Page 67 of Lethal Illusion

A knock at the door put an end to their conversation, which was good, because Navarre couldn’t come up with a single thing to refute what Jackson said.He checked the security feed and saw Pinto in the hall.That was odd.Sierra had flown back to Orlando two days ago, which meant Pinto should be at her estate.Curious, Navarre hit the buzzer to disengage the lock.

“Hey, man.I thought you were still working Sierra’s detail.”

“I am.”Pinto stepped farther into the room, and the door clicked shut behind him.His tanned skin looked a shade or two darker than usual, the product of his weekend in the Caribbean.“She’s meeting a few friends for dinner, but she insisted on stopping here along the way so she could talk to you.”

“What—me?”He hadn’t expected that.As far as he knew, the woman didn’t know he existed.He traded a puzzled look with Jackson.“Why?”

“Fuck if I know,” Pinto said.“It’s not my place to ask.I’m guessing it’s got something to do with Austin’s report about what happened in North Carolina.Sounds like you guys had a wild weekend.”

“That’s one way to describe it.”He thought of Sloane, soft and warm and naked in his arms, and his internal temperature jacked up a good ten degrees.He really needed to stop thinking about that, or at least not think about it until he was in the privacy of his own bedroom.

“Anyway, she’s waiting in the conference room,” Pinto continued.“When you get there, could you do me a favor and tell Hatch I’ll be there in a few?I’ve got something I need to take care of.”

“Yeah, sure, no problem.”Navarre secured the armory, parted ways with the guys, and walked the short distance to the conference room, where Hatch stood guard at the door.He must have forgotten to pack sunscreen, because his face was almost as red as his hair.

Navarre relayed Pinto’s message, and said, “I take it you don’t know what this is about either.”

Hatch shook his head.“I know better than to ask that shit.”

Yeah, but it was worth a try.Navarre paused at the door.After spending the day in the armory, he probably reeked of gun metal and grease, but there wasn’t anything he could do about it now.He drew a deep breath, blew it out, and went inside.

Sierra Page sat at the head of the table in Austin’s plush office chair, her legs crossed at the knees.Her short red skirt allowed an unobstructed view of her toned, mile-long legs, while the scooped neckline of her form-fitting blouse showed just a hint of cleavage.Her makeup was flawless, not a hair out of place.The scent of her perfume tinged the air, floral but not overpowering.She glanced up from her phone as he entered the room, and her gaze sharpened like a raptor that just spotted its favorite prey.

“Good afternoon, Ms.Page.”The door swung shut behind him.“I was told you wanted to speak with me.”

“Please, call me Sierra.”She tucked the phone into her tiny purse and stood.“Ms.Page feels way too formal.”

He nodded, even though he disliked using first names when speaking with clients.It stripped away a layer of professionalism that he preferred to keep in place.“If that’s what you prefer, Sierra.”

She smiled, a flash of white behind ruby lips.“I read your report, and I wanted to thank you for taking such good care of me.”She made a soft sound of amusement.“Well, the other me.”

“I was just doing my job, ma’am—Sierra,” he corrected himself.

She gave him a pointed look.“Did you really break a man’s kneecap?”

He nodded.“Yes.”

“Good.Serves him right.”She rounded the table and moved to where he stood.“What I read in your report sounded really exciting.I’d love to hear a more detailed account of how you evaded a team of mercenaries while keeping my body double safe.If we play our cards right, it could even be turned into a screenplay.”

Okay, he hadn’t seen that one coming, even though Sloane had pitched the idea to the old guy in the bait shop.“You want to turn what happened to us into a movie?”

She looked at him as if the answer were obvious.“It has all the makings of a summer blockbuster: action, suspense, mistaken identity, man—and woman—against the elements.The whole bodyguard/protector thing.Now that I think about it, that would make a fantastic romantic subplot.I know a few screenwriters who would kill for the chance to sink their teeth into all that.”

Something inside him went cold.No way would he allow what happened between him and Sloane to be twisted into a cheap plot device.“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

A sensual smile curved her lush red lips as she closed the remaining distance between them.Reaching out, she trailed one finger from his shoulder to his chest.“Oh, come on, I can make it worth your while.You’re cute, in a rough-around-the-edges kind of way.I normally don’t mix business with pleasure, but I’d be willing to make an exception for you.”

Navarre swallowed hard against the lump in his throat.There had been nights—more than he cared to admit—when he’d fantasized about moments like this.She was temptation personified.A body built for sin.And here she was, offering to turn those fantasies into reality.

And yet, God help him, he felt absolutely nothing, not even the slightest twinge below the belt, because he couldn’t stop thinking about the woman he really wanted.

The one he’d fallen in love with.

It hit him then, with a bit of a shock, that he’d used Sierra as a placeholder of sorts, an unattainable fantasy to fill the void created from wanting the woman he saw every day at work but couldn’t have.

Or could he?

Maybe Jackson was right.Getting involved with a coworker was a monumental risk, but not taking that risk could lead to a lifetime of loneliness and regret.He didn’t want to live the rest of his life wondering about what could have been.

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