Page 5 of Seduced By the Enemy

“You don’t like it?” she murmured, perfectly aware he felt the opposite.

“I prefer what’s underneath.”

“Funny, I thought about coming to this thing naked, but I changed my mind at the last moment.”

He laughed at that, and a shot of warmth fired through her. She tamped down on the pleasure she got from knowing she’d been the one to make him laugh. That’s not what this was about. Slowly, she took a sip of her drink, but a second later, his hand reached down and curled around the glass, taking it from her and lifting it to his own lips. His eyes held hers as he tasted it, and her heart did a funny little tremble in response.

“You know, you were just at the bar,” she drawled, and in response, he took another taste, eyes still on hers. This time, unmistakably, there was a spirit of provocation in their depths, like he was looking at her as though he wanted to see her lose her temper.

“Why am I not surprised? A Valentino doesn’t know how to share.”

“And a Santoro takes what he wants regardless.”

“Touché. But if memory serves,you’rethe one who picked up the contract in Moricosia.”

“And don’t you just hate that?”

His eyes flashed with something raw and real, briefly belying the flirtiness of their banter. “King Ares could not award it to us. Not after he and Sofia got together.”

“Tsk, tsk,” she murmured, swiping her drink back and finishing it, staring him down as the last drop of the astringent liquid hit her mouth. “That sounds an awful lot like sour grapes.”

“You’re calling me a poor loser?”

“If the shoe fits…”

“I don’t like to lose,” he agreed. “But I’ll tolerate it when it’s fair.”

“Now you’re crying foul?”

He shrugged laconically. “If you can be happy winning work just because we were essentially disqualified…”

“Would it kill you to tell me my design was better?”

“I’ve never been much of a liar.”

Heat flooded her cheeks, and she was torn between hate and lust. “You are such a piece of work. You can’t even bring yourself to congratulate me?”

He grinned then; a sexy, twisty smile that made her wonder if he was being so outrageous just to provoke her. If so, it had worked. Spectacularly. Anger fizzed in her veins, reminding her of the fact she’d spent a lifetimehatingthese people with every fibre of her being.

And this line of questioning was only making it worse, because the truth was, while she believed their design was superior to the Santoro tender, ever since being awarded the project, they’d been beset by problem after problem. From an obstructive government to a major issue with one of their suppliers, Emilia had spent the last few months practically tearing her hair out over the details—and halfway wishing they hadn’t been successful in winning the project after all.

But then, the alternative would have meant leaving it to the Santoros, and there was no way they’d ever have done that. When it came to beating this family, the Valentinos had a clear mission in life.

“I would never have come to this thing if I’d known your family was a major sponsor.”

“Scared to see me?”

“Not interested in being in the same room as you.”

“Says the woman who just followed me into the fire escape,” he pointed out, and his hand on her hip pulled her closer, hard against his body, so she felt the jut of his cock and that same smothered groan made a bid for freedom. The most that emerged though was a quick burst of breath—an indignant sound of surprise.

“I was intrigued, what can I say?”

“And now?” His hand shifted from her hip to the small of her back, pressing her further forward. Her gaze dropped, helplessly, to his throat, locking to the stubble covered Adam’s apple there.

“Now,”she said, desperately trying to think of something pithy and condescending to say, but her mind drew a blank.

His finger beneath her chin angled her face, so her eyes were locked to his once more, held captive by his attention, and the way he stared through her.

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