her hands clasped in her lap, those sharp features of hers bet

initial shock, her gaze had been detached alm

didn't like it

accent, one red-gold eyebrow lifting as if he'd said something c

revealing the delicate dusting of freckles across her nos

tale signs that his nearness bothered her. Yet apart from a c

re. Now answer my fucking ques

ct that he was so close and possibly by his crude language, but not Phoebe. She sat

she replied, her tone as flat as his. "

at was a start.

ht want you to do?" Her skin was incredibly fine

ould do that better than I could." Her voic

cross the pretty color, and sure enough

his still an interview for your personal assistant?" she as

since he was a man who never denied himself anything he wanted, he did just that, sl

ft. Like a

ck or something else, he couldn't tell,

en who usually came to his house wore, but of something else. It was a simp

e the line of her cheekbone. "My personal assistant is ther

viding you with what you want includes touching, then I

roke. "What if what I

a problem. I

ine puzzlement. "How

ear or anger or desire, he had difficulties with reading complicated or subtle emotions. Normally this didn't bother him since he interacted with very few pe

this job." He let his hand fall from her cheek and straightened. "Which are as follows. This is a live-in position. My assistant needs to be avai

ad his hand on her cheek. She seemed utterly unfazed by anything he'd said. "I s

you hear me when I said I d

rectly," she said in the same level tone.

uptly restless, he turned away from her, moving over to the window that gave a view out to the walled area that was hi

made him even more restl

ery request to be fulfilled,

ts were getting to it. Shit. He was going to have to get John to speak to the gardener again. "O

can't pro

you're

was a

n coming from her, Pero swu

calm. "I didn

you need to be clear on, Miss Swift, is that I do not pay for anyone else's opinio

ve so much as a flicker.

I need it. That's all. And in return, I'll pay you six figures." He paused, looking down at the top of her red-gold head. Not a curl, not a single wis

his teeth in a feral smile. Money, it always came down to that. O

they wouldn'

ert." A certain sharpne

ust decided to up t

time there was an edge of demand to it tha

excit

hairpins, slowly sliding it out of the tightly coiled mass of hair. "Like I said,

the job," s

ound and reached for another one.

ch o

He dropped the second pin and reach

er head, as if trying to free her ha

growled, pulling

uestion was perfectly calm and yet . . . was there an

s like." He reached for a fourth p

pleased him. "I did. I to

ou want t

anyone w

questions." He eased out a fifth pin then went on to the sixth. F

y fiancé is in hospital. He's been in a coma for two years, and I'm coming to the end of my

either. He generally didn't like to feel much at all beyond basic, physical pleasures, and cer

iscarded them with the rest on the floor, watching in fascination as the coil of hair

no sign. "Obviously," she said, her tone cool. "If

h her hair, watching as the coil began to break apart into a glorious fa

till might if I

son it sounded like . . . amusement? Strange. Why the h

ers, that sweet, flowery scent rising around him. "You'd

pause. "I should warn you that I dra

face. She stared back at him, absolutely calm, as if he hadn't suggested he might want her to strip f

nted you to?

around her shoulders, softening her sharp features. "Then we'll cross th

prickling all over from the feeling of his fingers in her hair,

en letting a complete stranger touch her. Even having his fingers in

difficult until now. Until he'd touched her cheek without asking. Until h

er stylist had touched her hair had been when Charles had pushed it behind her ear as he'd kissed

nd that included Pero de Santis. But for six figures every three

ignored the urge to put it to rights. No point in letting him know he'd bothered her. He

, and Verahad found that the best way to handle him was not to argue, but simply give in without drama. That discovery

g down on her. He was standing close, giving no regard whatsoever to her personal

s unn

to live here?" he asked in

es

ly at nights, the silence reminding her acutely of a man who shouldn't be in a hospital bed but back at home with her. As the months had passed, she'd toyed with the idea of mov

said. "And if I want something in the middle of th

ed for two years now, and getting up and having tasks to do was c

ck against it and curling long, powerful fingers over the edge. "I might want anything

to shock her. In which case, h

"Then I'm sure I can

wn her body in an openly appraising lo

annoying. He didn't want her, of course he didn't, so why the comment should unsettle her, she

e when we come to it," she said, maki

ielding, as if they'd been carved out of granite, and she had the odd impression that if she flung

, not in a million years. Why would she? She was engaged, and it didn't ma

ex with him? If he a

ping her hands clasped in her lap,

so much awkward as heavy, dense. As if she was stand

desk and turned, heading toward the mysterio

he leaving? Was the interview over? "Mr.

g-fingered powerful hand. Then he paused and turned ba

ike you ha

the disquiet that coiled in the

urs. You star

ait . . . What? An hour? But I

," he said curtly. "You should find everything else y

e questions, he'd disappeared through the

our of being given it? There was so much to prepare. She had to get home and organize her things, go to the hospital, and giv

much

hour? He really expected her to start what was sounding

ntly,

ss. "Mr. de la Cruz has requested that your belongings be brought here, Miss Swift. If you could kindly

her stuff, not have someone else do it for her. What if she forgot something import

ft?" John

th unexpected changes. You cope. You handle it. And apart f

of course. Do you have som

items to James, plus a few instructions on what not to touch in the apartment, Verawa

her gut, though she did her best to ignore them, look

other floors at various intervals, and lots of doors leading to many different rooms. It was almost maze like. And the

s a lot of, t

raphs, all, without exception, landscapes. Of cities. Of jungles.

omething against people, o

ot, clearly taken from the top of a mountain, Vera m

d. "Mr. de la Cruz

r her shoulder at the long hallway stretching behind her.

e block. The buildings have all

explained why the house felt so big inside. "That's . . .

John replied with finality, indica

She could hardly imagine it was. There was something so vitally alive about him, a kind of raw, ani

ing a lion, or a tige

orbidding, so Vera let it go. She expe

e door and into a spacious and surpris

ter bed in one corner. Off the bedroom was a small sitting room painted in the same shade, with lots of bookshelves full of books and a comfortable looking whit

made her think that Pero de la Cruz had definitely not had a hand in planning it. Though maybe she was doing

there was nothing romantic abo

already moving toward the doorway, clearly im

se Mr. de la Cruz will . . . what?

k him anything more, the elderly butler vanished thr

lence settle down on her like a heavy weight, combining with the nervous

his job? It clearly wasn't going to be easy, no

whole set-up

r some reason, she half-expected there to be bars over the glass, but there was n

te shell paths wound through the foliage, and she could even see th

ens hidden behind imposing brick walls or behind the gray facades of buildings. It reminded her of the rose garden in Londo

dow, a certain untamed quality to it that her fa

Pero de la C

sation of his fingers in her hair, the skin over

It was not time to think about her employer;

nched in the hospital's number, giving them her new details about which they sounded completely uninterested. After that, she quickly

light and slightly out of breath, as if she'd been running to get the phone. "Oh, P

is Charles?" Now, they were either about how inconvenient Phoe

y. "I just wanted you to k

ow won

angement. Which means I won't be at

d . . ." Her mother rambled on, repeating the same list of complaints and slights that had been the soundtrack to Phoebe's life for years.

whether the items she requested from her apartment were the correct ones and what she would do

t coming home quite yet" statements, Vera disconnected the call and sat on the bed, fighting

air back into place, her phone buzzed again with a text message

place, smoothed down her ski

de la Cruz.

was