‘I was there. I saw how much you hated it.’ Her voice was soft with sympathy.
The idea of being pitied made his fist tighten on the table.
‘And you think this should make me bury my head in the sand about Lowell?’
‘No, I’m just saying that turning his life inside out doesn’t feel right. Since you’ve been in his shoes—’
‘Since I don’t know anything more than what his human resources file says, that’s a lofty conclusion to draw. And, unlike what you think you know about me and my family, what I find out about Captain Lowell won’t find its way to the tabloid press or any social media forum for the world at large to feast over and make caricatures out of. So I say no, there is nothing even remotely similar between the two situations.’
She drew in a slow, steady breath. ‘If you say so.’ Her gaze dropped and she pulled the tablet towards her.
Sakis stayed exactly where he was, the urge to invade her space further an almighty need that stomped through him. In the last twenty-four hours, his PA had acted out of character, challenged him in ways she’d never done before.
The incident with the tent and the sleeping on the sofa bed, he was willing to let go. This latest challenge—breaching the taboo subject of his father—should’ve made him fire her on the spot. But, as much as he hated to admit it, she was right. The journalist’s question had shaken him and unearthed volcanic feelings he preferred masked.
In silence, he watched her compose a succinct email to his security chief, stating his exact wishes.
The electronic ‘whoosh’ of the outgoing email perforated the silence in the conference room. It was as if the very air was holding its breath.
Brianna raised her head after setting the tablet down. ‘Is there anything else?’
His gaze traced over her. A tendril of hair had escaped its tight prison and caressed the wild pulse beating in her neck. His fingers tingled with the need to smooth it away and trace the pulse with his fingers; to keep tracing down the length of her sleek neck to the delicate collarbone hidden beneath her T-shirt.
‘You disagree with what I’m doing?’
Her full pink lips firmed. That dimple winked again. His groin tightened unbearably.
‘Privacy is a right and I detest those who breach it. I know you do too, so I’m struggling with this a little, but I also get why it needs to be done. I also apologise if I stepped out of line but...I trust you when you say you won’t let it fall into unscrupulous hands.’
Her last words drilled down and touched a soft place inside him, soothed the ruffled edge of his nerves a little. ‘You have my word that whatever we discover about Lowell will be held in strictest confidence.’ The knowledge that he was reassuring her, was justifying his behaviour to his assistant, threw him a little, as did the knowledge that he wanted her to approve of what he was doing. He pushed the feeling away as she nodded.
The movement slid the silky hair against her nape. The soft scent of her crushed-lilies shampoo hit his nostrils and his fingers renewed their mad tingling.
‘And, Moneypenny?’
She glanced up. This close, her eyes were even more enthralling. His heart raced and his blood rushed south with a need so forceful, he sucked in a shocked breath.
‘Yes?’ Her lips were parted, the tip of her wet tongue peeking through even teeth.
Sakis struggled to remember what he’d meant to say. ‘I don’t trust easily but that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate people who place their trust in me. In all the time you’ve worked for me, you’ve proved yourself trustworthy and someone I can rely on. Your help especially in the past two days has been priceless. Thank you.’
Her eyed widened. God, she was beautiful. How the hell had he never noticed that?
‘Of...of course, Mr Pantelides.’
Curiously, she paled a little bit more. Sakis frowned then chalked it down to exhaustion. They’d both been driven by dire circumstances to the pinnacle of their endurance. He needed to let her go to her room instead of crouching over her like some dark lord about to demand a virgin sacrifice.
He grimaced and stepped back, slamming down the need to stay where he was. Tension stretched over every of inch of his skin until he felt taut and uncommonly sensitive. ‘I think we find ourselves in a unique enough situation where it’s okay for you to call me Sakis.’
She shook her head. ‘No.’
His brow shot up. ‘Just...no?’
‘I’m sorry, but I can’t.’ Edging away from him, she sprang to her feet. ‘If that’s all you need tonight, I’ll say goodnight.’
‘Goodnight...Brianna.’ Her name sounded like the sweetest temptation on his lips.
She hesitated. ‘I would really prefer it if you kept calling me Moneypenny,’ she said.